Forever Now (an Erotic Romance) 3d2420

Forever Now (An Erotic Romance) By T.G. Wells

Copyright © 2013 T.G. Wells All Rights Reserved.

Smashwords Edition

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 1

Jill North needed to get laid, but she didn’t have the time, the energy, or the man. Her older sister, Heather, was twenty-nine minutes late and Jill, pressed for time, was not happy. The oppressive and sticky heat added to her frustration, but a promise was a promise, and a time honored family tradition had to be upheld. There was no one else left to do it, they were alone, both very alone. Sitting in the dirt parking lot, she surveyed the ashen gray, clap board building, through the windshield of her ebony colored Mercedes. A cherry red neon sign stretched across the weather beaten front of the single story structure, proclaiming the name of the thirty-two year old iconic watering hole, “The Dock”. For twelve straight years, starting on her sister’s twenty-first birthday, they had met at the small bar, nestled beside the Inland Waterway, and celebrated her sister’s birthday, July the third. Their beach front community was always crowded during the summer months but especially so during this holiday weekend, and the parking lot was nearly full already. A favorite haunt of the locals, and also the summer vacationing imports, the beach club included a small stage, where local bands performed easygoing rhythm and blues melodies, what the locals called classic Southern “beach music”. In a laid back atmosphere, the featured beverage was cold bottled beer, packed in ice, and delivered to the patrons in a galvanized steel bucket. Jill glanced at her watch again and picked up her cell phone. A conference call with her animators and software engineers, on the West coast, was scheduled to take place in less than three hours, and she needed to be on time and sober for the call. Scrolling down the phone’s lighted screen, she touched Heather’s name. “I know, I know, ten minutes, I’m ten minutes away,” her sister said, before Jill could say a word. “The coffee shop was a zoo and one of the other barista’s got sick and had to go home. See you in ten,” Heather said, ending the call.

***

Jill watched, as her sister maneuvered her black pickup truck to the far end of the parking lot and smoothly slid her athletic frame from the cab. At a very slim five feet eight inches, with straight long blonde hair, and a dark tan, the long legged blonde was already commanding attention from several men in the crowded parking lot, as she scurried toward Jill’s car. Encased in tight blue jean shorts and a form fitting tank top, minus a bra, her small pointed breast rocked up and down with each hurried step. Jill glanced down at her own attire, knee length khaki cargo shorts and a solid black T-shirt, complete with a bra. Conservative, practical, and functional; just like her life, she thought. “You ready to buy the birthday girl her annual drink?” Heather said, as Jill stepped from her car. “Let’s do it,” Jill said, forcing a smile she did not feel, as she hugged her sister. “Happy birthday,” she added, as an afterthought. “Do you want to get a table?” Jill asked, as they entered the wood ed club. Her eyes doing a sweeping survey of the room, Heather said, “Let’s sit at the bar.” “Trolling are we?” Jill asked. “We’re here to have a good time, so let’s have it,” Heather said, taking a seat on the wooden bar stool. “Hello, hello, and welcome beautiful ladies, you look like you could use a cold beer; small pail, medium bucket or tub size?” the large, smiling bartender said. “We’ll start with a bucket. Oh, and a couple of shots of JD, too,” Heather said, tossing a pack of cigarettes onto the bar. “I thought you quit,” Jill said, eyeing the half empty pack. “Well you know, stop, start, stop, and start. That’s how it goes.” “Do you two cuties want to pay as you go or run a tab?” the bartender asked, setting their drinks on the bar. “We’ll pay as we go,” Jill said, handing him a black credit card.

“No problem,” he said, taking the card. “Oh, there’s no charge for the shots by the way, compliments of the two gents sitting at the table nearest the restrooms.” “That didn’t take long,” Jill said, casting a quick glance toward the table. “It never does,” Heather said laughing, and rotating around on the bar stool to face their two benefactors. Raising her shot glass into the air and pointing it in their direction, she downed the amber colored whiskey in one gulp. Making eye across the room and smiling, she slowly ran her tongue seductively around the rim of the empty glass, before turning back toward the bar. “Okay, you want my read on these two guys?” she said. Taking a small sip from her shot glass, Jill said, “By all means.” “First we have to name them. I’m thinking Surfer and Landlubber.” “Do go on, I’m intrigued,” Jill said. “Let’s take Surfer first, since he looks like my type. Hair stylishly long and floppy, the cut currently favored by the surfing set, a faded out red T-shirt with no logos spells self-confidence, has no need to dress to impress, and his puka shell necklace lends a nice touch of the sea.” “And you think he’s a surfer based on that?” Jill said, suddenly enjoying the flirting game. “Wait now, there’s more,” Heather said, pulling a beer from the bucket and popping off the cap with a church key. Handing the metal bottle opener to Jill, she said, “Deep tan including his feet, now here’s the best part, hands and forearm.” Opening a bottle for herself, Jill said, “All right Ms. Sherlock Holmes, I’m waiting.” “His knuckles are skinned up and the top of his left arm has a pretty good scrape on it,” Heather said, lighting a cigarette. “The sand scrubbed the skin away when he tucked and rolled, after a wipeout on his board. He’s the real deal, surfer for sure. Ok, now you do the Landlubber.” Glancing over her shoulder, Jill focused on the well-built man sitting next to the

shaggy haired Surfer, her eyes drinking him in and giving him a full body scan. His long inky black hair trailed downward, its length stretching three to four inches past the crew neck of his tight fitting, navy blue T-shirt. His handsome face was framed with a closely trimmed beard, its raven color accenting his icy blue eyes, deep and piercing, but with a sullen stare. Her visual journey continued downward, taking in his broad shoulders, wide chest, and narrow waist. Muscular legs, tanned to a deep golden brown, extended from a pair of loose fitting shorts the color of bleached bones. As she shifted her gaze back toward his face, his eyes met hers, as he drained the clear liquid from a large glass tumbler. The slightest hint of a smile appeared on his mouth, which she returned, before turning back to face Heather. “Lust at first sight, huh?” Heather said, stubbing out her cigarette. “Ok, besides being hot, tell me about him.” Jill did not believe in love at first sight, but she did agree with Heather on the heat factor, he was hot, smoking white hot. The gloriously handsome man had ignited an internal fire within her, no doubt, but her emotional circuit breakers kicked in automatically, triggered by the thoughts of her failed marriage, followed by a torrid love affair, which had ended in a disaster. A love lost, shattered dreams, and a broken heart. She did not particularly want, need, or have time for a man in her life right now; she had worked too hard, made too many sacrifices, and had cried too many tears already. Reassuring herself this man was nothing special, she quickly reverted to her usual controlled and cool exterior. Turning toward Heather, she said in a clipped voice, “Typical alpha male, domineering and contentious, with a touch of arrogance, which is totally misplaced in his case, since he works in the paint department of some big home improvement chain.” “Short, direct, analytical, and so…so you,” Heather said. “And that’s bad?” Jill asked. “No, I didn’t say that. It’s just that we’re…we’re so different, that’s all.” “Yep, you’re the one with the soul of a wayward poet, isn’t that what he always said?” “Well, Dad was a little melodramatic, misguided too,” Heather said.

“Hey, he did the best he could as a single parent. It was a tough job raising two girls.” Taking a long pull on her bottle of beer, Heather said, “If he could only see us now, huh? His poet, ha, she’s twice divorced and a waitress in a coffee shop.” “I’m divorced, too,” Jill said smiling. “And you’re also a very wealthy, international businesswoman.” “Well, not really wealthy, and international, well we just have entered the United Kingdom and Scandinavian markets. There’s still a huge amount of work to do on the version two releases, which reminds me, I’ve got a conference call starting in …” Heather’s attention was suddenly called away from Jill, as a deep voice, coming from behind her left shoulder said, “George, could you please serve these two beautiful ladies another round of shots, please?” Turning, Heather gazed into the deepest emerald green eyes she had ever seen, sparkling bright and filled with mischief, the eyes of Surfer. “Hi, I’m Finn,” he said, as Heather scanned his tanned face. “Thanks for the shots, Finn,” she said, as George placed the drinks on the bar. “I’m Heather and this is Jill.” “It’s nice to meet you both. Would you please accept this invitation?” he said, handing her a folded bar napkin. Unfolding the white paper, Heather read aloud the neatly printed words inscribed on it. “Finn and Blaine humbly request the company of the two most stunning ladies we have ever had the pleasure of seeing. We can assure you, we are true knights, albeit without our shining armor on this fair evening. We beseech your acceptance.” Reaching for the shot glasses she said, “Well Sir Finn, the damsels accept your invitation. Do show us the way to your encampment.” Sliding from her bar stool, with their bucket of beer, Jill followed Heather and Finn across the room, while shaking her head in wonderment.

“This is Blaine Thomas,” Finn said, as he placed his hand lightly on the small of Heather’s back and steered her to the chair nearest his. Taking her seat Heather said, “Nice to meet you Sir Blaine, I’m Heather and this is Jill.” “Nice to meet you both,” Blaine said, with a slight nod of his head. “Okay, who wrote the note?” Heather asked, holding up the folded napkin. “Guilty,” Blaine said, raising his hand into the air. Smiling, Jill said, “You guys local or just visiting?” “We’re local, how about you?” Blaine said. “We both live here, in fact, we were born here.” Giving Heather a quick glance, Jill continued, “Finn, out of curiosity, do you surf?” “No, I tried it once and about drown, besides, I work all the time.” “What do you do?” Heather asked. “I own a fiber optics installation company; we work with telecommunication and computer networking systems mostly.” Reaching over and lightly running her fingertips over the rough patch of skin on his arm, Heather said, “How did you hurt your arm and hands?” Finn felt his pulse rate quicken, as Heather continued to gently rub his arm. “We were in Hawaii for six days at a trade show, and I went swimming in the ocean at least twice a day. On the last day, I fell on some rough rocks and cut myself up a little. How about you ladies, what do you do?” “Me, I work in a small coffee shop, just your typical boring job, but Jill, she’s in the business of making all your sexual dreams come true. She owns the company, North-Tech, which produces ‘Skin Games’, ever heard of it?” “Unrestrained erotic fantasies, delivered with a sensuous physical touch,” Blaine said.

Casting a surprised look at Blaine, Jill said, “That’s almost verbatim, from one of our tag lines. Do you have our product?” “I’m afraid not,” Blaine said smiling. “I read an article in one of the trade magazines on it, when it was first released. Interesting technology; algorithms controlling physical actuators, pretty complex interfaces. Who does your programming?” Jill eyed Blaine with a renewed interest, not only was the man gorgeous but he had a brain as well. “All the programming and animation is done on the west coast but confidentiality agreements don’t allow me to say who. We’re working on version two now.” “The article was very complimentary, said you were taking the video entertainment industry by storm,” Blaine said. “It seems to be doing okay, so far.” “She’s being overly modest, it’s selling like crazy,” Heather said. Looking at Jill, Finn said, “What exactly is it?” “It’s an erotic oriented video game, which uses computer-based simulated environments, along with a new technology called tactile stimulation. We use algorithms, which are different computer programs, to control electro actuators, which produce an array of different touches and sensations. Simply put, the game enables the participants to not only see what’s on the screen but also physically feel it. So, that’s what I do, how about you, Blaine?” “Up until about a year ago, I was involved in software development, a medium sized family business.” “What happened?” Jill asked. Narrowing his eyes on her face and in a guarded voice, he said, “It’s complicated.” “What was the name of your company?” Heather asked. Looking away from Jill, and focusing his stare at the empty glass tumbler, sitting

on the tabletop, he said, “Thomas Alpha-Bolt.” Jill’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she heard the company name. So this was “the” Blaine Thomas, she thought. In person, he looked different from the photographs she had seen in the various publications. He now sported a beard and his face was more lean and tanned. She was looking at a living legend in the world of programming logistics; some had gone so far as to call him a genius, even a prodigy. According to the articles she had read, he had been the creative force and power, which had accelerated the company to its premier status. With his departure, the company had lost its lofty position in the industry, and soon fell from grace, an example of what might have been, but was not. At the time, the rumor mill had been awash with different speculations. Some said the two brothers, Blaine and Kevin, differed on the direction each thought the company should be taken and had split amiably. Others claimed there was a bitter battle and Blaine had sold his part of the company, leaving with millions and an alienated brother, while still others said there had been a total burn out or perhaps a mental melt down by the younger brother Blaine, and he had left with nothing. No one knew the real truth, except the man sitting next to her. “You’re … you’re Blaine Thomas,” Jill said, realizing too late how foolish she sounded. Smiling, he said, “Yes, yes I am.” “What … what are you doing here? What are you doing now?” Jill stammered her eyes aglow with interest. “I’ve had a house here for over seven years, up on North Point, never used it much, but I met Finn, through a mutual friend, and he convinced me to move here permanently.” Jill noticed the slight rise in Heather’s eyebrows, at Blaine’s mention of North Point, and she smiled to herself. Whatever his current economic status, one thing was certain; the man was living in a very prestigious area. Twenty minutes from their current location, where the Inland Waterway took a sharp bend northward, the upscale community featured luxurious waterfront homes, complete with their own private docks. All the homes were perched high atop the steep banks of the waterway, where nature had provided a panoramic view, stretching all the way to the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Jill also took note that Blaine never volunteered what

type of work, if any, he was now doing. “You need a refill?” Finn asked, glancing at Blaine’s empty tumbler. “Ah yes, the soothing extract, that sweet nectar, of the most worshipful juniper berry, yes my friend, I believe I do.” As Finn waved to the bartender and pointed toward Blaine, he said, “Where do you dear ladies live?” “I have an apartment, not too far from here; Jill lives up in Ocean Isle, how about you?” “I have a home down on Turn Island and I’ve lived there about sixteen years. It’s small and quaint, a sandals and T-shirt community, my kind of place. In fact, the owner here, Roger, lives two houses down the beach from me, that’s why I started coming here, real nice guy.” “One gin and tonic, Blaine,” a young woman said, placing the drink on the table. “Thanks, Cindy.” “You’re very welcome,” she said, collecting his empty glass and flashing him a wide smile. Watching the dark haired beauty, with skin tight jeans, walking back to the bar with Blaine’s glass, Heather said, “She’s old enough to serve alcohol?” Laughing, Finn said, “That’s Roger’s daughter, and yes, she’s twenty-two.” As the band launched into a slow paced melody, Finn reached for Heather’s hand and said, “I have two left feet, but would you like to dance?” Taking his hand, she said, “Love to, how about you guys?” looking toward Blaine. Using the back of his hand, Blaine gently pushed a stray strand of Jill’s shoulder length, auburn colored locks, away from her chin and back toward her shoulder. He locked his penetrating eyes onto hers and dropped his hand down onto her shoulder. He slowly ran his hand across her shoulder and down the outside of her

