Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 LOVE WILL FIND YOU

   When I tell you what I do for a living it may sound seedy, or cheap, but
it really isn't what you first may think.  I photograph pretty girls in
their bathing suits.  Not in a studio, but on beaches up and down the East
Coast.  I do it mostly without their permission, unless I shoot their
faces. Still sound seedy?  Well, if you go to the page 3 or page 6 features
of a certain tabloid syndicate, you'll see my photos almost every day in
summer months, and even sometimes in the Sunday color sections, only then
we re-color the apparel, just to be sure no one can positively identify
someone.  We aren't looking to embarrass anyone; we just show young ladies
"better" sides as they appear on a nice beach.  A favorite seems to be two
young ladies, or a man with his girl standing facing the ocean.  Why is
beyond me, but they seem to draw the most response.

   On occasion we do shoot fronts and faces for which they receive $50 and
sign a release.  If we use the photo in print they get another $100.  In
recent years with so many girls sporting tattoos, which identify them, it
has cut down the number of photo's I can take.  I won't photo-shop out a
tattoo, it takes away from the genuine-ness of the picture.

   Also, the loss of my long time live-in girlfriend has curbed my travel
as I am just getting over her untimely death in an accident when she was
home visiting her family in Missouri.

   I was at a condo/hotel in the lower Maine seacoast where we had went for
9 years solid the last 2 weeks in August every year.  Seeing old
acquaintances and explaining the details as to why my Piper Lee wasn't with
me was opening old wounds and extending the depression I seemed to have
beaten.

   As usual I brought my camera, beach chair, and umbrella to the sands
below the condo building and set up just behind the magnificent body of a
young woman sunbathing.  With her head propped up on a towel over a large
rock, she had her arms at her side and the dark blue and white striped
bikini bottom made her derriere most deliciously prominent.  I was hoping
to get her walking to the water to get a better picture of her lovely
curves.

   She would readjust her position every now and then and when she did she
would scan the general area and caught me staring each time.  After a few
of these incidents I decided to go back in so as not to spook her.  The
following morning as I set up my chair and umbrella in roughly the same
spot and from the corner of my eye I saw her emerge from the same building
where I was staying, in the same bikini, and set up just in front of me
again.  It was then I realized her target was an angled, smooth rock, which
when she placed a rolled terry towel, provided a perfect angle prop for her
head.

   She pranced down to the water, giving me 3 good shots, and came back and
I watched her apply sun lotion all over herself, quite deftly I might add.
I wondered if she were putting on a bit of a show for me, but one angry
scowl when she saw me watching told me "no, don't let your imagination get
away from you".

   With her head resting on its side and her arms perfectly placed at her
sides, she sunned her little body while I kept an eye on the perfect swell
and slope of the well displayed bottom halves that protected her most
private places.  I quietly took a few more candid angles of her and once
again hid my Canon.

   Three more times she readjusted the side and angle of her head, looking
my way and catching me staring each time.  I was truly fixated, but she was
not amused finally springing up to her elbows and snarling, "Why don't you
just take a picture?"

   I had been waiting for an opening to display my camera so I could take
other pictures, so this seemed as good a time as any.

   "I already have," I said as I reached into my beach bag and pulled out
my camera.

   Right away I went into my spiel about what I did and produced a flyer
with sample shots and the explanation of the how and circumstance of the
publication of the photos and how they were anonymous and not identifiable
and legally non-obtrusive.  Nine times in ten my subjects never know they
were photographed and even when they see them don't readily recognize
themselves.  These are not sex shots, and they are barely voyeur shots. 
They are primarily mood shots to take peoples mind off the rigors and
depressing news of the day.  You read about the war, turn the page and see
a pretty girl or couple at play or contemplative at the beach.  You don't
see their face and it's not a close-up.  They are just pictures of happy
lives among the drudgery of the day.  Mood breakers, as my agent calls
them. A handsome couple seeming alone at the beach, arm in arm or
embracing, staring out at the forever of the ocean.  However, the couple
would have incredible bodies, sure to catch the eye of all who see.  Yes,
there are the women, and sometimes men, who willingly accept our small fee
for posed photos, but they are always done in public with no hanky-panky.
Up until this point, my girlfriend was always with me, and nothing slippery
ever happened.

   This young woman heard my spiel, looked at my flyer, and heard my mea
culpa as to the reason I was caught looking so often.  Wordlessly she
looked at me, shook her head, folded the flyer and tucked it under her
towel.  She assumed her prior position and acted as if she had never
challenged me or heard a word I said.  I've had similar situations and
found it always best to leave it be and not pursue anything further,
because that made it look as if I WERE trying to push the envelope.  I was
simply a free lance photographer who took a simple one time assignment and
turned it into a nice little syndication piece for which I was paid enough
to get by on plus expenses.  The balance of my work was assignments in or
near the locales I worked for the syndicate.  I also sold my scenic photos
for calendar and postcard companies, and even sold some to LIFE for one of
their special issues.  (If only I could have done that in the 60's when
LIFE was a weekly household staple.)

   I decided to put my camera away and let this situation be.  This
particular spot was one of favorites and we regularly came here for more
vacation than work.  My subject was staying in the same condo building as
me and I really didn't want trouble.  Tomorrow I would set up my umbrella
and such further down the beach and leave her be.  I zipped up my bag and
pushed it under my chair to show her I had no intention to stalk her or
cause problems.  I put my ball cap back on, pulled the bill down and
slumped a bit in my chaise, hoping to nap a bit.

   I felt myself nodding off, little by little, until I heard the breath
sucking and choking back of tears each time the low tide ocean waves ebbed
to their low.  I pushed up the bill on my cap and saw my subject in the
blue and white striped bikini was crying into her towel and the hands she
was trying to hide her tears with.

   I felt awful in that I saw myself as the reason for her tears and upset
mood.  I stood and walked the few steps to where she lay and knelt to speak
to her.

   "I am so sorry if I have upset you so.  I do not mean any harm in what I
do and I know how much this beach and setting means to so many people.  I
am not taking any more pictures today and I will avoid snapping you and
erase what I've taken.  Please don't be so upset, I've meant no harm, you
can watch while I delete them.  You have my word."

   "Please go away.  I can deal with this myself.  You are the least of my
worries.  Get lost!" She said as she looked up to me in her red, tear
stained face.

   While I has estimated her age to be 21-25, it was clear with the tears
and redness negating any make-up or creams, she was definitely 30-35, but
her body in that bikini was still a young supple one.  I chided myself for
making such assessments at such a troubled time, but it was the nature of
my work.

   "Are you sure, because if something I did or said brought this on, I'm
truly . . . . . ." I started to say again when she angrily rose up on her
elbows and spat out,

   "Don't flatter yourself!  I'm upset I'm here the first time without my
husband.  I lost him before Christmas and coming here was a big mistake!"
She said before falling to her forearms and hands to grieve to herself.

   I didn't move for a few moments and contemplated touching her to show
comfort, but thought the better of it.  Instead I leaned down to almost
whisper.

   "I know you think no one knows how you feel, but my fiancé, who lived
with me for 10 years, was killed New Years in an accident while she visited
her family.  We traveled a lot of beaches for my work, but Wells Beach was
very special, where we spent 2 weeks every summer and made our time here
special." I said fighting back my own tears.

   She propped up again and reached out to pat my leg.  "I'm so sorry for
your loss as well.  I didn't mean to burden you, or shout at you."

   "I just wanted you to know that someone knows how you feel, the
emptiness and helplessness.  Your friends try to help and say the right
thing; there is a hurt only we know." I said as I fell to my side so we
could hear each other over the waves.

   "Why do we torture ourselves by coming to these places?" She asked,
somewhat rhetorically.

   "Because of the memories and happiness they remind us of.  A wise person
I know once told me, long before I ever thought I might need the advice,
that the day will come when we'll think of our lost loves and smile and
only recall the happy times.  The pain will go away.  I was actually
getting towards that plateau until just now.  You've reminded me of the
horror of it all." I told her.

   "I'm so sorry."

   "Oh God, don't apologize.  It was going to rear its ugly head later. 
Tonight I'm going to Mikes to sit at the bar like we used to and drink
until I have to take the trolley or cab home."

   For the first time I saw her smile a bit as she nodded and said, "I may
see you there, I was planning on doing the same thing.  I was just worried
about the ride back.  I was thinking about wearing a sign with my address
on it, as in "please return to".  Last night lasted forever and I have to
do something to allay the self pity and boredom."

   I was able to give her a knowing smile and I moved to get up.  "Well, be
careful.  If you end up passed out on the floor I know where you go."

   "Thanks uh . . .?"

   "Bart, Bart Stocklas, and you're?"

   "Melody.  Call me Mel.  Melody Ostin.  Maybe I'll see you up there,
Bart. Thank you for being so understanding."

   "No, I should apologize to you for upsetting you so." I said and she
waved me off and lowered her head back to her towel to soak in more sun.

   I decided to pack up my stuff, go to my room to use the bathroom and go
for a long walk with the tide out.  It was over 2 hours later when I got
back and didn't notice if Melody (what a dreadful name for an adult, her
parents must have been hippies) was still out or not.  I showered and hit
the bed for a quick nap and before I knew it the ocean air knocked the hell
out of me.  I woke up just before 6 pm.

   I didn't feel real hungry, but thirsty I was and I was going to let beer
quench that at Mikes.  I got dressed in a local bar tee and sweat-shorts
with just my ID, room key, a plastic pouch with B complex vitamins, and 2
$100 bills and a few ones for the trolley.

   The trolley ran a run each evening from 4:30 until 1:00 a.m.  from the
two big night spots and restaurants, to the 3 larger hotels on the main
drag and then down in to Wells Beach where locals and condo renters could
take advantage.  The whole run took about 20 minutes around.  It was $2 a
trip and well worth it.  The walk from the place I was staying to the
Trolley Stop was no more than 100 yards.  When I turned the corner to the
sheltered stop I saw Melody sitting there waiting.

   "If I may be so bold, Hello uh, Mel?  Headed to Mikes?" I asked.

   "Yes.  I asked about the trolley and you have a great idea, not having
to drive.  Please don't feel uncomfortable calling me Mel.  I really hate
my name now that I've over 14, but my parents were hippies (I knew it!) and
they told me it was either that or Poppy.  My middle name is after my
Grandma, and that's Harriet.  So, Mel it is." She said shaking her head.

   "I suppose it could have been worse.  I'm Bartholomew and my
grandparents always called me that, but besides that I've always been Bart,
and of course in school I was always Black Bart.  Being white, I never
understood it but . . . ."

   Just then we heard the bell and the trolley was pulling up.  I got on
and sat on the front bench and Mel sat across from me.  I made a point of
getting on first so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable asking if I could sit
next to her.  I wanted her to have the option.  I didn't want her think I
thought this was any sort of date.  I think we were both far from that
restart, besides I was 15 or more years older than she.

   Neither of us said anything on the ride as we watched the marsh go by
and then let a bunch of people off at one popular restaurant before they
pulled into Mikes.

   We bypassed the crowd waiting for dinner tables and made our way into
the bar where she grabbed my elbow.

   "Bart, would you mind much if I sat beside you?  I don't need anyone
hitting on me.  Don't worry I won't burden you with my problems.  I just
want to drink and get the edge off and get a bite later.  There's two
people going to eat, I'll bet I can get those 2 stools." She said shyly

   Just as she went for the two stools at the bar 2 younger guys cut in
front of her.

   She suddenly put the sweetest smile on her face and leaned in to say
something to them with her arm on one of the stools and she said a few
words and they backed away, almost apologizing.  She motioned me up and I
sat down.

   "What did you say to them?" I asked.

   "I told them we've been waiting for 2 stools for a long time and our
table was going to be called in a few minutes." And then she blushed and
brought her shoulders in pressing her breasts together making some nice
cleavage as the front of her scoop tee opened as she said "Young boys are
impressionable." as I chuckled.  (But the size and shape of her tits did
not escape me, mourning or not.)

   The bartender came and Mel told him before anything was ordered that it
was separate checks and she ordered a Jack and Coke and clams casino trio,
I got a large Sam's Summer Ale and garlic knots.  Neither of us said much
for the next 15-20 minutes while we watched the TV and nibbled, reading the
closed captioning (it was so loud they couldn't possibly have the sound
on), and then checking out the people.  At one point Mel saw a shooting
gallery type game open up in the back corner and asked me to watch her
drink and change while she went back and played.  I continued to watch the
TV which just changed over to a Red Sox game.  I glanced back to the corner
and saw Mel talking to a guy while she shook her head and he turned away,
but when I looked back again the same guy was there seeming to confront her
about something, his hand on her shoulder.  I could see she was upset and
this guy at least looked like he was being persistent.

   The bartender came by and I said that we were staying, but playing a
game and not to give our seats up.  Between the two of us, we had already
pushed 4 or 5 dollars into the bar gutter for him, so he just nodded.

   I went back to the corner I heard this guy saying "C'mon it's only
fair.", as she pushed his hand off her shoulder a second time that I saw.
So I just walked up and asked, "Honey, is there a problem?"

   Mel looked to me with a half smile and said "This gentleman wants to
challenge me to a game of pairs for a drink.  I prefer to play alone."

   "You heard the lady, she doesn't want to play you.  And honey, our food
is there now." I said hopefully convincing him that she was not alone here.

   I went back to my stool and when she finished the game she came back to
the bar.

   "You didn't have to do that.  I can handle myself.  I would have taken
great pleasure in beating the shit out of him if he touched me." She said
full of bravado.

   "You both would have been arrested and also charged with inciting. 
Don't do something stupid to satisfy your inner aggressions.  He didn't
take your husband away from you." I deadpanned staring straight at the TV
as I was actually pissed at her for saying something so stupid.

   I heard her choke back tears and then take her unfinished drink and down
it and place the glass on the bar, pushing it to the edge for refill. 
After the bartender refilled her she leaned toward me.  I took it as her
wanting to say something private to me as I saw her in the bar mirror below
the TV we were sitting in front of.

   "I have my wedding ring on and the guy didn't even care.  He thought I
was looking for it." She said as an excuse for making her tough gal threat.

   "I think he wanted to play the game more than anything, not pick you up.
Once you sent him away the first time, he was wrong to persist.  I still
wear MY ring too and I had held my hand up behind you to show him, in case
he needed convincing about his walking away." I told her without looking at
her directly, but into the mirror.  She wasn't aware I was watching her
reaction in the mirror and probably thought I was aloof.

   "Oh!  I didn't know that.  Thanks, . .  uh . .  Bart." She said looking
to me to acknowledge her mea culpa, so I pointed straight to her, in the
mirror and said with a shit eating grin "Here's looking at you, kid."

   "Well, of all the gin joints, in all the towns of the world. . . . . .
." She said with the brightest smile I had seen her use yet as she matched
my one liner from Casablanca.

   That smile of self pride in knowing where my line came from and throwing
down another from the same movie lit up her face and I knew how her husband
had fallen in love with her.  She glowed, she was so pretty when she was
happy and any man would have done anything to keep that look on her face.

   "You're right.  I would have been stupid.  Thanks for rescuing me.  My
Frankie couldn't have done it any better, and he would have chided me for
my idle threat too." She said suddenly getting quiet as memories and
reality descended on her.

   She threw back her 4th Jack and Coke and pushed her glass up for the
bartender to refill.

   "If you're going to drink like that you better get something else to eat
as I pushed the basket with the last 3 garlic knots I hadn't finished.

   She grabbed the basket and ate them quietly, heeding my advice to get
something in her stomach, which she may have heard before.

   "I see those big haddock sandwiches getting served down the bar, a
couple times.  Would you share one with me?" She said to me, our eyes
meeting in the mirror.

   I looked down two stools and saw what appeared to be a long roll with
lettuce and tomato and mayo or tartar oozing out with a large piece of
haddock and said "OK, it looks good."

   We sat quietly after she ordered "that sandwich, two plates." from the
bartender.  I hadn't thought about Piper Lee all night, and that was the
purpose of my drinking.  However I could see she was still immersed in
keeping "My Frankie" on her mind, despite the 4 Jacks with Coke.

   Our sandwich came on two plates and I could see why she ordered this
way, we each got garlic fries on the side with a little cup of slaw.  She
knew Mikes served "two plates" this way.

   We each ate and enjoyed the tasty fresh fish sandwich without saying as
much as one word.  When we finally pushed the plates away we each ordered
our 6th drink and we were ready to go deep into the night with the alcohol
and our little party.  However I wasn't in the mood for a pity party and I
wanted her to unload.  As painful as I knew it would be at the moment, she
might enjoy her night a little if she dumped her burdens.

   I touched her hand for the first time and got her to turn and look at
me.

   "So, how did Frankie die?" I asked feeling a little cruel, but I knew
she had to get it out of the way.

   "I don't want to . . . ." She started quietly averting her eyes.

   "Bullshit Mel!  It's the elephant in the room and he's begging you to
let it out.  I've been there and talking is the best way to get it off your
mind and let yourself live a little.  God, you know I'm not trying to do
anything with you.  We're just two sad people trying to drown our sorrows
and enjoy a place that used to bring us happiness."

   Melody looked down and I could tell she was stifling a cry, but she
tipped her head back and swallowed hard saying "OK, you're right."

   She took about 3 deep breaths and swallowed hard a few times and looked
at me.

