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The Interview (06/17/2008)
©06/2008 by: Ree

I walked into the restaurant promptly at noon. Didn’t want to be late for my meeting; that would be totally unprofessional. He was sipping a cup of espresso when I approached the table.

“Good morning, Mr. Skinner.”

He looked up at me and cocked his head, a small smile creeping over his lips. He stood and pulled out a chair for me.”I believe it’s afternoon, Miss Butler. But a good one to you. Sit.”

As I settled in the seat, I saw him take a sidelong glance at my outfit. I think he expected something other than the white skirt, white blouse and blue blazer I had dressed myself in. My hair was swept up and I wore my glasses, not my contacts. “Care for an espresso to start?”

Before I could answer he’d waved and made hand gestures to a waiter. I was getting coffee whether I’d liked it or not.

“How did you know I’d like coffee?” I arched my brow at him and he chuckled.

“I know how to read people, Laurie. May I call you Laurie?” I nodded my assent. “Of course, I’ve also seen you with a coffee cup from time to time.”

“Have you?” The coffee was quick to arrive, and I busied myself putting sweetener in and taking a sip. “Oh this is good.” I sighed softly. “So, you said you had something to discuss with me?”

He paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts, then cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I thought it would be good to meet here, give us a chance to talk a little.”

“If it’s about the Johnson account, I’m not surprised you didn’t want Ben and Jerry to see us together.”

“Ben and Jerry?” He laughed. “Right. They don’t need to know. So,” he said, grinning at me, “as you’ve gathered, I’m interested in putting you on the account. But, I want to see if you have what it takes.”

“Haven’t I proved myself ten times over?”  

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Shedding Some Light (05/16/2008)

©05/2008 by: John Biebe

Deep down I knew something was on her mind. Wasn’t anything blatant; never is with her. But when I rushed off to work Friday morning, I realized the stack of work waiting for me could have waited for a few hours. What had made her ask so many questions about it? The thought crossed my mind that I’d been handled; and that thought would have crossed right out again if Bud hadn’t stood in front of my desk and asked ‘how things were.’ Like he ever does that. Yeah, something was up.

I knew the only way to find out was to get her alone. Not always easy with the seven of us around for Friday dinner. Ree had cooked us a nice meal, and we were chowing down with gusto. A couple of the others said they were ready for seconds and Ree automatically volunteered to go to the kitchen. She was out of earshot when I stood to address the offenders. “She’s not the servant here, you could have gotten off your ass yourself, you know.”

“She said she was going anyway!”

“Yeah, like hell. I’m getting my own.” I took my plate and headed into the kitchen. Ree was filling a couple extra plates. I took them from her.

“Bella, you’re not the waitress. You cooked already.”

“I know, I’m just being nice.”

“Don’t. They’ll expect it.”

“I like to take care of you guys,” she gave me a flirtatious smile and when she walked past me she brushed against my arm. I hooked my hand around her elbow and stopped her.

“But we like to take care of you, too.” She cocked her head at me and I could see the cloud pass over her eyes.

“You do,” she smiled again, the look passed as quickly as it had come. Damn, she was good.

“Tell you what, I’ll skip the game entirely tonight.”

“Oh, Johnny, it’s your night to be with your brothers, go and play.”

I wasn’t going to let her pull that again. I leaned in close to her and spoke low in her ear. “Maybe I just want to play with you, Bella.” She grinned, it was a honest grin, full of anticipation. I answered by circling her waist.

“I’d really like that,” she replied with her own whisper. My attempt at analyzing that response was clouded by her tugging at my ear with her lips. Ah, was that her plan? Sweet distraction often worked on me. My answer was cut short when Jeff and Steve walked in.

“Sorry, Ree, don’t go to so much trouble for us.” Jeff said. He stopped in his tracks when he saw us. “Oi! John, getting your own, are ya?”

“Just talking here.”

“Sure ya are. Guess we know what the plan is for the game, then.” Jeff took the refilled plate and stood at the sink, eating it up quickly. “Speaking of which, we better go, mate. Getting late.”

Steve nodded at Jeff and put his own dish in the sink. “Don’t clean these, we’ll get them when we get back, babe.”

“But everything will be stuck on!”

“Leave ‘em. You and John could use an evening together.” Now that sealed it. Steve not making any cracks about being the one to stay home. Not that he begrudges any of us, but given a choice, he’d wanna be the one every time.

“Um, yeah.” I couldn’t see her face as she looked toward him, but I definite “do it” expression showed in his. “Let me go upstairs to freshen up, John, I’m a mess.” She lifted off my lap and scurried out of the kitchen. The rest started barrelling in with their dishes, Steve reminding them to clear everything off to be cleaned later. I didn’t ask Steve what was up, I wanted to hear it from her own lips. Dishes cleared, the guys headed doing the usual trash talking. As if it made any difference, Wade and Cort would wipe the tables with them like they usually did.

Ree still hadn’t come back downstairs so I went up. She was exiting her bedroom, dressed in a robe and who knew what else. Despite my desire to see what was under the robe, I steeled myself to resist. “Hey, Johnny.”

“Hey, Bella.”

“Before it gets too late, can I show you something?” She nodded toward her bedroom.

“Show me?” What was she up to? “Your room? Sure?”

“It’s on my laptop, Johnny, not my lap.”

“Oh!” Now this took me by surprise, she wasn’t waiting for me to ask? I followed her crooked finger and entered the bedroom. She sat down in front of her laptop and started clicking. This site, that site, what looked to be another computer screen entirely, then a familiar Gmail screen. “Take you that long to call up your email?”

“I go through my cousin’s computer in Boston. She leaves it on all night, no firewall.”

“You hack into her computer? That’s not very nice!”

“She leaves the door wide open!! I don’t poke around, I just use it to get to this account, using her IP address.”

“Why?”

“I’ll show you.” She pulled up a message that said simply. “We know where you are.”

“Jesus. When was this?” I looked closer. “Almost two years ago? Why didn’t you say anything?”

She nodded. “I didn’t fetch it for a month after it was sent, I figured if there was no second one it was just someone taking a shot in the dark. So I shrugged it off. Until I got this one.” She called up another. Same message.

“That’s all? Who’d send this?”

“I think it was those guys I used to work for. The ones I ran into down in LA that time? Trying to scare me, or to fish out my real address.”

“Good, then don’t answer, you’ll be fine. This is what you’ve been worried about?”

“Did I say I was worried?”

“Bella, I’m not stupid.”

“No, Johnny, you’re not.” She looked down, embarrassed. “But I am.”

“Tell me you didn’t answer!”

“I did. I wrote ‘who are you?’ back. It was a knee jerk reaction, then I couldn’t retract it!”

I pulled up a chair and sat, looking at the screen. “Well, let’s think about this. Any way to trace? You said you went through your cousin’s computer.”

“Um. . . I was distracted . . . .”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, opened it from here by mistake. I responded with the original addy, Gmail can do that, so I thought it would be okay . . . ” I don’t understand all this Internet shit, but I do understand Ree-language, she thought she’d fucked up “So then I got this recently. To the account I accidentally sent from.”

“We know where you are, LB.”

“Was that your nickname? ‘LB’?”

“No, they called me Laurie. That’s what’s got me spooked, Johnny. That and that they could have my IP address. They can pinpoint me.”

I leaned back in the chair and ran my fingers through my hair. “Am I missing something? These assholes dangerous? Why would they want to find you?”

“I don’t know! They think I cheated them.”

“Did you? Cheat them?”

“Johnny! No!”

“Had to ask, Bella.”

