Last Winter
We had a long, cold winter last year, and there were times when I thought I would never feel warmth again. Mid-February was the worst.
Late in February, the weather warmed a bit, and I was anxious to get out of the house. It had been a while since I had visited a good bookstore, so I headed down into the city to do some shopping. At the used bookstore, I scored a couple of Heinleins and an Asimov that I had been looking for. At the new bookstore, I picked up the latest books from Modesitt and Brust, and I was happy.
While I was there, I thought I better look for some of the books my boss was always talking about. He was big on self-improvement books like '7 Habits' and 'Accidental Manager'. While I was in that section, I got distracted into the computer section, where I picked up a large manual on SQL programming. It was expensive, and I spent a bit of time deciding if I wanted the full manual or one of the smaller guides.
Although I was lost in checking out the selection, I couldn't help but overhear two women having a quiet argument. On general principle, I mostly ignored them, right up until I couldn't.
"What about you, sir," the older woman said directly to me. She held up a fashion magazine to show me a picture, and she asked, "Would you let your daughter wear a dress like this to prom?" The younger woman glared at me as she waited for my answer.
"Perhaps you should ask someone else," I suggested. "I am not a fan of the dresses that young women are wearing to proms these days. It makes them look like desperate attention-seeking sluts." I addressed the younger woman and said, "You have to ask yourself what your intentions are. If your intention is to let the young man who escorts you to the dance know that you are a weak-willed trend-follower, then you should wear a dress like that."
She glared harder. "I'm not going with a boy," she insisted. "None of the stupid boys in our school were brave enough to ask me, so I'm going with my girlfriend Abby."
"Intimate girlfriend or best friend girlfriend?" I queried.
Her eyes flared, and she gasped, "Best friend!" From the way her nostrils flared, I think she might have been lying. I let that pass.
"Best friends probably know you better than anyone," I suggested. "The two of you should wear similar dresses, but in a style that says 'I am beautiful and confident no matter what I wear.' Say, have you ever heard of the Duct Tape Prom Dress Challenge?"
"The what?" she gasped in a frightened tone. I'm sure she was imagining a straight-jacket dress made with grey tape.
"You should do an online search," I suggested. "They show lots of examples, and some of the dresses are remarkably good-looking. You get to show off your creativity, and if you register and send pictures, you can win some pretty nice scholarships for college."
She was speechless as she shook her head. I shrugged and said, "I warned you that you should ask someone else. Either way, wear something classy, and be proud of who you are."
With that, I turned away from them and headed to the checkout to pay for my books. I ended up buying the expensive computer manual, but I was okay with that.
---
Spring
April arrived, and the snow melted, and my basement flooded because the sump pump failed. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with that problem, because our local hardware store was sold out of pumps. I headed down to the city to hit one of the home-improvement box stores. Conveniently, that store was right next to the used bookstore, and I picked up some Zelazney and Clark. While I was there, I decided to treat myself to fast-food oriental food at the restaurant next door.
As I was waiting for my food, the woman in line behind me playfully bumped her hip against mine, and then she teased, "Hey, are you stalking me?"
It took me a moment to realize she was the woman who had talked to me at the bookstore back in February. I smiled and answered, "You're in line behind me, so maybe you're stalking me."
The all-too-serious woman at the cash register gasped and asked, "Folks, is there a problem here? Do either of you need me to call 9-1-1?"
The bookstore woman and I both had shocked looks on our faces, but I managed to answer, "No ma'am. We've run into each other before, and we are just making light of the fact. We're practically best friends." I finished with a laugh, but the cashier's scowl remained. She pushed my tray of food toward me, and then scowled to drive me away. I took my tray and headed for a table as far from her as I could go.
A few moments later, the bookstore lady put her tray on the same table as mine. She smiled as she sat across from me, and she quietly teased, "So, are we just best friends, or are we intimate best friends?" She laughed at my shocked expression, and she pulled out her phone. "Check these out," she offered as she opened up a picture for me to view.
The picture showed two pretty younger women in remarkable dresses. It took me a moment to recognize the one on the left as the woman's daughter.
"Very nice," I offered. "If you're going to thank me for influencing their decision to go classy and traditional, you're welcome."
"Look closer," she teased with a big grin.