arm. “If it’s okay with this alluring young woman, I would prefer to just sit and revel in her beauty,” he said. As his hand continued its downward path toward her wrist, Jill felt a shiver through her entire upper body, a taunting heated flush. His hand finally came to rest on top of hers, and giving it a gentle squeeze, he lifted it toward his face, briefly touching her warm flesh to his lips, before lowering their intertwined hands down to the tabletop. Looking deep into his eyes, Jill wondered what was behind his seductive beam. The eyes, windows into the soul and reaching within the recesses of the heart, her poetic father had been fond of saying. She searched the depths of his deep pooled eyes, and saw a being full of life and excitement, but saddled with internal conflict. Caught by surprise and quickly blinking, Jill said, “You guys go ahead, we’re good here.” Holding his hand, her fingers interlaced with his, she felt comfortable and at ease, her response natural and automatic. This incredibly handsome man possessed an inherent erotic nature, nothing contrived or engineered, but primal and forged from within. You either had it or not, and he did. She could sense it, and a smoldering craving began to grow within her, a natural magnetism, drawing her to him, sexually of course, but something more, something she had never felt before. His natural unpretentiousness and directness were a welcome change, totally different from the treatment she usually received from the men she encountered. Since her extraordinarily successful entry into the highly competitive and lucrative video gaming world, numerous and diverse men, usually at industry exhibitions, all vied for her attention by touting their own self-importance. This one appeared to be different, someone who was at variance with the usual, and maybe, just maybe, exactly what she had been searching for. Watching Heather and Finn on the dance floor, while still clasping Jill’s hand, Blaine said, “Which do you prefer, the virtual world or the physical, or is that an unfair question?” “Why would you think it’s not a fair question?” Jill asked. “Well, you have produced one of the most popular and celebrated virtual products ever.” Taking a sip of her beer, she said, “I think it would totally depend on who I was

with, in the real world.” “Well said, I like that, good answer,” Blaine said smiling. The band announced they were taking a short break, and Heather and Finn made their way back to the table. With her arm loosely draped around Finn’s neck, Heather said, “We’re both starving. I think we’re going to Murrell’s Crab Shack, you guys want to go?” she asked. Glancing at her watch, Jill replied, “They’ll be packed by now and will have a line waiting to get in. I’m on a tight timeline tonight, maybe another time.” After saying their goodbyes to Heather and Finn, Blaine drained the last of his gin and tonic and looked at Jill, “How about a short ride?” “How short and where to?” she asked. “I’ll have you back here in an hour or less, the where to, well, you’ll see.” He seemed sincere and she didn’t take him for a player. While she was not afraid of him, she nonetheless reached for her bag and dipped her hand down into it. She slid her fingers across the rounded canister of pepper spray and then over to her cell phone, for safe measure. She looked at her watch again and made her decision. “Why not,” she said. Blaine rose to his feet, took her hand, and led the way out, down onto the boardwalk beside the bar. Walking hand in hand, along the plank walkway, Jill looked over her shoulder, “The parking lot is in the other direction,” she said. “I know. We’re going to a different type of lot. It’s just another twenty yards or so.” “Okay, we’re here,” he said a few moments later. Looking around, Jill saw a large boat to her left, moored to a small dock beside the boardwalk, to her right, several feet above her, was the road leading back

toward the bar. “Please, come aboard,” he said, leading her down the stairs and onto the dock. “This, this is yours? It’s huge.” “Yep, it’s mine, a cabin cruiser. Since my home is on the Waterway, I use it to go to a lot of places.” Starting the boat’s engine and flipping on the running lights, he maneuvered the sleek watercraft out onto the glassy smooth waterway. The sun had set, and warm yellow lights blinked from the shoreline, winking like giant fireflies, as they slowly glided across the dark water. Steering with one hand, he hooked his left arm around her narrow waist, drawing her close against his hard body. Leaning over, she rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his musky male scent. This moment, this very moment, she felt what? Contentment, she decided. Was it the atmosphere or the man, she wondered, some of both she guessed. “Jill, it just doesn’t get any better than this, a beautiful woman and a magnificent summer night, it’s like a, well, a magic evening.” “I know, it feels the same for me,” she said, encircling his lean hips with both her arms, and pulling him tighter to her. “Is your house near here?” she asked. “About ten minutes, give or take. You want to see it?” “I’d love to,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, but not knowing exactly why. Because it felt right, she decided. “We’re here,” he said, a few minutes later. As they climbed the stairs from the covered boat dock, Jill glanced upward toward the house, a huge timbered A-frame, with a wrap-around front porch. Unlocking the door, they stepped into a large central room. “Gorgeous, just gorgeous,” she said, gazing at the barn-like vaulted ceiling and honey colored exposed beams. Solid, heart pine flooring stretched across the expanse of the room, stopping in front of a massive stone fireplace. Comfortable furniture was scattered throughout, giving the entire room a warm and lived in feeling.

“Thanks, it’s rustic, but I like it. Want a beer, or something else?” he said, walking over to the corner wet bar. “Beer is fine, thanks.” Walking across the vast room, Jill noticed a large, solid walnut desk in one corner. On its polished surface sat an open laptop computer along with three large flat screens. A handful of USB flash drives were scattered across the top a yellow legal pad, which was covered with scribbled notes. “Is this where you work now?” she asked, pointing toward the desk. “I guess you could say I have a WIP.” “A WIP?” she asked. “Work in progress,” he replied. “Let’s take these outside,” he said, handing her one of the long neck bottles. Pulling open a set of French doors, they stepped outside onto the front porch. As they looked out over the Waterway, twinkling lights blinked in the distance and a warm breeze carried the soft and sweet scent of honeysuckle past them. “It’s a wonderful view, a beautiful place,” she said. Placing his arms around her waist and drawing her close, he said, “And with you here, it’s even better.” Tipping his head toward her, he softly brushed his lips against hers, gradually opening his mouth and offering her the tip of his tongue. As she parted her lips to accept him, their tongues met, each tasting the others soft and warm mouth. Moving his hands upward from her waist, he slipped them underneath the rear of her top, gently stroking her back. The delicate touch of his fingertips, against her bare skin, sent a flutter of heat down the entire length of her spine. Pressing her body closer to him, she felt his right hand slowing moving from her back, to gently cradle her left breast through the thin fabric of her bra. As he ran the palm of his hand softly over the shapely contour of her firm breast, she felt her nipples stiffen, and she moaned into his open mouth. His touch was light and delicate and she pressed herself against him even harder, longing to feel more of his soft caress. Ignoring the ringing telephone from inside the house, he pressed his

tongue deeper into her mouth as she placed her arms around his neck. Suddenly, a young and anxious female voice echoed out through the open doors. “Blaine, Blaine, pick up if you’re there. It’s Christy. I need you, it’s Christy.” Jill’s body tensed at the unexpected disruption. Crap, she thought, another woman calling and of all times. A perfect evening coupled with a perfect man, a wonderful start, and now, some young hard body was calling. “Come on Dad, I need your help, it’s Christy, pick up Dad,” the voice said again. “Sounds like you might need to get that, she sounds frightened,” Jill said, as she lowered her arms from around his neck. “Yep, sorry, that’s my daughter. Sometimes I’m Blaine and sometimes I’m Dad, all depends on what she wants,” he said, dropping his hands to her waist. “The girl seems to have perfect timing too, doesn’t she?” he said smiling. “I’ll be right back,” he said, as he headed for the phone on his desk. Returning to the porch, Blaine said, “I forgot, I had my cell turned off, so she called on the home phone. She’s had a slight bump up, out on the main highway. I’d better go and check on her, I’ll drop you off at your car on the way, I’m just not sure how long I’ll be tied up.” “Is she okay?” “She’s fine, just upset over her car being hit,” he said. Getting into his SUV, they made the short drive to the bar’s parking lot. “Which car is yours?” he said, looking at the crowded lot. “The black Mercedes,” she said pointing. “Jot down your number,” he said, reaching into the center console glove box, and handing her a pen and small notepad. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said, lifting her chin with his hand and kissing her on the lips. Getting into her car, Jill’s cell phone rang, a California number displayed on its screen. In an instant, they had been called away from their intimate moment,

each entering back into their present world. They drove off in opposite directions, each wondering about their future.

Chapter 2

Back home, and with the California conference call completed, Jill realized she had not had anything to eat, as her stomach rumbled. Walking into the formal dining room, she selected a bottle of Merlot from the wine rack and returned to the kitchen for a corkscrew. After pouring a full glass of the red wine, she sliced a small wheel of brie cheese, and grabbing a packet of almonds from the pantry, she made her way to her bedroom. Finishing the cheese and nuts, she decided on a hot bath. After lighting a scented candle, she started filling the sunken tub with warm water. The soft fragrance of sandalwood drifted throughout the large bathroom, as she shed her clothes, and turned to face the full length mirror in front of her. Pulling her shoulder length, auburn brown hair, back into a pony tail, she surveyed her body. Her breast, a full B cup size, stood out firm and perky, her nipples the size of small pebbles. Moving her hazel eyes downward, she observed her small waist and average size hips. Her legs were shapely and toned but in desperate need of some sun. Turning sideways, she viewed her tight and compact bottom, the product of good genes she guessed, since it had been months since she had been to her gym. Turning back again to face the mirror, she focused on her light brown pubic hair, soft and silky but a bit long. Taking a small pair of scissors, she carefully trimmed the entire area, shaping it to the contour of her mound. Lowering herself into the tub, she slid downward, until her legs were fully extended and her head was resting on the waterproof tub pillow. Relaxed, she let her mind drift back to Blaine, the feel of his hard body pressing against her, his mouth on hers, and his gentle cupping of her breast. Had he been captivated or was it lust at first sight and nothing more. “You’re just a hopeless romantic,” she murmured aloud. Embrace it for what it is, enjoy the moment, forget about the future because there might not be one, she thought. He could vanish in an instant, like a wisp of smoke in a strong wind. You are either engaged in the pursuit of living life and finding love, or not. There’s no middle ground. That had been too much of her problem in the past and she had promised herself she was going to change, to break out of her chronic rut. Thinking of him had also stirred a deep seated ache within her, a physical arousal, and a need. Rising from the tub, she toweled off, and headed to her bedroom. Reaching into a drawer of a Queen Ann highboy, she removed a deep purple, colored case, and

placed it on the edge of the bed. Stretching out on the bed, she felt moisture starting to gather between her legs, as she gently cupped her mound. Using her fingertips, she traced small circles around the surface of her vulva, touching ever so lightly, almost teasingly, letting the heat and desire slowly build. As her arousal grew, she slid her middle finger past the folds of her labia, dipping her finger directly into herself. Needing more stimulation, she reached for the purple case. Opening the lid, she removed the eight inches of silken delight, a vibrator she referred to as her “pleasure wand”. Switching it on, she inserted the tip of the slick, pulsating phallus into her wet folds, and felt a current of pleasure radiate throughout her love chamber. As her thoughts returned to Blaine, she pushed the dildo deeper inside her, moving it in and out with increasing speed. “Oh baby, I need and want you so much,” she whispered aloud, thinking of his hard cock with every thrust. With each plunge, the fiery glow increased in her tunnel, and her clit throbbed. While maintaining the deep, penetrating rhythm of the vibrator with one hand, she used the other to rub her swollen clit. Each stroke was now his stroke, and it was his hardness she felt inside her. “Give it all to me, fill me up with your dick,” she cried, as she buried the shaft to its hilt. Feeling a tingle, deep within, her sensitivity accelerated and then intensified, as her hands pumped and rubbed. Her breathing became faster and heavier, her quivering hips ri from the surface of the bed, and she felt her pelvic muscles tighten. “Baby, you’re going to make me come. I’m going to come just for you, just for you, Blaine,” she announced aloud, feeling herself about to go over the edge. Suddenly, waves of pulsating pleasure rushed through her entire body, as she let her orgasm take control. “I’m coming, oh fuck, I’m coming,” she moaned softly, as her juices flowed. “Oh, I’m coming so good, so fucking good,” she said, letting the euphoric intoxication flood her entire body. With the completed release of her sexual tension, she basked in the blissful afterglow of her intense climax. The only thing missing, at this moment, was Blaine. Well, a girl could dream, couldn’t she, she thought. And dream she did, as she fell into a deep sleep, longing for the day; when he held her in his arms. As the morning sun filtered through her bedroom blinds, Jill awoke, and slid to the edge of the bed. Throwing a silk dressing gown over her nude body, she padded barefoot to the kitchen, and started the coffee maker. Carrying a steaming mug of the French Roast coffee, she returned to the bedroom, and reached for her cell phone on the vanity table. Touching Heather’s name on the

screen, she took a sip of the coffee, as she waited for Heather to answer. “And how was your night, princess?” she said, when Heather answered. “It was great, in fact wonderful. We sat and talked for hours, he is so sweet and kind, a keeper for sure, in fact, maybe the one.” “What do you mean the one?” “Finn, I’m talking about Finn. He could be the one I’ve been looking for.” “Heather, I’ve heard this before, in fact, a lot. Not too long ago it was some kid from the university, who you waited on in the coffee house.” “He was not a kid, Jill. He was twenty-two and had just graduated. Besides, Finn is … he is different, something special. What’s with the cold water treatment? I’ve got a major fire raging here, a real life happening, you know?” “Sorry, it’s just that historically; all your infernos have turned out to be fiascos.” “That’s cute, very cute. Okay, I’ll it my track record hasn’t been the best in the world, but hey, who knows, maybe this time it’s the real deal. I’m just different from you, I always have been. You’re a confident, independent woman, you don’t need anyone.” “Oh, I wish that was true. I would…” “No, you really are. I’m not the buttoned-down female, who has her crap together, like you. All I have is this shitty little job in a coffee shop, not exactly a glorious career, not exciting like your business, and on top of that, my boobs are too small.” “Enough! That’s enough. You’re a very smart and sexy woman, and your boobs are just fine. Stop degrading yourself, you had half the men at the bar drooling all over themselves last night, including Finn.” “You really think so?” “Definitely, and when you licked the rim of that shot glass, well, the other half were ready to leave their girlfriends or wives. The coffee shop, who knows, you