“I told you how I got fired, right? How my ex left the company and suddenly pulled in a big deal right after my group lost millions.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have been working so soon after everything with your sister. But explain this: You left Boston. He stayed. How could they think you were in on it?”

“I don’t know. It’s the only thing I can think of. The ‘LB’ part has me stumped. I keep waking up thinking I’ve forgotten something. Something obvious that’ll lead them right to me.”

“Let them find you, who cares now?”

She shook her head, and looked down, not at me. “I don’t want anyone to find me here, Johnny It’d ruin everything!”

“Really? You’re afraid of that?” I pulled her close and put her head on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about that, Bella. Okay, let’s think of what to do. We’ve got a bit of experience uncovering identities, no reason we can’t work on covering one up. Want me to look into that?”

“Think you can? I haven’t messed up too much?”

“Hmm, we’ve got some smart people here, Bella, we’ll think of something.”

“Thanks, Johnny. I hate to ask.”

“Why?”

“Just do. I should be able to handle it.”

I tipped her face up to meet mine. “You should be able to ask for help when you need it, Bella. Why else are we here?”

She giggled and kissed my cheek. “To love each other, I should think.”

“That too.” She’d begun to relax in my arms and I let myself enjoy the feeling of closeness. But then she began to fill my senses with her scent, her soft skin, her curves that lay right beneath the flimsy robe. My fingers itched to feel what lay beneath. I kissed up her neck and let my hand slide up her side. She bent her head down to accept my attentions at her nape. That brought instant sighs and trembles.

“Johnny.” Her voice was breathless, half a moan. I took one of her breasts in my hand, my thumb seeking out a nipple. Damn, it was hard already. I squeezed her breast and she moaned, wiggling in my lap. We kissed and stroked each other for the longest time. I managed to slip inside her robe to unclasp her bra, but she opened her eyes and spoke up. “No, I wore this special, don’t want to ruin the effect.”

“What effect? It’s already having an effect on me.” I leaned back in for another kiss.

“Just look, will ya?” She climbed off my lap and took a few steps backwards, slowing opening one side of her robe, then another to reveal a matching set of lacy underwear. I chuckled. “What?” She asked. “You don’t like?”

“I like the girl underneath.”

“Oh c’mon Johnny, I like wearing this. It makes me feel sexy.”

“Lord help me if you feel sexy,” I said, exhaling sharply. Her hands started touching where I wanted to: her breasts, down to the small triangle of fabric between her legs. She winked at me as she slipped her fingers in and writhed against them. “Fuck, Bella, I need to do that.” I pulled her hand out and she put the fingers to my lips; I sucked one after another in. Jesus, the taste of her was about to make me lose it right there. I reached around to unclasp her bra, then pressed her back down to the mattress. She was all mine now, to kiss, caress, suck, taste and breathe in. And the reward? If the feel of her wasn’t enough, the sounds she were making sure were. I wonder, sometimes, how it must feel for her, especially when her whole body shudders under my touch like that. I stopped to watch the last waves of pleasure pass. She opened her eyes and smiled at me.

“Oh Johnny,” she sighed. “Baby, what you do to me.”

“Not done yet.” And I wasn’t, not by a long shot. I knelt between her legs and she wrapped her legs around me, drawing me close and almost managing to push me into her, but I held her hips and dipped in slow. She squeezed, making her passage tight yet still slick enough to ease in until I she encased me entirely. I leaned over her, kissing her breasts and up to her ear once more. “Can I just stay here?” Her hips had started moving and I knew I couldn’t keep mine still for much longer.

“See how long you can, big guy,” she chuckled. “Hope it’s long . . . and thick . . . and hard . . . and deep . . . ” her words just melted into moans as I gripped hips tight and started to move. She covered me with kisses, and I followed suit, burying my face in her breasts. I was deep into her now, each stroke bringing me closer, until she whispered in my ear. “Harder, baby. Whatever you want.” Hell yes, harder. I slipped out and she turned over quickly and lifting her hips up. We barely missed a beat until I was up into her again, my hands stroking her hair down with each thrust, twisting it, pulling her back toward me and exposing that sweet bit of neck. I leaned over and kissed it. How I did it softly, I don’t know, as rough as the rest of me was being, but I when I did, she cried out. I jumped, not sure if was her cry or her squeezing me in deeper. I don’t know how long I kept spurting into her, but it felt fan-fucking-ever.

We panted to a slow rhythm before we collapsed, drenched in sweat and everything. She began to giggle.

“That was a good trick, Johnny.”

“No trick, your neck was calling me.”

“Mmm, love the neck thing.”

“Neck’s not all I love.”

“Me neither. Johnny. Hold me, baby?”

“Of course, Bella!” I slipped onto my back and she cuddled onto my shoulder. She raked her nails softly over my chest and blew over it. Felt great. “So we managed to get off the subject,” I said with a chuckle.

“Um, not on purpose! I just love being with you too much.”

“Me too, Ree. So what does Steve say about this?”

“He told me to delete both accounts. Not sure if that’ll make a difference.”

“Hmm. And Bud?”

“Bud?”

“He knows too.”

“He said something?! He said he’d let me tell you!”"

“Bella, I knew, okay. Not what, but that it was something.”

“I’m beginning to think you guys have brother telepathy. I’m probably being a ninny, that some one’s just messing with my head. But I’m happy here, and I don’t want anything or anybody to pull me back into my old life.”

“Are you talking about completely disappearing? What about your cousin? Your family’s foundation?”

“I don’t know. Is it an option?”

“I’d rather not go that far. I’m rather fond of Laurie Butler.” She bowed her head and I tipped it up to kiss her. I knew that I needed to talk about it with my brothers, but now I was alone with her and wasn’t about to waste it. “Want to watch a movie, Bella, or start, anyway? She grinned and nodded. I looked around for the remote and realized where we were. “Damn, we’re in the wrong bed.”

“Oh no! We can move.” She pulled away and climbed out to look for her robe.

“Steve’s going to know though, unless we clean up.”

“He won’t mind, he likes us to be together.” I could see the blush in her cheeks. “The perve.”

I laughed. “He’s not the only one, I think. You want to just stay here?”

“No, no, I can’t ask you to do that, let’s just go to your room.”

“I’d like to talk to him, though. About all this.” She looked at me, head cocked, then climbed back in.

Steve may have been surprised to find us waiting for him, but it was good to talk, the three of us, before anybody did anything drastic. We agreed it would be good to find out who was sending the emails first. That might be tricky, but I’m counting on Nash to figure out a way. A course of action agreed to, we settled in watch a movie together. It wasn’t long before we heard the gentle breathing sounds from her lying between us. Steve smiled as he pointed out her position: one arm hooked around him, a leg in between mine. That’s what we are all now, intertwined. And we want to keep it that way.

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Small Things, Big Shadows (05/14/2008)
©05/2008 by: Ree
 

Bud had a look of anticipation when I met him Wednesday. I had a strong suspicion why, and when he took me in his arms to say good morning, my suspicions were confirmed.

“What you’re going to do to me, huh?”

“I did say that, didn’t I?”

“You said a lot of things Saturday night.”

“I know, but I meant every word.”

“Sure you did.” He lifted me up and put his lips to my ear. “But now, what you’re going to do to me is nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you.” The kiss that followed turned me into mush. We arrived at his front door and when he reached in front of me to open it, his forearm brushed against me. I felt shivers in anticipation.

“Bring a change of clothes, baby?”

I held out my hands; I’d only brought my purse. “No, of course not.”

“Too bad, you’ll have just your robe, then.”