I wasn't sure what it was that she wanted me to see. Both young women had spent a lot of time on their hair and makeup, and they look classically fabulous. Her daughter's dress was a traditional ball-gown, with a fluffy skirt and a lace bodice. The skirt and blouse were pastel yellows and greens, with an off-white lace overlay. The other woman's dress was more of an evening gown, with a straight, black skirt. She had on a short, black jacket over a white blouse. Although her face was very feminine and pretty, her outfit was almost tuxedo-like, and together they might almost pass for a young man and his date.
"Look closer," the woman insisted, and she zoomed the photo in on her daughter's lace-covered sleeve.
It took me a moment, and then I gasped. "You're kidding me!" I laughed. She panned the photo over to the other girl’s lapel, and there it was obvious-- both outfits were fashioned from duct tape!
The woman laughed at the incredulous look on my face, and then she beamed, "Both girls submitted photos to that contest you mentioned, and they are both in the top fifty for this year. That alone gets them each a five hundred dollar scholarship. They are hoping to make top five, which is twenty-five hundred bucks. I think either of them could win, which is ten thousand!"
"Wow!" I exclaimed. "Congrats to them, and wish them luck in the finals!"
She was still smiling as she took her phone back, and after a couple of swipes, she handed it back to me. "Type in your phone number so I can send you a copy," she said with a coy smile. She shrugged and said, "I mean, don't do it if it will get you in trouble with your wife or anything, but this way I'll have your number so I can tell you if they win."
I smirked and gave a short laugh. "Yeah, well," I offered, "just promise you won't expect me to have any other brilliant ideas."
She laughed, and my phone beeped, and then I had a picture of her daughter and her daughter's friend. We smiled at each other, and talked about nothing, and when we finished our lunches, we said good-bye.
Just in case you're worrying, the new sump pump worked just fine, and nothing important was damaged.
===
Spring Again
Winter decided to get in some overtime. A late-April ice storm resulted in a lot of broken branches and even more yard work going into May. The only highlight of the month was a phone call I got from the used bookstore. A hard-to-find Piers Anthony book had shown up at their store, and they were holding it for me. I was quick to get down there to scoop it up. I barely got down there before they closed for the night.
As I was waiting to pay, a familiar voice teased, "You really do fail at this stalking thing. You're supposed to be sneaking around to follow me, not cutting in line ahead of me every time."
The cashier gave me a funny look, but he relaxed when I smiled and turned to greet the woman from the bookstore.
"My way is better, because you'd never suspect me," I offered. "Picking up some light reading?" I teased as I pointed at the romance novels she was buying.
"Don't ask," she grumbled with a smile. She saw that I was ready to go, and her smile was replaced by a hopeful look as she asked, "Wait while I pay?" I shrugged and nodded, and she took care of paying for her books.
She looked apprehensive when she finally turned back to me. She took my arm and pulled me away from the cashier, but not quite towards the door either. She struggled to decide what to say.
"Are you... I mean... what... umm... Can I ask you a question?" she finally managed.
"My name is John, and I would love to know yours," I offered. Her eyes smiled, although her mouth was still worried.
"Well, yes, I did want to know that, and my name is Cathy," she replied. "It's just that... I... I've had a rough evening, and I know I shouldn't ask, but... The last time we met, I mentioned your wife, and you smirked. I don't know why, but I keep thinking of you, and somehow that smirk bothers me. I... I really enjoyed having lunch with you, and I thought that maybe that was a sign that I was ready to move on, which is why I even agreed to meet someone for a blind date tonight, but then I saw the look on his face when he stood outside the coffee shop and decided to ditch me before the date had even started, and I knew I wasn't ready unless I met a guy like you, and yet there's that smirk, and I talk too much when I'm nervous."
I was frowning as she spoke. I don't know why I opened up and told her the truth. I had enjoyed our lunch together as well, and I had struggled many a time to keep from sending her some inane text message to see if she was open to meeting again. Most women would only listen to half of what I had to say, and if she were like them, I was dooming any chances I had.
"You were worried that a message from you would get me in trouble with my wife," I explained. "The thing is, if she and I were still together, a message like that would have landed me in a lot of trouble. I had to smile because she spent the last three years of our marriage gas-lighting me, turning every little thing into more proof that I was cheating on her. The tragedy was that she set me up once, and I failed to remain faithful, and she used that to win every argument we ever had. The double tragedy was that she had set me up so I wouldn't notice that she was sleeping around with several men, and I was too dumb to notice."
After the slightest pause, I added, "Sometimes I talk too much, too."