might just have your own chain one day.” “Jill, I just want to be happy.” “I know, I want you to be, I’m just saying, you just met Finn, be careful, and take your time.” ion overriding logic, Jill thought, as she recalled Heather’s two failed marriages. Working as a waitress at night, in one of the numerous seafood shacks along restaurant row, Heather had spent her days soaking up the sun’s rays on the beach. In short order, she was discovered by the life guard on duty, near the spot of her daily sun bathing. A whirlwind sexual adventure began, fueled by enormous amounts of cold beer and frequent hits from a marijuana bong. With a recipe for a Southern fried disaster written all over it, they had married twentytwo days later. The marriage ended within ten months when she had caught her husband banging a sun kissed hard body, a twenty-one year old, dark haired beauty that drove the beach patrol three wheeler. Marriage number two ended after eight short months when Heather had walked into a back storage room, at the small office supply store her husband owned, and interrupted the oral sex her husband was receiving from one of his middle aged female employees. Jill didn’t want Heather to enter into another relationship with the same reckless abandonment of caution she had displayed in the past. “All right, I’ll take it slow and easy. Now tell me about Blaine.” After giving Heather a compact version of her evening, Heather said, “Moonlight cruise on the Waterway, very romantic, daughter having a wreck, not so great. So, do you like him?” “I do, actually.” “I have a confession,” Heather said. “What?” “I went online and read some articles about him and his company. Do you know who he is, or at least was? I’ll tell you. He and his brother were the owners of one of the largest privately owned software companies in the United States.” “I know,” Jill said.

“So what’s he doing now?” Heather asked. “I don’t know, he more or less evaded my question on that and when I was at his house, he kind of did the same thing. The only thing he told me was he had a ‘work in progress’, whatever that means.” “So, do you think he left with the money or not? No one seems to know the answer, at least based on all the articles I read.” “I have no idea. Does it really matter?” “I guess not, not unless he’s got some kind of agenda.” “And what do you think that might be?” “I don’t know, all I’m saying is, you need to be careful, too. You’ve basically been a hermit for months and months, and that puts you at risk.” “For what?” Jill asked. “To fall for the wrong person, now I’ll grant you, Blaine is pure walking testosterone, but don’t let that glitter mislead you.” Jill had to it, for whatever reason; Blaine had awakened her sleeping libido and put it into overdrive. Heather was also right, when she said “hermit”. NorthTech had exceeded her wildest expectations, but not without sacrifice; hundredhour work weeks, including week-ends and holidays, and a nonexistent personal life. Over time, she had come to realize her failed marriage had never been about love or happiness, but only a matter of convenience, a lifeless empty shell, a façade of lies. Oh yes, she had smiled and chatted lovingly with her husband during the photo and interview sessions with the different trade magazines, all in an effort to advance the sales of North-Tech, but bitterness and resentment had taken root and spread throughout her, finally causing her to end the emotionally barren relationship. A bitter custody battle had ensued, not over children, because they had none, but over the assets of North-Tech, which she had personally founded, nurtured, and grown into a highly successful company. Although she had won, the intense fight had left her physically drained and void of feelings, and satisfied to live a solitary life, one without attachments, until Blaine Thomas entered her world. He had stormed into her life, and even she was surprised by her ionate and visceral reaction to him. Was she chasing an

elusive dream, like trying to find the genesis of a rainbow? “Don’t you think I learned anything from what I went through with Ben?” Jill said. “Your ex was a scheming bastard, hid it well too, right up to the end, and he almost got you. I’m just saying.” “Point taken, not exactly one of life’s champagne moments for me, that’s for sure,” Jill sighed. “Just keep your eyes wide open and your heart closed, at least until you know more about him.” “Thanks, I will.” “You know, this is the most we’ve talked to each other in the last eight months.” “I know and it’s my fault, Heather. North-Tech is all I’ve had on my mind day and night. That’s going to change, I promise you. I’ll want and expect, frequent reports from you on Finn,” she said laughing. “And you shall have them. I’ll look forward to hearing from you about Blaine too.” “Well, we’ll just have to see where that goes, if anywhere.” “I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late for work. Call me later, okay?” “Will do,” Jill said, ending the call, and heading to her home office. Booting up her desktop computer, she logged into the computer system located eight miles away in her main office, and began to check the files which had been ed from California overnight. The programmers had made several revisions as a result of her conference call, but she was unable to concentrate on the changes, as images of Blaine played through her head. Almost unconsciously, she parted the silk robe, her right hand moving downward past her stomach, finally coming to rest on her soft mound. Slowly rubbing herself, she replayed his kiss and gentle touch from the night before. Heated moisture started to pool between her legs, as she moved her hand lightly across her sex.

She was about to dip one finger into her soft folds when her cell phone rang, dragging her away from her daydream. Taking a deep breath, and pulling her robe closed, she answered. “This is Jill.” “Jill, this is Blaine, Blaine Thomas.” “Hi,” she said, surprised by his early call. “I want to apologize for last night.” “Blaine, there’s no need, I understand, accidents happen. Is Christy okay?” “You ed,” he said in a softer voice. “ed what?” “Her name, you ed my daughter’s name.” “It’s a pretty name and I bet she is too.” “She is. You’ll have to meet her. She’s fine, her car is going to need a new rear bumper, but other than that, all’s well.” “Good, I’m happy to hear she wasn’t hurt.” “Jill, I want to make up for last night. Might you be available, say, about an hour before dusk?” “What did you have in mind?” she asked. “There’s a small inlet I would like you to see at sunset.” “Sure, where do we meet?” “You have GPS on that Mercedes?” “Yes.” “I’ll give you my address, we’ll meet there.”

“Okay,” she said, after writing down the address. “See you then.” Knotting the robe around her waist, she hurried to the kitchen, refilled her mug, and returned to her computer, sending an email to her office staff informing them she would be working from home today. Her approval was needed on the revisions before production could start, and with her evening now taken, she didn’t have time to dress and drive to the office. Reviewing the files sent from California, her mind flip flopped between the task at hand and her anxious anticipation of seeing Blaine. By late-afternoon she had completed her review, made the appropriate notes for the programmers, and ed all the information to her on the west coast. Her thoughts then turned to that evening. Entering the large walk-in closet adjacent to her bedroom, she selected a white, sheer lacy bra and matching bikini cut panties, from one of the cedar lined drawers. Next, she chose a powder blue top, snug to the fit, which accented her breast and a pair of white walking shorts. The last thing she needed was to lose her footing on his boat and end up flat on her bottom, so she decided on a pair of sandals with ribbed, rubber coated soles. After a shower, applying makeup, and brushing her glossy hair, she dressed. “Not bad for thirty-two,” she said aloud, as she looked into the full length mirror before heading out the door. Pulling to the end of his driveway, she arrived just as Blaine was coming out of the house, a cooler in one hand and two life jackets in the other. A white polo shirt covered his broad shoulders, its light hue highlighting his deeply tanned face and arms, with his long dark hair spilling over the collar. Black cargo shorts covered his lean hips and deck shoes were on his feet. He looked wonderful, like a nautical god, Jill thought. “Thanks for coming,” he said, placing the items on the cement driveway and giving her a brief hug. “Let’s get you onboard.” “I’m looking forward to it,” she said, lifting the life jackets as he picked up the large cooler. After traveling on the Waterway for a short distance, Blaine turned the boat’s wheel sharply to the right, veering off the main channel, and navigating through a series of several twist and turns.

“What if we get lost back in here or run out of gas?” Jill said, as they glided deeper into the brackish water of the narrow estuary. “Not to worry, I know this area well, the fuel tanks are full, and that…,” he said, pointing to a rectangular box beside the wheel, “is a ship to shore radio. We can the U.S. Coast Guard with the flip of a switch. Okay?” he said, grinning. “Okay,” she said, giving him a thumb’s up. Making another turn, a large but secluded cove loomed out before them in the fading light. Cutting the boat’s engine off, they glided to a stop and Blaine dropped anchor. Glancing at the Submariner watch on his wrist, he said, “In about ten minutes, you are going to witness one of nature’s best moments as she says goodnight to us mortals.” “Enough time for a trip to the bathroom?” she asked, hoping he had one. “Down below, first door to the right. Now don’t come up until I tell you, okay?” “Alright,” she answered. After a few minutes, he called out to her, “If you’re ready, come on up, but close your eyes and take my hand, I’ll guide you.” With her eyes closed and her hand extended, she felt his fingers close around hers, as he slowly led her across the deck. “Now lower both hands straight down, that’s the side of the boat you feel, and open your eyes now,” he said. As the sun continued to drop in the sky, streaks of deep red rays shot out across the water, reflecting off the surface and bathing the entire cove in a reddish glow. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, never. It’s beautiful, just magnificent,” she said. They continued to watch the display of light in silence, until the sun finally set and darkness closed in. “Now close your eyes one more time and stay here,” he said. As she dipped her eyelids closed, she could hear movement behind her and detected the faint smell of what seemed to be beeswax. “Open and turn around,”

he said, a few minutes later. Opening her eyes, she could not believe what Blaine had done in such a short time span. A small folding table had been set up on the other side of the boat, a white linen tablecloth spread across its top. Rose petals were sprinkled across the surface of the cloth and two burning candles cast a soft glow against the sides of two filled champagne flutes. A stainless steel fondue pot, suspended over an open flame, was filled with melted dark chocolate and sat next to a plate of ruby, red strawberries and juicy tangerine wedges. Handing her a glass of the sparkling wine and raising his own, he said, “Here’s to a woman more beautiful than the sunset we just witnessed.” “Thank you,” she said, touching the rim of her glass against his and taking a sip of the sweet liquid. “And thank you for all this,” she said, nodding her head toward the table. “My pleasure, now try one of these,” he said, dipping a plump strawberry into the heated chocolate and bringing it toward her mouth. “Wonderful,” she said, savoring its rich velvet taste. “Your turn,” she said, placing a slice of tangerine, dripping with the molten cocoa, next to his lips. “That’s good,” he said, after swallowing, “but not as good as this.” He lifted her fingers toward his mouth and licked the dark beads of the sweet liquid from her fingertips. In turn, he kissed the end of each of her fingers, then the inside of her wrist. Moving his head upward, his lips softly showered the side of her neck with more kisses. Turning her head, her lips found his and she kissed him hard, wanting to surrender to his mouth. “You want to go below?” he asked, his breathing ragged. “Yes,” she answered. Taking the candles from the table, he led her below to the small bedroom. After placing the candles onto a built in shelf, he stripped off his shirt. His wide chest took on a golden glow in the candlelight, as she ran her hands across it. Reaching down, he pulled her top over her head, dropping it to the floor. “You are so sexy,” he said, running his hands over the outside contour of her bra.

She felt her nipples harden with his touch and she arched them deep into his hands. Moving his hands to her waist, he drew her tight against him and she could feel his erection pressing into her belly through his shorts. Wrapping her arms around his narrow waist, she pressed back against him, and a groan came from his mouth as she began to rotate her hips against his. Suddenly, dazzling white light streamed through the porthole over the bed, illuminating the entire room. “This is the U.S. Coast Guard! Is anyone aboard this vessel?” a voice boomed over a bullhorn. “Put your top on and wait here,” he said, reaching under the bed and pulling out a large black pistol. Sticking it into one of the rear pockets of his cargo shorts, he pulled on his shirt and made his way up onto the deck. With his hands extended, palms up, he faced the bright spotlight shining from another boat. “I’m the ed owner and captain of this craft, Blaine Thomas.” “Roger that! We’re coming along side, please remain where you are.” Drawing up beside Blaine’s boat, a young officer leaned over and asked, “Are there any weapons or drugs onboard?” “No drugs, there is a firearm, Glock .40 caliber, chamber is clear.” “All right sir, I’m coming aboard. Please keep your hands where I can see them.” Stepping onto the deck of Blaine’s boat, the officer said, “Are you okay? We had a report earlier of a boat coming back into this area, it’s dark and we wanted to check things out.” “I’m fine, no problems, just enjoying the solitude out here.” “Roger that sir, but I would suggest heading out, it gets tricky back in here at night.” “I agree, I’ll head out now,” Blaine answered, not wanting to debate the issue. “I think that’s wise. Do you have far to travel?”

“I live on the Waterway, North Point area.” “Good, that’s not far away.” Glancing at the table, he said, “Pretty fancy layout you have there.” Leaning close to the officer’s ear, Blaine said, “Female companion below.” Winking at Blaine, he said, “All seems well here, would you like for us to lead you out?” “I’ll be in your wake and thank you.” “No problem, be careful,” he said, stepping back aboard his boat. After following the Coast Guard boat for a few minutes, Jill stuck her head up from below. “Is it safe to come out now?” She asked. “Sure, come on up,” he said laughing. “I can’t believe this, two nights in a row.” “Don’t worry about it, I’ve had a great time, and the night is young,” she said.