The implication of that made me exhale an excited “oh my.” His kiss put an end to that reply and he half led, half lifted me across the threshold before releasing me, breathless and with heart pounding. Then he simply turned and walked into the kitchen. “Want some coffee, Laurie?”

“Coffee?”

“No? Soda?”

“Bud!”

“What is it?” He stepped back out and grinned at me. What was he doing?

“You don’t want to rip my dress off?”

He laughed.

“You don’t want me now?” I couldn’t understand how things could have turned. We were supposed to be pressed up against the door or in the bedroom by now. “It’s Wednesday!”

“What?!” His brows knit and he looked at me, but then strode up to me. “Are you shitting me?”

“No, what am I to think?”

“I’m just giving as good as you gave me the other night.”

“Oh!” I hung my head. “I didn’t mean to tease. I thought . . . you’d just want me more today if we didn’t do it on Saturday.”

“Okay, now that’s bullshit.”

“But  . . . I thought it was true. “

“You think that? Really?” I nodded my head sheepishly. He laughed again and put his arms around me. “I don’t fucking get you sometimes.”

“You don’t have to laugh at me!”

“Yes I do. Baby, it’s us, okay? Saturday, Wednesday, doesn’t matter. You do this with your guys? Sorry, not our day?”

“No.” I chuckled. “I teased you pretty bad, huh?”

“Oh yeah. I lived, though.” He winked at me.

“You don’t have to share how.”

“I won’t. Still should have let us, baby. Fuck, the way you looked, the way you felt.” He ran his hands up my arms and stepped in close. Like you do now.” He leaned in and I put my hands on his cheeks and drew him in for another kiss. A long, deep kiss; I didn’t want to stop. I rubbed my body against him until he steadied my hips with his strong hands.

“Oh, Bud,” I whispered into our kiss as we ground into each other. No doubts about what he wanted then. His fingers toyed with the neckline of my dress.

“Still want me to rip this?”

“No, just take me to the bedroom, baby.”

“You got it.” He scooped me up and carried me to his bedroom, bouncing me down on the edge. I giggled and kicked my shoes off, flashing a bit of thigh as I did so. He noticed I’d worn my thigh high stockings and he pushed my skirt up higher on my legs. “Off. off!” I whipped it over my head as he got his own shirt off.

“Aww, I wanted to do that, Bud.”

“Get the rest then.” He stood up and let me work his buckle, then his zipper, then down with his trousers and briefs.

“Ooh, nice.” I let his pants fall, not caring what happened to them then, all I wanted what was staring me in the face. He stroked it out to me, letting me kiss the steely smooth skin, holding my shoulder when I sucked the tip in my mouth. I love to hear his soft grunts of pleasure, and I would have continued if he hadn’t pushed me away.

“I didn’t wait four days to race through this.” He took my leg in his hand and lifted it on his shoulder, dipping his head in to kiss the tops of my thighs exposed from the stockings. I writhed with his attentions, his lips so near and yet so far away from where I wanted them to be. “Hold on, baby I’ll get there,” he chuckled and fingered the sides of my panties.

“Oh you hafta rip something, now!”

I squealed when the fabric was torn from my hips; the squeals turned to moans when his lips reached their destination. No, we didn’t race through anything. We brought each other to the brink and back again, desperate to savor each other as long as we could. When there didn’t seem any more to do than come, he bent my leg high on my chest, and whispered in my ear. “C’mon Laurie, for me, baby, nice and sweet.” His voice, low, urgent, yet tender, pushed me in bliss. I opened my eyes to see him watching me, and was rewarded with his pulsing release.

“Mmm, now wasn’t that worth waiting for?” I asked afterwards as we relaxed in each others’ arms.

“No.”

“No?!!”

“It’s not worth waiting for, it’s worth not waiting for!” He laughed and pulled me on top of him. “So don’t.” The warning finger he waggled in my face was too tempting not to do something naughty with. “All right, let’s get cleaned up, got things to do today.”

“Things? We have things?”

“Want me to tell or want it to be a surprise?”

“Both!”

“Okay, hint. Do you have enough here to bring overnight?”

“An overnighter? Oooh! Yes I think I do; let me check the undies, though.” Luckily, there were still a couple of nice pair left, and after we washed up, we quickly packed a bag and headed off in the car. I could tell we were headed north, but didn’t say a thing. He held out his arm and I settled in on his shoulder. He told me that I should close my eyes and rest while he drove. I’m not sure what did it: the moving car, the morning’s activity, or the low tones of his voice, but I fell asleep quickly and didn’t awake until the car had stopped.

“Hey, The Vineyard Café, where my stuff is! You didn’t have to do this, Bud; the guys brought me up already.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t seen them. Maybe there’s something you don’t want me to see.”

“That’s not it; I just didn’t think you were much of an art lover”

“Art? No. Artist, yes.”

There was no answer to that except an enthusiastic hug and kiss. We found the place busy. Most of the tables were taken with people working on their laptops or holding meetings. A few parents with children. I panicked, worried that my pictures were not suitable for children, but when I looked again, I realized the ones Steve had chosen were a little more benign, the kitten ones, and the couples that looked like they were sleeping, not doing what made them sleepy.

“Cats?” Bud chuckled when he looked at my portraits of Roo, sleeping in the sun, bathed in the colors that had captured my fancy.

“People seem to like those.” Barry James, the manager with whom Steve had arranged the show, came up when he recognized them. “Hey, welcome back, LB.” I shook his hand and he held it out to Bud. “Did I meet you last time? I’m sorry I don’t remember which one you are,” he laughed.

“Um, yeah, Steve’s got a lot of cousins.” I carefully didn’t introduce Bud. He raised his eyebrow but took my lead and didn’t introduce himself, either. “Listen, Barry, I just want to lay low, okay?”

“I remember, no problem. Want a latte? On the house.”

“Real coffee for me,” Bud interjected, “black, no crap in it.” Barry laughed and went to place our order. Bud leaned in to speak to me. “LB? And why don’t you want him to know who I am?”

“He knows LB – my initials are on the paintings, but I’d rather he didn’t know much else. You know, plausible deniability?”

“Who would ask him?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Anyone from the outside. C’mon, let’s see if any others are sold.” We did a walk around the perimeter and looked at the paintings. He knew very well what they were of, but except for the occasional smile playing across his lips, he didn’t guess the who. “I know,” I said, “there’s a lot, I’m just a . . . “

“Stoppit. You’ll never hear that from me, baby. Huh.” He’d stopped before one, a sketch of two figures entwined on a bed of gold, flashes of lights over their heads. He pointed at it and turned to me. “Christmas?” I nodded. “The lights on the headboard.” He grinned. “I remember that. That what you saw?”

“It’s not so much see as feel that I see. It’s hard to explain. But you recognized it!”

“Yeah.” I took his hand and he squeezed it; the coffee was ready and we sat to finish it. “Okay, let’s go check in. We’ll eat in the hotel restaurant.”

I smiled at him. No ‘where should we eat,’ or ‘what kind of food do you want’ from Bud. The restaurant was lovely; we had a corner table, away from the other diners. I could see everybody, though, which started to make me uncomfortable.

“What is it, baby? You keep looking around.”

“I’m just afraid I’ll see someone I know.”

“Why? Do you know someone in the area?”

“No, it’s just every time I leave Central, something seems to happen.”

“Yeah I remember.” He craned his head backward, and knit his brow. “Stand up. Change places with me.” I was able to relax a little better not seeing the rest of the restaurant.

“Thanks, this helps.”

“S’okay, baby. I got your back.”