She remained quiet for a moment too long, and I couldn't stop myself from trying to shoot myself in the foot.
"Say," I asked, "was your blind date going to include going to dinner? It's just that I enjoyed our lunch as well, and I haven't eaten yet, and I would take you anywhere you wished if you would have dinner with me."
After the slightest pause, I added, "Just don't say.."
She gave me a smirk of her own, and as I sadly said, "...Delminico's," she eagerly asked, "Delminico's?"
She laughed, and quickly added, "I wouldn't do that to you. Even if you were buying, I can't stomach the idea of spending a hundred and fifty bucks a person on food."
I smirked and shook my head. She gave me a puzzled look, and I shook my head again. She gave me a demanding look, and I found myself opening up again.
"One of the things my wife and I always argued about was her ability to spend my paychecks," I offered. "She had no qualms about demanding to eat there, and maybe inviting a couple of friends along for me to pay for as well."
She gave me a sadly understanding look, and the asked, "So, do you like Italian? Have you ever been to Momma Rosalie's?"
"Never heard of it," I replied, "but the smile on your face says I'm going to love it. Is it a date?"
She took my arm and led me toward the door. "Yes, it's a date," she laughed. Then she leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "Don't get any ideas, buddy. This is only our second date, and you'll be lucky if I let you get to second base!"
If you ever get a chance to eat at Momma's, go for it. The place looks like a dive, but the food is fantastic. It was also private enough that Cathy and I were able to chat and talk about nothing as we got to know each other, and even though I didn't get to second base, the kiss she gave me when I dropped her off back at her car was very enticing.
I should probably mention here that her daughter and her daughter's friend made the top ten, which earned them a nice swag bag of sweatshirts and stuff. They were disappointed they didn't rank higher, but they were still ecstatic about the results.
---
Nearly Summer
Cathy and I had dinner together again the next weekend, and we chatted a lot throughout the week. Most days we would send sporadic texts back and forth throughout the day, and then we would talk on the phone for a while each evening.
The next weekend was a little bit weird. First Cathy invited herself to come make me dinner at my place, and I was really looking forward to convincing her to spend the night. Then she arrived with her daughter in tow, and the three of us had a pleasant meal together. Just before they left, Cathy insisted that I needed to take the garbage out. She followed me, and in the darkness, she gave me a kiss that insisted that she wished she could stay for the night. She didn't stay.
A couple more weeks went by, with more of the same. We chatted a lot for a week, and then she and I went out to dinner down by her place. We chatted a lot for a week, and then the two of them came up for dinner at my house. I started to worry, because I was ready to commit to more, and Cathy seemed to be reluctant.
My buddy Troy accidentally stepped in and helped me out. Cathy, her daughter Sarah, and I had just finished dinner at my house when Troy showed up. I have a bigger garage, and he always stores some of his stuff in it through the winter. He barely paid attention to introductions, and then he asked for a hand in getting some of his boating stuff from the garage.
Cathy followed along as Troy and I loaded up his pickup, so she was standing next to me when Troy suddenly said, "Hey, you know I'm hurrying to get my boat ready for the big Start-Of-Summer bash. Your ex never wanted to go, but if you two want to come to the party, we'd love to have you."
Before I could answer, Troy suddenly looked worried about his offer, and he turned to Cathy. "Maybe I should clarify-- A bunch of us with boats go spend the day tied together in a secluded cove on the lake. People drink a lot of beer, and everybody cuts loose. By cutting loose, I mean a lot of the women go topless, and there's a lot of rocking from the action below decks, if you know what I mean. It's not required to participate in that, but if that's something that offends you, well, we don't judge, but we'd be happier if you stayed home."
Before Cathy could speak, Sarah surprised us all by asking, "Is it only for old people? Can my girlfriend and I come too? We're both eighteen!"
Troy did his absolute best to stop his eyes from lustfully checking out Sarah. Cathy started to say, "Sarah, I don't think..."
Sarah interrupted. "Mom! What's the third item on our goals list? 'Make friends with someone who owns a boat.' Come on, Mom! He said you don't have to get naked or anything and think of how much fun we can have just swimming and soaking up some sun. Please?"
Cathy looked to me. I shrugged, but smiled. "If this was my friend Dave asking, I would have straight up said 'No'. Troy is almost as bad, but at the end of the day, I trust him. If you want, I'll insist that the girls wear one-piece suits."