***

“Champagne and fruit on the porch?” Blaine asked, as he finished tying his boat up to the dock. “Sounds good to me,” she said, reaching for the fondue pot and plate of fruit. While Blaine positioned two Adirondack chairs facing each other, Jill laid out the food and filled their glasses with champagne. “Here’s to the rest of the night being uninterrupted,” he said, tapping his glass against hers. Removing the pistol from his back pocket, he took a seat in one of the chairs, placing the gun on the floor. Leaning forward, he placed a strawberry, coated with chocolate, into her mouth and watched her satisfied smile as she licked her lips after swallowing. Taking turns, they fed each other the sweet treats and sipped the champagne.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they,” she said, looking up and pointing to the blinking fireflies overhead. “They are,” he said, sliding forward in his chair and placing his hands on either side of her face, “but not as beautiful as you.” Slowly, he drew her face toward his until their lips touched. His mouth was hot upon hers and as his tongue found its way into her mouth, she felt heated ion course throughout her body. She kissed him back deeply and groaned into his mouth, as his right hand dropped down and closed around one of her breast. “Would you like to go inside?” he murmured into her mouth. “Please!” she said, pulling him to his feet. Stooping down, he picked up the pistol and stuffed it into the back pocket of his shorts. As he started to rise, he placed his hands behind her legs, drew her closer to him and brought his mouth onto her mound. She could feel his hot breath through her shorts, as he pressed a hard kiss into the folds of her legs. Moving upward he tilted his head, kissing first one of her breast, and then the other, through her tight fitting top. With his six-foot-two frame towering above her, he took her hand and led her into the house. After climbing the stairs beside the fireplace and walking down a short hallway, they entered his bedroom. The vast walnut ed room contained an elevated four poster bed, which faced a large stone fireplace with an extra wide hearth. There was a sitting area in one corner of the room, complete with two chairs, a small sofa and a round mahogany table, but her eyes were immediately drawn to the bed, the gleam of the satin sheets covering its surface beckoning her closer. Walking her over to the bed, he grasped the bottom of her shirt and with one quick jerk, pulled it over her head. Using one hand, he undid the rear clasp of her bra, allowing her breast to spill free, her nipples already hard with desire. Reaching out, she pulled his shirt off and was mesmerized for a moment, by his rock hard body and six-pack abs. With her pent up desires begging to be released, she decided there would be no holding back and for once in her life no inhibitions, as she quickly lowered her hands to his waist, stripping him of his shorts and underpants. His erect member stood straight out, long, thick, and hard as an anvil. Closing her hand around his engorged cock, she began to move her hand up and down its length. Bringing her hand to the top of it, she slowly ran her thumb over the tip, circling its apex and spreading his clear pre-cum over the

head, then quickly bringing her hand down to the base. A long moan escaped his mouth as he reached for her, quickly peeling her shorts and panties off her heated thighs. Taking her hand, he helped her up and onto the bed. With his body covering hers, their lips met and their tongues danced from mouth to mouth, each exploring the other’s crevice. His taste was hot and sweet and she wanted more. “Give me all your tongue,” she said, slowly sliding her rounded mouth back and forth around it. As she sucked on his tongue, he gently cupped her right breast, slowly moving his fingertips around her firm globe. Breaking the invasion into her mouth, he brought his lips to the bottom of her ear and slowly drew his tongue down the side of her neck. With quick, darting flips, he continued downward across her chest, until he arrived at her breast. Little by little, he completely encircled the outside outline of her breast with his tongue and then slowly moved toward the center. Her nipple was spiked and hard, fully rigid. He made small loops around the hardened peak with the flat of his tongue, teasing it, before taking it into his mouth. As he sucked on her, Jill thought she would explode. “Oh, suck me, take it all,” she cried, reaching for her breast and pushing more of it into his waiting mouth. Finally releasing her breast from his mouth, he moved downward, first crossing her flat stomach and then down to her trimmed pubic hair. His tongue began to brush the tip ends of the dark brown hair covering her mound, sending tingling shock waves of arousal direct to her vulva. Wetness started to form on her already swollen labia and her entire pussy began to quiver with anticipation. She exhaled low moans, as he continued caressing her soft mound. Reaching down with her left hand, she spread the wet folds of her pussy, while dipping her right index finger to the base of her swollen clit. Slowly rubbing her clit, she said, “You like that? You like watching me play with myself?” “Yes, oh yes,” he moaned, as he reached for his hard cock, stroking it back and forth, as he watched her. “Would you like to taste it?” she asked, offering him her wet finger.

Taking her finger into his mouth, he tasted her wetness and savored the musty smell of her sex. “That was just a sample,” she said, pulling her finger from his mouth. “How about the real thing?” she asked, using both hands to spread her pussy lips open, while pushing her hips into his face. Placing both hands on her firm ass, he pulled her forward, burying his face between her thighs. As he began to lick her wet slit, she surrendered to the moment, not thinking about tomorrow or the day after, but only this delicious feeling, wishing it to go on forever and letting its fervor wash over her completely. Nothing else mattered right now, only the completion of her wild ion. Finally, for the first time in her life, she was succumbing to her pure sexual needs, and with total abandonment of any self-consciousness, she uttered words only imagined before. “Eat it, oh lick it. Put your tongue inside me, eat me, eat me good,” she cried. Reaching down, and pulling her folds completely open, she said, “Now lick my clit. Get it good and hard, hard just like that big dick of yours.” He worked her nub with his tongue until it was fully expanded, her clit swollen and burning. “Now suck on my hard clit. Suck it, suck it like you would like your hard cock sucked.” Instinctively, she was reacting like another woman had taken over her body but she loved this other woman, whoever she was. This new woman was bold, brazen, and reveling in her sexual ecstasy and it was Blaine who was helping her discover this new earthy ion. With his mouth covered with her sex juice, Blaine flicked and sucked her stiff bud. “Oh baby, that feels so good, so very good. I’m almost there,” she panted. As he dipped his middle finger deep into her and began driving it in and out, her hips lifted off the bed, her mound reaching up, and wanting more, wanting to release the tension within her. Driving his finger deeper into her, while sucking harder on her throbbing clit, she felt the sweet waves of an orgasm began. As the blissful contractions convulsed down from her clit and spread through her pussy, she cried, “Oh…oh yes. I’m coming, you’re making my pussy come; that is so fucking good, so good…” her voice trailing off, as her climax continued to explode within her and course through her body like a lightning bolt. As her quaking orgasm finally subsided, Blaine lifted his head from between her ion soaked thighs. He pushed himself up and brought his mouth to hers. As

she kissed him, she could taste the muskiness of her orgasm on his mouth. Bringing his lips to her ear, he softly moaned, “I want you so bad, Jill.” Reaching down and gripping his rigid cock, she said, “I want you in me, now!” With one full thrust he entered her, his hardness filling her completely, his erection buried deep inside her. His thrusts were deep and powerful, and filled with raw desire. “You feel so good, so wet, so tight, so hot,” he said, grinding his hips against hers. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she met his every thrust with one of her own, arching her hips upward, wanting to consume every inch of him. As his rocklike hardness filled her and her ion increased, the hidden woman within her came forth, the one she had kept at bay for so long. The feeling was liberating and exciting, a new sensation, a total surrender to her primal needs and the needs of the man who was now making love to her. Their bodies fell into a smooth rhythm and their hips met with sharp claps. As the tempo of their churning hips increased, Blaine moaned softly into her ear, “Oh Jill, you feel so fucking good.” Sighs of pleasure escaped her lips with each lunge, his plunging cock driving her to levels of sexual bliss never experienced before. “Oh yes! Fuck me, Blaine. Fuck me deep and hard, baby!” she cried. As he listened to her frenzied cries, his muscular body slammed into her with increasing speed. His body tightening, and unable to hold off any longer, he cried out, “I’m going to come; I’m going to come in your sweet, hot pussy.” “Do it! Give me your hot, creamy load. I want to feel your burning cum inside me. Shoot it, shoot it in me,” she said, as she clenched her walls tightly around his cock like a vice, her muscles determined to milk every drop from him. “Ahh! Ahh! He shouted, as he felt his cock explode inside her, releasing spasm after spasm of pure pleasure. She drove her hips into him hard, pumping him with frantic motions, as he spilled his seed into her. After climaxing, he remained inside her, enjoying her wet warmth, while she slowly flexed her hot tunnel around his spent member. After giving her a hard kiss on the lips, he pulled from her, and rolled onto his side. He reached out for her and she slid across the slick sheets to him. With his left arm cradling her head, she snuggled closer to him and threw her left leg over his thigh.

“You were fantastic,” he said, running his hand across her flushed cheek. “And you, Sir Blaine, were wonderful.” Wonderful was an understatement, she thought. Never, had any man made love to her like he had done and none had even come close to releasing the hidden woman inside her. But Blaine had and she loved him for it. He had unleashed the dormant ion smoldering deep within her. And like a bud waiting to spring to life, his heated fury had caused her to blossom and flourish. The undeniable chemistry between them was there but was there more, she wondered. The moment, the moment; stay in the moment, she told herself. He took her face in his hands and gently touched his lips to hers. She nuzzled into the side of his neck, inhaling his masculine scent. She kissed his neck and then traveled down with a trail of quick flicks of her tongue, first to his chest, then across his perfectly formed abs and finally coming to rest, at the base of his cock. She kissed her way up its length, one inch at a time, his member twitching with each kiss. He moaned loudly, as she opened her mouth wide and took him into its warm depth. With her lips wrapped tightly around his shaft, she worked her mouth up and down, gently sucking. With one hand, she cupped his balls, rubbing them gently, while her other hand grasped the base of his cock and slowly stroked it, while her mouth continued to assault the upper half of his rod. His dick rose to full hardness and she felt the ache start to build within her again, wanting him in her once more, wanting him to fill her with his thick length. Pulling her mouth off him, she straddled his waist and rubbed the head of his cock over her wet folds. Finally, she guided him into her, moaning as his fullness entered her. She leaned forward and placed her palms onto his hard chest. With a rocking motion, she started to slide herself up and down his engulfed cock and he reached for her swaying breast. “You are so big, so hard,” she sighed. “And you are so tight, so good,” he said, running his hands over her firm breast. He lifted his head, bringing one of her breast to his mouth, his tongue running over her rigid nipple. Gently he sucked and she moaned again. As he released her breast from his mouth, she arched backwards, her breast pointing upward, and she ground herself into him, sending his cock deeper into

her. Without warning, she climaxed against him, the suddenness causing her to cry out. “Oh Blaine, you’re making me come again,” she moaned, tightening herself against him; this surge of pleasure, even stronger than the first. She let the rolling waves of euphoria cascade over her, enjoying the warm sensual feeling, the pure ecstasy flowing throughout her. As her orgasm completed, she felt his cock twitch inside her. Her own climax was now triggering his and she rode him hard, wanting to feel his release inside her. With a loud groan, he buried himself into her completely and she felt the jolt of his stream enter her. After he had spent himself into her, she dropped down into his waiting arms and cuddled close to his sweat glistened body, as he wrapped his arms around her. She had no idea what the future held, but she was satisfied and content for the moment, her moment, and she slept.

Chapter 3

The morning sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows and Jill blinked the sleep from her eyes. She propped up on one elbow and gazed at Blaine, still asleep and breathing softly. He was on his back, the crumpled sheet gathered loosely around his waist. Her eyes traveled the distance of his body. The man was gorgeous, from his long dark hair and raven-colored beard, down to his muscular legs. A shiver went through her body as she recalled their night of heated lovemaking. She felt nature’s call and carefully slipped to the edge of the bed, not wanting to wake him. She gathered her clothing from the floor, which had been so hastily shed the night before, and went to locate the bathroom. She found it at the far end of his bedroom, a large spacious room with a sunken tub and a walk-in shower. Next to the tub was a large metal cabinet, a red blinking light on its door. She opened it and found rolls of heated towels within. Nice, she thought, and made a mental note to get one for her bathroom. She pulled on her panties and shorts, then her shirt, but no bra. She returned to the bedroom and stuffed her bra into her large purse. As she turned toward the bed, her cell phone rang. She quickly reached back into her purse and cut it off. She glanced over to the bed, as Blaine shifted to his side and opened his eyes. “Sorry for the noise,” she said, as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He smiled and lifted his lips to meet hers and lightly kissed her. “Not to worry, there’s a coffee maker downstairs all set to go or if you prefer something a bit more exotic, there’s an espresso machine beside it. I’m going to catch a few more winks and then take a shower. I’ll be down in a bit.” “Regular coffee is fine, I’ll see you downstairs,” she said smiling. She placed her purse on the counter and turned on the coffee maker. As the wonderful aroma of the brewing coffee drifted across the room, she checked her phone. The call had been from Heather. When the coffee had finished, she poured herself a mug and glanced around the room. Her eyes were drawn to Blaine’s desk in the corner and she made her way over to it. She picked up his

note pad, scanning his hand written notes casually at first, then reading them in depth, as her interest grew. Curiosity soon turned to concern, as she continued reading. She realized she was looking at an outline for a competitive product to her own. She flipped the tablet to the second page, which contained an in depth and an extremely detailed plan for the technical side of the product’s development. He had made substantial notes concerning her programmed software, and references were made to a group of numbered flash drives. She placed the pad back on his desk, searched through the array of flash drives which were scattered across the top of his desk and inserted the one labeled “primary number one”. Relieved it was not protected, she clicked down through its contents. He had included several examples of different scene shots, along with the related technical notes, and the shots were good. In fact, they were past good; they were great and rivaled her best work. As she took another sip of coffee, suddenly it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had seen enough. She closed the file and removed the USB drive, clutching it tightly in her hand. A range of emotions flooded through her. Numbness at first, over the shock of her discovery, followed by disbelief of the brilliant and stunning work she had just seen. Next was frustration over what to do about it, if anything, and finally anger over him not mentioning his project. Competition was a fact of life; she accepted that, especially when you had one of the hottest selling products in the industry. But she had shared his bed, shared his ion and she felt betrayed. She had started with nothing but a concept, a rough idea, and through sweat equity, had built her business into a thriving entity. But it was more than just a business or product to her; it was her creation, a part of her, something she and only she had developed. Like caring for a newborn infant, she had feed and nurtured the fledgling company. And now, a great threat loomed on the horizon. Serious and real, and coming from someone, she had already begun to have feelings for. His first touch, his first soft kiss, they had thrilled and excited her, no doubt, but she had also seen something in his deep blue eyes, something gentle, kind, and giving. It had showed, as they stood side by side and witnessed the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. At that moment, he had seized her heart and taken it hostage, without saying a word. Now, she was torn and at a crossroads in her mind. Her thoughts were interrupted, as she heard him descending the stairs. She quickly slipped the flash drive into the pocket of her shorts and walked over to the coffee pot on the counter. “The coffee smells good,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.