“Is that why you’re looking down my front?”

“Nice view.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.

I took his hands in mine and drew my fingers over his knuckles. “Worth not waiting for?”

“You bet.” He took a turn running his fingers over mine. “But after dinner.”

“Food first?!”

“Yep.” He took a slice of bread from the basket. “I’ll eat quick though.”

“Bud!”

“Need my strength for you, baby.” He winked at me as he chewed. I had to admit that was an acceptable response. Truth be told, I was hungry too. It wasn’t long after our last bites that we were up in the room and where we both wanted to be.

* * *

I awoke from a dream; a dream forgotten as soon as my eyes opened, but the feeling of dread that caused me to awaken remained. How many times had this happened now? I could faintly make out Bud’s features in the darkness; we were lying facing each other and his arm was draped over me. I thought about cuddling up to him for comfort, but I didn’t want to wake him too early; we still had that long drive back to Central in the morning, and we had stayed up late watching a movie. I slipped from his embrace, pulled on my robe and went out to the deck. The moon was still visible, full and bright, and it illuminated the mountain view. I sat down on the lounger to take in the beautiful sight.

“Baby, it’s 4 a.m., what are you doing up?”

I startled at the sound of his voice. “I didn’t want to wake you, go back to sleep.”

“You come back to sleep.” He held out his hand but I shrugged.

“In a few, not sleepy yet.”

He grunted and came closer to the lounger. “Get up.” I scrambled up. He sat down, pulled me onto his lap, and pressed my head against his shoulder. “What is it, baby? If you say ‘nothing’ I’ll spank you.” He drew his hand back in position.

I sighed. There was no use ducking it. “I shouldn’t have let Steve put my pictures up outside Central. I shouldn’t have let the manager know who I was.”

“He just knows your initials. There are lots of “LB’s” in the world.”

“Yes, but they’re my real initials. And he knows what I look like.”

“So? What are you hiding from, Laurie? Everything from before is all over, isn’t it?”

“I thought it was. People hold grudges, I guess.”

He tipped my chin up to meet his gaze. “Tell me.”

“I told Steve already, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Yeah? And what did Miller do about it? Did you tell John?”

“He told me to stop looking at that email address, to cancel it. I haven’t told John, or the others, no.”

“What email?”

“An old address, from before. I kept it in case someone I want to contact wants to reach me. I don’t go there directly, I have everything forwarded to a second address, and then I only access that site through a proxy server and some other things Nash showed me. I don’t think my footsteps are traceable.”

“But what email?”

“A long time ago I got one. It said “We know where you are.” That was it. Scary, but it was just out of the blue, so after a while I forgot about it. Then a few months ago I got another one.”

“Hmm, okay, that’s it? Just some assholes trying to scare you, delete the fucking account, like Miller said.”

“Then I got one last week that said ‘We know where you are, LB.’ And it wasn’t to my original address, but to the one it was forwarded to.”

“Fuck. And Miller knows this? Why didn’t he ask for help?”

“I told him I’d delete both accounts.”

“Hmm. Who do you think it is?”

“Those guys who thought I screwed them, who think I faked Lee and everything? Remember, in LA that time?”

“Ah, those fuckers,” he scoffed. “They’re just suits, baby. I wouldn’t worry about them.”

“Angry suits, Bud. With money.”

“But whatever it was, it was years ago, what can it fucking matter any more?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know! It’s probably just a childish prank, you’re right.” It did seem ridiculous, now that I’d said it aloud. With a sigh, I nestled back onto his shoulder. He tipped my chin up and kissed me.

“Better?” I nodded. “Sleepy?” I nodded again. “You look beautiful in the moonlight, baby.”

“You too, Bud.” I touched his face and slid my hand down to his neck, pushing his robe aside to touch his chest. He mimicked my actions and opened my robe. His hands covered my breasts, cupped them, and tweaked my nipples into peaks. I pushed his hands aside and put my chest to his, skin to skin. “Mmm, nice.”

“Yeah.” My robe was off my shoulders now, and he leaned me back to kiss down to my breasts, his mouth moving between them to shower affection on each one.

“Here? There are rooms on either side!”

“It’s four thirty in the fucking morning.” He looked up briefly. “And the wall’s plenty high. Just whisper, baby, if you can.”

“I can. It’ll be a lot, though, you feel so good.” His cock had risen up between us and I had begun rubbing against him.

“Whatever you want, Laurie, long as I’m in you soon.” Happily, that’s what I wanted too, and with fervent whispers and soft grunts, I rode him until we lay panting, sated and sweaty, the last rays of moonlight giving way to the first glimmers of daylight. As he stroked my hair, I heard him chuckle. I looked up to question him.

“I wonder if I’ll be seeing a painting with a full moon in it?”

“You might. It was picture worthy.” I said with a sigh.

“Gotta long ride back, baby. Hit the road?”

“Sorry I disrupted your sleep, too.”

“I’m not. C’mon.”

We arrived at my house at 7:30.

“Still half and hour, Bud. Stay in the car?”

“Nuh-huh, we’re going inside to talk to your guys.”

“Oh no, Steve’ll have a cow if you bring it up. I’ll deal with it.”

“You’ll deal with it? Laurie if you don’t want me to do anything about it, why the fuck do you tell me these things?”

“Well if you’re going to act this way, maybe I shouldn’t!”

“Yeah, maybe you fucking shouldn’t.” He stormed out of his seat and slammed the door. I followed, more quietly.

“Do you really want that, Bud? And what’s the big deal, you said it was nothing.“

“Your waking up at 4 am because of it isn’t nothing. What do you expect me to do, baby? Even if it is a prank you want me to just sit by like Miller? I just want to find them and punch their fucking lights out.”

“But I don’t want that!”

“Then why tell me? You know that’s what I’ll think.”

“I thought maybe you’d do what you did. Tell me it would be okay. Comfort me.” I thought for a second. Was that why I told him? “Okay, a part of me wants you to do that, but a bigger part wants just to be heard. I don’t expect you to do anything any time I tell you something.”

“Women.” He rolled his eyes leaned against the car, his arms crossed.

“I don’t like it when you yell at me.” I pouted.

“Don’t like to have to.” I felt my shoulders slump. Why couldn’t he understand? “C’mere.” I walked hesitantly over to him and he embraced me. “I’m not yelling now. What do you want me to do?”

“Hold me?”

“Not now. About this?”

“Nothing for now. Honest.” His brows knit; I could tell he was still cross.

“Do me a favor, baby. At least tell John. He’ll keep a cooler head than me, but not be an idiot like Miller, either.”

“Bud . . .”

“For me?”

“Okay. I will, Dad.”

“I’m not your Dad.” The kiss that followed was definitely not a fatherly kind.

“Everything okay? I heard voices out here.” Our kiss broke and Steve was in the doorway, hands on his hips.

“Umm, yeah.” I flashed Bud a warning look and hoped he wouldn’t say anything.

“Just sayin’ goodbye.” He looked down at me and smiled. “Have a good time, baby?”

“Yes, Bud, very. Thank you.” 

“It’s after eight, you two. C’mon on in, babe, I’ll make you a cap.”

“That’s right Miller, make her coffee.” He said aloud. “All you’re good for.”

“I beg your pardon?” Steve turned and walked toward Bud. Panicked, I put a hand on Bud’s chest. The last thing I needed was for them to get into it.

“I said, ‘That’ll be good for her.’ She didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Spare me.” Steve rolled his eyes and started his return to the kitchen.