Sarah objected, "No!", while her mother turned to Troy and said, "We'll think about it and let you know. Put the two of us down for a definite maybe, and add my daughter as a possibly maybe."
Troy smiled and said, "Noted, but hey, at the end of the day, don't trust this guy." He was pointing at me. "He's nearly as much of a dirty old man as I am." He laughed as he tied down the last of his things, and then he left.
A while later, as Cathy and Sarah were getting ready to head home, Sarah said, "Hey, you two know you don't have to sneak off to play kissy-face, right? Just keep the groping to a minimum!"
Cathy was shocked, but I laughed. I would have kept laughing, but Cathy gave me the kind of kiss that insisted that she wanted to spend the night, and then I was too breathless to insist when they left.
===
Summer for real
Early on the Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend, Cathy and Sarah arrived at my house with Sarah's friend Abby in tow. After quick introductions, we all changed into summer gear, and then we headed over to the lake to meet up with Troy. He had convinced a friend of a friend to let him park the boat at their dock on one of the estates, which was very upscale and nice. Troy introduced us to his wife, Donna, and she quickly put Cathy at ease. Donna promised that things would be wacky and wild, but not too crazy, and that Cathy and the girls were perfectly safe.
It was a bit chilly as we set out on the boat, but the day promised to warm up. The lake is spring-fed on our end, and the water there tends to be a bit cold. When we arrived at the secluded cove, the water was calm and warm, and we were all eager to get in for a swim.
Sarah and Abby playfully glared at me as they stripped down to their one-piece suits. Someone had brought a giant floating raft, and a bunch of younger people were already playing on and around it, so the two of them quickly headed into the water to head over there.
Cathy was also wearing a one-piece suit. Troy and Donna nodded their approval as they led us around to meet some of the other boaters. There were a few couples that I already knew, and a lot of people that I was meeting for the first time. They were all new to Cathy, but she smiled a lot and enjoyed meeting everyone.
Troy knew how to get people into the mood to party. Right by where the boats were parked was a sandbar that came up to about three feet from the surface. He set up a net, and we split into teams to play volleyball. Part of the challenge was trying to keep footing when the ball went out toward the edges. We all laughed as we flailed about, and while nobody kept score, we all had a great time.
Troy was ready when it was time to amp things up a bit. People were having a lot of fun laughing as we stumbled off the sand bar, so next, he started water wrestling jousts. Each couple would pair up with the woman riding on the man's shoulders, and the winner was whichever team could stay on the sandbar the longest. There was a lot of laughing, a lot of groping, and eventually, we all had a chance to rule the sandbar for a minute or two.
The shenanigans started when one of the women lost her top. She and her guy had been winning, so she insisted on staying up there with her breasts fully exposed. They ruled for quite a while because her first attack was to pull the top off of anyone who challenged them, and at first, most of the women who lost their tops dove into the water for cover.
About then, we started to slow down for lunch. A lot of the women who were topless decided it was time to sunbathe topless while the men grilled up some food. The men were all on board for that. Apparently, Cathy was on board with checking out the other women too, and she smiled when I teased her with my eyes for where her eyes had been looking.
We had a minor tiff with Sarah and Abby shortly after that. Neither Cathy nor I had seen the two of them slip down into the cabin of Troy's boat, but they were hard to miss when they came back out in a pair of very tiny bikinis. Cathy was nearly outraged, and she nearly insisted that they go change back into their original suits. Sarah forestalled the argument by handing an equally small bikini to Cathy.
"It's time to relax, Mother," she said in a placating tone. Then she grinned and said, "If you find yourself having trouble tying the strings, I'm sure Mr. John will help you put it on. He might help you take it off again, too."
Cathy looked stunned, and she dropped the bikini like it was a hot potato. "I will not..." she started to object in a harsh tone. She gave me a worried and frightened look, and she tried again. "I will not wear a suit like that," she stated. She took a deep breath, and then glared at me as she said, "I left my towel on that other boat. I'll be back shortly."
I knew the sound of a command when I heard it, and when she crossed to another boat, I stayed put. The two girls shrugged, and made themselves comfortable on the front of Troy's boat to get some sun.
Several worrying minutes later, Cathy reappeared with a chagrined look on her face. I had to wonder if someone had said something to her. She picked up the errant bikini as she crossed the back of Troy's boat, and then she seemed to apologize to me.