She poured him a mug, “What do you take in it?” she asked. “Black with two sugars,” he replied. She handed him the coffee and allowed her eyes to travel over him. His still damp hair hung loose and long down his neck, and a black T-shirt hugged his bulky biceps and broad, hard chest. Low slung shorts were fitted around his narrow hips, as he stood barefoot before her. She resisted the temptation to reach out and touch him and to draw him close to her. A chance, I’ll give him a chance, she thought. “So, now that you’re no longer involved with the business, what are you doing now? She asked, trying to keep her voice steady. The warm glow of his eyes suddenly changed. They narrowed, and focused on her, with a deep and penetrating stare. The change was quick, dramatic, and unexpected. One moment his bedroom eyes could totally entice you, and the next, burn through you, like a violent blue laser beam, she thought. He did not answer right away. Finally, he said, “Different things.” “Things like this?” she asked, as she reached into the pocket of her shorts, took out the flash drive and tossed it to him. He caught it with one hand and glanced at the label. “I can explain,” he said. “I’m waiting,” she said, as she crossed her arms over her chest and backed away from him. “This,” he said, as he raised the flash drive into the air and pointed it in her direction, “was started long before I met you. I didn’t even know you or your company existed until I started working on this project.” “Were you even going to tell me about this? How could you not?” Not allowing him to answer she continued, “This will damage my company, and you knew it would. I can’t believe you would do this to me, plus you said you didn’t have my product.” “I don’t, the company I contracted with does, but I don’t.”

“It’s the same difference, Blaine. Stop it, just stop it! Everything I’ve worked for, slaved and sacrificed for, is now in jeopardy. I’ve poured my entire life and soul into this company, this product.” “With or without me, they’re going to produce this product.” “That may be true, but without you, their product will suffer. I can beat them but I can’t beat you.” “You’re giving me more credit than I deserve. Your product is good, it’s very good, and it’s number one in market share.” “Don’t play coy with me; I saw the scene shots you developed. Your design, not theirs, and they dwarf most of mine.” “I’m legally obligated, Jill. You know how it works; you’ve got your developers tied up too. Contracts have been signed, all binding. I can’t get out.” “Well, I can,” she said, as she grabbed her purse and walked to the door. “I’m gone, Blaine. I’m gone,” she shouted, slamming the door behind her. As she drove home, her thoughts vacillated between regret and satisfaction, over walking out on Blaine. But with each ing mile, she became convinced she had done the right thing for her. She dialed her office number as she pulled into her driveway. “Sue, I’ll be in a little later, but I need for you to pull the contracts we have with all our developers and put them on my desk,” she told her personal assistant. She glanced at her watch and then called her lead programmer in California. “Toni, this is Jill North, I know it’s still early there but I wanted to get up with you first thing.” “Hi Jill, what’s up?” “I need everything to be ready for production in two weeks or less.” “Including the changes we talked about?” “Yes, full production, final product, and I want it to shine; I mean knock-themdead dazzling.”

“That’s a huge amount of work for that timeline, why the rush?” Not answering her question, Jill said, “There will be a ten percent bonus for you and all your crew if you make it happen.” “Consider it done, Jill,” she said hanging up. She went into the kitchen, put coffee on, and headed for the shower. Blaine’s manly scent, from the night before, still clung to her body like a sweet fragrance. Standing under the warm stream of water, she let his essence sweep away from her body, wishing the dull ache within her would dissolve, like the liquid soap streaming from her body. She stepped from the shower, dried off and selected clothes for her trip into the office. Dressed, she poured the coffee into a travel mug and headed for her car. She pressed Heather’s name on the screen of her cell phone and waited for her to answer. “It’s about time you called me back, I was worried, and where’ve you been?” “It’s a long story, Heather. I’m on my way to work now and almost there. Let’s meet after work for a burger and a beer, okay?” “Sounds good, where and what time?” “Give me a call when you get off and we’ll decide then. Talk to you later,” she said hanging up.

***

By mid-afternoon, she had finished going through all the developer’s contracts, the latest sales numbers of the current version, cash flow spread sheets and her revised advertising budget. New information meant new planning. She was pouring over more reports, when there was a knock on her open door. Sue was standing in her doorway, a large vase of flowers in her hand. “These just arrived,” she said, walking over to the corner of Jill’s desk. “A dozen red, long stem roses, with your name on the card.”

Jill plucked the card from the bouquet and opened it. “I’ll make it up to you, trust me. Blaine,” she read to herself. “The florist just sent an email requesting delivery confirmation,” Sue said, placing the flowers on Jill’s desk. Jill glanced at the flowers and then back to the card in her hand. “Send them an email back saying the flowers were refused and need to be picked up. Also, tell them the personal note was retained by the recipient,” she said smiling. “Okay, boss,” Sue said, with a puzzled look on her face, as she lifted the flowers from Jill’s desk. As Sue left her office, Jill’s cell phone rang. She checked the screen before answering, and saw Blaine’s name displayed. She ignored the call, letting it go to her voice mail. She reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and removed a notebook. She scribbled a few notes regarding future versions for the product and then replaced it, locking the drawer. She picked up her cell phone and checked her voice mail; he had not left a message. She hit Heather’s name on the screen. When she answered, Jill said, “You about ready for a cold beer?”

***

Jill looked on, as Heather doused the plate of crispy French fries with equal amounts of malt vinegar and deep red ketchup. “Dig in,” she said, sliding the plate toward Jill. Jill popped one of the fries into her mouth and then took another small bite from her oversized hamburger, smothered with slaw, onions, and the in-house prepared chili. “So, you didn’t keep the flowers,” Heather said, after listening to Jill’s of what had transpired with Blaine. “Good for you, shows you can’t be bought with a hundred bucks worth of blooms. You think he’s a player?” “I really don’t think so; we shared some special moments, real soulful type stuff.”

“That’s what you felt, how about him?” “I think he felt the same, that’s the read I got anyway.” “Maybe that’s what you wanted to read, wanted to believe.” “That could be; wishing, wanting, and hoping.” “How are you going to play this product competition thing?” “I’m girding for a battle, it’s going to happen with or without him. In a market with this much demand it’s inevitable, if not this company, there’ll be another.” “Are you going to see him again?” “I don’t know, that depends on him, what he does or does not do.” Heather took a log pull on her bottle of beer. “Okay, time for some fun stuff. This is getting way to serious for me,” she said. “Is he as hot in bed as he looks?” “That’s none of your business, plus I could ask the same about Finn,” she said smiling. “Finn and I have not slept together, yet, and I’ll stress the yet,” she said laughing. “No kiss and tell, that’s cool. Just don’t expect any juicy details out of me if you’re not willing to share.” Jill took a sip of her beer, and smiled widely. “Alright, no comment, I can respect that, but I can tell by the grin on your face, he was, and I’m happy for you,” Heather said. As their waiter approached the table, Jill’s cell phone rang. “Two more beers, please,” she said to the waiter and reached for her phone. “It’s Blaine,” she said, looking over to Heather. “Are you going to answer?” Heather asked. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I don’t think so, I’m having too good of a time just being with you.”

As the waiter placed two more bottles on the table, she checked to see if Blaine had left a message. He had, this time. His deep baritone voice was clear and peaceful, as she listened to his call. “Jill, this is Blaine. I just wanted to say, I’m sorry for the way things ended this morning. Please forgive me. I want you to know, I’m working on something that will make it up to you. Please give me a call back.” “Are you going to call him back?” Heather asked, after listening to the message too. “Not tonight, dear sister, not tonight,” she said, bumping her bottle against Heather’s. “That’s it, I’ve got to go,” Jill said, tilting her bottle up and swallowing the last of her remaining beer. “I’ve had a great time with you tonight, you’re the best,” she said, standing and giving Heather a hug. “You too, keep me in the loop,” Heather said, returning her embrace. Driving home, she thought about the time she had just spent with her sister. Heather’s company had given her strength and had made her bold, firm, and resolute in her decision. Suddenly, she realized that was Heather’s gift, that magic quality which instilled energy and fortitude in others. A feature which could not be taught; it had always been there, a part of her sister’s fabric, but until now, unrealized by her. What a priceless gift and it had been there all along, she thought. As soon as she arrived home, she decided to head to bed. Exhausted, she folded the covers around her, her clothes still on. And in the stillness of the night, small doubts began to creep in, like dark shadows drifting across her mind. Her thinking or emotions, at this point she didn’t know which, started to cloud. What had been crystal clear was now murky. “No, I’m right,” she murmured aloud, recognizing the thoughts for what they were, fear! Soon, she drifted into a fitful sleep.

***

Jill reached for her ringing cell phone and glanced at the clock on her office wall. It was lunch time, but as usual, lunch would consist of a handful of peanuts and a diet soft drink. Heather was calling. “How did you sleep last night?” Heather asked. “Tossed and turned all night,” Jill replied. “I figured as much. I just talked to Finn. He said Blaine had called him last night and told him he had to leave town for a few days. Blaine didn’t say why, just there was something he had to do. Finn said, that was not like Blaine at all, he’s normally a real homebody and hates to travel. Finn seemed really worried about Blaine, and wanted to check and see if either of us had heard from him.” “What did you tell Finn?” “Nope, we had not talked to Blaine.” “Have you told Finn we’re sisters?” “No, it never came up.” “Unless he asks direct, I’d rather he didn’t know just yet.” “Why is that?” “I think it’s just better for right now, at least until I know where I stand with Blaine. I don’t want to muddle up anything between you and Finn, because of Blaine.” “Okay, I’ve got to run, I’ll talk to you later,” Heather said, hanging up. Jill opened the marketing file on the Netherlands and resumed her study of the Amsterdam market, the target for her next advertising campaign. Absorbed in its details, she did not notice Sue standing in her office doorway until she gently knocked on the door. “Jill, I’m leaving for the day, it’s almost six p.m.” “Goodness, I lost track of the time, okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh, and just so you know; the florist did pick up the flowers about an hour ago.” “Okay, thank you, Sue,” she said, lowering her eyes back to the file. With her eyes bleary, due to the enormous amount of reading she had just completed, she went into the bathroom and splashed cold water over her closed eyelids, relaxing her strained vision. Her cell phone rang and she quickly patted her face dry with a paper towel, and reached into her pocket for her phone. Blaine was calling. She inhaled deeply and answered. “Jill, this is Blaine. Please listen before you say anything. I was wrong in not telling you about the project. I should have told you the night we met. I’m sorry for that and I apologize. Also, I think you will be hearing some news soon in reference to the project and the company developing it.” “What kind of news?” “I can’t say, you just have to trust me when I tell you, it will be substantial.” “How soon is soon?” “A few days, a week at the most,” he said. “Where are you?” she asked. “Let’s just say I’m addressing what I told you before, I’ll make it up to you.” “I don’t understand,” she said. “Just be patient, wait for me. Will you? Will you wait for me?” Wait for what, she thought, more betrayal, more secrets, or, perhaps a chance at being with the man who had already captivated her. Taking a chance in business had served her well, in personal relationships it had not. In the case of her exhusband, it had almost proved to be a disaster. Trusting and open, she had been unaware of his true motives to gain control over the company she had founded. Fortunately, she had discovered his intent, before he could implement his plan, and she had given him an ultimatum, divorce with a token payment to him, or face the expense and wrath of an extensive lawsuit. He had taken her first offer,

but the experience had left her bitter and untrusting. Shortly after her divorce she had met a financial planner, but it had been an association based more on convenience rather than attraction. She had been under the impression their relationship was a monogamous one and it had been on her part. When she learned it wasn’t mutual, she abruptly terminated all with him, refusing to respond to his continuing phone calls and messages threating to stalk her. Fearful of what his reprisal might be, she had moved to another location, had an unlisted phone number, and had started carrying a canister of pepper spray with her. Isolation was the norm for her, and then, Blaine Thomas had entered her life. Self-confident without being arrogant, and a man, she thought, who could be equally at ease, seated in a club chair meeting with a CEO, or at a weekend bohemian retreat with a collection of hipsters. A man who had instilled a frenzied arousal within her with each kiss, and had given her seismic, vibrating orgasms, for the first time in her life. “I’ll wait for you, but not forever,” she said. “I’ll call you in a few days. Oh and thank you.” “Thank me for what?” she asked. “For giving me a chance,” he said, hanging up.

Chapter 4

Blaine had shed his usual daily attire of shorts, T-shirt, and sandals, and had opted instead for an expensive pair of grey slacks, black dress loafers, and a sky blue, oxford cotton shirt, topped off with a navy blue blazer. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, removed a business card and confirmed the address. The card, along with several documents, had arrived at his home late last night, delivered by an express courier service. He was about to meet the man he had been negotiating with by phone. For the past three days they had been discussing a commercial office building the man owned and its possible sale to Blaine. Finally, they had come to an agreement and Blaine was here to complete the transaction. “Did you have a good flight, Mr. Thomas?” the man asked, rising from his chair and reaching across his desk to shake Blaine’s hand. “Yes I did, Mr. Kemp. I was able to get a red eye direct. How’s your wife?” “I’m afraid there’s no change, but thanks for asking. Every specialist we’ve seen has said the same thing, a slow declining spiral of motor skills, as well as her general health.” “I’m sorry to hear that.” “We’ve been married for forty-nine wonderful years and it’s a pretty heavy burden, both mentally and physically. That’s why your inquiry was so timely, I’m going to retire, in order to spend more time with her. Plus, I just don’t have the energy I once had for business. As I told you over the phone, the main tenant’s lease expired two weeks ago and they’ve not renewed as of this date. I’ve been so busy and preoccupied with Helen; I’ve not had the time to pursue it. Are you married, Mr. Thomas?” “I’m a widower, and I’ve raised my daughter, by myself, since she was three.” “And how old is she now?” “She’s nineteen.”