“Screw you, Miller. I’m saying she didn’t sleep well, now take care of her.” He turned to me and kissed me on the forehead. His look said ‘don’t forget.’ “Bye Laurie, see you Saturday,” he chuckled. “See how things go then.” 
 
Steve put his arm around me, a little possessively, but I didn’t really blame him, the way Bud was acting. “Take care of you? What was that about?”

“We went up to Carpenteria.”

“Yeah, Barry emailed me that he saw you. I was surprised.”

“It was Bud’s idea. So how well do you know Barry, Steve?”

“Just from this, babe. Why? And why couldn’t you sleep, besides the obvious.”

“Just nervous.”

“Still?” He heaved a heavy sigh. “You told him?” I nodded. “That explains it. Surprised he didn’t make you tell John,” he chuckled.

“Well . . . he made me promise I would.”

“You gonna listen to him as well as you listen to me?”

“He spanks!”

“I will too, babe, if I have to.” He tried to look stern, but I just giggled. He growled and put me over his shoulder and brought me to the kitchen for a cappuccino, sans spanking.

I don’t know what I’m going to do. There’s a proverb that says worry gives a small thing a big shadow. Could that be all it is? It’s got to be. No one knows where I am!

Maybe I will tell John tomorrow. Just in case.

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Never A Dull Moment (04/28/2008)
©04/2008 by: ReeI spent a relatively quiet day at home; everyone had scattered early to jobs and whatever. In the late afternoon, I took a long swim, leaving enough time to prepare dinner, take a shower, and start the grill before the boys started wandering in. Funny how they all manage to converge at the same time. Except today. I heard the screen door slam, and looked up to see a breathless Jeff plop down in a kitchen chair.

“Jeff! Look at you! Running at this time of day? You’ll make yourself sick!” I soaked and wrung out a dishtowel for him. He wiped his face and neck with it.

“I couldn’t; I had an early call today. Could sure use a coldie, luv. D’ya mind?”

I headed to the fridge. “I thought plumbers answered calls at their leisure!” Not finding any beer in the door, I had to bend over to reach the last VB in the back corner. I was brought to attention by a loud and painful ‘thwap’ to my bum. “Ow! Jeff!”

“What did you say about plumbers?”

I rubbed where I was hit. “Nothing bad enough to be hit with a wet towel! Ow!” I handed him the beer anyway.

“C’mon. Sit down,” he patted his lap and I happily took my place there.

“What was the emergency this morning, then?”

“Mrs. Rodriguez had a pipe burst. Must have been a root breaking through. Bloody mess. Her husband’s away in the service, so she was on her own with it.”

“Oh, that’s sweet, Jeff. You like your customers then?”

“Mostly. Some of them are something else, though,” he said, shaking his head and chuckling. “I told you about that Betty Pierce didn’t I?”

“The divorcee?” We both laughed. Not that there was anything funny about a divorced woman, but this particular one was right out of the Mrs. Robinson school of middle-age women.

“That’s the one. She called too. Her kitchen faucet was leaking. Mind you, I don’t think she ever personally uses the fucker, but it was one of those one-pieces that was just as easy to replace as to repair, so I did that. Damned if she didn’t reach over and tug up my pants, saying I was showing a little too much. Fuck, this is one plumber who does not wear his pants too low.”

“She tugged them up? Did she give you a wedgie?”

“Near as much! Copped a good feel too.”

“What did you do?” I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well I made light of it, told her it’d charge her extra.” He laughed. “She said, ‘worth every penny!’”

“Want me to come along next time?”

“Oh no, luv, if she even thinks I’m involved with a sheila, there’d be no stopping her. I’ve dropped hints that I’m gay, but she’s not picking up on them.”

“Bring Greg next time then!”

“I think I better, although she might make a play for him, too!” He laughed and squeezed my shoulder. “So, tell me what you’ve been up to today. Had a swim?”

“Yes, and just got dinner ready to grill.”

“That all?” He took a long draft of his beer, regarding me with a twinkle in his eye as he did so.

“No, that is not all. I got some paintings ready for Steve to take. Did you hear there’s a café in Carpenteria that’s going to put them up? It’s kind of creeping me out.”

“Why? It’s great, isn’t it?”

“In a way. I guess they’re only personal to me,” I said with a laugh. “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s you guys who are buying them.”

“Could be. Someone’s got to or you wouldn’t be able to walk in your studio. Trouble is, you just get too much inspiration.”

“Oh! I should thwack you with a towel! Here, give me some beer.” I grabbed the bottle and took a sip.

“Oi! Get your own!”

“It was the last one, do you want me to leave to go downstairs?” I wiggled a little onto his lap; he put a free hand on my thigh to steady me.

“No, we can share. Here.” He offered the bottle again. “So, get any new inspiration today?”

“Jeff, you’re so bad! I don’t kiss and tell.”

“C’mon luv, not even to your very best gay friend? You can tell me anything.”

“They’re your brothers. I should dish to my very best gay friend Greg.”

“Greg’s too bashful to dish that with you. C’mon tell me; I’ll tell him. He likes a good story.” He’d put down the beer and had slipped an arm around to my waist, his hand stroking my side.

“He’d like that, would he? Okay, for Greg, I’ll tell you. Johnny came home for lunch.”

“Lunch with a randy Sheriff,” he said with a laugh. “Five minutes to eat, fifty-five minutes of fun and games?”

“Something like that.” I rested my head on his shoulder, trying to hide my blush.

He put his other hand on my thighs, parting them a little and rubbing up and down. “No rug burn here,” he said with a chuckle, “too bad for you.”

“Of course there’s no burn, his beard is really soft, not like the day-old some of you guys have.”

“Well, well, good for John! Does your pussy like the feel of a beard? Enquiring minds want to know.”

“Jeff! You’re so bad! It’s different. Nice. Masculine.”

“Masculine?” He laughed. “Reckon a beard is masculine. Maybe I’ll grow one, Greg likes masculine.”

“No, don’t! It wouldn’t suit you! You’re masculine just the way you are.” I took his hand from his waist and kissed it. “Want another VB? I can go downstairs.” I stood up and rubbed my ass where it still stung.

“Hey, that still hurt?”

“Yes it does! I’m delicate.” I stuck out my tongue and started to walk away, but he pulled my hips back to him.

“You’re not that delicate if I recall, luv.” He pushed up the bottom of my suit to expose a sore cheek. “There is a welt. Fuck, Ree, I’m sorry!” He kept me in place and leaned over to press his lips against my sort spot. “That better?” He slipped his hands under my suit, softly rubbing my cheeks. I exhaled a long breath, enjoying his firm yet gentle touch.

“That’s better,” I sighed.

He stood, his large hands still holding my cheeks. “And this?” He stepped in close behind me.

“Aren’t you tired from your run?”

“Nah, gets my blood goin’, y’know?” He kissed up my back to my shoulders.

“Is this any way for my very best gay friend to act?” My back was arching to his kisses and I was tingling all over. He pulled one hand free to squeeze a breast through my suit.

“If your very best gay friend happens to like the feel of his very best straight friend’s ass. What time’s dinner?”

“Six. You want my ass for dinner?”

“Maybe an appetizer.” He was kissing my neck now, the tender point at the base that turns me into a puddle.

“Six-thirty.”

“Just want you, luv.”

“Seven?”

“Make it seven. Leave a note.” He grabbed a napkin and I somehow reached a pen and scribbled, “Start grill at 6:45. Ish.” I added the last hastily, hoping they’d understand. I turned around to kiss him; he pressed me close, his cock had sprung up inside his shorts. “Let’s go,” he murmured his voice as breathless as I felt. We almost ran to the pool house. He toed off his sneakers and I put my flip-flops on top and locked the door behind us. We kissed our way to the bed.