   "We were on vacation in Italy.  Frank felt like hell and it came on
fast. Soreness in his shoulders and neck, persistent headache.  He had been
there before with family, so he sent me to some sights close to the hotel
and asked me to let him sleep it off.  He took some Advil or something and
stayed in bed.  When I got back he was still sleeping and I let him sleep
for almost 20 hours.  When he woke in the morning he was confused as to
what day it was, wondering if sending me off alone was a dream.  But, he
got up and said he felt pretty good and we went for breakfast after which
we journeyed to his family hometown and homestead for a reunion of sorts,
people from all over the world.  In the middle of the day he had broken out
in a huge rash across his stomach and felt nauseous.  He stuck out most of
the day and we got back to the hotel and he started vomiting.  He finally
got to sleep and I went to ask the desk about local hospitals.  They
directed me and in the morning I arranged a medi-cab type of transport to
the hospital.  They kept him for a day and said he had Lyme disease and
gave him medication and said he should clear up in 7 or 8 days as long as
he knew he hadn't been symptomatic long.  When we left the states he claims
he felt fine.  By our fifth day we skipped the last 2 days of our trip and
flew home.  After 2 days at home and no improvement we went to the hospital
that examined him and sent us to Boston.  After 7 days in the hospital
there, he died and we still don't have clear reason or cause of death, just
some kind of virus or strain of staph or something.  They tested me over
and over again and I never showed any abnormalities."

   She took her last drink and downed it, looked at me and said, "So you
can see why I'm still in shock and wonderment how God could be so cruel."

   I was misty eyed at her tale and simply answered her by saying, "God
must have loved him very much, and wanted to test your faith.  That's what
the nuns would tell us."

   "I didn't buy that old Catholic School shit then and now even less so.
He was my life and he got taken away." She said shrugging off the words and
looking to me for more.

   I added my own experience, "I went to see a therapist, but only for one
session and she told me one thing to take away.  That was "All the tears in
the world, anguished cries and pleas to a higher life form will bring her
back.  So begin each day knowing you have to restart your life, and every
day you put it off is one more day of being miserable." So that's why I'm
here in Maine where we always went."

   Mel didn't break down and cry, but the tears were flowing pretty heavy
as she tried to remain composed.

   "I came here looking for him or some sort of sign that he knew how I
felt.  Maybe what you just said came from him, because he always said that
same line to me when I lost my Mom, then my Dad.  It was almost word for
word.  I've cried and been miserable for the past 9 months and it's only
made me more crazy.  Thank you, Bart.  I think he just spoke to me through
you."

   I was a little taken aback by her words and hoped I could continue to
live by the same words, as I had tried.  I didn't come to Maine looking for
Piper Lee, I came to start anew and to do things I knew I loved.

   We each spent the next 20 minutes in solitude, despite the crush of
people around us.  We both finished drinks and pushed our glasses up for
refills.  The bartender sensed a bender coming on and asked for our credit
cards to run while we could still walk (his words).  I told him I had cash,
but I never let myself get "that" drunk.  I've walked that line many times
and I know when to stop, get some carbs to continue or quit.  She let him
run her card, but I gave him a hundred, down payment to show good faith.  I
pulled a little plastic pouch from my pocket and took two B complex tablets
from it and asked for a glass of water.  I nudged Mel from her reverie and
asked her if she wanted to try my hangover and drunken fool preventative.
She said no at first, but then after seeing me guzzle the water, asked for
two of my pills, and ended up doing the same.

   We each had one more drink and I saw the time as just after 12:30.

   "Mel, the last trolley back will be leaving from out front soon and I'm
going to be on it." I said as I stood, paid the rest of my bill and left
$25 for the bartender under my glass.

   "I may stay and find someone to pick me up and bring me home.  I feel
adventurous all of a sudden.  I haven't been single for a long time." She
said in a sudden act of bravado against her depression.

   "OK, just remember, you have to live with your conscience when you get
up in the morning, or afternoon.  Don't do anything you can't equate to
your depression.  You already spent 9 months feeling sorry for yourself and
seeking pity." I said with a little grin as I took her hand and kissed it.

   She had been a great companion for the evening, despite the lows, and a
few bright spots.  At any time in my life I would have been proud to sit
for the evening with a woman so attractive.  I had to do a little
mothering, a little fathering, and a little appreciating her companionship.

   The crush of people in the bar had dwindled, and some of the parties
moved into the now closed restaurant part of the building, so I was able to
walk out freely and see 2 other couples waiting in the bus shelter for the
last trolley.  One couple was sort of necking and sort of anxious to get to
where they were going to be alone.  The other couple was making constant
eyes to each other while their hands rested on each other's knees.  I sat
alone waiting for the ride and remembering the nights Piper Lee and I had
spent like that.

   I heard unmistakable DING-DING of the trolley from up the road.  It was
about 2 stops away.

   Suddenly I felt a person plop down beside me.  I was startled and began
to move away thinking it was a drunk Mikes patron when a hand went to my
knee.  It was Melody.

   "I decided YOU should bring me home Bart.  I'm still not that single to
get picked up by a stranger." She said with a giggle I hadn't heard before.

   I laughed at her remark and put my arm around her to give her a friendly
hug.  She turned and planted her mouth on mine for a big wet kiss.

   "You're no stranger, Bart.  You've been so nice."

   "We were good for each other tonight." I said thinking nothing of her
advance.

   The trolley was just pulling up and as we stood she quietly said, "The
night isn't over yet, and we can still be good."

   On the trolley I was trying to figure what she meant in her words
because I had certainly made no advance at all towards her and besides the
fact I had acknowledged to myself she had a nice body, I had not thought
once about her and I being together in ANY way.  (I had 15-20 years on her,
although I looked pretty good for my age)

   I did the same as I had earlier in the evening, I got on ahead of her to
sit in the front horizontal bench, but this time she sat right beside me
and took my arm and hugged herself to me.  I didn't really know how to
react, if I was assuming too much, or if she just wanted to get back to her
room safely.  We were on our way to the final stop when she tipped her head
up to my ear.

   "Come home with me.  I know we have issues, but let's talk, OK?"

   I said nothing but just gave her a look to which she responded, "No
promises given or assumed from either of us.  Deal?"

   She must have seen the fear and trepidation in my eyes as I sort of
nodded.  I really didn't know what to think.  I hadn't really, seriously,
thought of sex in many months.  When I was cleaning up stuff about 3 months
after Piper Lee died I found a video we shot of ourselves.  I thought we
agreed to erase it, but apparently she had a reason for keeping it.  We had
taken it from the side of the bed and she climbed between my legs and began
sucking me, flipped around for some 69, and then she rode me a bit and
finished her doggie.  I sat on the bed afterward while we laughed at what
we did, recording ourselves, and she fell to her knees in front of me and
sucked me clean, although you couldn't actually see her, just the back of
her head.  The video had me excited as hell and I beat myself off that
night and then in the morning I felt guilty and destroyed the tape, like I
had dishonored her.  I replayed it in my head that night and repeated my
performance and I haven't really thought of sex since.  So to say I was
nervous, was an understatement.  If I thought she was drunk to ANY degree I
wasn't even going to go to her place.

   When the trolley stopped, as you can read in my words, my mind was
reeling.  She got up and took my hand and led me off the trolley and we
walked around the corner and down the lane past two houses to the condo
structure.

   We got to the walk-thru and stairwell that was just out of the light
before the stairway up and she stopped.  I turned and she kissed me hard. I
began to resist, feebly, and gave in, her lips felt so good.  She broke the
kiss and pulled me toward the lighted stairwell opposite where I should
have been going.

   "Come on, we'll talk this out." She said taking my hand and going up to
her condo.

   Once inside the door she turned on lights and went to close the curtain
on the double slider that faced the ocean.  She came back to where I stood
and tipped her head like a curious cat.

   "I'm not drunk.  I know what I'm doing.  I've always told myself that I
could be with another man once I knew my Frankie would understand.  When
you quoted your therapist, it was what Frank told me to draw me out of my
funk.  Your last line, "you have to restart your life, and every day you
put it off is one more day of being miserable," was what he told me over
and over, word for word.  I've dreamt of being with a man so many nights.
I've watched porn on the internet and it seems that going through a case of
batteries in every toy I own hasn't been enough to push me over the edge.
Bart, we went from making love 3 or 4 times a week to nothing from the day
he went to the hospital.  I need to be with a man and if I have to put on
that bathing suit to entice you to lay a hand on me I will.  I figured
after you left tonight that it was time for us to put Piper Lee and my
Frankie behind us.  There's a reason we both came here."

   "I don't want you to hate me or for me to hate myself in the morning. 
We aren't kids anymore.  When I was 20 or 25 I would have sniffed you down
like a dog in heat if I saw you out." I told her, still not committing to
anything.

   "If you exuded the self-confidence and talked as wise as you did
tonight, and looked out for me as you did tonight, you wouldn't have had to
sniff.  I would have been waiting for you.  But when you were 20 or 25 I
wasn't even 10.  You said you were with her for 10 years.  Were you married
before then?" She asked.

   "Am I being vetted now?" I asked with a chuckle.

   "Bart, you aren't taking me serious are you?  I'm just curious.  I've
only had a couple one nighters, and I do mean 2.  I think you've had a
lot." She said with somber innocence.

   "Before Piper, there were many, but none I took as substantial
possibilities of being "with" a person, you know like being married. 
Neither she or I had any sights on marriage, but we lived like we were."

   "What was different about her?" She wondered as she moved closer to me,
putting her arms around me, her chin even with the middle of my chest and
now looking up at me, almost daring me to meet her eye to eye.

   I chuckled a little and looked her square in the eye.  "She was a lot
like you, she knew what she wanted, she was sexy, and she didn't play
games. Where other women pressed me for commitments, she just wanted me
like I was, with one exception.  I couldn't run around.  If I wanted to,
she was fine with it, but she wouldn't be there when I came home.  We moved
in together after a couple weeks and I never wanted another woman."

   "Until now, . . . . . .  admit it.  I can feel some interest pressing
against me." She said, and she was right, she had me interested.

   I had spent the night trying to be the good guy, trying to help this
woman through her sadness so depression wouldn't get the best of her and
suddenly she wanted me.  But if she wanted me it would be on my terms.

   "Let's go to the small sofa." I said taking her hand from behind me and
leading her to the love seat opposite the convertible sofa.

   "Why don't we just go to the bed?" She whined.

   "Wait, that sounds like a desperate drunk woman, and I'm not playing
that game Mel." I said suddenly going cold on her.

   "Bart, I'm not drunk.  I just want to hurry this along.  It's after
one!"

   "Why don't we wait until morning then?  Are you afraid the waning
alcohol will lessen your desire for me?" I asked, still suspect it was the
alcohol talking.

   She shifted to her knees on the sofa and faced me bringing her face
right next to mine.

   "Bart, I'm not drunk.  I want you to make love to me and make me happy,
just like I'm going to make love to you and make you happy.  I won't be
sorry in the morning and I'll prove it by fucking you in the morning too. I
promise."

   "I don't need promises Mel; I just want to trust that you know what
you're doing."

   Chapter 2

   I no more than got those words out of my mouth and she attached her lips
to mine.  Her lips were full and soft and she knew how to kiss and once she
brought her tongue into the deal, I knew she was a sensuous woman.  There
was no clicking of teeth, not trapped lips, bit lips, or tongue.  It was a
soft but firmly placed mouth to mine that knew her way around the female to
male kiss.  I had been sort of holding my breath a bit not wanting to
commit to her seduction, but I let out a long breath through my nose and
relaxed into the love seat and brought my hands around her back.

   I ran my hands over her back and found no bra and I was sure there was a
sheer sports bra hiding in there with the cleavage she was sporting, but
there was nothing.  I wondered already if her boobs were all her.  I think
we discerned she was 33 and married 6 years, no kids, but her bust-line was
that of a 20 year old if they were real.  From her kneeling position on the
love seat she threw out one leg and swung it over to straddle me, sitting
right on my cock.  She giggled and reached down and moved me to one side,
not shy about handling my tool through my shorts.

   We continued to neck until she broke her lip lock and smiled to me and I
dove my mouth to her neck and up to her ear and then she preened her head
straight up and I followed her lead under her chin to the other side of her
neck and ear.  She was huffing and puffing and girlie squirming under me.
She was beyond second thoughts so I went for her mouth as I ran my hands
under the back of her scoop neck tee and up her back bringing the rolling
garment up over her belly and nearly over her breasts.  She brought her
hands up and cradled my head in them and moved my head back, kissing me
harder than before, but still with those sexy soft lips.  I brought my
hands up higher and pulled them towards her sides forcing her rolled up top
over her breasts.

   She immediately sat back on me and finished her hard kiss and pulled
back as if to audition her tits.

   They were fabulous, sitting high and firm with dark puffie areolas and
gum drop nipple buds.  I looked at them and then to her eyes.  I could tell
she was proud of them, but a slightly painful smile crossed her lips that
told me she wanted them to get attention.  I could hardly decide whether I
wanted to just manhandle them, or suck on those buds, but the hungry sex
starved male in me solved the problem by just dropping my mouth to her
right nipple.

   God, I could have nursed all night on that bud.  It was firm and
responsive and the way she groaned I knew her water works was working down
below, she was getting well oiled.  She couldn't stand to wait any longer
and brought her hands up, one to hold her boob for me to nurse, the other
to pinch the left nipple and squeeze that tit.  I pushed the hand on her
left breast away and switched my mouth to that one and she threw her head
back a second time and then finished taking off her top.  I was now holding
and squeezing her breasts while my mouth worked them both over.  I think I
grew another inch in my pants when I came to the conclusion they were real
and so perfect.

   I went for her mouth again as my hands slipped over her ass and
squeezed. The tight jeans shorts she wore were somewhat of a ruse.  They
were actually a soft fabric that looked just like denim but was a soft
cotton feel.  It was like I was holding her ass through her panties.  I
circled my hands around those globes a few times before I got down under
them and held them, my fingers almost touching under where her wet cooter
was.  I squeezed hard and felt dampness at the tips of my fingers.

   Her hand reached down between us and a thumb and forefinger encircled
the head of my penis over my pants.  She looked at me longingly and I
sighed, letting her know how good it felt.  I took one hand from under her
and slid it right alongside hers and ran it over her pussy, right up the
crease.

   She bounced off of me and undid her shorts and pulled them down, turning
inside out, they were so tight over her hips.  She wore a thong that was
simply a patch over her shaved pussy to protect her from any harsh
material. She thrust that down and shook it off her feet.  I scooted to the
edge of the love seat and put my arms around her waist and pulled to me,
tonguing and licking her outtie belly button and then I fell to one knee
and twisted her to get her on the love seat.  When she sat her whole
package was over the edge of the cushion and she spread her legs.  I went
to both knees and pushed my face into her pussy in hopes of near drowning
in her juices.  She was incredibly wet and breathless in moments, stifling
the screams she wanted to make.  She pulled a pillow from the end of the
love seat and swooned and squealed into that.  When I picked up my face I
could see fluid leaking from her running down her pink gash and over her
asshole to drip on the floor.  I swiped my tongue once from under her up
over her asshole and to her pussy.  She bounced on the sofa on that move.

   I got as much of her pussy in my mouth as I could and sucked up until I
had just her clit between my lips, it almost seemed to quiver on my tongue
and then she pushed the pillow from her face down her belly to push my
mouth away.

   "Oh my GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!" She swooned.  "I haven't cum like that since
. . . . . ." She hollered out loudly as she grabbed her pussy and squeezed
to sooth it.

   I had fallen forward and leaned on the front of the love seat with now
her one leg resting on my back.

   "Bart, you eat pussy like you own one.  I thought I was going to pass
out or die."

   I smiled to myself but didn't respond to her, I was still catching my
breath as I was fighting with her to keep my face in her quim, all to her
delight I might add.

   "BART!  You didn't fall asleep, did you?" She hollered.

   I peeled my head up and looked at her with a big grin.  "Did it feel
like I was sleeping down there?"

   She smiled and said "Get up here, I have work to do."

   I climbed up onto the love seat sitting long ways facing her, tucking
one foot behind her and putting my other leg off the sofa until she moved.
I had worked my pants open during my pussy feast, but I was still wearing
them.  She moved to her knees and took hold of the sides of my shorts and
pulled them down, with my underwear.  She reached out and took my cock in
her hand and it was then I could tell she wasn't the sort of lady who had
done this with a lot of men.  Perhaps many times with a few, but the way
she handled me, it was like all new to her.  She looked at me and moved a
little closer and put a hand under my balls.

   "You're bigger than what I'm used to.  Not a lot, just the head is so
wide."

   "I never bragged about what I have and haven't heard that before, so I
guess it's all in the eyes of the beholder." I said as I relished being
held and handled.

   He started to stroke me and I guess I really didn't automatically expect
oral, but I thought I might have earned it and wondered if that was old
school.  I hadn't played this game for a while.

   "I'd love you to stay with me tonight, sleep with me, wake up with me.
After that, no strings.  OK?" She said guarding her words carefully.

   "Suppose I want strings?"

   "Suppose I do?" She retorted quickly as she got into stroking me a
little closer.

   I laughed at her answer and she looked at me real serious and said "Day
to day?  How's that?  Keep in mind we may never see each other once we
leave here."

   "Unless we wanted to." I shot back, really not knowing HOW I felt about
her, except I wanted her to make me cum.

   "We?' She said.

   "Yes, we.  Nobody's chasing someone who doesn't want to be caught."