“My wife and I were not able to have children, so it’s just us, all the more reason for me to retire.” “Mr. Kemp, I wish you and your wife only the best.” “Thank you, Mr. Thomas. This is none of my business, but have you even seen the property?” “I have not, but my brother lives up in Marietta and he has. He says it’s exactly as you represented it.” “And you trust his judgment?” “Yes, we were in business together for a lot of years.” “Alright, as long as you are satisfied, we’ll sign all the papers and I’ll get my secretary to notarize them. She’ll also handle all the other paperwork which has to go to county and state departments.” Blaine looked over each of the documents Mr. Kemp ed to him and signed his name in the indicated places. After returning the signed forms to Mr. Kemp, he reached into his inside coat pocket and took out a plain white envelope. He opened the envelope and removed a check. “Here’s a cashier’s check for the amount we agreed on, one million six hundred thousand dollars,” he said, handing the check to Mr. Kemp. “You are now the new owner of 1788 Maple Avenue,” Mr. Kemp said, handing Blaine copies of the completed paperwork and a key ring lined with keys. “I hope everything works out for you.” “Let’s put it this way, it’s an investment in my future,” Blaine said smiling.

***

Blaine settled back into the rear seat of the cab, after giving the driver the

address of what was now his property. He pulled his beeping cell phone from his shirt pocket and glanced at the screen. “Hello, Kevin,” he answered. “Did you close on the property?” “I just finished with Mr. Kemp; I’m on the way to the building now.” “Just wanted to call and wish you luck.” “Thanks; the easy part is over, now the real work starts.” “Hope it goes well, talk to you later,” his brother said, hanging up. Kevin had sounded less than enthusiastic, Blaine thought, but it was still nice of him to call. Kevin was, and had always been the pragmatic one, while Blaine thrived on being innovative, or what Kevin had once laughingly referred to as, “having the curse of being artistic”. Blaine preferred the , imagination and creativity. After he and his brother had sold their business, restlessness had plagued him, and he had felt the overwhelming need to produce something, something which would bend and test the conventional rules of programming. His involvement with this new project had nothing to do with the fee he would collect for his services. Its only purpose was to satisfy his desire for the originality of thought and design, without trapping him within the daily mundane drain of managing another business. With the sale of their business, there had been wild speculation among their peers as to what had actually happened within Thomas Alpha-Bolt between the two brothers. Several business journals, as well as a multitude of trade publications, had been awash with every rumor conceivable. The actual facts were he and Kevin had signed a non-disclosure agreement, as part of the conditions of the sale to the new owners. He and Kevin had each walked away from the sale with a nice seven figure check but could tell no one. Kevin had retired and Blaine had started to work on this new, mind bending programming project. All was good and then he met Jill North. Would his plan work, he wondered? It was a gamble but the future was like that, always murky and questionable, with no assurance of what lay just over the horizon. His life had been a testament to that. His hopes, dreams, and expectations had been shattered sixteen years ago, and had left him a single parent with a three year old daughter. Cruel fate had taken his wife, the victim of

an automobile accident. Through his own force of will, he had persevered, and over time, succeeded in raising a wonderful daughter and developing a highly successful business. But the void left by his wife’s death had never been filled, until Jill had walked into his life. Yes, her physical beauty had enticed and excited him, but he found himself mesmerized by her basic persona. The way she met his gaze, engaged his eyes, and locked onto him, making him feel like he was the center of her universe, her reason for being. No other woman had ever come close to giving him that feeling. He also respected the gutsy demeanor she had shown when she had tossed him the flash drive that morning and demanded an answer. And thus, he had made his decision, she was worth the risk. Whatever the outcome, he was sure of one thing, Jill North had already changed his life forever. “We’re here,” the cab driver said, interrupting his thoughts. He stepped from the cab and surveyed the three story office building in front of him. As he entered the building, he whispered to himself, “Show time.” Mr. Kemp had furnished him a list of the building’s current tenants, a total of five, and the floor space each of them occupied. Blaine toured the building, floor by floor, saving the third floor until last, his ultimate destination. He stepped off the elevator and made his way to the receptionist’s desk. “May I help you?” the twenty-something girl said, as she looked up and brushed pink highlighted bangs from her eyes. “Mr. Melvin Holt, please.” “Do you have an appointment?” she asked. “I do not, but would you please tell him Blaine Thomas is here.” “Have a seat,” she said, pointing to a waiting area. He took a seat and watched, as she disappeared down a hallway to the right of her desk. He had met Melvin on two prior occasions, initially at an industry trade show and for a second time, right after he had sold Thomas Alpha-Bolt. It was during the second meeting that Melvin had explained the project he had under development and Blaine had signed the contracts to furnish some of the technical programming. Blaine had insisted the contract contain a time frame clause. He had seen too many projects get bogged down due to any number of reasons,

chief among which, was usually a funding issue. Projects could drag on for months, if even being completed at all. He did not want to be locked into an undertaking which could potentially creep along forever and limit his involvement with other possible ventures. “First office on the right,” the pink haired girl said, when she returned. “Mr. Thomas, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you down our way?” Melvin said, as Blaine stepped into his office and extended his hand. “I wanted to discuss some particulars with you, face to face,” Blaine said, as he shook hands with the short, pudgy man. “How is the programming coming along?” Melvin asked. “There are some problems.” “What kind of problems?” Melvin said, his face drawing up into a hard frown. “Problems with your company not being able to meet the time frame clause in our contract.” “Mr. Thomas, I can assure you, we’re right on schedule and you have nothing to worry about. Why would you think that?” “I’m afraid you’re going to be thrown weeks, if not months, behind.” “I have no idea what you are referring to, I just told you, we are on …” “Mr. Holt, you guys are going to have to move your entire office and developmental staff, including all the production equipment. I’m talking down to the bare walls. Relocate everything. My guess is, it will take an extended period of time to find another suitable building, and that’s assuming you’ll be able to. If and when you do find another location, all the equipment will have to be moved there, set up, and put through several trial runs. I would imagine by the time all this is done, we will be outside the timeline called for in our contract.” “Move? Why would we want to move?” “Because your lease is up, it expired two weeks ago.”

“Excuse me for a second,” Melvin said, as he turned and pulled open one of the drawers on the side of his desk. He removed a file folder from the drawer and opened it. “You’re right about the lease. How did you know that?” “I just do,” Blaine replied. “Mr. Thomas, we’ll just renew the lease, no big deal. We’ve been so busy, I overlooked it. Not a problem.” “I’m afraid there is indeed a problem.” “Why?” Melvin asked. “Someone has bought this building, and they want you out.” “How in the hell do you know that?” Blaine did not answer. “When was it sold? No one has called us.” Blaine glanced at his watch, “It was sold about an hour or so ago.” “This is absurd, I’m calling Mr. Kemp.” “There’s no need, he’s no longer the owner.” “So who the hell is?” Blaine reached into his pocket, drew out the ring of keys, and held them high over his head. “What’s that?” Melvin asked. “The keys to my building, this building,” he said. “What the hell is going on, Mr. Thomas? What are you saying?” “What I’m saying is this, I now own this building and I’m not renewing your lease. You and your staff have sixty minutes to remove yourselves and your personal belongings from my building. The remainder of your property has to be

moved within forty-eight hours, and the clock is starting now,” he said, glancing at his watch again. “What! You can’t do this; you can’t do this to us.” “It’s being done, period. Here’s the paperwork on the sale, if you care to look at it.” Melvin took the papers, thumbed through them, and tossed them back across the desk to Blaine. “You work for us, why are you doing this?” “I’m not your employee; I’m a subcontractor, big difference. I don’t work for you.” “You’re damn right you don’t, not any more, you son-of-a-bitch. You’re fired, you bastard.” “Thank you,” Blaine said smiling. “Now , sixty minutes, security will be waiting downstairs, don’t be late,” he said, giving Mr. Holt his best “don’tfuck-with-me” look, as he walked out of his office. Blaine returned to the first floor of the building, and made his way to the small coffee shop, tucked into one corner of the lobby. He ordered a large, dark roast blended coffee and took a seat at one of the small glass topped tables positioned along the side wall. He reached for his cell phone and called his brother. “Kevin, can you get in touch with the local property management firm you told me about? I need to see if they can start the process of filling the vacancy on the third floor I just created.” “Sounds like you were successful, congrats, sure I’ll them.” “Thanks, now on to phase two.” “Good luck with that,” Kevin said, hanging up. Blaine watched, as a steady stream of people exited from the two banks of elevators and walked across the lobby, their arms filled with an array of

cardboard boxes and clear plastic totes. Sour expressions were displayed on their faces, as they struggled with their loads, and ed through the double glass doors leading out into the parking lot. Finally, Melvin Holt appeared, a look of extreme exasperation radiating from his ruddy face, as he trudged through the lobby, his overweight frame bent low, pulling a two wheeled hand truck, filled with taped up boxes. Blaine watched as he pulled his load to the outside curb. Nothing personal, Blaine thought, but he hadn’t liked Holt from the start. He glanced at his watch; he had plenty of time to make his return flight home. He reached down into his leather carry-on bag and removed a slim, laptop computer. He inserted a thumb drive into an empty port and started typing, typing what he hoped would be his best work yet, and perhaps his salvation.

***

Jill was worried. She had been staring at the same financial spreadsheet, displayed on the screen of her laptop, for the last twenty minutes. Fearing a vicious onslaught by the competition, she needed to allocate more money to her advertising budget, but her promise of a ten percent bonus to her lead programmer had depleted her cash reserve. Her success had brought with it its own set of unique problems. Needing coffee and a break, she went into the kitchen and started the brew. As she poured herself a mug of the dark liquid her cell phone rang. “Hi Heather, what’s up?” she said, after glancing at the screen. “Just wanted to check in with you, I’ve not talked to you for a couple of days, been busy training a new employee.” “Busy here too, getting ready for the new release. How’s Finn?” “He’s fine, getting ready to go out of town for a couple of days on business. He said he had called Blaine to see if he wanted to meet for a quick drink before he left town, but Blaine said he didn’t have the time to spare right now, said he was working on some special project.” “So, Blaine’s back in town?” Jill asked.

“He’s been back for three days, according to Finn. Has he called you?” “He said he would, but no, he’s not called. Heather, I’ve been thinking, I just don’t see any hope of this working out.” “Why not, because of the project?” Heather said. “In a word, yes. He’s obviously moving ahead with it, and he knows how hard I’ve worked on developing my business. It’s like he doesn’t respect my work, my effort, what’s important to me.” “I understand what the business means to you, he should too. Any more ideas, on what happened to his business?” “Not a clue. It’s strange; the company went from a premier developer, to an insignificant entity, and there was never any information released on Blaine or his brother. They just disappeared, like phantoms melting into a mist.” “I’m sorry, Jill. I was hoping Blaine would work out for you, maybe you should give it some more time.” “I don’t think so; it looks like he’s already made a decision on what’s important to him.” “I’ve got to get back to work, but you hang in there. Call me if you need anything, okay?” “I will and thanks,” Jill said ending the call. “Am I making a mistake? Another one of my white knuckled reactions?” she murmured, as she poured herself another mug of coffee. She was tired of the emptiness of her isolated life, and the feeling of being incomplete, but she was not willing to trade off what she had worked so very hard for. She walked into her office, gathered more reports from her desk, and headed for her bedroom. She climbed into bed, spread the papers around her, and began reading yet another marketing report, until sleep finally overcame her.

Chapter 5

Jill awoke to the sound of her ringing cell phone and sunlight streaming through her bedroom windows. Papers were scattered around her like loose confetti, and she swept them aside, as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She reached for her phone, sitting beside the mug of cold coffee on her nightstand, and checked the number calling. “Hello,” she answered, with sleep still sifting through her voice. “Jill, this is Blaine. Were you up?” “Actually, no,” she said, glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand. “I overslept, been putting in a lot of hours lately.” “Sorry to wake you. I have something for you, something important. Can you come over to my house?” he asked. “What’s this about?” she said, as she walked to the kitchen and started the coffee maker. “ when I told you, I would make it up to you?” “Yes.” “It’s about your make up present, so to speak.” “Blaine, I’m not for sale, you can’t buy me. I thought I’d made that clear.” “It’s a gift, my gift to you. It’s up to you whether you accept it or not, but it’s not a bribe. I think you’ll understand when you see it. You said you would wait for me, well, the waiting is over.” She had the courage to walk away once, and when you have done that, you no longer fear the thoughts of doing it again, at least not as much, she told herself. Just as in business, if his deal wasn’t right, she’d walk again, but this time with no doubts, no self-questioning, and no looking back. And after all, she did tell

him she would wait. “Alright, I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” she said.

***

Jill parked her car at the end of Blaine’s driveway and looked up at the elevated deck which overlooked the Inland Waterway. Blaine had his back to her and was sweeping the wide planks of the deck with a house broom. The sound of her car door closing caused him to turn and face in her direction. His dark tan was accented by a plain white T-shirt, drawn tightly across his broad chest. His full beard had been trimmed but his dark hair still hung long and loose below the neck of his shirt and navy blue shorts hugged his narrow waist. At the sight of him Jill’s calm mood turned turbulent, not with anger or resentment, but with the desirous wish of being with him once more. He waved to her and called out, “Come on up.” She climbed the stairs, leading up to the deck, and faced a barefooted and smiling Blaine. “It’s great to see you, thanks for coming,” he said, as he leaned the broom against the deck’s handrail. He stepped through the open glass doors and waved to her, “Come on in. You want something to drink, coffee, juice, water?” “Water will be fine.” He went to the refrigerator, pulled out two bottles of water, and walked over to his corner desk. “Thanks,” she said as he handed her a bottle. She twisted the top off and took a large gulp into her dry mouth. Blaine placed his bottle on the corner of the desk and reached for a stack of papers. He held them for a moment, and then ed them to her.

“What’s this?” she asked. “It was my contract for the project.” She glanced down at the top sheet and read the word “cancelled” written across the top of the page in red letters. “I’m out, totally out. My contract with Melvin Holt is no longer in effect.” Jill stared at the red letters, still not believing what she was seeing. “How did you manage this? These things are usually ironclad.” He picked up a ring of keys from his desk and dangled them in front of her. “I used these.” “Okay, go on,” she said with a slight smile. For the next few minutes Jill listened intently, as he disclosed the events which had led to the cancellation of his contract. “That’s an extreme way to end a contract,” she said, when he had finished. “I’ll it it was a bit of a gamble, but it worked. They’re going to be delayed for a long time on their production, if it happens at all, and I’m free to do as I please.” “You call one point six million dollars a ‘bit of a gamble?’ Where did that kind of money come from?” “Well, I did get an office building for my money,” he said laughing. “And the money, well, I’ve done okay in the past,” he said grinning. “Why, why did you take that chance?” His eyes became solemn, “One reason, and only one, for you.” She took another swallow of her water and smiled. He reached down and lifted a USB flash drive from his desk. “Here, catch,” he said, tossing her the memory stick. She caught the thumb drive in mid-air.