I pulled at his shirt; it was sticking to his sweaty torso. He started to slip my straps down, but I snagged his shorts first, yanking them to his ankles in one swoop and sliding up his body. “Gotcha first.” He laughed and continued pulling down my suit until it was hanging from his fingers.

“Gotcha second.” He pushed me over on the bed, kissing up my thighs.

“Jeff, shouldn’t we take a shower first? The chlorine!”

“Two tics, does this scratch?” He rubbed his cheeks against my thighs. He’d grown a shadow, but it didn’t scrape, it was just driving me crazy.

“No, oh God, no.” I pulled myself up and began kissing what I could reach. We became entwined, our hands and lips exploring every inch of exposed skin. He flipped me over and kissed my sore bum again, slipping his hand between my legs to stroke me.

“Okay, now.” He withdrew his hand and pulled my elbow to get up off the bed.

“No, not yet!” I pushed his hand back down and he laughed. He covered my body with his. His cock was so hot against my backside and his fingers were probing and teasing me.

“Don’t care about the shower, yet, luv?” His breath over my ear was driving me crazy.

“Not yet. Oh, don’t move!”

I heard myself squeal in rhythmic “oohs’ each one punctuated with a “yeah” from him as he brought me to the brink. “ Almost there,” I moaned, hoping he’d get the hint. He grabbed my hips and I felt some material being pulled under my belly. It wasn’t his hands then, but the material, my suit, being pulled tight as sort of a sling. I struggled to get my own balance.

“Let me support you, Ree. We’re on the bed, you’re not gonna fall far.” It went against instinct but I let him support my weight with the suit-sling, one hand down only for balance. He completely controlled the pace, pulling me up higher, and himself deeper by yanking up on the suit. As good as his fingers had felt, when he started taking long deep strokes inside me, I totally lost it. He replied with a grunt and a quicker pace, his breath getting heaving with each push. I smiled knowing he was close, hoping to feel that rush of warmth as he spurted into me. But he surprised me, lowering me to the bed and tipping me on my back and plunging back into me, face to face, our sweaty chests sliding against each other, our lips entwined. When he came at last, I drank in his sigh, letting his warmth fill me above and below.

“Double workout,” I laughed as we recovered in each other’s arms.

“Good and good for ya!” He stroked my hair and pulled me tighter on his shoulder.

“Shower now?”

“In a few, let’s cuddle a bit.”

“‘Kay.” I sighed. “Where did you learn the trick with the suit?”

“Just improvising,” he chuckled. “Gotta use the tools at hand.”

“Oh please do!” We dissolved into laughter, then into more kisses. I don’t remember getting a breath in edgewise until we were wrapped in towels fresh from our shower.

“Look at the time, the guys will be home, and all I’ve got to wear is a stretched out suit! They’ll tease us terribly!”

“You haven’t anything here?”

“Oh, wait, maybe the closet.” There was a sundress for me, and a pair of Jimmy’s slacks and an oxford for Jeff. He was skeptical, but I thought he looked great.

“Gotta use what’s at hand, Jeff.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m heading straight upstairs for my jeans.”

“And me for my undies!”

“Why?” I tossed the suit at him, but he dodged it. When he reached the door, he stopped and sniffed. “Smells like they’ve started the grill. I thought we were having chicken, not fish.”

It did smell like fish. “It was chicken. Weird.”

“That is weird. Unless . . . “

“Unless what, someone went fishing?”

“Your note. You said “ish.”“

“Yeah, I told them to start the grill at 6:45 – ish. Oh!”

“They’re good at following directions, not so good at your handwriting!”

“I was in a hurry.” I circled his waist and rested my head on his shoulder.

“Glad I caught you alone, Ree.”

“Oh, me too,” I sighed loudly.

“I didn’t mean just for the sex, although, fuck that was great.”

“Me neither. Come home early more often then.”

“You got it. Y’know with all them out there, we’re gonna hear it. Ready for it?”

“We can stay here, scrounge for leftovers later.” He pulled me tighter and rocked me. It was a good thought, but then we heard a knock on the door.

“Dinner’s ready Jeff, tell Ree to pull her clothes on.”

I opened the door wide. “I’m dressed!” I proclaimed as I walked to one of the set tables. I took my seat and crossed my legs dramatically. A few eyebrows shot up, then the laughter erupted.

“Almost dressed you mean, babe.”

“Shit!” I ran upstairs with their laughter ringing in my ears.

Never a dull moment living with seven men.

Good thing, ‘cause dull’s no fun.

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No Taking it Back (03/31/2008)
©04/2008 by: Ree

“Morning, love.” Max’s greeting began warmly enough, but then he broke out into laughter. “What’s this? White? For me?” It wasn’t the greeting I was expecting for a surprise roll-in-the-hay visit.

“Don’t be naughty, Max. Proper tennis clothes are white and you know it.” I twirled around so he could see the entire effect of my short white tennis skirt.

“I didn’t know we had a date for tennis, Laurie.” He cocked his head and pursed his lips in amusement. I hoped it was because he appreciated the outfit. “Very well, I need to get my gear.” He offered his hand and I took it. When my front door shut behind us, he pulled me close for a kiss. “You are full of surprises, love.”

“It’s my last token visit; I thought we should have fun. It’s beautiful day, not too hot, not too cool. Great to be outside, don’t you think?” He shrugged and chuckled. “Now, you weren’t thinking of wasting it by staying inside all day, were you?”

“Actually…”

“Max! C’mon, let’s get some exercise, it’ll be fun!”

“One set.”

“Yes, one set,” I said, holding up three fingers in promise. His car was in Alex’s driveway; we drove from there to the tennis court, stopping first at his house for him to change into shorts and get his racket. He parked his car in the corner of the lot, under a tree for shade.

“Let’s go warm up.”

“Of course,” he replied softly. “Get in my lap.” He moved his seat back and patted his lap, inviting me to crawl over. As we kissed, our bare legs rubbed against each other. His powerful thighs beneath me made me feel warmed up in a hurry.

I braced myself against his shoulders and with some difficulty pulled myself away from his lips. “Okay, let’s play.” I scrambled off his lap before we went past the point of no return. From his groan, it seemed he’d already reached that point.

“You go on ahead and find us a court, love. I’ll be a minute.” A quick glance downward confirmed why.

“Oh, poor baby, need help?”

“Bloody hell, you’ve helped enough.”

“Does your seat go back farther?” I climbed back over and bent over him, my breasts practically in his face.

“Not helping.” He managed to slide the seat back even more. I put my arms around his neck for more kisses. His fingers crawled up under my panties, but I slipped down out of his reach.

“Little cramped but I think I can manage.” I turned around and shifted the steering wheel up and more out of the way, while he scanned the parking lot. It was deserted and we were far away from the courts. He put his hand on my head and softly stroked my hair as I slipped his shorts down.

“Oh-ho, you naughty girl.”

“Naughty you, tempting me,” I raked my nails up and down his thighs. I could feel them tense up in anticipation of my next move, which was to kiss up his long, solid shaft. We both groaned loudly when I slowly drew him into my mouth; he sank into the seat and his legs spread wider. His surrender made me want him more, and I focused everything on him, my hands, my tongue, my lips.

He stopped stroking my hair and cupped my shoulder with his hand, squeezing hard. “Bloody hell, Laurie, Jesus, love.” I felt him tense again right before his cock started pumping down my throat. His last spent, he leaned over and pushed his arms under my shoulders, pulling me up to him for a long, tender kiss. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he sighed.