   She laughed through her nose and looked at my cock, then dropped her
mouth over me, shocking me to react as if someone put ice down my back,
because it felt so good I thought I might cum in her mouth right there. 
She lifted her head drooled a bit over it and went down over half way and
began to rock over it.  It was only the beginning, but it was the start of
the best head I ever had, whether that judgment was a result of my long
abstinence or not, I don't know.  But she had a talented mouth.

   I felt things begin to stir after a few minutes and I could see she was
enjoying herself, sucking then coming off and stroking some spit over it so
her lips would slide down and then she would continue.  I was near
speechless.  Then she came up and smiled at me and strained to reach my
lips to kiss and she sat back.  I thought we would move to the bed so I
could get inside her, but she smiled at me again, the kind of smile you
don't give to just anyone.  Her face was so sweet and she said;

   "Let me finish you, I'd like that.  Then we can make love in the
morning, if you like.  I want it to be special and we're both a little
ragged right now."

   I had gotten to the point where I wanted to fuck her so bad, especially
from behind to see that round ass of hers.  So, while I was a bit
disappointed, the way she said it sounded like a dream.  I smiled like a
guy with a big hard on before a pretty lady who wanted to suck him off.

   She knew my smile was the answer she was going to get and it was fine
with her.  She spit in her hand and rubbed me up and down once and
continued what she was doing.

   She was enjoying sucking me, or putting on a great act.  She would stop
sucking but continue stroking me and looked to be admiring her favorite toy
before dropping her mouth over me again.  Things began to stir in the balls
she was fumbling and I think she got a few tastes of pre-cum because she
went to just one hand at the base of my cock and rocking her head over the
first 3 or 4 inches until I hunched a little and I saw my stomach roll,
like a muscle spasm, as my cum rose.  I began to grunt and when I groaned
at my first shot she stopped her hand and gently moved her mouth up and
down over me and I felt her swallowing every few dips.  It was like she
checked something to see how I preferred my blowjob.  She was tender and
loving and truly enjoying getting me off.  When I was through she squeezed
me a bit and licked off any trailings I had and then sat back and smiled at
me sweetly.

   "I know you liked that, and so did I, . . .  a lot.  You were nice and
let me have MY way with you.  I can't wait till you make love to me in the
morning.  If we did it tonight you would have just fucked me and left. 
This will be special, I promise." She said grinning as she deftly stood on
the love seat in one motion and stepped off the love seat.

   She put her hand out to me.

   "Come on Bart.  I don't think we'll have much trouble sleeping." She
said extending her hand and pulling me up as I followed her sweet ass into
her bedroom.

   "Do you want the left or right side?" She asked and I just sat on the
right.

   "Cat got your tongue?" she asked.

   "This has been a lot to digest tonight.  I never expected or even
fathomed I . . . . ." I started but she stopped me.

   "I would have put your chances at 1000 to 1 if someone asked, and if you
had pursued anything beyond what you did at Mikes, it would have been a
million to one.  Frankie spoke to me through you and I realized I've just
been afraid to live, afraid to be happy.  Right now for the first time in
many months I can actually say I'm happy and joyful.  I didn't think I
would ever feel that way again, and I never thought I would ever HAVE an
orgasm like that again.  You were spectacular."

   "You were, um . .WOW too!  You know." I said quietly as I lay on the
bed.

   "I enjoyed that too.  I loved tasting you.  I'm going to brush my teeth
and tend to natures call, do you need to get in there?" She said pointing
to the bathroom.

   "Yeah, I could go.  Should I go ahead of you?"

   "Please, I brush and floss like crazy a couple times a day after
neglecting my teeth for a while.  So I'll be a few minutes.  There's a
guest brush in the medicine cabinet if you want it."

   I was closing the door as I told her, "In the morning".

   I really, really had to pee, all of a sudden, and after cumming so hard
and the way she treated me my junk, even peeing felt fantastic.  When I
finished I came out and she was still all smiles and she was humming as she
went into the bathroom.  I heard her brush and soon thereafter I was
asleep. I never heard her come to bed.

   I woke up at one time in the night and scanned the room for a clock and
saw 5:16.  I went to pee and when I came out I saw a glow from the edge of
the curtains on a window facing towards the east.  I peeked behind it and
saw a fire red sky beginning to light up with the sun, due to rise in a
half hour or so.  I was taken aback at the awesome colors and majesty of
the pre-dawn sky.  When I turned back I was floored again by the sight of
Melody lying naked and uncovered on her stomach in the spot beside where I
was lying.  The full round perfect ass was a picture that all future asses
should be sculpted.  Even at 50 years old at 5 o'clock in the morning I
felt my cock surge and beg like a dog for her, but I resisted instead,
longing for the pillow I rested my head on a few moments earlier.  I pulled
the sheet up over both of us as I lie down and despite a cry from my sex, I
fell quickly back asleep.

   I wasn't sure how long I slept but when I rolled from my stomach the
light in the room rudely woke me.  The shade I had peeked behind earlier
was now open and as I scanned for the clock I saw 9:30.  My mind sorted
through the cobwebs I fingered the seeds from my eyes and wondered where
Mel was when I became aware of hearing the shower behind the bathroom door.
I spent the next few minutes just waking up and stretching my old legs and
then I heard the water shut off.  In a couple minutes the door opened and
the bright smiling face that said "Let me finish you, I'd like that.", was
looking down at me.  "Good morning sleepyhead.  How did you sleep?" She
said as she sat down on the edge of the bed and bent to kiss me.

   "Like a rock, uh . . .  two rocks.  I didn't hear a thing until I had to
pee at 5 or so."

   "You must have covered me then.  I threw off the sheet last night I was
warm."

   "I did.  I saw the red sky of dawn and I'm not sure what was more
beautiful, that or the back of your beautiful body laying there." I
admitted to her.

   "On my stomach showing my best side?" She asked, to which I just smiled.

   "Guys love my ass.  Frankie loved my ass." She said swallowing hard
making me think this would be the end of her freedom from his ghost.

   But she reached and ran her hand under my balls and over my cock before
patting my belly a couple times saying as she got up, "Why don't you jump
in the shower and freshen up your mouth.  I'll dry my hair and meet you
right here.  I have coffee on, how do you like it?"

   "Black Mel, just a spoon of sugar." I said as I dragged myself up and
got my bearings.

   "Don't worry about your clothes; you won't need them for a while." She
said with a wink as she pointed to the chair in the room where my shorts,
shirt, underwear, and socks were neatly folded, with my sneakers on the
floor.

   As I showered I thought about this whirlwind relationship and I wondered
where it was supposed to go.  Was I her gateway to returning to the social
scene and resuming her active sex life?  Was I simply her excuse to let
loose and let her hair down before she went home to be among family and
friends and continue to mourn?  Did she really have feelings for me and
want to pursue a relationship?

   Myself, I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted.  She seemed to be a nice
person and a dynamic personality who was at least as sexual as Piper Lee
was, and that was important to me.  Even though I had been a run-around for
many years before Piper settled me down, I still enjoyed an active sex life
with her, but I had been celibate since her passing.  However, I knew once
I wanted to get back into that social scene of seeking female partners I
wouldn't find willing females as young and certainly not as beautifully
endowed as Melody.  I looked down at my body and saw what I considered a
fairly good looking body for a 50 year old man.  But, that was it, "for a
50 year old man." I still had most of my hair and my hairy body looked like
I had a tinge of ash to it, except where I was man-scaped.  Piper had
always kept me trimmed back and when it started to grow back in back in
February and March I decided I didn't like the feel of that bush growing
again.  With just a quarter inch growth I was constantly more aware of my
stuff, not that I was using it, but it just made me feel manlier.

   I remembered the toothbrush package she left out on the sink so I pushed
back the curtain and reach for it and her toothpaste so I could brush in
the shower.  That was another Piper thing, brush in the shower so you don't
get any of that paste crud on your mouth after brushing.  She would kiss me
and say she could taste toothpaste on my lips.  It was a Piper thing that I
still did to this day.

   When I got out and dried I looked forward to how Mel might greet me.  I
was ready for a total change of heart, or breakfast and a send off, or for
her to be as sexy and amorous as the night before.  I sort of doubted the
later since there was no alcohol involved, but she did seem pretty spunky
so far this morning.

   Fully dried I looked for some sort of deodorant/antiperspirant and there
was a Suave sample or travel size still wrapped in the medicine cabinet.  I
think I saw the same one in my room as well, so I used it.  I didn't like
to smell sweat on myself.  As sexy as some women think that man sweat smell
is, I find it gross and it makes me self conscious.  If I was going to
perform sexually, I was going to sweat, in all likelihood.

   I opened the door and the room had been slightly darkened by the
curtains and she was wearing a sheer sleep top, nothing else, sitting up
against the back of the bed with a small, what looked like a, footstool or
step up, to serve as a coffee table in the bed.

   "Good morning Bart!  You look deliciously refreshed.  Come have coffee
with me and wake up." She said as her eyes glued to me.

   I got onto the bed and propped up against the headboard like she was and
picked up my coffee and looked at her and met her smiling adoring eyes
again.  I wondered if she was seeing me or the ghost of her husband as she
spoke.

   "See, it wasn't the alcohol that attracted me to you last night, it was
you.  I'm not saying anything can come of this, but we're in our own little
world right now and we've had a lot of fun so far.  Only fate knows what
will happen with us.  We hardly know each other and right now, the less we
know the better.  We both know we want this, and we want it to be beautiful
and perfect.  Agreed?"

   What she said was quite true in every way and I nodded as I picked up my
coffee.  "Agreed!  The fewer words the better.  We can talk later."

   We made small talk over our coffee discussing the sound of the waves,
what time the tide would be in and that we both wanted to be on the beach
later.  When we were taking our last sips of coffee she said to me, "Why
don't you take this and put it on the dresser over there?" As she picked up
a bottle of water and took a sip to clean the coffee taste from her mouth
and she handed me the bottle.  I did the same as she and took the tray from
the bed and did as she asked.  When I turned back her sheer top had come
off and she had slipped down into the bed.

   "Come here and be with me." She semi-whispered .

   I didn't detect any reluctance or any sign she was just fulfilling a
promise or anything like that, she really wanted me, so who was I to
disappoint?

   I got in beside her and she rolled to her side as did I and we kissed a
few times before we started to neck and swap spit with tongue play.  She
was truly a sensuous and sexual kisser.  Soon I began to move over her and
get her flat on her back and move my hands to her breasts where we
progressed much as we did the night before, but when I went to move down
her body she grabbed my arm.

   "Please I'm wet enough already and I'll be so wet we won't feel
anything. I really need you soon.  Kneel up and let me make you hard, your
cock is so delicious." She said with imploring eyes and voice tone.

   Who could refuse that?  She smelled so good and her body tasted so good,
I really wanted her then and now, but she had asked me nicely, so I rolled
back and went to my knees and she scooted a little to put her face before
me.  She took my cock in her hand and started to stroke it, looking at it
intently like some sort of magic trick was about to be performed.

   "I've wanted a man for so long and so glad it's you.  You were so nice
to me last night and then so delicious for me.  I know it had been a while
for you too.  In this way we were good for each other." She said leaving me
to think her words were strange or cryptic.

   She kissed the tip and down the shaft and even rolled her head under me
to tongue my balls before starting again at the top and holding the head in
her mouth while her tongue rolled over and over it.  Then her mouth went
over me maybe just an inch short of touching my pubic bone.  She let her
mouth up and rocked her mouth over me about 10 times finally licking and
sucking me like a lollipop before laying back on the bed and holding out
her hands for me.  I took her hands while I climbed over her and settled
between her drawn up legs.

   "Do you want a pillow under my butt?" She whispered.

   I took her legs behind each of her knees and put them against my
shoulders while I reached down and rubbed the head of my penis through her
lips and I sort of fell into her, her eyes rolling back and sighing loudly.

   "Oh my God, you feel so big, so deep in me.  Give me a chance to catch
my breath.  I've been revirginized." She said smiling and grunting from the
intrusion.

   I held myself up to the hilt in her while I smiled back and told her how
good she felt.

   "God, Melody, you're so warm, so tight.  Let me know when you can take
it.  Do you like slow and sexy, or rough and tumble?"

   "Oooo, so glad you asked so I don't have to embarrass myself later.  Do
me slow and sexy and after I cum once let me turn over and pound me.  Leave
some hand prints on my ass.  You should put a condom on to finish in me."
She said through a crackly voice as she got used to me stuffing her.

   To the tune is the old Connie Francis song "Vacation" I sang "
V-A-S-E-C-T-O-M-Y, we can have some fun!"

   "REALLY!  Those delicious little spermies weren't even loaded?"

   "No they weren't and just how do I get the hand prints on your ass?" I
asked wanting to hear her say it.

   "Spank your naughty girl, she likes the burn with her orgasm." She said
blushing deeply.

   I grinned and started to move on her, pumping slowly and letting her
legs fall to the side and I bent and kissed her soft mouth.  Kissing her
and having her groan into my mouth was something I never experienced
before. The fat head of my cock was making her swoon on almost every
stroke.

   I got down on her, my head beside hers and began to pump her in a
rhythmic meter and she began to breathe heavier and heavier in my ear, and
then I heard little squeaks and catches in her throat that turned to a
constant sort of wail, then I knew she was stifling as best she could.

   "Oh my God Bart, you're going to make me cum already, get it, get it,
get it, get it, GOD - GET ITTTT!" She cried out as her hands dug hard into
my back.

   I tried not to upset my meter until I knew she had passed it, but when
she did I sat back a bit and took her legs again and put them on the front
on my shoulders and bent her almost in half and I pounded her hard for
about 10 strokes with her yelling YES!  on each thrust.  If anyone else was
still in their rooms, they knew what we were doing.

   I sat back to let her up and she quickly flipped over, wanting to get
plowed from behind.  She bent at her hips and stuck her ass in the air,
resting her head on the bed, her hands on either side of it clenching the
sheets waiting to get railed.

   The sight of her perfectly shaped round ass up in the air with her pussy
red from the fucking it had gotten and her asshole so cute and inviting
looking up at me, I was lucky I didn't blow wad right then as I plowed into
her

   Resisting touching her asshole was going to take a monumental effort on
my part, but I knew we weren't that close, even as fuck buddies, for that.
Her pink and somewhat tanned cheeks with the white strip of her bikini
bottom and the red puffy little hole winking each time I pushed into her
made me sure that someone had plumbed that little hole once or at least
tried.  It was hard to resist.

   I stroked her hard at varying speeds trying to detain my orgasm and she
enjoyed every second of it as I saw her flush red, then flush white a
couple times as well as seeing her knuckles turn white gripping the sheets.
She was a cumming machine and suddenly I swung my hand around and slapped
her inviting cheek.

   "Oooooo YESS, smack that ass, give me another!" She said as I instantly
complied.

   A few moments later, I repeated the same, and then once more.  Her ass
was as red as I was going to make it.  I wasn't taking that any further and
I decided it was time to ride into the sunset on her when she said, "Do
it".

   "I can't spank you anymore.  I'm not into that, THAT much."

   "No, not that.  You know what you want to do." She said and I saw her
asshole wink.

   I leaned over and spit down her crease and I saw her turn her face into
the pillow, knowing she was going to holler.

   I put my middle finger on the little hole and it slid right in as she
came loudly grinding her voice into the pillow.  I plumbed that little hole
about another 10 strokes or more and I felt my cum rising.  I pulled my
finger from her and rode her hard pumping her full of cum, at least as much
as I could conjure in the last 9 or so hours.  When I was sure I was
through I collapsed on her bending over her form and reaching under her to
hold those perfect tits.  She was crying happy tears and turned her head to
speak out.

   "Come down with me." She said as she pushed forward from her knees to
her belly, with me on top and my hands glued to her breasts under her.

   She groaned hard and I pulled my hands out and we rolled a few degrees
to the side so she could better breathe.

   "You're a dirty boy, and I'm a dirty girl, and I couldn't be happier
Bart.  This last 12 hours has been the happiest I've been since we left for
Italy.  I never thought any of this could ever happen again.  I miss
Frankie, but I've got to get going again.  I actually thought I would never
have another man again.  . . .  and listen to ME babble.  You still have a
lot to offer a woman Bart and Piper wouldn't want you to be alone either."
She said catching her breath.  "I know, I'll get back into the swing." I
said as I fell out of her and slipped to her side.

   I watched the cum run out of her and I was impressed at the volume.

   "You came a lot." She said looking back at the puddle under her.  "The
maids will have to change this bed.  Do you think they'll know what it is?"


   I gave her a little chuckle and stood, stretching.  "I think I'll get
dressed and go down to my place and shower, get a change of clothes."

   "You don't have to go, we can go out for breakfast." She said hoping I
would stay.

   "I don't know.  The beach may be calling."

   "You don't have to take more pictures, do you?" She asked.

   "No, I emailed about 30 yesterday, and I did take all the ones with you
out." I told her as I began getting dressed.

   "Do you just want to lie in the sun?"

   "Yeah, I think for a while.  Maybe I'll see you down there." I said
hoping she might see she was being clingy and it was bugging me.

   I finished dressing and headed for the door, but she, still without
clothes, and some of my cum running down her leg, ran to cut me off.

   "Bart, I'm not trying to stake ownership in you, or think you owe
anything to me, or I you.  I just think I've found a friend and I like
spending time with you, getting to know you.  Like I said, no strings."