Turning it over in her hand, she said, “And this is what?” “Take a look at it,” he said, and pointed toward the laptop computer on his desk. She plugged the flash drive into the computer and waited for the machine to display the contents of the drive onto the screen. “It’s asking for a ,” she said. “Enter, ‘Jill’s / version 3.0’,” he said. With shaking fingers, she depressed the keys on the keyboard. A menu appeared. “Hit ‘enter’,” he said. She watched in awe, as the screen displayed the most masterful work she had ever seen. It was brilliant, scene after scene of visual genius. Her eyes remained clear and glued to the computer as the production finished. An ending credit appeared on the screen and she read it aloud, “A North-Tech Production.” Tears started to form in her eyes and the screen became blurred. She turned and faced Blaine. “I did it all for you, for us,” he said. She threw her arms upward around his neck, and whispered, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” he said softly, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked deep into his eyes and he held her gaze. “Blaine Thomas, I love you.” “And I love you too, I did from the very first moment I saw you.” Their lips drew together in a lingering kiss, as he moved across her mouth, unhurried and with a delicate touch. Eager to taste him, she opened her mouth and met his tongue with her own. She swirled around the entire length of his tongue until he sucked her deep into his mouth. She let her arms fall down to his waist, and pulled him closer. He dropped his hands from her waist, placed them on either side of her firm bottom, and pushed his hips toward her. She could feel

his hardness pressing into her stomach, and she arched back against him. He released her captive tongue and dropped his mouth to the side of her neck, and slowly drew his wet tongue upward to the bottom of her ear. He nuzzled her ear lobe with his lips, his hot breath sending tingling waves of arousal through her. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered into her ear, “and I want you, I want you so much.” She slid her right hand between them and let it glide lightly over his hard cock, and he moaned loudly, as she gently began to run her fingers up and down its stiff length. “Oh Blaine, I want you too, I’ve missed you. Let’s go upstairs, now.” He gave the firm globes of her rear a slow squeeze, and then moved his hands upward, looping one arm around her waist. She lifted her hand from his crotch and circled his middle. They climbed the stairs to his bedroom, their arms circled around each other, both ready, not for just sex, but to make love. They entered his bedroom and walked to the side of the bed. He took both her hands into his and from an arm’s length away, let his eyes absorb her. “Stunning,” he said. “And I could say the same for you. Come here,” she said, as she pulled him closer. She reached for his shirt and peeled it off, dropping it to the floor. She ran her fingers lightly over his broad chest, letting them dance lightly across his hot skin, slowly moving them downward. She reached the top of his shorts and unsnapped them, letting them slide down to his feet. She hooked her thumbs on each side of his underpants and pulled them down, and watched as his long, thick cock sprang free. “You’re so hard and thick,” she said, as she wrapped her fist around him and started to move her hand back and forth. A low moan escaped from his lips as she pumped his stiff shaft. With her eyes locked onto his, she released his cock and stepped back from him. She slowly pulled her knit top over her head and threw it to the floor. She removed her bra and cupped her firm breast in her hands, rubbing her palms over her hard nipples.

“Touch yourself, I want to watch you touch yourself,” she said, as she slid her shorts and panties off. Blaine gripped his rock, hard cock and began moving his fist up and down its length as he watched her slowly rub her hands across her sex. Using her left hand, she spread herself open, and then inserted the middle finger of her right hand deep into her pussy. He let out a throaty moan as he watched her finger moving in and out. “You like that? You like watching me?” she asked. “Yes, oh yes, you’re so hot doing that.” “So are you. Jack that hard cock for me, I want to watch you jack it.” Burning desire raged through her as she watched Blaine stroke himself. “Are you ready for me?” she asked, as she withdrew her finger from within her wet folds. “I want in you so bad, baby, oh I want you.” She walked toward the bed, placed both of her hands on its edge, and raised her tight bottom into the air. “Then take me, take me from behind,” she said, as she glanced back over her shoulder toward him. Stepping in behind her, he guided his stiff dick into her. “Oh, you feel so good, so tight,” he said, as he began to rock back and forth into her. Lost in the ion of the moment, she let go of all her inhibitions, all her cares, and reveled in the sensations she felt, as he thrust into her. He bent low over her back and reached around her, his hand finding her exposed clit. Using his fingertips, he gently messaged her swollen nub, sending pulsing heat throughout her hot mound. “Right there, keep doing that!” she cried, as she grunted with the increasing pace of his thrust. “Harder…, deeper…, put it in deeper,” she said, as she pushed back against his hips, desperate for more of him. He increased his tempo, his hips driving into her faster and faster, burying himself into her completely. She felt herself tumbling over the edge and she cried, “I’m almost there, keep fucking me, fuck me hard, baby.” Rolling waves of pleasure swept through her, as her orgasm cascaded out of control. “I’m

coming, I’m coming, Blaine!” she shouted. With her seismic vibrations finally subsiding, she slumped forward, wholly contented. The best combination possible, she thought; love coupled with desire, followed by a total release and complete satisfaction, and Blaine, the reason, the cause. She felt him pull from her and she rolled over to face him. He kissed her hard, and then left her mouth, tracing a path with the tip of his tongue down to her left breast. She shivered as he licked her curvature and then sucked her hardened nipple into his wet mouth. “Your breasts are beautiful, so firm, so sexy,” he said, weighing her fullness in his palms. “Would you like to come on them?” she asked, reaching down and gripping his hard cock. “I’d love it.” “Let’s go over there,” she said, pointing to the small, day studio sofa in the corner. He faced her as she sat down on the sofa, his straining erection inches away from her face. “You’re so long and thick, and hard as steel,” she said, as she ran her hand over his length. “You get it that way, you make me so hard.” Tilting her head forward, she closed her mouth over the tip of his cock, running her tongue around its edge. He sighed, as she cupped his balls in her hands, gently fondling them. She began to bob her head up and down, soft and slow, swallowing more of him with each downward movement. “Oh…, oh, that feels so good,” he moaned. She slowly increased the speed of her spring like motions and sucked him deeper into her throat. He jerked his hips, thrusting in time with her mouth. “I’m almost there, oh, oh,” he said, grinding his hips into her face. She pulled her mouth from him and stroked him fast and hard, rubbing the head

of his cock against the rigid points of her nipples. She could feel the hot tightness gather in his balls, as he arched his hips forward. “Shoot it, baby. Shoot your cum on my tits. I want to feel your cum on me, on my tits, give me your hot load, give it to me, now!” she cried. Unable to withstand the pressure or her sexy words any longer, he started to come. Pleasure rippled through his balls and up through the head of his cock, as he exploded onto her firm tits. “Oh, that’s so good, so fucking good,” he cried, as she continued to stroke and squeeze his hot dick until he had emptied himself onto her. “Oh Jill, that was so good, honey,” he said, as she stood up. “Um, it was, wasn’t it? I’m glad you enjoyed it, I did too,” she said, kissing him on his lips. “You are so incredibly hot, so sexy, and you turn me on beyond belief.” Smiling, she said, “Good, I’m glad I do. You do the same to me. You know, I think I would like some of that coffee now.” “I’ll make us a pot,” he said. “Let me rinse off, then I’ll be right down,” she said, as he leaned into her mouth for another kiss. Love united with lust, what a feeling, she thought, as she splashed warm water over her chest. She didn’t know what had brought them together, maybe fate or luck, but they were together and for the first time in her life she was genuinely happy. She made her way downstairs, and walked into the kitchen, the rich aroma of the brewed coffee greeting her. “Let’s take these out on the deck,” he said, handing her a mug. Blaine took a sip of his coffee and leaned back into the wooden deck chair. “I would like for you to meet Christy.” “I’d love to, but I’m nervous about it.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll love you. How about tonight? We could meet at her favorite restaurant; have dinner, just the three of us.” “Okay, that’s fine.” “Good, I’ll go in and give her a call now, see if she’s available,” he said, pushing up out of his chair. He returned a few minutes later. “We’re all set, seven p.m. at the Tuna Inn. Finn’s out of town and I have to go by his house, got to check on some things for him, so I’ll just meet you guys at the restaurant.”

***

Dinner had not gone well, more like a fiasco, Jill thought, as she accelerated out of the restaurant’s parking lot and headed home. Christy had been polite and full of social graces in the beginning. But, by the time their order of yellowfin tuna steaks had arrived, she had become distant and disconnected. Even her body language had changed. When addressing Jill, she had folded her arms across her chest in a defensive manner and had answered Jill’s questions with short and clipped responses. During coffee and dessert, she held on to Blaine’s hand, guarded and protective. At one point, she had become argumentative until a dagger look from Blaine had silenced her. Thankfully, it was over. Blaine had walked her to her car in the parking lot and whispered into her ear, “Don’t worry, I’m going over to her apartment and have a little father daughter chat with her. I’ll call you later. I love you.”

***

Jill arrived home, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and headed to her office. Her home phone rang and she glanced at her watch. It couldn’t be

Blaine, she thought, he’s not had enough time with Christy plus he always calls on my cell. “Hello,” she answered. “Jill, this is Christy,” a sobbing voice said. “Dad’s been in a car accident, and I didn’t…I didn’t know who else to call. Finn’s out of town and I and I don’t know, I just, he’s hurt, he’s hurt real bad…I…” “Christy, slow down. Where are you?” “I’m, I’m at the hospital.” “What hospital?” “Valley Memorial, the EMT called me from the emergency room and I…he’s hurt, Jill.” “Christy, listen to me, he’ll be okay, alright? I’m on my way there now. Are you in the ER now?” “No, I’m outside the trauma surgery area. It’s a waiting room.” “Stay put where you are, I’m on my way.” Jill dashed to her car, put her emergency flashers on, and headed out. While driving, she called the hospital and asked for the location of the trauma surgery department. She arrived and following the directions she had received, soon found the waiting area. Christy was sitting on one end of a vinyl couch; her head hung low, eyes downcast and her face wearing a solemn look. She glanced up as Jill entered the room and a faint smile crossed her lips. “Thanks for coming,” she said, as Jill took a seat beside her. “I’ve not talked to anyone, I don’t know anything. They just said wait here.” “Thanks for calling me, don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” Jill said, hoping she was right. A woman, dressed in light green scrubs, with a surgical mask dangling from one of her hands, entered the room. “You are the family of Blaine Thomas, correct?”

Both nodded, unable to speak, afraid of what they were about to hear. “I’m Dr. Lever, one of the trauma surgeons here on staff. I just wanted to let you know, Mr. Thomas is in the OR right now. I’m going back in as soon as I leave you. He’s got some pretty extensive internal damage, so I just wanted to let you know, it’s going to be a long night.” Christy reached for Jill’s hand and squeezed it hard. “Is he going to be alright?” she asked. “I would classify his current condition as somewhere between guarded and critical. His vital signs are not yet stable and he’s got some internal bleeding. The good news is, the EMT’s did a good job while getting him here, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ve got to get back in there, I’ll let you know more as soon as I can,” she said, hurrying away. They sat in silence, as they watched the Doctor walk away. “I lost my mother due to a car accident when I was three. He’s all I’ve got,” Christy said her voice breaking. “I’m sorry. I was raised by a single parent myself, my father.” “What happened to your mother?” “Cancer, bone cancer,” Jill said. “Sorry.” “Life’s not fair, is it?” “Most days it’s not,” Christy said. “It’s okay, he’ll be fine and we’ll take care of him. Here, stretch out and try to relax, we’re going to be here for a while,” she said, grabbing one of the pillows from the end of the couch and placing it in her lap. Laying her head on the pillow, Christy soon fell asleep, as Jill lightly stroked her hair.

“Let him live, please let him live, live for both of us,” Jill whispered, to the empty waiting room. Jill’s eyes blinked open with the sound of approaching footsteps, and the shape of Dr. Lever slowly came into focus. “Sorry to wake you,” the Doctor said. “It’s okay, I must have dozed off,” Jill said. “He’s going to be okay, but he’ll most likely be here for at least five to ten days, maybe more. We’ll just have to see how he gets along.” Christy raised her head from the pillow and propped up on one elbow. “When can we see him?” she asked. “He’s in ICU right now. Why don’t you both go home and get some rest. If he does alright, we should be able to move him to a regular room within eight to sixteen hours. You can see him then.” “Thank you, Dr. Lever,” Jill said. “You’re welcome, I’ll see you later. I’ve got to run; EMS is inbound with another patient.”

***

Jill and Christy spent much of the next eight days together, in room 408. During the first three days, Blaine was asleep much of the time, due to the medications, and awoke only when the nursing staff attended the array of monitors, tubes, and IV’s connected to his body. He would smile, wave at them, and drift off again, into the drug induced slumber. Christy slowly warmed to Jill, talking first about her part time job and her fall enrolment in college. On the evening of the third day, after a brief visit from Finn, her demeanor turned somber. She cast a quick glance toward her sleeping father and then shifted her gaze to

Jill. “Why are you here?” she asked. “Why do you think I’m here?” Jill replied softly. An uneasy silence followed, broken only by the low hum coming from one of the monitors. Finally she said, “You love him.” “I do,” Jill said. “I do, too.” “I know you do, that’s good, that’s the way it should be.” “You’re not my mother.” “I’m not trying to be. No one can ever replace her, no one, ever. I would like to be your friend though, if you would have me.” “You’re asking my permission?” Christy said. “For what?” “To be my friend.” “I guess I am,” Jill said smiling. “I’ll let you know, okay?” “That’s fine, Christy.” “It’s getting late, you about ready to go?” she asked, glancing at her watch. “If you are,” Jill replied. She nodded, made her way over to the bed and kissed her sleeping father softly on the forehead. “I love you,” she said, and stepped away. Jill walked over to the bed, bent over, and pressed her lips against Blaine’s cheek, “We both love you,” she whispered, to his still sleeping form.

