Christal kept beating the butter and sugar together. She looked at the time sensing something was going to happen today. John had held her tighter than ever before. Seeing him drive away clearly sad had upset her even more. Today was going to be the day they visited her. The collective’s visit was the only explanation as to John’s change in mood.Baking a dark rich chocolate cake usually eased her thoughts. Her cure for all tensions was no longer working. She placed the two filled cake tins in the oven, washing up the dishes. Christal was wiping down the counter when the doorbell sounded. Glancing around the kitchen, she tried to find any excuse to answer the damn thing.Be strong, Christal. You can do this.She loved John, and all she needed to do was prove to them her feelings. Tucking hair behind her ears she walked to the door.“Hello, Christal. I’m Charles, and these are my brothers. I’ll be the one doing the talking today. They’re here to listen, learn, and take information in,”
He left afterward. Looking at the clock she saw she’d missed lunch. John was probably out of his mind. Rushing to the phone she started to type in his number and stopped. Calling him wouldn’t do the trick. She wanted to do something else. Putting the phone down, she entered the kitchen and started setting up her basket.John deserved the best, and she finished icing the chocolate cake. She hummed as she set to work. By the time it came to end of the day, she headed out toward John’s place of work. At five o’clock she was leaning against his car holding the picnic basket in front of her. Every time the elevator stopped, she tensed waiting to see him.For the next half an hour John didn’t appear. He was one of the last men to leave the building coming toward her with Dick in tow. His friend slapped his arm, pointing at the car.She smiled, waving at him. John frowned, approaching her.“Why are you here?” John asked.“I thought we could go on a picnic. I’ve packed dinner.” She turned to
She was gone. Eliane was gone. The funeral was over, and only a few close friends were left, cleaning up after the meal. Maxwell, now a widower, sat in his recliner in the living room, looking out the window at the backyard, imagining Emma in her garden. But she wasn't there. She is now buried. This thought filled him with grief. Tears blurred his vision and stained his face.He believed that if there was a heaven, she was there. She was the most honest and moral person he had ever known. She had strong faith in God and in the goodness of people. She always tried to see the best in others, even when they didn't deserve it. She had kept him out of trouble more than once.Dakota, a close friend of Emma and Maxwell for over ten years, sat down in a chair across from him. She began to speak. "Maxwell, I think we are going to go now. There is plenty of extra food in the fridge if you get hungry later."Maxwell turned to look at Dakota, but seemed to look right past her. Then, focusing on h
He was able to get Dakota on the phone, and she seemed truly pleased that he had called her. Maxwell explained his situation to her and why he needed a change of scenery and venue. She told him that she totally understood.Dakota had been a widow for about four years now and knew exactly what Maxwell was going through. Her husband had also died of prostate cancer. She told him to let her look through her listings, and she would get back to him as soon as she thought she had something of interest.Later that afternoon, Maxwell's phone rang. "Hello.""Maxwell, it's Dakota, how are you?""I'm doing good. Did you find me something?""Well, I might have found just what you're looking for, but then, you will need to be the judge of that. What is your schedule like tomorrow?""As far as I know right now, I'm free. What did you have in mind?""Well, if you could meet me at my office, then I could show you a few houses and maybe find one you really like.""What time tomorrow?""Is about ten ok
"Wait until you see the inside!" Dakota smiled and winked at him.She parked the car in front of the house, grabbed her notebook, and said, "Shall we take a look?""Yes, by all means," Maxwell replied.As they stood at the front door, she bent down to punch in the combination to the realtor's box, which contained the door key. Once in the house, she began to explain the present situation to the house."The house at present is a corporate rental. What that means is that companies will rent the house for a weekend or longer for meetings or retreats. That's why it's furnished.""I see. What is the asking price?""Well, it is listed for 400,000, which is not a bad price itself. However, because of several factors, I think the owner would be willing to take less than that—actually, much less.""How much less is much less?""Well, because of my working relationship with the owner, I think if you made an offer around 300, she would entertain it. The owner is an older woman and she is having
Looking out the kitchen window, he watched her pull out of the driveway and disappear into the woods.Maxwell spent most of the afternoon walking through each room of the house, imagining himself living there. He would then walk outside to get a feel for the layout of the property. He also couldn't get Dakota or the peck on the lips out of his mind.After only about two hours, he knew that he wanted it. Actually, he knew it long before Dakota left. The whole 'I want to see it at night', was just a ploy so he could arrange some more private time with Dakota.Since Emma's passing, Maxwell hasn't dated. He didn't even try, mostly because he found no one who sparked his interest. However, now, his interest was not just sparked but was fully engulfing him.Sitting at her desk, Dakota was having a very difficult time organising her thoughts about what she had to do. Fortunately for her, the list of things to do for the day was pretty short. She would find herself looking out the window, thi