   "It just seems you're trying to apply strings.  If we want this
relationship to mean something someday it has to be the same with or
without the sex and I think you're trying to hold that over my head." I
said hoping I didn't hurt her feelings.

   "Bart, you're assuming that and it's not true.  Whether we get together
again while we're here or not, you mean something to me, but let me make it
clear, I haven't asked you to share my bed again."

   "No, but you're trying to extend this "date" and add more and more
commitment.  I just want to go back to where I was and see how I feel about
the whole thing.  Give me a chance to breathe." I tried to explain.

   "I haven't smothered you!" She protested loudly.

   I stepped toward Mel and took her arms in my hands.  "I'm not angry with
you.  I'm not accusing you of anything.  I don't feel any different about
you now than I did a half hour ago.  I just want a little space to swallow
all of this, and you need some too.  It might be a day or two, it might be
10 minutes.  We'll find out.  Remember, if I wasn't careful in my first
ever encounters, I could be your father."

   Mel went to say something or protest, but she quickly dropped the finger
she was about to make her point with and deflated her breath.

   "Bart, don't let age count as anything.  We've both learned that we can
be here today and gone tomorrow.  I don't care how old you are, if that's
your worry." She surmised trying to be selfless in her feelings.

   "Mel, you are not understanding.  If I walk out that door, it is not a
rejection of you.  It does not mean I will never see you again.  I just
need to shower, get a change of clothes, and have a little time to think.
What happened here was not a lark.  Think about where your feelings were 24
hours ago, where my feelings were 24 hours ago, and where we are now. 
Let's just re-center.  Do you think if I had no feelings for you I wouldn't
have been gone in the morning?  We're just going to be 50 feet apart and
you know where I'll be later.  Let things be what they are.  I just need to
shower, get a change of clothes, and have a little time to think.  Don't
add to the reason why it took me 20 years to find a woman who made me
happy. You're far too special to become that."

   "OK, I'll try to be cool."

   "Don't TRY to be anything.  Just be you and I'll be me.  We did that
last night and it worked out pretty well." I said as Melody seemed to have
a "I could have had a V-8 moment".

   "Jesus, you're right.  We weren't trying for anything last night and . .
(reality sets in) . . . .I'll see you on the beach later." She blurted out
as if struck with lightning, and then she kissed me on the cheek and I was
off.

   As aloof and nonchalant about the situation as I tried to act, Melody
had really thrown me for a loop.  She was an incredible lover, but before
that at the bar I saw an independent woman who seemed to have her shit
together.  I saw a few cracks in her persona when she tried to make the
date never end, but once I reminded her of the changes we both had been
through in the last 24 hours she sort of hit a re-set button and began to
think things through as I thought she had done in each situation in the
bar. I wasn't so shallow as to totally judge her personality based on a few
hours drinking in a bar, or even after a couple sexual encounters.  But, so
far I loved how she handled situations and, except for asking me to stay
for breakfast, reminded me a little of Piper Lee in her life assessments. I
did take into consideration that I WANTED her or any other woman I might
take up with to be like Piper, but except for a blip or two she was of the
same sort of mind.

   I showered and picked up the room, leaving the NO SERVICE sign on the
door.  I had only used one towel since their last visit yesterday
afternoon, and I hadn't slept in the bed.  I put together a bag with my big
towel, some lotion, and my beach chaise with a radio and set it outside the
door and while I surmised the tide and the people volume.

   The tide had just started back out and the beach seemed a bit crowded at
our juncture, but that would remedy itself soon, so I figured a power nap
to give it a few feet more to work with before I went out.  High tide was
11:50 and it was 12:15 so by 1:00 I should be able to get a wet spot that
would dry out and clear in no time.  I grabbed my phone and set a timer for
1:00 and lay across the bed over the covers.
The next thing I knew someone was calling my name and I was struggling
to wake up.  I was in a total fog when it hit me that the voice was Mel's
and I was sleeping, or had been, like a rail tie in a railroad bed.  I
became aware the voice was in my room and I startled up causing Mel to jump

and scream a bit.

   "OH MY GOD I thought you were dead or in a coma!!  I've been calling
your name from the door for 5 minutes and got worried when I saw it was
unlocked and you were on the bed." She hollered out.  "I saw your stuff
outside your door ready to go when I went out before 2:00 and when you
didn't show by almost 4:00 I became worried." She said in a panic to say
WHY she had slid open the slider and came into the room.

   I was still foggy and putting the pieces together as I sat up and sat
Indian style on the bed clearing cobwebs.  Melody still looked like she had
seen a ghost or something showing great trepidation on her face.

   "Was I going to be the first guy you screwed to death?" I asked, not
really trying to be funny, it just came out.

   She acted like I had just slapped her at first, and then she burst out
laughing like crazy.

   "Oh my God, at first I thought you said something very cruel and then I
realized what you meant.  I would have had a hard time explaining that
away." She said continuing to laugh while I failed to see the even the
gallows humor of it.

   I scooted to the edge of the bed and stood, stretched and got my
bearings, realizing I was really out.  I never heard my phone alarm with
the screen reading that my alarm went off 3 hours and 5 minutes ago without
touching OK.

   "Is he all right?" came a voice through the slider.

   Mel quickly turned and walk to the voice saying, "Yes, he was just in a
real deep sleep after napping.  Thank you."

   I couldn't help but notice the bright yellow and orange trimmed bikini
she was wearing when she turned her amazing ass to me.  When she turned
back I saw this top showed a lot more than the blue and white one she wore
the previous two days.

   She turned to me saying, "One of the other tenants heard me calling for
you and I explained the reason why I was going to go inside.  Didn't want
them to think I was breaking in."

   "Let me pee and get a bottle of water and we can go get what's left of
the sun." I said to her realizing I had said "we" and I wasn't repulsed by
it.

   "Ummm . . . .  you might want to put on trunks too, you're in your
underwear." She said giggling.

   I stopped and looked down at my dark green undies and looked at her with
a grin.  "You didn't seem too embarrassed earlier when I was wearing less."

   She laughed out loud again and said "Get decent and we'll go out."

   Chapter 3

   We actually lay with our backs to the ocean to get the best angle of the
sun although she put on a cover up having had enough sun on her stomach and
what showed of her breasts.  She had heavily lotioned her legs.

   We hadn't said much and just enjoyed the sun for about 15 minutes when
she asked "Aren't you going to put any sun protection on?"

   "I suppose I should, I hate to since I just showered, but yes I will." I
said as I went through my bag and got my SPF 30 out.  I started my face
first being careful not to get any in my eyes and then I worked my arms. 
That was about the time Melody got up from her low beach chair and said,
"Here, let me do that for you."

   The tone and timbre of her voice and the fact she said it and not asked
it was comforting and special to me.  99 times out of a 100 if Piper Lee
had asked me to put my lotion on for me I would have rejected her saying
"What am I, helpless" but I welcomed her doing this.

   Now, having a beautiful woman lather sun lotion all over you is not a
sacrifice, it was very enjoyable and all the while I marveled at how I
would never let this happen with ANY woman I had been with before.  Her
earlier concern and this kind act was beginning to open my feelings toward
her.  In so many ways I hoped she wouldn't be special to me for a couple
reasons.  One being, I didn't know where she lived and if she ended up a
thousand miles away a relationship would be difficult, the other concerned
both of us, if we got back home in our comfort zone, would we still feel a
kinship?

   She had figured out a little about me as she lathered my chest and belly
when she said, "I'm surprised you let me do this, I thought you would
reject me.  I know it's a little personal."

   I gave her a strange look and when she caught my eye she stopped her
hands.

   "What's THAT look for?"

   "You think this is personal?" I said in a low voice, "Do you forget that
I had my tongue inside your pussy last night and you sucked the sperm from
my balls?"

   She blushed and then smiled.  "No, I didn't forget.  I'll never forget
that.  As a matter of fact, I may ask for an encore." She said smartly
while avoiding eye contact and continuing to lather me.

   She finished getting the lotion on my exposed areas and handed the
bottle back to me without further comment, but the "I know what you're
thinking" look on her face along with the continuous eye contact until she
put her sunglasses back on had me getting chubby in my trunks.

   I was beginning to think I had known her for a long time.  I don't
believe in any of that supernatural stuff but it was like Piper Lee's
spirit had entered her.  Where I rarely felt this comfortable with any
woman, Piper was special and she knew what to say and when and how to
please me and not bug me.  I, in turn, was her lover, soul mate, and
"general pleaser" (her words).  Besides, most of the the women from my
early life didn't want a commitment and looked me up for gratuitous no
strings sex, most other women didn't like me because I didn't call them or
look them up après sex.

   I started reading on my Kindle and she her book when out of nowhere she
said aloud to not anyone in particular (supposedly), "I'd like to say it
was making love."

   I let it go for about 90 seconds and said to the same no one in
particular, "Love is a pretty strong word to toss around after such a short
time."

   It took another 2 full minutes, by the clock on the Kindle, to elicit,
"It wasn't a pick-up fuck and suck, I'll tell you that." Without lifting
her eyes.

   "No, it definitely was not" I said to my Kindle a minute later to which
she immediately reached out with her foot and touched toes with me.  (We
both smiled to ourselves)

   After that, besides passing my water bottle to her a couple times, we
didn't speak and at around 6:30 the sun was just moving behind the building
and if we wanted any more sun we would have to move our chairs.

   I stood and stretched and asked, "Would you like to dip your feet, just
to say we went in?"

   "Sure." She said and got up beside me as we walked down.  Very unlike
me, I put out my hand and she quickly took it.  We walked down and got
about up to our knees where the occasional waive just touched your sex
unless you rose up to avoid it (and I did).  We both scanned the horizon
looking at the couple sailboats and lobster boats out there.

   "If you were back in your chair we would make one of your pictures
wouldn't we?" She said smartly.

   "You paid attention to what I said.  Yes it would." I said as I let go
of her hand and turned around.  She took my hand this time, not that I
wasn't going to offer it.

   She squeezed my hand to get my attention.  "We are a lot alike in how
and what we like in a relationship.  If you tell me what you would ask me
if I told you I was going home in the morning, I'll tell you what I would
ask you, and I can't cheat, I've already done it."

   "Wrote it down?" I asked

   "Yup, it's inside the back of my book."

   "I don't do relationship quizzes."

   "Didn't figure you would." She said looking away, then adding "We aren't
IN a relationship are we?"

   "Touché" I answered with a grin as we got back to our stuff.

   I packed up my things, folded my chaise and headed to my door.

   "Don't want to play?" She hollered, still not moving from where she
gathered her stuff.

   "Inside." I said coyly tipping my head towards the door.

   She walked ahead of me to the door and stopped.  I told her to go ahead
in.

   "No," She paused, "Let me hear what you might ask, and then I'll give
you MY list to read.  I'm NOT going to discuss it here.  You know where I'm
staying and I'll be there all night."

   Spooky feelings again, THAT was a Piper Lee answer, mysterious, yet
provocative.

   I walked to meet her at the slider and looked at her, pretty as
anything, with an impatient look on her face.

   I said nothing for about a minute.  Then, just as she was bending to
pick up her chair and walk away, disgusted but determined, I gave in and
rattled off my questions in quick succession:

   "Where do you live?" "Do you want to see me again?" "Are you going to
tell your closest girlfriends what happened between us?" "If I showed up on
your doorstep at home would you send me away or invite me in." "If your
mother in law came over would I have to hide in the basement until she
left?'

   She put a stern look across her face and reached into the book in her
bag and took out the sheet she had written and handed them to me, and then
turned on her heel and went to her room.

   I sat down on the stoop and unfolded the paper, it read:

   "Where do you live?" "Do you want to see me again?  (not just for sex)"
"If I came to visit you, uninvited, would you ask me in?" "If Pipers best
friend showed up to see how you were doing and I was there, how would you
explain it?" "Who would you tell about us?  Your closest friend or
everybody?"

   I felt like a high school girl, but it really wasn't as childish as it
seemed.  Neither of us knew how long we would be there and we both had our
interest piqued.  If the women that I dumped after a few dates or one roll
in the hay saw this, they would be laughing their collective ass off.  I
had already tipped my hand and did something I never do; I (sort of) showed
her that I cared for her.

   I had already broke one of my most stringent rules, that was, never plus
or minus 5 year age difference.  I didn't want to be stuck, nor did I want
to stick anyone with a person who might not be able to keep up with the
other, in any way.  Yet, I was drawn to her and she had left the ball in my
court.  If I was to see her again she said "You know where I am, I'll be
there all night."

   I surmised; Suppose I just ignored her, called her bluff, and waited for
her to come down to the beach tomorrow.

   Suppose she walked a 100 yards away from me and ignored me?

   What if she was gone in the morning?  What if I just went up to Mikes
and drank alone and forgot about her?  That also left the possibility she
might go to Mikes and get hit on by someone, or even leave with someone in
front of me.

   She had played her hand as if she knew my every move and knew I was more
interested than I might have let on.  My "aloof" act may have been
overplayed.  Was I that out of practice with the opposite sex, or did I
actually find someone stupid enough to care for me and put up with my shit?
That was how Piper and I started out, but soon she held the reins, whether
I knew it or not.

   I went in the bathroom and did a quick rinse off shower to freshen up,
and then I dressed as if I was going to visit a woman for a second date. 
My old persona had taken a beating and I was admitting that YES, I was
terribly interested even though I stood to end up the loser if it were a
head game, or not.  I was older and definitely had fewer prospects than
she, conversely she was younger and would have many suitors to choose from
should she choose to just go home, or anywhere, and play the field.  For
the first time at this stage of a relationship, I had to wear my heart on
my sleeve.  I wasn't sure how I should feel.  I only knew that I didn't
feel confident, and I've rarely been in that position.

   After locking up I went up the stairs across the way to her door.  I
knocked and I expected her to answer the door with a shit eating grin, but
instead she looked sad, maybe even conciliatory.

   "Hi Bart.  I'm sorry I played a high school game on you, but I needed to
do that for my heart and yours too.  Understand that.  When you left here
this morning you were playing a chess move.  It took me a while but I
figured a way to check you, to even the battlefield, so to speak.  No
matter what happens between us, don't blame yourself for how it turns out.
Our heads are obviously on the same thought line and we need to answer the
questions we have for each other honestly.  I'm OK with it if you are, but
I have to ask you to go first." She said waiting for my response.

   "As much as 24 hours does not make a relationship, I'm willing to walk
the plank on this one.  The return seems too great to step away from, even
knowing so little of the details." I said taking a deep breath.  "Firstly,
I want you to know that last night was not a chess move on my part.  I had
no intention of ever making a play of any kind for you.  I was just looking
out for you, at first, because you seemed a little fragile."

   She nodded knowing I hadn't calculated anything and said, "I started
this as a fling, but we quickly found something in each other.  I'm not
ashamed to say I've had one night stands before, but only 2.  It was what I
decided I wanted at the bar and when you left I knew my best prospect had
gone.  I couldn't believe I just let you leave without letting you know I
felt something.  I know you didn't try to hit on me."

   It was like a line had been drawn and we each made a quick statement.

   She stood aside and showed me to the sofa, the same one we made oral
love on the night before.  I sat down and took the paper from my breast
pocket and unfolded it, and read the first one aloud.

   "Where do you live?" "I travel a lot during the summer and then
sporadically the rest of the year, but Piper and I have a home in Highland
Falls, New York.  It's small but sits high, right over the Hudson River. 
It's easy access to a New York and there's also a big airport nearby in
Newburgh."

   I paused and she looked to me to read the next question.

   "No," I said, "Now you.  I basically asked you the same questions,
agreed?" (she nodded) "Well, I'm not spilling MY soul without hearing word
one from you."

   "No, you answer everything first." She said firmly.

   I looked down at the sheet and got up and headed to the door saying,
"You're obviously playing some sort of game here to emasculate me, have a
little fun at my expense while you satisfy your urges." I said pissed off
that I even came up and then let her toy with me.

   "No, that's not it at all!" She protested loudly.  "I just wanted the
upper hand."

   "Upper hand, horse shit!  You could hear all my answers and then do an
edit on yours to either shoot me down or draw me into some web." I spat
back.

   "Could you just check your male fucking ego at the door?  In 24 hours I
went from mourning my 6 year husband and marriage to doing things with you
that ONLY he did with me.  I have to know what's real and what's not before
I subject my heart to something that could crush me."

   I looked at her determinedly saying, "Imagine that same statement coming
from my mouth to you.  I ended the longest period of my life being true to
one woman for you.  I held your honor is high esteem all night making sure
you weren't doing something fueled by alcohol that you would be sorry for
in the morning.  I was no predator."

   She knew I was right and the look on her face told me she had just come
to a realization she hadn't considered.

   "I have a home in Towson, Maryland.  There's actually a deal to sell it
on the table waiting for the final details.  It was our marriage home, but
I can't live there.  It was too big in the first place.  It was our only
asset.  I have no connection to the area besides the house.  I grew up on
Army bases in Texas, Oklahoma, and Washington, DC."

   Satisfied, I walked back over to the sofa and sat again, reading from
her list,

   "Do you want to see me again, not just for sex?"