“Not in a bad way, I hope.”

“Never.” His eyes darted to the side window. “Damn. Company’s coming, hurry.”

I scurried back over to my seat as he righted his clothes and his seat position. “There! No one the wiser,” he chuckled and reached across to swipe a hair off my face. “You still want to play tennis?”

“Oh, yes I’ve all sorts of energy to burn off now!” Giggling, I escaped from the car, calling in to him to pop the trunk. He was a little slower getting out.

“My legs are rubber,” he groaned.

“Aww, you’ll work it out,” I said without an ounce of real sympathy. “C’mon Max, let’s rumble.”

“Rumble? Ha.” He walked slowly to the court, whereas I fairly skipped around him. “I’m beginning to smell a rat.”

“What?” I asked in an innocent tone. “Let’s warm up for real, you’ll be fine.”

“Hmm.” He eyed me warily as he bounced a tennis ball. I bobbled back and forth in an exaggerated motion. “No, love,” he said with a chuckle. “We’ve warmed up enough. Let’s get this set over so I can show you exactly what I thought of that little stunt.”

“But I thought you…” I couldn’t finish because I needed to dodge the tennis ball heading toward my noggin. “ Hey! And that was out!”

“Second serve.”

The second serve landed fairly and we were off. Neither of us plays often, but neither of us likes to lose, which meant that the level of our ability didn’t match the level of our intensity. Whiffs, near misses, and tumbles were the order of the morning. I managed to eke out a few more misses from him than he did from me, which left me ahead, five games to four, with a chance for me to serve out the set. It could have been so easy for him to miss four shots in a row so we could leave, but he wouldn’t surrender. We went to deuce once, twice, thrice, four times. A net ball that popped out of bounds gave me the ad. One more point and the set was mine. I played it safe and softly served the ball in, he walloped it back to me; I defensively lobbed it back, which he ran back to get. He managed to get it back in play, but his momentum sent him hurling to the ground. With him out of commission, the court was mine, and I put the final winning shot away.

“I won! I can’t believe it!” I jumped up into the air. He rolled over onto his back. “Max, you okay?” I trotted around to see if he was hurt, but when I got close, he grabbed my ankle. I fell next to him and he rolled over and took me in his arms. “I won!”

“You cheated, sapping my strength!”

“I saw an opportunity and I took it. All’s fair in love and war.”

He grinned and took me tighter in his embrace, running a finger down my face. “We at war, Laurie?”

He looked into my eyes intently and I felt shivers. “I’m not at war with you.”

“Good.” He bent over to kiss me. I took his face in my hands to keep the kiss going longer. I wanted so much for him to slip on top of me, but we weren’t hidden inside a car under a tree anymore. The kiss came to a natural end, and he lifted up, looking around.” I think this visit’s turned into a roll in the clay,” he said with a laugh. “Your whites aren’t white anymore, love.”

“No, and your face is smudged too,” I tried to wipe a clay mustache on him, but he grabbed my hand first.

“I think we need to wash up.” He stood and helped me up. “Good game, Laurie.” He bowed graciously.

“Thank you. Am I still a cheat?”

“You are…” he slid his finger down my face, “…extraordinarily beautiful… for a cheat with a mustache.” He was off running as soon as his finger left my upper lip.

“Hey!” I ran after, and we arrived at his car laughing and out of breath. I was about to get in but stopped. “We’ll mess up your car like this!”

“Bollocks! Hmm.” He scrambled for his keys, popped the trunk, and pulled out a blanket. “Voila! Coverage!”

“Were you a boy scout? Always prepared?”

“Love, I’ve never been a boy scout. But I’m always prepared for certain activities,” he added with a wink. “This will cover the seat, I think, but you’ll have to sit as close as you can to me.” I raised an eyebrow, questioning his comment. “I just want you in arm’s reach.”

He drove home quickly, his hand on my leg when it wasn’t on the gearshift. We arrived back at Alex’s and unloaded my small overnight bag. “You start the bath, love; I’ll get us something to drink.”

A bath. I hadn’t thought of that! As the water ran, I searched for candles. Of course there were some, we weren’t the first to use this tub. When I’d gotten them lit, I shut off the light. The room practically glowed. I stripped and got in the tub, now nicely full of bubbles.

“Here we are, I had to find the right bottle. Oh love, you got in without me.”

“Just in. Hurry.” He handed me a glass and I sat back to watch him undress. A cocky grin crossed his face as he saw me watch him.

He sighed in satisfaction as he sunk under the bubbles. “Cheers,” we clinked glasses and took a long sip, then put the wine aside, both of us having more pressing needs to attend to. “You look more radiant in this light, Laurie, if that were possible,” he said softly as he ran his hand down my soapy arm.

“You too, Max.” I ran my hands up and down his chest and over his shoulders. “Can I wash your hair?”

“All right,” he chuckled, “if I can wash these while you do.” He soaped my breasts up with the bubbles, tweaking my nipples as he did so. That seemed a good trade to me. I found the removable showerhead and gave his hair a quick rinse before rubbing shampoo between my fingers. His hands didn’t stay still; it was hard to concentrate, but I managed to reach his scalp. We both murmured “your hands feel good,” to each other, and then laughed.

“Don’t stop,” we said again, together, laughing in delight afterwards.

“Oh Max, I love you,” I slid my hands to from his hair to his cheeks and we kissed, long, and slow, our tongues wrapped around each other longingly, until he pulled away, suddenly.

“Bollocks, soap! Soap in my eyes! Quick!” I reached for the showerhead and quickly rinsed his face, then reached for a towel to wipe it.

“Better? Here let me rinse your hair,” He bent his head down for me to rinse the shampoo out, his face buried in my breasts. It took every ounce of concentration to get the soap all the way out; his lips on me were driving me mad. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and dropped the hose to fall back on my hands to enjoy his attentions. He didn’t let me rest there, but pulled me back up for more kisses, this time lifting me up by my bum and slipping me down over his more than ready cock. “Oh Max,” I sighed again; he felt glorious. Those were the last coherent words either of us spoke for a while. He kissed down my neck slowly, his lips warm, wet and tender in contrast to the strong fingers gripping my hips and his hard length driving in and out of me. Water splashed over the tub edges, extinguishing some of the candles, but we didn’t care, so intent were we to drive each other to a state of bliss.

We rocked slowly against each other as our hearts calmed, me nestled against his chest, him with his hands in my hair. I began to realize that he hadn’t answered what I’d told him earlier. Did it sound nonchalant, like one of those things you say when you’re making out? Maybe he didn’t hear with the soap in his eyes. I wondered if I should say it again. But it just bubbled out of me the first time, a moment of delight, of my heart feeling suddenly full and light at the same time. Maybe it was just the moment. I sighed, getting angry with myself for reasoning my way into a corner, again.

“Penny for your thoughts, love,” he said softly.

“Just feeling all after-glowy. May I have more wine?” He found my glass and we had another sip.

“Let me do you, now, Laurie.”

“I thought you just did!”

“Your hair, I’d like to wash it,” he chuckled softly. “Turn around.” I slipped off and turned around to settle between his legs. He turned the spray on my hair and wetted it thoroughly, and then I heard the sound of soapy hands being rubbed together. His strong fingers rubbing my scalp felt good, and I felt my shoulders relax. “Lot of hair, love,” he said.

“Too much?”