"John," she said softly, "perhaps I was too hasty to judge, and I'm sorry. Actually, this suit looks like something I might have worn years ago, and I'd be happy to model it for you." Her eyes were shiny as they met mine, and she added, "Just promise to be respectful, and no touching."
I nodded, and she led me down to the cabin. Her eyes were still shiny as they directed me to freeze on a spot. She licked her lips as she reached for the straps on her one-piece. Suddenly, she was naked, and only the strength of her eyes held me in place. She gave me a hungry smile as she pulled the bikini bottoms on, but her eyes still locked my feet in place. She managed to secure the top on her own, and only then did her eyes order me to approach.
She caught my hands as she arched up to kiss me, and she held them out away from our bodies as her lips issued commands to my body. I was breathless when she ended the kiss.
I found myself suddenly feeling dizzy when she placed my hands on her bikini-covered breasts, where she used her fingers to squeeze my fingers into pinching her nipples. Her body shivered in reaction, and she said, "Tell me, lover, do you like how my body responds to your kisses?"
I was too dizzy to answer, and she made my head spin even more when she said, "Do you think I haven't noticed how your body responds to those kisses?" Her hand slid down inside the front of my swim trunks, and she gave my hardness a gentle squeeze. She smirked, and then said, "Remember your promise..." Before I could reply, she was out the door of the cabin.
I was slow to follow her as I tried to will my hardness away. It took me a moment to rationalize that she had walked out with very perky nipples, and so I followed her out into the sun. I don't know if I was relieved or disappointed that nobody was there to notice the tent in my trunks.
In spite of the promise she had extracted from me, Cathy was quick to mold her body next to mine, and she stayed there as we moved around from boat to boat to chat with the people we had met. Cathy swooned at the admiring looks she received from both men and women. Several times, when we weren't the center of attention, she gave me kisses that ensured that our body parts stayed swollen with the need for attention from each other.
Early in the evening, as the party was started to really get going, Sarah surprised us. She came to us and said that the sun was getting to Abby, and for Abby's sake, she was hoping we could pack up and head home. She had already talked to an older couple that was calling it an evening, and they were willing to drop us off at the dock by our car as they headed home.
Cathy gave me a look that I didn't quite recognize, and she quickly agreed. We said our goodbyes to Troy and his wife, and then we rode with the other couple back to our car.
All through the drive back to my house, the girls were whispering to each other, and maybe they were kissing. It was hard to pay them any attention. Cathy kept grinning at me with shining eyes, and while she stroked my thigh with one hand, her other hand was massaging her breast and teasing her hard nipple. I managed to make it home without getting caught speeding.
At the house, Sarah surprised us yet again.
"Mr. John," she offered, "Abby and I have decided that Mommy is too tired to take us home tonight. We also decided that if Mommy is spending the night on the couch, Abby and I are taking your bigger bed, and you can have the smaller bed in the spare bedroom."
Cathy surprised me even more than her daughter did. She grinned at her daughter and answered, "Mommy is not spending the night on the couch." With that, she caught my hand in her own, and she practically dragged me up to my bedroom.
Then she surprised me even more. "Remember that promise you made to me?" she asked with a grin. She gave me a kiss that made sure we both had erect body parts, and then she whispered, "Now, forget it!"
She gave me another kiss, and her body made demands. In moments, we were both naked. In less time than that, we were coupled together, and thrusting together in frenzied need. In the back of my mind, I might have planned to make things last, but her body was insistent, and my climax arrived quickly. Luckily, hers followed right on its heels, and we collapsed to breathe hard and laugh in our pleasure.
I made the mistake of stealing another kiss. Maybe it wasn't a mistake, but our laughter ended. Our kisses lingered, our bodies moved together again, and she purred as our body parts swelled again. The third time she climaxed, her body started making demands again, and I was helpless to deny her desires.
Afterwards, I made the mistake of kissing her again. This time, she didn’t return my kiss with one of her own. She gave me a sad sigh instead.
"John, I'm scared," she softly admitted. "It's just that... What if having sex ruins what we had? I've never felt this close to anyone, and what if we lose what we have because of this?"
My answer started with a gentle kiss. "You have really surprised me today, both with the bikini, and with this sex," I offered. "You know that I lust you, but you should also know that I was prepared to move forward at your speed. If we need to slow down again, we can, but I'd like to think that I learned some rough lessons from previous relationships, and I will strive to keep our friendship growing as well."