   "Keep in mind, these questions were posed under the pretense that you
would be gone in the morning.  Yes, I feel a weird kinship to you and I
don't think it has anything to do with our like circumstances.  Before
Piper I usually, in my mind, tore apart every woman I went out with.  She
was too this, too that.  While I certainly wasn't vetting you or planning
to hit on you, somewhere along in the night I came to a realization that
you were special and fit into a slot that really only Piper ever held.  NOW
you can say something about my "fucking male ego".  Yes, I've always
thought I was pretty special because I was a pleaser of women, and women
wanted me and, yes, I took a certain amount of pleasure of leading them
around.  Piper was like a hard slap in the face, I found no great reason to
screw around with her.  She hooked me.  I felt a lot of that sameness last
night.  Do you know how many times I promised to "make love to you in the
morning" and snuck out in the middle of the night, leaving my nut behind? I
wasn't leaving for ANY reason last night, or this morning.  So the answer
is YES, I want to see you again, and if sex isn't part of it, that's OK.  I
think we could have fun together."

   She took the paper from my hand to read the question, "Do you want to
see me again, not just for sex."

   She exhaled deeply through her nose.  "Yes, of course, even if sex was
included, but just sharing some things would be nice ways to get to know
each other.  I like sex, but I've never really passed it out.  Including
you I've just been with 6 or 7 guys.  That doesn't mean I wasn't active. 
You can't help but notice that we are a lot alike in ummm . . . . . . .I'm
not sure of the word to use . . . .ATTITUDES, I guess.  If we were stuck on
an island together I don't think we would argue much.  I think we both see
black as black, white as white instead of many shades of gray."

   I nodded in agreement with her, although I wasn't sure, thinking later,
if she understood my nods were agreement.

   I looked down at the next question and read;

   "If I came to visit you, uninvited, would you ask me in?"

   "I'm assuming you would find my address through some way, like stalking
me, that would worry me.  But if you left today and then showed up at my
door at my home, I would certainly appreciate the fact you took the time to
find me and thought enough of me, of us, that you would look me up.  I
would let you in for sure and want you to stay."

   She smiled at my answer and then joyfully re-read the question, like she
was on a game show.

   "If I came to visit you, uninvited, would you ask me in?"

   "I guess I mean if I just left tomorrow morning and you hunted me down,
much like you said, like stalking, but I wouldn't think of it as creepy.  I
would surely invite you in and ask you to stay as long as your intentions
were good, and not mad I left you high and dry."

   I think she expected me to be all happy and smiles, so I acted aloof
again, just a little chess move on my part.  I hoped it didn't show.  I had
my reasons.

   I read the next question;

   "If Pipers best friend showed up to see how you were doing and I was
there, how would you explain it?"

   "I don't know if you think she might have her sights on me or not, I
can't tell the tone you wrote it, but assuming she was just checking on me
I wouldn't try to hide you, I would be straight forward and say that I was
trying to move on and I met someone.  I wouldn't mention the circumstance
of our getting together, you know both losing partners.  I would never
convince anyone that it wasn't just mutual rebound.  To be clear, I don't
think it's mutual rebound.  Happenstance and circumstance, yes, but not
mutual rebound.  If we were still with our former partners and met, I still
think we would see an attraction, perhaps even become friends."

   Melody played my card this time and pulled the aloof act, never smiling
or agreeing to think my answer right, wrong, or remotely cute.

   She looked to her paper and said, "I believe your question of this type
was something about you being there when my Mother-In-Law came to visit,
would I hide you in the basement?"

   "Let me just say I would not introduce her to you until I FOREWARNED her
I was seeing someone.  If she came out of the blue, I might try to hide you
and get rid of her fast.  But if she just walked in and saw I was with
another man, I KNOW she would freak out, especially inside of a year.  I
think she wants me to be in black for a year with a veil.  I would tell her
right away but not on a cold call, I would not be ashamed of you or myself
at all."

   I rose my finger to make my point of asking THAT question.  "That's what
I wanted to know, would you be ashamed of yourself or me and I'm happy
(damn, I wanted to keep that from her) you feel that way about yourself and
me."

   I then read the last question out loud;

   "Who would you tell about us?  Your closest friend or everybody?"

   "That depends.  If I woke up in the morning and you were just gone and I
had no way of finding you, I would certainly tell my male friends that I
met an incredible looking lady who tried to help me forget.  But I doubt if
I would explain your circumstance.  It wouldn't be bragging of a conquest
since I treasure it too much.  If you left and I never saw you again, it
would never just be another roll in the hay."

   She closed her eyes and tried to remember how I worded my question. 
"You asked if I would tell my closest girlfriend."

   "I only have one close girlfriend and she doesn't live in Towson, we
usually speak by phone unless I get to Washington.  (She blushed) She's the
kind of friend who I would say how good our sex was the night before, or
she would tell me she was seeing a new guy and describe his penis and their
latest sex.  So yes, I would tell her every detail, but no one else."

   We both just looked at each other for a solid minute before I spoke.

   "So, ARE you leaving in the morning?"

   "No, I'm here until Sunday.  I didn't tell anyone where I was going, I
called Frankie's sister to say I was safe and getting some ME time in.  I
told her I would check back every couple days."

   "Me too, I'm here for the rest of this week." I said quietly not knowing
if another shoe should drop or not.

   "Bart, I know you have concerns about our difference in age.  I don't
care about that.  If by the end of our time here we still feel the same way
about each other I want to continue seeing you.  There, you got your way,
I've played my hand."

   "I feel the same way, we both played to a draw.  Let's just work on it."

   "You mean do things as a couple, none of this `maybe I'll see you on the
beach shit', alright?" She asked in reference to my comments that morning.

   "Yes, definitely.  We'll try to see if we can irritate the other enough
to make one of us go home early."

   She laughed out loud.  "Now you've got the spirit.  We can test each
other's resolve."

   I stood.  She stood, looking at each other like kids on the doorstep
after the Junior Prom.

   "Aren't you going to kiss me?" She asked.

   "I was waiting for you to start." I said as she tried to punch at me for
being difficult from the start, but we kissed long and hard.  She tried to
pull me back to the sofa, but I stopped her.

   "Let's go someplace where we can get something to eat and sit and talk."

   "You know it's nearly 7:00, every place will be packed." She said
lobbying to stay in.

   "I know a guy at the Irish Pub who will get us in.  He thinks I'm a
celebrity." I said with a grin.

   "What do you have against staying here with me, alone, me and you?" She
asked.

   "Well, for Number One reason, I haven't eaten all day, and Number Two,
we have a lot of getting to know each to do.  We both recognize the
electricity between us, although we've only had one 18 hour date.  I
realize that we knew intimate details of each other going in about the loss
of our loves.  That made up a lot.  We can talk on and on about all the
magic there is between us, . . . .  in reality.  we just don't know each
other."

   Melody's eyes welled up and I was quick to ask her what the matter was.

   "That's just it, it has been magic, and magic isn't real.  I'm just
waiting for this end just like it did for Frankie and me.  That seemed too
good to be true too."

   I took her in my arms to console her saying, "Mel, we HAVE something
here, but we need to nurture it.  We have to get to know each other before
we continue to explore the pleasure parts.  I won't give up that easy. 
I've broken all my rules with you already.  If I didn't think there was
something special here I would have run as far away as I could.  We owe it
to ourselves to explore and find out."

   "Can we really do that in a week?" She said sniffing tears and sounding
doubtful.

   "We have the rest of our lives if we need it, Mel.  By the end of the
week we'll know if we should take it any further.  If we think we should,
I'll be at your doorstep within a week.  I can do photo work in Baltimore.
I haven't done the Inner Harbor for a long time, outside Oriole Park and
inside too.  A couple in Oriole Park alone in one section hand to hand,
head to head from behind is one of my most popular photos, it's even been
on one of those "imagination" posters."

   "Why do you keep saying "IF"?  Don't you believe in us?" She said with a
lingering sniffle.

   "I do . . .  but."

   "But what?"

   "What if we find out that our only attraction is in the bedroom?  What
if we don't like one or the others personal habits?  The shine could come
off real fast you know." I explained.

   "That's my point where the magic comes in.  After I decided I wanted a
fling I thought of having a couple more drinks and then throw myself at
someone, but I turned to your empty stool and realized YOU were the one I
wanted.  I didn't pick you because you were the best looking guy in the
joint, you didn't make eyes at me, you didn't try to hustle me, and you're
old enough to be my father."

   "Please, stop the flattery." I asked her interrupting.

   "Bart, you were acting and saying things just like my Frankie would.  It
was almost spooky and it wasn't until you left that I got the feeling I let
my best prospect get up and walk out of my life.  For the first time my
emptiness was gone.  If I was going to pick anyone up, it was going to be
you.  You were so kind and afraid that I was just drunk and you wouldn't
take advantage of me that way.  That would have been Frankie.  Now I don't
want a copy of Frankie, he'll always be my husband, but he had qualities
not many guys have.  I've wondered if he paired us up."

   "You use the word spooky, well I've used it a few times myself.  Piper
Lee would say and do things, sometimes with just a look.  She could ask and
answer a question with her eyes.  I caught you doing that a couple times
and a few things you've said were Piper Lee.  Now, I don't want a copy of
her either, but certain things about her drew me to her, just like you
have. So let's give each other our best shot.  If we can believe that our
loves have pushed us together, we have to at least say we tried."

   "Hah ha, I can tell you're not too good at lovey, gushy talk.  You
hesitate and search for words so much when you normally speak in such a
calculated tone.  I can tell you're a hound caught in his own trap.  I'll
go get dressed for dinner."

   She walked away and I looked heavenward.  " a hound caught in his own
trap!" Another Piper Lee thing she used to say when we went out after the
4th or 5th time when I knew I should end it for us.  One time in that early
period I tried to break up over the phone and she didn't flinch.  "Give me
the reason and don't think you'll do it over the phone.  You're a hound
caught in his own trap, hahahaha."

   She was right, I couldn't do it.  I hated to admit that a woman had got
to me, but she had.  Best of all, for me anyway, was that she knew it and
she used it early on to get her way while still making me think I was the
king of my castle.  That last time she went away to spend New Years with
her brothers and her Dad was one of the first times she went away without
me.  I had gone many times on one-nighters to shoot a set.  She left me
notes everywhere, how to run the washer, the dishwasher, all that stuff.  I
would say to myself, "What did she think, I couldn't live on my own." She,
her father, and both brothers were killed by a drunk driver on New Year's
Day.  They were going to the airport.  I met Melody almost 8 months to the
day later, and she reminded me so much of her it was scary.

   As I waited I remembered that the day before, when I met Mel, had been
Piper Lee's birthday and that a shiver went up and down my spine, a couple
times.  Mel came out in jean shorts and a nice top.  She looked hot, if
that was what she was shooting for.

   "Wow, you look really nice, I feel under dressed." I told her.

   "Don't be silly, you look great too." She said kissing me on the cheek.
"Let's go to your Irish Pub."

   "The trolley will stop there as well, so we don't have to drive.  Is
that OK?" I wondered.

   "Sure, we can drink then." She said giving me an evil smile, as a tease.

   We walked out and headed for the trolley stop while I went to my money
clip to get out $4 for the two of us to ride.

   "Crappo, I have 3 ones and a few 100's.  Do you have a one?" I asked
her.

   She pulled her billfold out of the small purse she hung around her neck
and shoulder and looked.

   "No, . . . .  unless there's one in my junk wad."

   "Junk wad?"

   "Coupons, pictures, receipts, Subway cards, milk cards, it's whatever I
get with my change and I put it behind the bills until it takes over. 
Every month or so I weed it down to a couple memento's and photo's."

   She rifled through the pile and found one dollar bill neatly folded and
handed it to me.  The next item in the pile made her start for a second.

   "What's the matter?" I asked as she quickly ducked the wad back in her
billfold.

   "Oh?" She said as her lower lip trembled, "A memory, the ticket stub to
Frankie and I's first date, a Steely Dan concert.  Funny, it was 8 years
ago, yesterday."

   I was freaking out at the coincidences with Piper Lee and she had
already asked herself aloud, "I wondered if he paired us up."

   The karma we shared was unmistakable and I decided not to let it creep
me out, but to take it all as good signs of things.

   I hugged her and kissed her forehead and she smiled up to me in such a
sexy way I felt my cock jump.

   Once on the trolley we sat together and rode silently watching the marsh
go by.  Still preoccupied with her sexy look, I remembered where I first
saw that particular grinned look.  When holding my cock, her eyes locked to
mine, her mouth poised to engulf me she said "Let me finish you, I'd like
that".

   Right then I felt more blood going to my stuff and I hoped I wasn't
going to embarrass myself when I stood.  I looked at her with a guilty look
and she leaned to whisper to me.

   "Is it that obvious?  I was just thinking about how well you got mine
for me last night with that sweet mouth." She said as she kissed me lightly
on the lips.

   Karma indeed!

   When we got to the Irish Pub there was a folk singer just finishing his
dinner set, but the place was jammed with 20 people waiting to get in.  I
went to the podium and asked if Chef Chris was in (he was the owner/chef).
She said yes and asked who might be calling for him.

   "Tell him Bart Stocklas is asking for him." And the young woman turned
and went to the kitchen to pass along the message.

   I turned Mel around to a 3 x2 foot poster of two people standing at the
ocean's edge, hand in hand, with a string of waves poised to crash before
them.  The sunset lighting and couples pose made it obvious they were
lovers in a reflective mood.  The caption read "What's Now and Forever? 
True Love and the Ocean".

   "That's one of yours," she acknowledged as she pointed to my autograph
in the lower corner.  I had written "To Chris, My Best, Bart Stocklas."

   "He had you autograph it?" She asked, puzzled.

   I leaned in to whisper, "That's Chris and his wife in the photo."

   The kitchen door swung open and the young girl came out saying "Chef
Chris will see you in his office." as she held the door open.

   We went in and he was shouting instructions to Sous Chefs on the line
and turned to give me a healthy handshake, glad to see me.  I introduced
him to Melody and we made small talk for a moment or two, he was obviously
very busy, and then he turned to me asking "You need a table, huh?"

   "That would be nice." I said as he took a unit from his pocket,
apparently connected to the headphone he and the other servers and greeter
wore and punched a number.

   "Ismay, the next two available goes to a couple in my kitchen.  Come
fetch them when ready."

   "She's on her way; she was just going to seat someone.  If you stay for
a bit I'll be out to join you for a drink.  We have a band that starts at
9:30." Chris said.

   "Great, that's a plan." I said as the door swung open from the dining
area side so she could seat us out of eye shot of the waiting diners.

   There was a high 7 foot wall between the bar area and the dining area
that served as a noise berm so a rowdy bar didn't disturb diners.  There
were tables on the bar side and at each end of the wall there was a 2 foot
closure to box in the table so as to keep it IN the bar area.  She sat us
there and because of the wall halfway around us, we were going to be able
to talk and hear each other.

   "What do you order in an Irish restaurant?" She asked.

   "Their specialty is Lamb Stew, but it's not for me, especially in
summer. I usually go for the fish and chips, or a Rueben."

   "Mmm, they both sound good." She mused looking over the menu.

   "We'll get both and ask for split plates." I said closing the menu. 
"How does that sound?"

   "Sounds like a way to get everything I want.  I'm good at that." She
said.

   "Bless you Piper Lee." I said to myself as the waitress came.

   I'm betting that Chef Chris, our host, had told Sherry, our server, who
I was because when she came she flirted openly with me not caring I was
with someone.  We were able to order our dinner on split plates, even
though the menu said it forbade it.

   We were 2 people ordering 2 entrees, so she said she could work it, as
she openly flirted with me.  Having drank beer the night before with a
smaller meal, I decided with this heavier fare I would keep to whiskey and
drank Red Stag and diet Coke.  Melody went with Gin and Tonic and as soon
as the waitress had our order and went to get our drinks she looked to me
and asked, "You've bedded a few waitresses in your day haven't you?  You
have a way with them they apparently like, seeing how she flirted.  She
didn't care if I was here or not.  Would Piper have said anything to her?"

   Her question made me smile and I told her of how Piper Lee had a move
where she adjusted herself in her seat and accidentally kicked more than
one waitress.  "Oh, I'm sorry" she would snidely say.  She also knew she
didn't have to worry about me.

   Meanwhile, the bar had a baseball game on with no sound that about half
the bar was watching, the rest were eating or drinking and doing a little
carousing.  The dinner crowd was finishing as the night people were coming
in to get the tables, but they did it orderly, being seated by the hostess.
I knew that at 9 o'clock they would go through and count the bar.  Bar
capacity was 100 (sitting and standing), set by the Fire Department (if all
of the tables were full in the dining area, 100 again, sitting only, and
they usually were full all summer).  At a little after 9pm ropes were set
up to close the dining room AND bar.  A running count was posted at the bar
rope as folks were proofed coming in.  No one under 21 after 9:00 when the
band started and when the sign read 200, no one in until someone left and a
limit of 10 people waiting inside.  This was to protect against some nights
when they packed the tables and bar area with as any as 250 inebriated
celebrators mostly feting vacation, summer, or just being alive in such a
vibrant summer mecca.  The Irish Pub was a popular place that the Fire
Department and Police watched carefully.  The trolley did a tremendous
business and those that stayed past the last trolley came under great
scrutiny by the aforementioned Police.

   In the little niche corner we huddled in we could talk pretty freely as
long as we kept our voices towards the corner, a trick I knew and she
quickly learned.

   "You like sports?" I asked nodding towards the TV that she was seeing in
a strategically placed mirror.