Jill turned from the bed and faced Christy. Christy quickly lowered her head and headed for the door, wiping her sleeve across her face as she walked. Jill had seen the tears starting to form in her misty eyes, but said nothing. Walking out of the hospital, Christy said, “I’ll walk you to your car.” Jill nodded but said nothing. They walked across the parking lot in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Arriving at Jill’s car, Christy extended her hand and softly said, “Goodnight, friend.” Jill gently pressed her hand into Christy’s and replied, “Goodnight, friend. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

***

By day six, they knew Blaine was feeling better; he was on solid food, complaining about its taste and demanding his laptop computer. That afternoon, Christy smuggled in three tacos buried in her backpack and delivered his laptop, along with two, blank USB flash drives. Blaine woofed down the tacos, as Jill and Christy stood sentinel watch in the hallway. “Now that’s real food,” he said when they had re-entered his room. “I wish I had told you to bring me a cold beer, too.” “No alcohol, period, while you are on any meds,” Jill said, as Christy nodded her head in agreement. “Plotting against me, both of you,” he said laughing. “Finn called while we were outside. He and Heather, both, have some sort of stomach flu. He said to tell you, they would see you as soon as you got home and they were over the crap. I talked to her yesterday and she was fine, but today, not so,” Jill said.

“Maybe they’ll bring me a beer,” he said under his breath. “I heard that,” Christy said. “Okay no beer, how about my laptop?” Christy reached into her backpack and handed the computer to Jill. “Here you are,” Jill said, placing it on his lap and raising the lid. “Sit,” he said, patting the side of the bed. Jill sat beside him and watched the screen as he typed, ‘I love you’. She reached over, and using her index finger, pecked out, ‘I love you, too’. She waited a moment, and then added, ‘Christy knows that too, all is well’. Touching the keys, he typed, ‘all is well, my love’. He smiled and said, “Let’s start on some system interfaces; we’ve got a lot of work to do on your version three.”

Chapter 6

After eight days, Blaine was finally home from the hospital. Released around noon, after Dr. Lever had made her rounds, Jill had brought him home, while Christy headed for her part-time job. Jill arranged his bottles of antibiotics and pain management medication on the kitchen counter and hit Heather’s name on her cell phone screen. “Hi, we’re home,” she said, when Heather answered. “How is he?” Heather asked. “Tired and sore, he’s upstairs resting now, the pain meds make him sleepy. How are you and Finn?” “We’re both fine now, finally over the flu mess thank goodness.” “Good, I want to have a homecoming celebration for him this week-end, maybe steaks with all the trimmings. Christy has the week-end off for a change.” “We’ll be there. Speaking of Christy, how are you guys doing?” Good question, she thought, how are we doing? On the surface, all seemed well, but she could sense there was still a barrier between them. Did Christy think if she allowed her feelings to develop, she would be disloyal, in some way, to her mother’s memory? Maybe and understandable, she guessed. She’d never had to deal with that herself. After her mother’s death, her father’s grief had been so great; he had never pursued a relationship with any other woman. But Christy was remarkably mature and astute for her age, a testimony to the job Blaine had done. Time would tell, so far, so good, she thought. “We’re okay. We’re friends,” she answered. “Finn says she’s very bright, got accepted into the School of Architecture and Design. I’m looking forward to meeting her.” “She’s a fine young lady; I think you’ll like her. Oh, by the way, we can tell

Finn, Blaine, and Christy we’re sisters. Everything’s good here.” “That should be a surprise to them, looking forward to that. I’ve got to run, see you this week-end,” Heather said hanging up. As soon as Heather ended her call, Jill’s cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen and smiled. “Yes,” she answered. “I just wanted to say hi, to the sexiest woman on the planet. I’m awake now, why don’t you come on up?” “I’m on the way,” she said, grabbing two bottles of juice from the refrigerator and heading upstairs. She handed him one of the bottles of juice, sat down on the edge of the bed, and placed her hand on his lower leg. A grimace of pain flashed across his face, followed by a muted grunt. “Sorry, I forgot that’s your injured leg,” she said, quickly lifting her hand. “Since Christy has the week-end off, I’ve invited her, Heather, and Finn over for a cookout, a welcome home celebration.” “Yeah, I just talked to Finn and he mentioned it. You know, he’s quite taken with Heather. She’s all he talks about and I’m happy for him; I think she’s a good woman.” “Yes she is a very good woman,” Jill said smiling. “He seems really happy, happy for the first time in a long while. I’ve been worried about him, he’s been divorced for many years and he never would let anyone get close to him, never would let them in.” “Kind of like you once upon a time?” “Um, no, not like me. He had hardened his heart; mine was broken, broken because something I loved was taken away from me, by death. I felt cheated, robbed, and shattered.” He lifted his eyes and met hers. “Christy saved my life, you know? She gave me a reason to get up every morning. She needed me of

course, being only three, but I needed her just as much. I guess you could say we saved each other.” “She’s a remarkable girl, no doubt.” “She likes you, I can tell, she’s just afraid to it it, give her some time.” “We’ll be fine,” she said smiling. “I’ve got to go into the office for a couple of hours and get caught up on some things. I’ll bring dinner back.” “And I’ve got to get back to work myself,” he said, reaching for his laptop lying on the opposite pillow. “More work to do on your masterpiece.” “Call me if you need anything,” she said, leaning over and gently pressing her lips against his. “Just you,” he said, kissing her back. She glanced over her shoulder as she left the room. His fingers were already flying across the laptop’s keyboard.

***

“Sisters,” Blaine exclaimed. “I thought Finn was going to choke on his salad when Heather blurted that out tonight. Who would have thought?” “Pretty big surprise, huh?” Jill said, as she finished putting clean sheets on his bed. “Yeah, I’d say. Why didn’t you tell us before now?” “Oh, I don’t know, the time just never seemed right until now. Did you enjoy tonight?” “I did. Christy seemed to have a good time, too.” “I hope so, she’s a lovely girl. Okay, time for your last med of the day, open up,”

she said, placing a pill on his out stretched tongue. He took a swallow of water and gulped down the medication. “Are you happy with the work I’ve done so far?” “It’s fantastic, you’re a genius,” she said, gently placing her arms around his waist. “I’m glad you like it. I should have it ready to send to the animators in a couple of months, if it meets your approval.” “We’ll review it together, see if flows right, make sure each scene is the way we want it, and then, off for the next step. I’m sure it will be the best yet. Thank you.” “You’re welcome; it’s a labor of love, for you. Thank you for looking after me, too.” “I love you; I want to take care of you. Now let’s get you to bed, we’ve got to get you well,” she said, helping him up onto the bed. “Are you staying the night?” he asked. “Yes,” she said, turning off the light and carefully sliding into bed beside him. He placed his head on the pillow and was soon asleep, the medication already having an effect. She reached over and lightly put her hand on his chest, feeling the easy rhythm of his breathing, and fell into a peaceful sleep.

***

Jill watched from the deck above, as Blaine carried the two, newly charged, fire extinguishers down to the boat. He stepped nimbly aboard, and placed one into the holding brackets at the rear of the boat, then walked to the front, and locked in the second one. Four months had ed so quickly, she thought. He had made a full physical recovery and due to their combined work ethics, version three of her product, was in the final stage of production. They had fallen into a relaxed

and comfortable relationship, working together by day, loving together by night. “Ready to go?” he yelled, from the boat. “I’ll be right there,” she said, picking up the two life jackets he had left lying on the deck. “Where are we headed?” she asked, as she stepped onboard. “You’ll see.” Blaine started the engine, she cast off the mooring lines, and they headed down the Inland Waterway. After cruising for several minutes, Blaine spotted an open berth, and steered the boat into it. They secured their craft and started walking up the plank boardwalk. “We’re here,” he said, taking her hand and leading her across the parking lot of “The Dock”. “Blaine, it’s Sunday and barely noon, they’re not open now, they don’t open until four p.m.” “Step inside,” he said, as he opened the unlocked front door. The establishment was lit up, bright as day, but completely empty. “Have a seat,” he said, walking over to a table and pulling out a chair for her. “ this table?” he asked, as they sat down. “Of course I do, it’s the one you were sitting at when I first laid eyes on you.” He smiled. “Hi Jill, Blaine, long time no see, been missing you,” Roger said, as he walked up to their table. “You , Roger, the owner?” Blaine said. “For sure, Hi, Roger,” she said. “I didn’t think you opened until late afternoon?”

“I came in early today, we’ve got a big name band coming in tonight, and I’m expecting a larger than normal crowd, so I’m here, getting ready for that. Glad you stopped in.” “We’ve been working entirely too much, and too hard. We’re ready for a break,” Blaine said laughing. “What would you like?” Roger asked. “A couple of cheeseburgers, with fries, and some cold beer,” he said. “We’ve been eating entirely too many salads with green leaves in them.” “No problem, I’ll bring it right out,” Roger said smiling. Taking the last bite of his cheeseburger, Blaine said, “I’m excited about your version three coming out. I think it’ll be another huge hit.” “Looks like very few revisions, if any, will have to be made, thanks to you,” she said. “We do seem to work together very well, I think we make a good team,” he said. “We do. We also do good work in more ways than one,” she said, running her tongue seductively across her bottom lip. Blaine smiled and nodded. “What do think really teaming up?” he asked. “What do you mean by, ‘teaming up’? Forming a corporation, a LLC, a subsidiary, a partnership, what?” “I’m thinking more along the lines of a partnership.” “A limited liability or general partnership?” she asked. “No, something like a lifetime partnership?” “We could have the A draw up a…” Interrupting her, he said, “Jill, I’m asking you to marry me, will you?”

She took his hands into hers and peered into the deep blue, pools of his eyes. Immersed into his steady gaze, she searched for the window, the window into his soul. His depths reflected back to her a calm and gentle aura, like the smooth surface of a small tranquil inlet. Peacefulness and devotion radiated from within him and the feeling of being secure in his love, washed over and covered her completely, like a gentle sea wave lapping over a sandy beach. His kindness had filled her soul and his ion had heated her body, and she now felt complete. “Yes, Blaine, oh yes,” she said, leaning forward in her chair to kiss him. Jill glanced back over her shoulder, toward the bar, at the sound of several approaching footsteps. Christy was leading the way, a cake in her out stretched hands, with Heather and Finn, following close behind her. She placed the cake on the table and stepped back. “You may kiss the future bride,” she said, winking at Blaine. Blaine cradled Jill’s face with his large hands, slowly brought his lips to hers, and kissed her gently. He looked down, and read aloud, the hand lettered inscription on top of the cake, “Congrats, Jill & Blaine”. Roger walked up and placed a bottle of champagne and glasses on the table and stepped back. “What would you have done with the cake had she said no?” Blaine asked Roger. “Well, it would have been back to the kitchen, rewrite the top to say something like, ‘Please reconsider’, and then let you resubmit it,” he said laughing. “Glad we didn’t have to do that,” Blaine said, opening the champagne bottle. He poured everyone a glass of the sparkling liquid and said, “A toast to Jill and Christy, the two great loves of my life,” and all drank to the toast, with Christy smiling brightly.

***

The wedding was a simple and informal affair, held on the deck of Blaine’s house, and with only a few close friends attending. Dressed casually in a white

linen shirt, khaki pants, and brown sandals, Blaine anxiously paced across the expanse of the deck, as he waited for Jill to make her appearance. “You have the rings, right?” he said, as he stopped in front of Finn. “I’ve got them right here,” Finn said, as he rubbed his hand across the front pocket of his light gray chinos. Blaine turned to Roger, “And your minister friend?” “Inside with Jill,” Roger replied. Kevin walked over to Blaine and placed his hand on Blaine’s shoulder. “While we’re waiting and before I forget it, the property management company called me yesterday. They just found a tenant who is going to take the entire third floor of your building, starting the first of next month.” Kevin reached into his pocket, removed a sealed envelope, and pressed it into Blaine’s hand. “Oh and here’s a little something for you and Jill.” “What’s this?” Blaine asked, holding the blue envelope. “An all-expense paid trip for the two of you to Cancun, airfare, hotel, food, plus a little spending money. Have fun,” he said, winking at Blaine. “Thank you, thank you so very much, and thanks for your help on the building, too,” Blaine said. “You’re more than welcome; it’s the least a brother could do.” Nodding toward the glass doors, Kevin said, “She’s here.” Blaine looked up as Jill stepped through the doors and out onto the deck, followed by Heather and Christy. The late afternoon sun reflected off of her auburn hair, setting it ablaze with a rich tint. She was wearing a simple coral colored top, white linen pants, and white sandals, with a small, silk flower bouquet cradled in her hands. She walked toward Blaine, a radiant smile upon her face. Blaine stepped forward, placed his arm around her waist, and whispered into her ear, “You’re so beautiful.” She smiled, as they turned and faced the minister.

When the brief ceremony had ended, Jill handed Heather her bouquet and said, “For you, someday.” Finn, looking on, winked at Heather and nodded his head yes.

***

The sun had started its slow descent below the horizon and its last golden rays reflected off the water, as Christy stood on the deck with Jill and Blaine. Everyone had left and the three of them were alone. “I’ve got to go, no classes tomorrow, but it’s a work day for me, and I’ve got to be there early,” Christy said. “Come here, both of you,” she said, putting one arm around Jill’s neck and the other around Blaine’s waist. She first kissed Jill on the cheek, then Blaine. “I love you; I love you both, so very much,” she said. Jill extended her arms and tightly embraced her. “We love you too,” she said. “Love you, Christy. Drive safe,” Blaine said, as Christy turned to go.

***

Jill and Blaine watched, from the corner of the deck, as the taillights of Christy’s car disappeared into the failing light. Blaine turned and faced Jill, his face bathed in the golden glow from the flickering flames of the bamboo torches, lining the railing of the deck. He folded his arms around her waist and drew her close. “I love you, and I’ll keep on loving you,” he said. Melting into his embrace, with tears of happiness streaming from her eyes, Jill

said, “Together now, and forever.”

The End