As she reached up to take her drink, Maxwell bent down and kissed an exposed part of her shoulder. That's it, she thought; I can't hold this any longer.She then turned around, attempting to set her glass of wine on the deck railing, but actually knocked both drinks off the rail, and the sound of crashing glass on the ground below filled the air for a moment.Without either of them acknowledging what she had just done, she turned to face Maxwell and said, "I want you to know something. No matter what happens the rest of this evening, it has nothing to do with selling or buying a house. Right now, I don't care if you buy it or not."Maxwell pulled her into him, his hand now firmly on the small of her back, "Oh, I'm buying it. There is no doubt about it."He then pulled her up to his lips, and they began to kiss with great passion and heat. Their mouths were hungry, and their tongues were rapidly exploring each other.After a minute or so, the kissing went from feverishly passionate to
He then bent over and began to kiss her from the neck down to the small of her back, then back up to her neck. His tongue was cool, and he tasted mint, man, and coffee and escaped—and Dakota didn’t at that point question it. All she did was feel it. The bliss of firm lips and the scent that had always made itself known captivated her as they intensified in their close proximity.His body to touch was everything her eyes had promised—lean and powerful beneath her hands and against her own body.Maxwell had a thing for the naked back of a woman. He felt it was one of the most sensual things about her. His arms pulled her in, and his mouth was pressing on hers.Wrapping her in his embrace and crushing her with his mouth. Maxwell cupped her through her moist haven and she whimpered, “Oh God!” her body arching against the wall behind her. "You are mine, Dakota. Condom or no condom." His thumb found her clit and dug its way through the fabric, pressing hard and massaging it in lazy circles.
Our kisses continued. It was as if once we started, we couldn’t stop. I managed to unbutton several of the buttons on Lyca’s dress and, when I slipped my hand inside it, I made a delightful discovery. “You…you aren’t wearing a bra!” I whispered between kisses.“I know, I feel so naughty,” Lyca whispered in reply. Her hand slid up my leg and encountered my swollen organ, which was straining uncomfortably against my slacks. A smile formed on Lyca’s lips “What’s this?” she murmured. She gently moved her hand over it.“Uh!” I moaned softly. I knew we had to be careful because we certainly didn’t want the other passengers waking up and seeing what we were doing. “What...what do you think it is?” Delightful sensations were sweeping through me as a result of her gentle caresses and kisses.Lyca kept stroking me, making me even harder. At the same time, I was caressing her breasts and nipples, which had grown erect. I could feel her shudder when I flicked my thumb over one of them. I slipped m
It was a while before either of us had enough strength to move. Finally, Lyca put her arms around me and laid her head on my shoulder. “You are incredible!” she murmured. “I...I can’t get enough of you. The minute you touch me I want you!”“I feel the same way about you,” I told her.She looked at me and smiled. “You know, we should really get out of the shower before we wind up looking like a couple of pink prunes,” she giggled.We finished washing, then got out and playfully toweled each other dry. While Lyca finished doing what she needed to do in the bathroom, I went back to her bedroom and got dressed.Wearing the purple robe, Lyca walked into the bedroom a few minutes later. “After I get dressed, I’m going to call the travel agent,” she said.“All right,” I said. “I love you.”She smiled at me and said, “I love you, too.” Then she walked across the room and hugged me fiercely. “I didn’t ever think I’d say that to anyone,” she said softly. “You can’t imagine how wonderful it feel
We got up. Lyca began clearing the table while I rinsed off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. After I put the last of the dishes in the machine I dried my hands on a dish towel, walked over to the table, which Lyca had just finished wiping. I put my arms around her, and kissed her. She returned the kiss avidly.After the kiss ended, I cupped Lyca’s delectable bottom in my hands and pulled her middle against mine. Then I turned her around, backed her to the kitchen table, lifted her up and sat her on it.“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” Lyca asked.My lips again covered hers and I untied the belt that held her robe closed. My hands slid inside the robe, onto her soft, warm skin, and I cupped her breasts and my thumbs tweaked her nipples to full, tingling erection.My penis grew erect and tented the front of my slacks as I worked on Lyca’s glorious breasts. I spread Lyca’s robe even farther apart, moved between her bare, silken legs, cupped her buttocks, and pressed a