   "Yes, especially baseball.  I was a tomboy and played with all the boys
all summer.  Once I grew boobs my Mother had to have a talk with me about
playing "boy" sports.  I listened to her, and then did as I pleased.  The
year we moved to Oklahoma it was during football season and no one played
baseball once fall came.  We had played both in Texas.  I had shied away
from football before, but I knew I had a good arm, plus I was fast.  There
weren't that many of us living on base at Tinker (AFB) in that 12 to 16
bracket, so there were always a mix of girls and guys playing together to
have enough for teams.  We just played touch football, but when the touch
was always my ass or my boobs, I stopped playing because if I had marks on
me I would catch hell from my Mom and we got checked every few days for
ticks, and there were tons of Black Leg Ticks in the housing at Tinker, and
that was because of all the mice.  Our last year there they finally cleaned
it up."

   "You Mom had to check you nude?"

   "How else would you find ticks, Bart.  The one time I had a hand print
on my ass from football and I put my ass to the oven door while my Mom was
checking my sister in hopes I could turn the whole thing red.  It didn't
work and I got my ass paddled with her saying it better have been football,
because if I was fooling around with boys at 15 I could get in trouble.  I
learned my lesson that time." She laughed.

   "So you have a sister?"

   "Well, a step sister and I haven't seen her for a long time.  She did
get pregnant by a soldier and they moved to Okinawa before she had the
baby. My Dad still goes every year to visit.  My Mom has nothing to do with
her.  When they were hippies I suppose getting preggers before you got
married didn't mean much, but once Dad joined the Air Force to use his
aeronautics degree from OU he went through the ranks quickly, and that
meant moving a lot, and also losing the hippie lifestyle.  They were more
flower children than anything.  I saw old pictures of them, tie-dye, pot,
Timothy Leary posters, crazy stuff."

   I was smiling at her story and she smiled cutely back and asked, "How
about family for you?"

   "My Mom and Dad are both passed.  I have a brother who's a missionary.
We were never close, he was 16 when I was born and he was in seminary by
the time I was 4.  I can't write to him except through the Jesuit Brothers
address and I don't know if he ever got any letters I've sent, not that
there were a lot.  They protect them wherever they are now.  The last I
knew, . .  in Israel, but that was years ago.  I guess we changed the
subject, so again, do you like sports?"

   "Well, I told you I liked baseball, and I guess I'm an Orioles fan,
since they're so close.  I go to 6 or 8 games a year and will watch a game
on TV occasionally.  I used to drag Frankie with me, but he was all
football.  We made a trek for a Ravens game every year, but it's so
expensive.  An NFL game for two is almost $1000 for tickets and a room in
the Inner Harbor so we didn't drive home drunk." She said as she stared off
thinking about good times with her husband and tied a little post script to
her recollection, "Good times those post game drunken hotel trips."

   I nodded understanding her reverie that wouldn't soon go away.  She got
a little misty eyed and then focused on me, "We could drive home Monday
morning, get changed and be to work on time, Towson was so close."

   "Yeah, I'm a baseball guy myself.  I follow the Yankees and the
Phillies, but it's changed a lot from when I was a kid.  If I'm in a city
with a team, I'll usually go.  Piper liked it too."

   "Did you go to college?" She asked.

   "Yup, I took a little accounting and computer science in a community
college.  A couple associates degrees I got over 3 years.  You?"

   "Yes, I took dental hygienist training and have a B.A.  in English.  I
ended up in admissions for Towson University.  Frankie used to kid me "When
they find out you're a dental hygienist your ass is fired.", but I do have
good communication skills and help otherwise worthy candidates who don't
write well do new resumes, and I do pre-interviews.  We scout out students
with superior SAT's who haven't applied to the colleges they should.  Then
we see if we can help them get scholarships and aid to go with us." She
said somewhat proudly, but she seemed to be selling herself short.

   "Sounds like you like your work." I said, hoping she might elaborate.

   "I do, but I've had many offers to move on to bigger schools and now I
may take someone up on a cold offer.  I haven't applied around, but your
work is noticed in the field." She noted.

   Then she leaned in to say something or my ears only, sort of
non-sequitur, something that apparently bothered her.

   "Last night I volunteered information that I shouldn't have and I want
you to know that I don't kiss and tell or give that information to anyone.
I think I was afraid you might think I did that sort of thing all the time,
pick guys up."

   I thought for a moment trying to remember what personal info she may
have passed on, and then it hit me, "You mean about the number of guys
you've been with?" I said laughing.

   "You better be laughing because you think I may have been drunk and not
because you think I way undershot the number.  I did some thinking on the
beach today and the number, including you, is 6.  Three of those, including
you is only ONCE.  If you don't wipe that smile off your face it will
remain once too."

   "Mel, first of all, I don't care if it's 7 or 700, anything before me is
of no consequence, and anything afterward is as well.  Unless you've made
commitments to someone, it's nobody's business, and the past is NOBODIES
business but yours." I insisted.

   "Just to be fair, how many women have YOU been with?" She asked sitting
up close to me in her chair waving an accusatory finger in my face.

   "Umm, let me see, my first was at 17 and I met Piper Lee when I was 39.
Over those 22 years there had to be a few hundred, maybe more." I said with
a smile.

   "Yeah, . . .  RIGHT!" She said doubtfully.

   "22 years times 12 months is . . . . . .  ummmm, well over 250 months. I
can tell you that I never went over a month without getting laid and with
few exceptions most were one nighters Mel.  I was a dog and I was traveling
a LOT then.  Why do you think I was so lucky to find Piper Lee?"

   She sat back and mumbled something.

   "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." I said.

   Her eyes glassed up a bit and she leaned up towards me again.  "No
wonder you're so fucking good at it."

   I couldn't help take her hand and pull her ear right up my mouth.  "A
LOT depends on who you're working with and YOU are the hottest blowjob and
fuck I may EVER had.  Don't make me use those terms any more.  You want
making love and you're going to get making love, ALRIGHT?"

   She gulped and pulled back to look at me, a frightened half smile went
over her face and she squirmed, I know in an effort to quell an urge to
touch herself.  Then she reached out and took my hand and said with a nod
and that sexy smile "Alright!"

   The waitress came knowing she was interrupting something private and
intimate as she said "Excuse me" very politely, twice.  She set out two
plates of food down and then a third clean plate.  She pulled a clean
knife-fork set-up from her apron and used them almost as tongs to take one
half the sandwich to the clean plate, then one large fish filet from the
other plate to the clean plate, and the other to the other half sandwich.
She then put all of the fries on the remaining plate in the middle of the
table saying "Enjoy your dinners."

   As soon as she left Melody said, "Wow, that was different, but very cool
of her.  She knew just what we wanted."

   "Just like you." I said to her with a confident smirk.  She squirmed
again.

   Chapter 4

   As we ate I told Melody about my life and the jobs I've had before
settling on the photog gig.  She was taken aback by my years as a booking
agent for rock bands and the doors it opened for me, including the photo
job.  No one heard of the bulk of the bands I booked, but they all played
huge rock clubs, and warmed up some of the biggest acts of the day. 
Staying back stage and schmoozing with other agents and concert promoters
became networking that you couldn't buy at any price, or with any sheepskin
from any university.  I kept books for and filed tax's for a few venues who
needed help with tax law that I understood pretty well.  I had taken a few
crash courses with professional tax preparers, and sat in on a few seminars
on tax law.  I'm usually a quick learner and voracious note taker.  With
that basic knowledge and the internet, I was as good as any CPA for what I
did.  Corporate tax law is where you need lawyers and all that.  I never
had to take part in an audit, so I must have been OK.

   The syndication photo job came after I submitted photos to a TV station
who solicited pictures to define summer.  I sent in 3 or 4 and the
following week they wrote when they got so many hits on them and asked if I
had any more,.  They were owned by KleerChannal who had newspapers as well
and I was approached by an agent they solicited for me that I had
previously known through bookings.  I don't get filthy rich doing it, but
they cover the bulk of my expenses and in the past I did pretty well for
myself with investments.

   As we finished dinner the band came on and the wall around the bar
seating provided enough berm that we could still talk without shouting, we
just had to be more direct.  We ordered our third drink when Sherry, our
flirty waitress, came by to get our plates.

   She looked right at me and asked if she could "do a pick-up for me"
acting as if Mel wasn't there.  Mel asked for the Ladies Room and after
getting directions stood up and stepped on Sherry's toe as she left, giving
an exaggerated, "Oh, I'm SO sorry" before walking away as if nothing
happened.  Sherry's banter with me cooled quickly but I was afraid she
might spit in Mel's drink and I watched her closely when she went to the
bar for us.  When our drinks came it was another waitress who took our
table.

   When Mel came back she had a shit eating grin on her face and asked "Is
that how it's done?"

   "Yes, just right.  She made it so obvious, and let's face it, I look OK
for a 50 year old guy, but I'm NOT pick up material for a 20 year old girl
like her.  She was hoping to be a model for me, I don't know what Chris
told her, but I don't do, and never did, "trade" work."

   We finished our third drink and Mel actually got me up on the dance
floor for a rendition of "Walking On Sunshine" and if Piper Lee was
watching she was arranging to kick my ass, as it took 5 years with her to
get me to dance in public.  The next song was a sort of rock version of
"The Way You Look Tonight", but it was tasteful and quite danceable for a
couple who wanted to hold each other on the floor, and we did."

   "Is this the kind of band you promoted?" She asked in my ear.

   "No, I did more powerful groups.  These guys are a bunch of office
managers and accountants all week.  They look to be at least 35 or older
and they're just having a good time." I surmised.

   "So, when I turn 35 you won't be interested in me?" She asked.

   I stuttered my step in my little slow dance so my knee came up between
her legs and she laughed.  There was little doubt in my interest, and I
didn't doubt hers.

   When the song ended we stayed on the floor for a PDA, which I never do
and as the band started playing some Aerosmith rocker I whispered in her
here ear, "Would you like to come home with me?"

   "Do you mean tonight, or after Sunday?" She asked.

   "I meant tonight, but I might be interested in the other answer." I
said.

   "I'll just have to let you figure that out later in the week." She
whispered in my ear before breaking our clinch and she took my hand back to
the table.

   I saw our waitress and I made an air rectangle with my fingers and she
smiled and came over to the table with her little computer hanging off her
waist in its holster.

   "All set for the night?  I can print your check right here and process
it." She said as the little thing buzzed and printed out a slip.  It was
$110 and I added a $25 tip and she ran the card and I signed the slip.

   She looked at it and smiled saying "Wow, Sherry gave me this table
because she thought she had no chance for a tip, and I'm low person in rank
here.  Thank You!"

   "Be sure you tell her" I said and we went out to wait for the Trolley.
It stroked Midnight in the vestibule as we left.

   Mel cuddled into me on the trolley and purred she was so content with
the way things were going.  We had one long stop at The Chowder House with
the Car Valet asking him to wait for a party of 8 just paying their bill.
Mel nuzzled and looked up and whispered, "I've wanted you all night long."
I just smiled back, hoping she knew I felt the same way.

   When we got to our stop we were the first ones off and she stayed
attached to me and we went directly to my condo.  Inside the door I turned
to lock up and when I turned back she had taken her top off and her
beautiful tits were staring right at me.

   "Are you sure you want a 50 year old lover?"

   "STOP!  I don't want to hear one more word on this age stuff.  If I get
that dick hard every day, how is it going to stop working?  Believe me.  I
have ways to get that dick hard, and you'll never get sick of one of them."
She said as she rolled her shoulders making her boobs seem to dance in her
hands as she went down to her knees.

   "I know you've heard the saying that a man wants a lady when she's out
with him but wants whore when she hears the door click shut?  I love being
that whore, and I showed some of that this morning.  It was the second slip
of the tongue I made, the first one when I told you how many men I've had."
She said as she reached and held onto the balls of my ass while she kissed
the front of my pants.

   She looked up at me like I might not know what she meant.

   "Ummm, . . . .  You invited me to plumb your asshole and it made you
crazy, you naughty girl.  But, I think you just wanted more spankings." I
said with a grin.

   She shook her head, saying "I should be embarrassed, but I'm not.  I
think I also told you that your cock was delicious, and it was.  I've only
been that naughty with one other man, that's how special you are.  Any man
who had me doggie can't resist touching my little hole.  They say it winks
when I'm getting doggied." She said blushing as she unbuttoned my pants and
drew down the zipper, letting them fall.

   She looked up at me wide-eyed, "And WHY is he hard already?  Do you
think he still needs some sucking?"

   "Sure, always!  As much as I enjoy it I may just use him to keep you
quiet when I eat you tonight, you can't make that much noise with a
mouthful of cock."

   "Oh, so YOU want to be a whore too?  Hee, hee, hee!  Did I make too much
noise last night when you made me crazy with your tongue?  I've never been
eaten like that." She teased while still holding my cock in front of her
face.

   "That's my point.  I was taking it easy on you last night, I was still
afraid you were drunk then.  You'll get a tongue bath tonight from your
belly button to the top of your gorgeous ass crack.  You got the economy
last night.  Just remember, whatever we BOTH agree to sexually behind
closed doors isn't perverted or anything like that.  It's something we have
that brings enjoyment.  You don't think I would strike you for any reason
beyond enhancing sex, do you?" I said as she turned a little ashen at my
words.

   "You'd better not!" She said stopping as she prepared to go down on me.

   "Yet you asked me for hard slaps on your ass.  Like I said, what we
agree on."

   "Point taken," She said reaching for me.

   She took my cock and stroked it a few times before spitting in her hand
and coating me wet.  She put her lips to it and went down about half way,
over and over about 6 times.  Then she backed off me and looked up and I
thought looked a little scared or trepidatious.  She helped me step out of
my pants and stood unbuttoning her little jean shorts, stripping them off
to reveal another pirate patch thong that only covered her vagina from
anything rough.  She looked to me and I extended my arms and she came into
them.  Her warm soft body next to mine was such an incredible feeling.  I
reached and picked her up and walked her to the open bedroom area of my
unit.  I set her on the bed and straddled her on all fours swooping my head
and neck down to kiss her deeply.  After a few moments of tongue play I
moved off her mouth and down her neck when I noticed her entire body was
just about all chicken skinned.

   "Don't be afraid, I'm just going to make love to you." I whispered.

   "If last night was a warm up I'm afraid you'll consume me, I thought I
would have a stroke last night." She cry-whispered.

   "You'll be fine.  You're with me." I whispered softly right into her
ear.

   I did just as I promised with turning her nipples bright red and rock
hard before making her suck in her belly trying to escape my tongue in her
navel.  She sighed when I went past her pussy and flipped her legs up to
get between her cheeks.  I bathed her with my tongue before I ate her
asshole until it dilated and begged for a finger that I used while I began
to eat her pussy.  When she began to yelp and screech a bit too loud I had
to abandon her wrinkly finger fucked hole so I could move around to fit my
cock in her mouth while I wrote the Preamble to the Constitution with my
tongue on her clit.  I feared her biting me, but she loved my cock too much
already to let that happen.  As I began to fuck her pussy with my tongue
she picked up a similar rhythm with her mouth on me.  She had cum so much
and was so wet that fucking her might be futile so I decided to get mine
with her mouth.  As I began to hunch and moan into her I felt her shiver
under my mouth again and I tasted more of the cream she was pushing onto my
tongue.  When her hand went to my balls I knew that she expected my load.

   I hadn't cum a lot in the past from 69, it's usually too hard to
concentrate, but she was applying suction and releasing me on the up stroke
as I flexed my hips and it felt as good as anything I had encountered. 
When I lifted my head from her pussy I totally lost control of the pump
action I had and she picked up pushing her mouth over me, just a few times,
before I blew into her mouth.

   I heard hard swallows and she continued to suck at me, occasionally
craning her head up to get a deep throat until I pushed myself up and was
sitting on my knees, her head between my legs, my softening prick popping
from her lips.  She looked up and smiled saying, "That was beautiful, did I
make you happy?"

   I could only roll my eyes as she pulled my cock down to get one last
pearl from the tip.

   She continued to stroke my cock and pouted a moment looking at me
apologetically.

   "My pussy can't take any more tonight.  You can have my ass if you want
it, but . . . ."

   "Don't be crazy Mel, neither of us are able to go again tonight.  Too
much tease, too much please, and probably too much booze.  Plus it's after
2:00."
She pulled herself up and turned to kneel with me on the bed and she
kissed me, trying not to open her mouth, but my mouth was all pussy and ass

so I pushed my tongue into hers and we shared each other's tastes.

   When I broke the kiss she asked "Can we stay here forever and do this
every night?"

   "That good?" I wondered.

   "That happy, that peaceful, that carefree, after so many months of
loneliness and misery.  I never thought I would find happiness."

   "I don't want to be a wet blanket, but remember it's only been a few
days and when you or I get back to reality the perspective may change." I
said as I held her face to mine, our foreheads touching while I stroked the
hair over her temples.

   "If I can be totally honest, while I loved Frankie eternally, our
bedroom wasn't perfect.  I masturbated a lot.  While I never cheated and
never would, I fantasized a lot.

   "Shhhhh, you're saying too much telling me more than I should know.  Let
us be us." I said as I moved off the bed and she followed.

   She smoothed out the sheets and pulled down the top sheet and arranged
the pillows.

   "Go pee, if you have to, I'll take care my ritual when you're done."

   When I came out she kissed me goodnight acknowledging I fell asleep
before she finished the night before.  I chuckled and expected the same
this night.

   I was awake when she came back, but I was about to drop off.  I might
have just fallen asleep when I heard her cry a bit and then sniff up some
tears while I debated whether I should interrupt and try to console her,
because if it was over Frankie, it might make it worse.