“No, perfect.” His touch was so gentle; he’d washed a woman’s hair before, I’d wager. As he rinsed, I leaned back and looked at him; his eyes cast downward in concentration, his lashes looked long and thick against his cheeks. I reached back to touch his cheek and he looked up and smiled at me. My heart thumped stronger at his expression, and I almost said it again, but held back. I immediately berated myself. Why not say it? We all love each other here, why not just say it? I didn’t know how that played across my face, but he cocked his head questioningly. “What is it, Laurie love? Water too hot?”

“No, that feels good. Just… hard to look upside down sometimes,” I chuckled, trying to cover up my real mood.

“Then stop looking upside down, daft girl.” He lifted my neck up. “There, done. All clean. Let’s get out, I’ve lunch ready downstairs.” We rinsed and wrapped up with terry robes. I asked if we should dress for the table. “I think you’re overdressed already,” he said with a naughty waggle of his eyebrows. Dressed down as we were, we ate in the kitchen: wine, cold beef and salad, and some wonderfully fresh fruit. We shared smiles, but not much conversation.

“You’re quiet, Laurie,” he said, finally, stating the obvious. “Something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.” I patted his hand to reassure him. “Max, we have fun together, don’t we?”

An odd expression crossed his face, I couldn’t interpret it. “Fun? Yes, love, we have ‘fun’.”

“You don’t have to say it like there’s quotes around the word. I’m just saying I enjoy your company a lot.”

He chuckled wryly and poured us both more wine. “And I do yours; I went through a lot of trouble for that token, after all.”

“Greg drove a hard bargain? “ I sighed and rested my head on my hand, ready for a humorous tale of his negotiating prowess. I’m not sure if he told me or not, because the next thing I knew I had bobbed my head awake. “Sorry, Max, don’t know if it was the exercise, the bath or the wine.”

“All three, no doubt. Take a nap, love; I want you to be rested for tonight.”

“Plans?”

“Yes, cozy little restaurant up the coast. You brought a dress?”

We went upstairs and settled on the bed; I put my head on his shoulder, and tucked my fingers under his robe to touch his chest. With a sigh, I felt my eyes grow heavy. When I woke up, he was no longer under me. I was suddenly panicked at his absence. “Max! Max! Where are you?” I heard quick footsteps then he was there, leaning over me.

“Bad dream, Laurie?”

“No, bad waking up, you weren’t here!” I clung to him tightly. “How long was I sleeping? I’ve ruined our visit haven’t I? You didn’t plan on the tennis, or me falling asleep… or me saying something stupid.”

“Hush, hush, what’s this about, love?” He took his place back in the bed. “Nothing’s ruined. And I don’t remember hearing anything stupid.”

I paused, it seemed crazy; it would never come out right. “Okay, maybe I dreamed that part. I feel better now that I can feel you.”

“Miss me then?”

“Like crazy,” I held him tight, not wanting him to move away.

“You don’t have to say that, love,” he chuckled.

“You don’t want me to say things like that?” I pulled away and searched his face for meaning.

“No, just don’t feel like you have to. We have ‘fun’ together, don’t we?”

“Why are you throwing that in my face?!”

He made an exasperated noise and escaped my embrace to get out of bed. “I’m not. Look, we have a bit of a drive to make our reservation. Best get ready.”

Stunned at his behavior, I simply rose and did what he requested. I finished drying my hair, and slipped on the sleeveless red sheath dress I’d brought. It hugged me a little, but I hoped he’d like that. I slipped bangles on my arm and some dangling earrings. When I walked out of the bathroom, he had gotten dressed up as well. He turned when he heard me, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Beautiful,” he said with a smile. “You truly are a vision.”

“You too.” His shirt had an open collar, and all I wanted to do was kiss up his neck and have things back to normal.

“Laurie,” he held out his hands for me to take. “Sit down, love.” We sat on the edge of the bed; he stroked my cheek, down my neck, grazing my cleavage. “Have you ever said something you wish you hadn’t?”

“Of course,” I bowed my head and could feel my face redden.

“Have you ever missed an opportunity to say something?”

“I do that a lot too.”

“So do I. And then the moment passes. Damned soap.”

“Oh Max,” I put my arms around his neck. “I thought you were blowing it off, you must have heard women say that hundreds of times.”

“Not hundreds, goodness no!” He laughed. “But enough. And usually it was because they wanted something: money, a better job.”

“And not because they loved being with you?”

“What woman wants to be with an asshole, really, unless he can give her what she wants?”

“But you’re not an asshole, here.” I kissed him before he could answer. “I tell you what. I’ll give you another chance to answer. But not now, when you don’t expect it.”

“I’ll be ready,” he pulled me back. “Damn, the reservation.”

“Let’s go, quicker we go, quicker we’ll get back.”

We started for the door. I felt giddy and happy that we’d resolved things. “Oh, wait. One thing before we go.”

“What now?” He laughed. “And what are you doing?” I had reached behind my back to release the fastenings on my strapless bra. I lifted it up and out of my dress and threw it aside. I then slipped my fingers up my skirt, and in a quick flip, my panties were down to my ankles. I stepped out and kicked them aside too.

“All ready!” I smiled at him, and walked backward toward the door, watching him look at me.

“How am I supposed to make it through a quiet romantic dinner knowing you’re dressed like that?”

“Maybe we won’t.” I coyly backed to the door; he followed. “We do like to have fun together.”

I hit the wall and he pinned me against it by kissing me. His hands slid up my skirt and to my thighs. They parted at his touch. My breathing started to quicken in anticipation. He cupped my mound in his hand, and whispered “Mine.”

“You make me crazy for you, Max.”

“And I’m crazy for you, Laurie.” He dropped his hand and reached into his pocket for his phone.

“Hello, Max Skinner here. I had a reservation for this evening and would like to change it for a later seating.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Skinner, we’re completely booked.” The phone was so close I could hear the other end.

“On a Monday?”

“We’ve only ten tables, sir.”

“Can’t you find an eleventh? For two?”

“Sir, I’m sorry, another night?”

“Listen, man, a delightful and beautiful woman told me she loved me today, and I’d like to show her how I feel about that, we simply can’t make our current reservation.”

He’d pressed his hips into me and I could tell how he was feeling. “Oh, Max,” I said, half sigh, half moan.

“Is that her, sir?”

“Yes, and if you think the voice is spectacular, wait until you see her.”

The fellow grew silent on the other end and Max took the opportunity to kiss me. “Ten o’clock. Last seating.”

“With a view of the ocean?”

Another pause. “We’ll see.”

“Good man. See you then.” He flipped down the phone and grinned.

“You’re good. No mention of money.”

“I hoped he was a romantic bastard. I think the ocean view may require more convincing.” He started to pick me up, then realizing he still had his phone in his hand, put me down to shove it back in his pocket. “Oh, well I’d planned to give you this at midnight, to mark the end of the season, but things don’t seem to be going to plan today.” He offered up a small bag with a ribbon.

“For me?”

“Don’t get too excited, it’s just… just a token, really.” I pulled the string and pulled out a thin silver bracelet with the token hanging from it. “I noticed you wear bangles a bit, so I thought of this.” He smiled and shrugged.

“It’s beautiful.” I slipped it over my wrist to join the others on my arm.

“I wouldn’t go that far…”

“I would. I love it.”

“Ah, my cue. And I love you.” This time he did pick me up, and started toward the bed.

“I said ‘it’ not you.”

“Oopsie. I take it back then.”

“Don’t you dare!”

He answered that with a kiss that said all we needed to say. A surprise token and the day didn’t turn out like either of us had planned. But somehow, it was all the better that way.

Filed under: Ree's Adventures
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