Lyca rolled over and was kissing me, hugging me, and babbling excitedly. "I love you! Oh, God, I love you!" she gushed. "That was fantastic! I never knew making love could feel that wonderful! God! I love you! I love you!""I love you, too," I told her, returning her kisses. "What just happened was the best it's ever been for me."Lyca gazed down at me, her eyes wide and filled with adoration. "Was it really?" she asked, looking surprised. "Not even with your wife?""It never came close to that with Natalie," I told her. "I never knew making love could be that wonderful." I kissed her again."I'm glad you came back into my life," she whispered. "You can't imagine how glad." Her hands were traveling over me and her face took on a serious expression when she touched the bandage on my shoulder. "How is your shoulder?" she asked."It's getting better all the time," I replied."It terrifies me to think you could have been killed," she said as her hands continued moving over me."It kinda s
My emotions were in turmoil. From dreading what she was going to say I'd gone to a state of near-euphoria. "I...love you, too," I stammered. I took another sip of my coffee, another deep breath, then said, "I'm in love with you."Lyca gazed at me, her expression unreadable. My heart thudded like a jackhammer. What was her response going to be?She squeezed my arm, smiled, and said, "I'm in love with you, too. I knew it the minute you walked back into my life the other day."I couldn't breathe. Lyca had just told me she was in love with me! I couldn't believe it! My fondest dream had become reality!Then, for some reason, things seemed to get strained between us. For some reason, having admitted our love for each other left us not knowing what to do or say next. We at there on the sofa, looking at each other.It was clear to me nothing was going to happen unless one of us did something, so I slid closer to Lyca. She kept staring at me.When I put my arm around her shoulder, she sighed
“No, and I’m not sure I want to again,” I replied. “I’ve never seen anyone as wild as Gleason was.” My ribs still hurt like mad. I winced when I opened the door of my car.Harkins shook his head. “You ought to get those ribs looked at,” he said. “He coulda broke one, kicking you like that.”“Probably did,” I said. “Maybe I will stop at the hospital and have them checked.”“You take care,” he said. “I’m not sure I’d have done it the way you did, but you got two prime assholes out of our hair this week. I’d say that’s enough for anyone. Take it easy for a while, OK?”“You have my word on it, Lieutenant,” I said.The doctor in the emergency room told me my ribs were seriously bruised, but not broken. “Take it easy for a while and you’ll be just fine,” he said. “And I’d stay away from strenuous exercise for a week or so.”“Doc, I plan to sleep for a week or so,” I told him.I left the hospital and drove home. I wanted to see Lyca, but I needed rest, too, and she probably could stand some
I dropped the binoculars, stood up and, standing in the combat position, aimed my pistol at him. He fired another shot. Before he could work the bolt action on his rifle, I yelled, “Freeze, Gleason! Drop the gun!”He stiffened, turned, and continued working the action on the rifle. I fired at him, aiming for the middle of his body. The rifle flew out of his hands and he went over backward.Moving carefully, I approached him, holding my gun on him. I was pretty sure I’d hit him. I seldom miss what I’m shooting at. He laid there on his back, very still, with his eyes closed. I peered at him, trying to see where the wound was. I couldn’t, so I stepped closer. Too close.Gleason suddenly came to life. His leg came up quickly, too quickly for me to avoid it, and he kicked the gun out of my hand. The next thing I knew, roaring like a wild man, he was on me, his weight carrying me back, taking me off my feet. When we hit the ground, the wind was knocked out of me and, before I could get to m
“Noticed that he checked the brakes,” Moose said. “You’d think he’d trust a couple of trustworthy-looking guys like us.”I handed Moose a hundred dollars.“What’s this?” he asked.“A bonus for doing a good job today,” I said.“What do you think he’s going to do when he hears that tape you put in the car?” Moose asked.The only thing I did to Gleason’s car was put a tape I made up in the tape deck. It was set to run quietly for a while before the message kicked in, so he’d be well away from the building before he heard it. The message said, “We could have gotten you again today, but we didn’t. This is your last warning. Leave Mrs. Wilkins alone or we’ll get serious. We’ve already proved we can get to you any time we want. By the way, have you gotten your place cleaned up yet?”“I hope he cans this shit he’s been pulling on our client, but I don’t think he will,” I said.“So that shit you planned for tonight is still on?” Moose asked as he wheeled the van through traffic.I nodded. “I t
“You want me to call the police, Mr. Gleason?” the security guard asked.Gleason looked at the guard, then at me. I tried to look impatient. Moose shuffled around, looking as if he wanted to go, too.“They’re not going to find anything, any more than they did yesterday, the incompetent fools,” Gleason said finally. He looked at the car, then at me. “You sure you can have it done and back here by three?” he asked.“No problem, Mr. Gleason,” I said. “Me and Moose, we’ll do the job ourselfs, won’t we, Moose. We’ll tell the boss it’s one ‘a them priority jobs, right?”“Yeah, we’ll do that,” Moose said.Gleason looked at the security guard. “File a report on this with the police, but tell them I sent the car to be repaired and they don’t have to come over,” he said. He turned to me. “Go ahead and fix it. If I have the damn lease company fix it, they’ll just charge me extra and they probably wouldn’t get it fixed today.”“Where do you want me to bring it at, what, three?” I asked.“Be out f