   Then I heard her whisper the word "stupid!" at herself and I felt I
should intervene.

   "What's the matter Melody?  I thought we were happy a few minutes ago."

   "Ohhh, my big fucking mouth.  I just realized something else I said to
you.  I'm not making a good impression."

   "About masturbating?  Everybody does it." I said trying to poo-poo her
negative worries.

   "No, as I played back the night in my head I said you could have my ass.
That's a bit more of a whore I can be than I wanted to expose.  It's
something I've only done a couple times, and pretty drunk at that." She
said bursting into tears.

   "You're over reacting.  Most women have tried it and most were drunk. 
To be honest, yesterday morning I mused to myself when you flipped over
that any lover you had must have asked for it.  It's a male fantasy when
they see an ass as lovely as yours.  You're a sexual person and it's all
normal." I whispered to give the effect I knew how private it was.

   "It didn't shock you?" She asked with more tears poised.

   "No.  Actually, it made me think it could be an option some day." I said
as I pinched her bottom to break the sad note she was ending our night on.

   "OOW, you're not going to get it doing that." She giggled knowing it was
playful.  "Besides, it hurts doing it there."

   "Doesn't have to, you know I took care of that little place before." I
said.

   "Yes, but don't get any big ideas." She said.  "I'LL TELL YOU when
that's going to happen."

   "Remember Mel, you're ALWAYS in charge.  I know and respect that."

   "Sounds like something a certain someone made you understand." She said
lifting her head to kiss my cheek.

   I choked up a bit, but nodded to her in the ambient light of the moon.

   We both said goodnight and we fell off into our dreams.

   When I woke the following morning I was greatly confused as to where I
was waking to the smell of bacon cooking.  I scanned the room for a clock
and saw 9:30.  No matter how late I ever went to bed, sleeping passed 8 or
so was unheard of for me.  Maybe my 50 years and the sex with this woman
was burning me, or did I just enjoy it too much?

   Melody appeared in one of my t-shirts and the pirate patch thong from
the night before with a cup of coffee in her hand.

   "I hope you don't mind, but you had food out there besides coffee.  I
made breakfast.  Come out and sit with me?"

   "Sure," I mumbled, "just let me pee." While taking the cup from her hand
and sipping, hoping to get the caffeine started.

   My piss was long and relieving, not remembering the last time I slept
the whole night through without getting up.  With the door open I was on
display and she came up behind me, a hand on my shoulder, saying, "What are
you, a camel?"

   With my dick in one hand and my coffee in the other I couldn't give the
grouchy morning response I would have given to most any woman who did this,
but Mel was a sure exception.  In less than 100 hours she had become
"special" in my book.  When I turned back to say something to her she had a
tissue in one hand and a clean pair of my underwear clenched in her teeth.
She wiped the tip of my cock and took the edge of the waistband from her
teeth and held them open for me to step into.

   "Get that coffee in you because once you're awake, I don't do this.  I
know I need 10 minutes to wake up so I'll give you that, but breakfast is
ready." She said holding out her hand.

   She pulled me to the kitchenette and she did have eggs, bacon and toast
on the table, hot and ready.

   I sat at the table and drank my coffee while nibbling on the breakfast.
I normally wouldn't go to this much trouble in the morning; I many times
had eggs for dinner.  That was a regular offering from Piper Lee if we were
going to be out, with her saying "Get your protein and you'll hold your
liquor better." I don't know if that was true, but many nights "3 poached
and toast" was our dinner before going out.  I suppose Piper was the reason
I didn't have a "middle aged spread".  I was basically the same size I was
the day she and I met.  Since her ill fated trip I had gained but a pound
or two, so I guess I developed good habits.

   We didn't talk much over breakfast and I think I was the big reason for
that as I was just still half asleep.  Finally Mel asked, "So, how's your
breakfast, you haven't said a word."

   "Oh, sorry, I'm just not awake, but I'm getting there." I said as I knew
I was brightening, noticing how sexy she looked when she got up to get more
coffee for us.

   "Are "we" going to do anything today, or will I "maybe" see you on the
beach?" She asked digging at my previous mornings cool comments.

   I just smiled an embarrassed smile.

   "Let's do something together today, besides sex.  Can we, please?" She
whined.

   "You're sick of sex?" I asked, knowing she didn't mean that.

   "Of course not, how can I be sick of something I was forced to do alone
for 10 months that's meant for two?  You've made me feel like I've never
had an orgasm before the last couple nights.  I mean I've always came, but
that last couple days and nights, WHOA!"

   I just grinned back; proud I made her so happy.  Piper would say "You
got skills!"

   "So can we?" She asked again.

   "Of course, we can do something today.  We can ride and talk and
sight-see.  Find some Maine attraction and be a couple . . .  anything. 
Fair enough?" I asked.

   "Perfect!" She said gleefully as she bounced up and pulled off her
t-shirt and came over to my chair and straddled me to kiss my face over and
over.

   "So far you've only brought me to dark bars and bedrooms.  I want people
to see us in the light.  You don't have any friends here that were Bart and
Piper friends you're trying to hide me from do you?" She asked (and it was
a fair question to ask).

   "Only the office manager out front and I'm sure he's heard enough noise
complaints to know that I've moved on." I said chuckling.

   "They say good taste is to wait a year, but if the opportunity is there,
I now realize, we should begin living again.  I know it's cold to say, but
they aren't going to come back." She said choking on the last words.

   She hugged up close to me, maybe to hide her tears, maybe just to feel
the warm hug, but when she sat back she looked at me and looked off for an
idea.

   "I have it, FunTown USA!  It's only about a half hour and we could go on
some rides, have some laughs, eat some junk food." She blurted out.

   "You like rides?  I haven't been on a ride for years.  Piper got
carsick, motion sickness on most everything."

   She crossed her arms under her boobs, making them stand out, not that
they needed to be held out, they were quite firm on their own (and they
were definitely real).  "I LOVE rides!" she said as she squirmed a bit on
me as I began to get a little firm under her, her titty show inciting me.

   She locked eyes with me and said something very sexy, very convincing.

   "I know a ride I can take right now.  It's kind of like the
Merry-go-Round.  However, you don't go around", she said as he reached
under herself and moved the pirate patch, "But you go up and down!" She
said as she worked my cock free of my undies and pushed it into herself.

   "Up and down, up and down," she said over and over again as I pushed the
table away more to accommodate her.  She did this for few minutes and then
pulled herself off.  I was about to get up and she shook her head "no" and
grabbed my shoulders putting a foot on either side of me.  She could have
stood right up, but with her hands on my shoulders she lowered her pussy
right over my dick.  We were connected at my cock and my shoulders and she
started bouncing up and down.  It was the most incredible, tight, feeling I
ever got in any woman's pussy.  I could feel one muscle in her box that
sort of ran along my cock in this position.

   "You're going to get me fast this way!" I warned as I looked and saw her
eyeballs roll up in her head, grit her teeth and hiss long and hard as my
cum shot up into her.

   She suddenly jack-hammered on me as she came long and hard, just hissing
and squeaking it seemed.  When she ran out of steam she leaned to one side
and removed one foot from the chair, and then the other.  The whole fuck
took about 3 or 4 minutes.

   "God Bart, you're an orgasm machine for me when I hook you up.  Are you
that good, or is it just new?  Oh my God!"

   I stood and held Mel from the back as she was still huffing and puffing,
standing and trying to alleviate the cramps in the legs she just gave such
a workout to.  I pulled her to me and held her back to my chest, my hands
full of her breasts.

   "Melody," I said, "it's me, it's you, and it's what we've created
between us.  Don't question it, just flow with it."

   "But Bart, I've been having orgasms since I was 13, having intercourse
since I was 17, and always thought I did OK, having great sex.  I orgasm
every day, with rare exception and I know how to get them, how they can get
more intense.  You, . . .  you, . . . .  bring out an animal in me." She
said panting and moaning at having her tits mauled and held.

   "I think it's you, you're feeling a freedom to do as you want and not
worry about pleasing someone with consequences held over your head." I told
her.  "You told me you fantasized a lot.  Did you tell Frankie you did
that?"

   "Oh GOD NO!" He would have been devastated!" She said pulling my hands
from her breasts so she could think straight.

   "So why did you tell me?"

   "Because we're so much more open sexually!" She said before starting to
cry.

   "See?  You weren't honest with him because you were afraid of what he
would think of you.  You and I walked through THOSE doors BEFORE we entered
the house we're building.  Our sexual life is built on honesty and we got
it with brash innocence.  That's why you haven't protected some of the
secrets you've blabbed to me." I told her.

   "But Frankie and I were so happy!  What I thought he missed in the
bedroom I took care of myself!" She said defending their marriage.

   "Of course!  Your little secrets, and what you took care of yourself,
kept your love strong.  You wouldn't hurt him and you didn't want to lose
him.  There's nothing wrong with any of that." I insisted.

   "If he and I were as open sexually as you and I are I doubt he would
have fallen in love with me.  He was a little prudish, or maybe religiously
guilt ridden." She said still teary eyed.

   Then she seemed to compose herself and she turned to me in her naked
state and put her hands on my shoulders.  "I'm sure he understands now. 
Anything I kept from him was to protect our marriage, our relationship, and
we were very happy.  That happiness was shattered and I'm putting it
together, much like you are."

   I pulled her close and hugged her tightly, running my hands down her
back to hold her irresistible ass.

   I felt the need to admit something to her.  "I could have never made a
move on another woman unless she presented herself like you did.  You took
a lot of what I was telling you and used it on me.  I just figured when I
was ready to get involved with a woman or women in general, I would go back
to my old ways.  You made it real and walked and talked my game, I guess.
Even though I KNEW I didn't want to, I was prepared to move on after our
night together.  You forced the issue without being whiny or nagging or
possessive."

   "Ummm, if you don't get in the shower so we can get out of here, I'm
going to be looking for an early lunch with that little friend you have
beginning to press against me." She said as she pulled away from me.

   Her warm body and the hands full of ass cheek I had were beginning to
light my fire again and I did promise to get her out of the bars and beds
and out into the world.

   "Shower with me?" I asked.

   "No, I`ve already showered.  I just have to take care of what's running
down my leg.  If I got in the shower I'd end up on my knees, just like it
would have been out here." She said with a wink as I peeled off and headed
for the bath.

   We headed North on Route One going to Fun Town, unless we thought of
anything else in between.  Once we got out of the village and got going she
turned in the seat towards me and slinked her knees up to peer over the top
of them.  She looked sexy enough to eat right there.

   "Can you talk about Piper at all?"

   "Sure, some things get me upset, but . . . ."

   "Were you as sexual from the start as you were with me?"

   "Not physically.  We talked a lot about sex, likes and dislikes, before
she actually invited me to stay with her.  It was probably a month.  She
knew my reputation and if she were here she would tell you she had a
challenge to tame me.  It wasn't that she didn't like me from the start;
just a few of her friends told her that I would break her heart.  She told
me flat out that I wasn't going to get the chance.  If anyone did any of
that, it was going to be her dumping me." I admitted.

   "She got the upper hand in the relationship?"

   "I guess you could say that.  For once I wasn't the driver.  But she
made me realize how nice it felt to be loved and appreciated and know what
feeling love was.  By the time we finally had real sex I wanted her so bad,
and not just for getting off, I wanted to MAKE LOVE to her." I continued to
confess.

   "What do you mean real sex?"

   "We had our hands in each other's pants, jerked each other off, so to
speak, but no sex, no sucking, no fucking.  She had me climbing the walls
when it got to the point where doing myself, or even her jerking it, didn't
satisfy me.  I wanted her.  I found out what sex really was between people
who loved each other and how much better it was." I said choking back a
little.

   "Do you think you could feel that way with me?" she asked candidly.

   "I think, in a lot of ways, I do.  You aren't, and I'll admit, never
were, a one night stand.  I tried to think of it that way, but my
conscience wouldn't let me.  I knew it was special."

   "From the time you first saw me on the beach, when did you first think
about us getting together?"

   "Never, until you said to me "There's a reason we both came here".  It
was then I realized that you were interested in me.  Suddenly it felt good
to be wanted, but I was also afraid you might be drunk and not know what
you were doing." I said with a smirk.

   "You didn't say, "Boy I'd like to fuck that" when you saw me on the
beach in my bikini?"

   "Never crossed my mind.  As far as I was concerned, I was working.  I
admired you, your body, but "wanting you", as in sex?  No." I attested.

   "Geez, I've got to get better bikinis" She said deflating.

   "I didn't say you didn't look good, I was working and work is work and I
had many other things going on in my mind."

   We made a lot of small talk on our way and when the sign for Fun Town
came into sight she was truly excited, so I pulled in the lot hoping she
might find some joy in the day and maybe we could grow as a twosome, or
find out that we didn't quite fit outside the bedroom.

   I talked her into walking the park, seeing what they had to offer.  She
was like a 14 year old girl screeching at each new ride she saw and turning
to walk in front of me saying, "Tell me you'll ride on that with me!  It
will be a blast!"

   I decided she was so damn cute that I couldn't help getting into it like
her.  So I asked her to pick her first ride and she went directly to the
log flume and it began a day of her hanging onto me, laughing, screaming
with joy, and tons of belly laughs.  She even challenged me to go in the
batting cages with her so she could try and best me, but she didn't.  She
WAS very good though, as they say, for a girl.  (that pissed her off haha).

   When we got to the roller coaster I didn't want to disappoint her, even
though I hate them, and I told her so.  She smiled big and said, "Once we
get in the car and guy fixes the bar, you get your zipper down and I'll
make this a ride you won't soon forget."

   Sure enough, as soon as the train began its first climb, her hand was in
my shorts.  She was screaming like everyone else on the coaster, but her
hand was busy pulling on my cock.  The last turn brought us into a tunnel,
where it was pitch black and the track rocked and rolled us.  It prevented
her from getting my cock in her mouth, but I did feel her tongue going
around the head until the light began to appear ahead.  As the last turn
swung way out and around she was stuffing me back in my pants.

   "I said you would like roller coaster rides with me." She leaned and
whispered.  She was right.

   We ended up staying until past dusk and watched the fireworks display
from a blanket in the outdoor theater.  We stopped on the way home and had
a great lobster dinner and headed back to the condos.

   "Can we take a blanket down to the beach?  It's low tide tonight.  I'll
bet we're alone." She said leaning up to me from her seat.

   "What sort of deviousness do you have in mind?" I asked.

   "Well, I learned the hard way that you don't screw on the beach and
getting sand in your pussy is NOT nice.  But I can finish what I started on
the coaster."

   "Couldn't we be just as romantic on the floor of your condo in front of
the double slider.  We aren't kids anymore despite the fact we spent the
day at an amusement park.  The beach, the moon and the sand are nice
touches, but it's YOU that makes it sexy." I insisted.

   "Are we dealing with a respect issue here?  I went through this with
Frankie." Mel said leaning back and straightening.

   I looked at her with a questioned face, making it obvious I didn't
understand.

   She sighed before explaining.  "He thought it was demeaning for a woman
to get on her knees before a man and have oral sex.  He said it was making
the man the master, and her the slave.  I told him that I never did
anything I didn't want to do and that I love oral sex.  Sucking my lovers
cock brings great pleasure and joy to me.  The feeling of power, the
heartbeat in your mouth, the intimate tastes that tell you how close you
are to pleasing your man.  Finally, the knee buckling ecstasy you bring to
him that takes his total body by storm.  He doesn't have to be mounted on
me working and worrying about my orgasm, he simply has to enjoy what I do
for him, and then he can do the same thing for me.  I can lay back and
enjoy him enticing my orgasm out of me.  I don't have to worry that he
might stop and want to change positions, cum early, get tired, or lay on me
so heavy that I can't move to get more satisfaction.  Oral sex is total
devotion."

   I chuckled and said, "You realize you could get elected President,
right?"

   She laughed but made sure she had my attention when she said, "I don't
do this for any man.  I've dated dozens of men, had many try to entice me
into an intimate relationship.  But, as I told you before, I've only slept
with 6 men, and they are the only men I've had oral sex with.  I don't want
you getting any ideas about me."

   "And I've told you it was none of my business and I don't care HOW many.
How could I judge a thing about you, or you me, when considering our lives
before we met?" I told her for at least the 3rd time in the last few days.

   I guess we both spent the last 20 minutes of our drive back in deep
personal thought and we said nothing.  Then as we turned onto Mile Road,
our last step, she quietly turned to me and said, "I want to take you to
the beach and make love to you with my mouth.  It would make me very
happy."

   "Then we'll do it." I said patting her leg and she took my hand and
squeezed it.

   I kept trying to run our whirlwind romance through my mind, knowing I
had but 4 days or so to decide if we would continue this long distance with
commitments or if we would get together some other time, I was having a
hard time coming to grips with the whole thing.  I guess the biggest fear I
had was that my commitment to her might be an 8 or 9 out of 10 and hers
would be just a 4 or 5.  Right now I was sure we were both at a 10, but we
were still fucking and sucking like kids on a honeymoon and we hadn't taken
in the realities of life we might have to deal with in the future.  We
could be perfect mates, but if one had a lot of debt, or one was a slob at
home, drug or alcohol dependency, to only mention a few of things that can
pressure a relationship, it could take the shine off what seemed a lustrous
relationship.  Soon I would begin to ask the questions that might make up
our minds for us.

   Chapter 5

   We got to the condo units and parked.  We walked up to the door of my
unit, which was across from the stairwell up to hers.  She stopped and held
my hand.

   "We can go right down, if you want.  I don't need anything, I just need
you." She said moving to kiss my lips and throw her tongue into my mouth.

   I felt blood rushing to my junk already.  I already knew how talented
her mouth was and knowing the mouth pasted to mine would soon be sucking my
cock was an intense sensation.

   We climbed down the cement steps to the sand and looked out into the
darkness.  There were two or three places along the beach that had lights
to illuminate their portion of the beach, but it was mostly dark.  She took
off her shoes and left them on the step to retrieve later.  I did the same
and she took my hand and we headed into the darkness.

   The moon was blocked by clouds and only a light sheen showed on the
ocean.  We could actually see quite a ways up the beach and it was
deserted. If anyone was out, they would have to be real close to make out
images and what they were doing.  We walked up around 200 yards, angling
towards the water with each of us holding handfuls of our butts.

   She stopped and turned to me and brought my face down to her lips and
she gave me the sexiest kiss, she had the most incredible lips.  We necked
there for a couple minutes and then she pulled me closer to the water.  We
stopped about 10 or 15 yards from the closest trace of a wave and she
turned to me and whipped off her top.

   "Hold my titties, squeeze them for me.  I know you'll chew on those
nipples and kiss them later." She said as he turned and leaned against me,
my hands going under her arms and around to her breasts.  Her left hand was
holding the end of my cock, getting me excited.  Finally she brought both
of her hands up and covered mine on her boobs and then pulled them down as
she turned towards me.  She kissed me once more on the lips and went to her
knees in the sand.

   My mind was in a great state, not really comprehending the feeling she
was bringing to me.  The crash of the ocean and her purr were all I heard
as she pulled my shorts down without even undoing the belt.  I had
man-scaped enough that the first thing that showed was not my pubes, but
the junction where my penis met my body.  As soon as that came into her
view her mouth went to it, licking and kissing while her hands NOW busied
themselves to undo the belt.  The snap on the pants and zipper were not
necessary to get my drawers down, just the belt.  Once they got passed the
head my cock popped up.  Her mouth slid down the length and when it got to
my purple plum, she enveloped it and I felt my knees tremble.

   For a few moments she was like a gourmet tasting, sliding her mouth off,
then back on as if testing its flavor, but then she reached behind me and
held the cheeks of my ass and her mouth took me as deep as she could and
held it in her throat for a moment and she relented, but never let it fall
from her lips as she began to fuck my cock into her mouth.  She knew what
she was doing as her tongue seemed to press me to the roof of her mouth on
each in-stroke.  I have had 100's of blowjobs, but this was all new and
different.  The pressure was like a virgin pussy (not that I ever had one)
and I became aware I wasn't going to last long.

   "Ohhhh," I swooned and trembled, "You're going to get me fast." I said
with a shiver.

   Suddenly then I felt my prostate squeeze to begin my orgasm cycle and I
squeezed back as men do to intensify the stretch of the sex muscles before
I let loose in her mouth as she never lost a beat.  Then she coughed and
gagged and let me out as she spit, coughing, and retching.

   "Sorry, I tried to save too much." She spat out quickly before going
right back onto me, now using her hands to finish what I might be able to
conjure from my balls.

   I was ready to fall over by this time, but she quickly bounced up and
wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, saying, "It's settled, you're
delicious!" before giving me a wet cummy kiss.

   She turned and undid her little shorts and ran to the water, screeching
at the cold shock of Maine ocean water, but quickly splashing up over
herself and then letting her whole body feel the waves crash over her as
she dove in the shallow water.

   "Bart, come on!" She shouted and I only needed to kick my shorts and
undies off one foot and strip off my shirt to skinny dip, and although I
felt like a jackass at 50 years old going skinny dipping, I joined her.

   We were only up to just below out waists, but the hard waves let the
water wash all the way up on us.  It was cold, but very refreshing.  We
laughed and splashed a few minutes and then she took my hand and we headed
out.  We got just below our knees in the surf and she said, "Wanna see how
cold the water REALLY is?  Stand there and close your eyes."

   At this point I would have done anything she asked, so I did as she
said.

   Her mouth went over my cock and it truly felt like I was dipping in hot
water, it felt so hot after the intense cold of the ocean water.  She
slipped her mouth up and said, "Hot mouth on a cold cock." And then ran to
her clothes.

   It took us a good while to find all of our stuff as we got disoriented
in the water I guess.  She had resigned herself to walking back to the room
in her shirt and thong since we could not locate her shorts that she had
just thrown up in the air.

   "The tide is going out, so they'll be here in the morning if someone
doesn't pick them up."

   "Sure," I said sarcastically, "We'll be out here in 5 hours to look for
them.  People are out here a 5 a.m.  to watch the sun come up and hunt for
shells.  I hope you didn't have anything important in them."

   "Just my room key and my ass, and I`ve got my ass, and that's more
important than the key."

   "I'll say," I began to make a joke about her words when I stepped right
on something and when I bent in the dark I found her shorts covered with
sand.

   "I lost my thong in the surf when I did my little dive before and I'm
NOT putting my sandy shorts on.  Sand in my pussy once is all I can take.
I'm going to walk back like this."

   "Bare ass?"

   "It hasn't bothered you yet." She giggled.

   I undid my belt and dropped my shorts, and then stepped out of my
underwear.

   "Here, wear these." I said.

   "I don't need your undies, I'm OK" She insisted.

   It was then I turned her to the lifeguard parking place on the edge of
the shore.  A police car with the light flashing and headlights aglow was
looking out over the beach, probably a complaint of a woman screaming.

   "Unless you want an indecent exposure charge, put them on.  We'll walk
up to the soft sand and down to the room.  Make it look like we've been
just walking."

   We scurried up toward the line of homes on the beach and then made a
beeline towards our building.  When we got in sight of the cops a
flashlight went on towards us.

   "Police, what's your business on the beach so late." Came a loud voice.

   "Just a little walk after a big meal, officer." I said hoping he was
gullible.

   "Did you see any rowdy kids out here, maybe a young couple?" He asked.

   "We heard people down towards the jetty, but nothing here." I said.

   We kept walking with Mel staying in my shadow to hide the fact she had
my underwear on, but we kept walking and picked up our shoes from the steps
and went to my front door.

   "Where do you want to wake up, my bed or yours?" She asked as she pulled
me to the stairs.

   "Geez, YOURS I guess." I said giving in, but adding, "Remember, you have
no food."

   "We each have our favorite things to eat." She giggled.

   It was there and then I decided that we needed to begin to delve into
things besides good times and sex if we planned to take this to another
level when we left our "vacations".

   Melody was on what I like to call a "sex drunk".  All convention of
"love making" was set aside as she fed me her body until the wee hours,
mounting my face in various positions.  I lost count of the times she
squeezed out orgasms with her shrill squeals that wouldn't "quite" wake the
neighbors.  She finally rolled off my chest puffing like a steam engine.  I
laid back and caught my breath and when I finally looked up she was on her
right side, her legs pulled up and her ass stuck out.  Her pussy was red
from my ministrations, but it was wet and inviting.  Much like the female
orangutans whose sex features bright colors to attract her mate, I suddenly
had the urge to take her.  She was half asleep, but she had used me all
evening to please her, and not that I didn't enjoy the "job" she did on the
beach, but I wanted some totally "me" sex.

   I stood on the bed and straddled her, stroking myself to be sure I was
fully staffed before I squatted and pressed myself into her.  She startled
as if to throw me off and then under her breath she said, "My God that
feels wonderful!" as I fully woke her when I started to pump myself in and
out of her wet, snug pussy until I was satisfied.

   For the first of our mornings together, Friday I awoke first and heard
the buzz of her light snore.  She was much in the position I had left her,
except there was a thick smear of drying, thick, cum on her back.  I had
jerked onto her because I had become so desensitized I didn't think I could
get off in her pussy.

   I got up and peed and took a warm wash cloth to wipe my spooge from her.
She didn't seem to react to the wet cloth, as it must have been close to
her own temperature.  I took a quick shower, made coffee and came back to
bed with her to wake her.

   When I got back in the bed she stirred and rolled to her back.  She
flipped her head around a few times and suddenly woke startled.

   "Oh shit, I was having a dream.  A nightmare." She said quietly.

   "I hope I wasn't in it."

   "No, everything with you is good.  I have guilt in my dreams.  My
Frankie, I'm still having the same arguments.  He loved my blowjobs, but
thought I loved them too much." She mused.

   "I'm afraid I'm confused." I said.

   "As if you don't know, I like dirty sex, Frank was conservative with
sex. At times I could make him go crazy and he in turn would make me crazy,
but most times he was just vanilla ice cream, white bread.  Once I got him
cornered and started up, he loved it, but later he would say I was too
aggressive with oral.  I would tell him that I didn't have ONE girlfriend
who didn't like to give head.  My married friends, my single friends, all
of them, even the prissy old farts from University.  It just isn't
something you broadcast around, but it's a fact of most people's sexual
life at some point.  What he felt uncomfortable with was when we would be
watching TV and I would decide I wanted it."

   "OK, OK, you don't need to go into details, I get the picture.  I
thought we wouldn't share this." I protested.

   "Well, you asked, well sort of.  I smell coffee.  Can we go have some?"

   "Sure," I said, "As long as you at least put a shirt, or top, or
something on.  I want to talk and not be distracted."

   "Wait, this isn't THE talk, is it?  You know, moving on, all that shit."
She said, almost spitting it out to me.

   "Jesus, Melody.  You MUST have had a vile dream.  Why would I want to do
that?  I find the second woman in the world who I can relate to and I'm
going to kiss her off?" I said grabbing her shoulder to turn her towards
me.

   "Shit, I'm sorry.  I guess I'm a little pissed off that Frankie is
bothering me in my dreams and I'm actually taking it to heart.  I'm sorry
sweetie." She said hugging me and kissing my neck while I thought to
myself, "sweetie?"

   I poured coffee as she slipped into my t-shirt from the day before and
sat down.

   "So, what do you want to talk about?" She asked.

   "Let's get some details out in the open before we start going off the
deep end here, and I think we're closing in on the edge.  Wouldn't you
agree with that?"

   "Yes, I hate to say that what's happening is what I promised myself
would never happen, but you're so damn nice and fill all the boxes on my
boyfriend 15 card." She said sipping coffee and avoiding my eyes, it
seemed.

   "Boyfriend 15 card?"

   "Single?  Check.  Smart?  Check.  Wise?  Check.  Sensible?  Check. 
Courteous?  Check.  Polite?  Check.  A gentleman?  Check.  Let's me
breathe? Check.  Uses Common sense?  Check.  Doesn't kiss my ass
(figuratively) Check.  Do I need to keep on going?" She said.

   "You're making that up.  Repeat the crtiteria!"

   "Single, smart, wise, sensible, courteous, polite, gentleman, space,
common sense, non ass-kisser.  Want to hear the rest?"

   "Let it rip." I challenged.

   "Sexy, passionate, uninhibited, nice dick, let's me cum first, and lets
me have my way most of the time, and all of the time with sex.  I spent
years reciting those to myself in my single years before I met Frankie.  I
had a few long term boyfriends who were 10 of the 15.  Letting me have my
way is extra and doesn't really qualify because I'm a brat.  Frankie had
the first 10 and a couple more, I was 26, and I went all in for him.  I
know it sounds shallow, but you can't argue with any of them if you are
looking long term."

   "How do I score?" I asked, being skeptical.

   "You're all 15, plus you spoil me and let me have my way, dressed or
undressed.  I know if we get much deeper involved I won't have my way all
of the time."

   "Well, you're wiser than I gave you credit for.  I'm not sure I really
do meet all those things, but the fact you observe for them is pretty smart
in looking out for yourself, and your heart of hearts." I surmised.

   "I didn't want to be an old maid and I didn't want to be stuck in an
unhappy relationship."

   "Well, I DON'T have a checklist, but I have no complaints, so far.  So,
I just want to ask you some questions.  The answers make no difference, but
let me know something about your character and you'll know a little about
mine.  Just remember that any relationship begins with honesty.  You can't
find love if you don't base it on honesty."

   "Do you pray?" She nodded and I said "Me too."

   "Do you belong to a church?" She nodded and I said "Me too."

   "Do you go regularly, like a couple times a month and not just Christmas
and Easter?" She nodded and I said "Me too."

   "Can you pay all of your monthly bills with one week's paycheck?" She
nodded and I said "Me too."

   "You know," She added, "I really don't have any major bills.  My house,
my car, is both paid off because of insurance from Frank.  I have gas and
electric, and of course fuel for the car, and insurance, but I'm pretty OK,
moneywise."

   "Piper and I had policies on each other and I took care of all that
stuff too." I added.

   "None of my business, but who's your beneficiary now?" She wondered
showing me that she had an analytical mind.

   "Right now, the Diabetes Association, but they don't know it because as
soon as I have a significant other, if I ever do, I'll switch it.

   "So, you live in a home you own?" I asked.  She nodded and I said "Me
too."

   "Any children involved and would you like children?" I asked and she
hesitated for a moment.

   "I don't have any and really don't think that motherhood is for me, but
if I became pregnant, I would accept a child."

   "Being a father would have been fun when I was younger, but Piper Lee
was the first woman who I thought to be a fit Mother, but I had a vasectomy
just before we met.  She contemplated getting artificial, but we just never
got to it." I said, the last words choking in my throat.

   Mel came over to me, choked up, and hugged me.  "I know we've had a lot
of fun and it might continue for a long time, but we'll always miss our
lost loves.  I know you miss her, and I miss him too."

   We stood and cried for a few moments and then got back to reality.

   "Sounds like you want to propose?" she said devilishly grinning.

   "If we ARE together beyond these few days don't EVER expect that.  Too
many ruined friends, and Piper and I were perfect and we NEVER even thought
about it." I insisted.

   "Well," She warned, "Remember things change and I've already decided I
would likely never marry again either.  Frank may always be my only
husband."

   "If you take a quick shower I'll take you to breakfast.  Then the tide
will be going out and we can go lay in the sun." I said trying to make the
first "couples" suggestion of the day.

   She bounced up and headed for the bath saying, "You know, sunning all
day makes me horny."

   "So does breathing, apparently.  I haven't been able to hold you down
yet." I said as the door closed and quickly opened.

   "Seriously, I haven't had to take care of my own "business" for 3 days.
That's the longest since I was 17, and that's NO SHIT!  How's that for
honesty?" She said closing the door with a big smile on her face

   I shook my head, finding it amazing that someone wouldn't WANT to be
keeping up with her sexual pace.  I mean, if she and I were to continue, I
would be available.  Poor Frankie, I'm sorry you got some odd bug and died,
but why would this woman have to resort to masturbation once or twice a
day? She is a lit firecracker for all of her waking hours.

   I got to thinking about Piper Lee.  We were always good for 3 or 4 times
a week, but if she were "taking care of her own business" she would have
told me, and surely even asked me to watch.  No repression in our
relationship, that's for sure.

   I got dressed for breakfast, over my trunks, and when Mel came out of
the shower she went right for her bikini and put a little beach shift over
it.  We each slipped on sandals and we were off to The Big Maine Diner.

   One thing at The Big Maine was they left a newspaper on each breakfast
table.  Once coffee came we each took a section and were into the news.  As
we each discussed things we were reading I realized this was like sitting
with Piper.  I used to get pissed at her for "reading the paper to me", but
eventually we began to swap stories from the paper with a `Hey, did you
hear this, . . . ." Now her acting like Piper was comforting, but she
wasn't doing it because I asked her or told her about "our" little things,
they were just happening.  Earlier I said it was spooky, now it was
becoming comforting.  If Piper was orchestrating things beyond the grave,
it was for that effect, comfort and eventually I'm sure if Melody and I
stuck together we would become our own people.  It was just Pipers way. 
But I really don't believe in any of this stuff, but it is pretty weird.

   After breakfast we were stuffed, and we both agreed it would last until
dinner.  The Big Maine has corned beef hash that's incredible, with 2 eggs,
bacon and sausage we got the Lumberjacks special.

   "I'll tell you what Sugarbun," Mel said to me, "Tonight I'll buy YOU
dinner."

   "Do you have a special place to eat?" I asked, sorry I said it that way
already.

   "Darlin' I have a real special place to eat," She said with a leer, "But
we can do that after dinner.  I'll take you to Bay Hill Farm.  It's about 5
miles up Abenaki Mountain Road and quite possibly the best meal in Southern
Maine." She said as I saw her texting like mad on her phone.

   I could not be bothered texting, I talk, and that's why I have a phone.
Just another Piper thing, text, text, text.

   When we got back to the condo's I told her I would meet her at the
beach.

   "You don't want to come up while I change and we'll go down together?"

   "What's to change?  You're wearing your bikini already.  If we get
behind closed doors we won't get down to the beach for a couple hours." I
said shaking my finger at her.

   "You can't blame a girl for trying." She said with a big smile.  "I'll
get my chair and beach bag and meet you right here in 30 seconds."

   She bounded up the stairs and was down in a flash, her bag and chair
already out beside her private entranceway.

   I got my stuff from outside the slider and we set up on the beach.  It
was apparent right away that the sun was going to be unrelenting and I went
back up for an umbrella, and my camera.

   We spent nearly 5 hours moving in and out of the sun, reading our
Kindles, taking short walks, but amazingly, speaking very little to each
other.  There were exchanged smiles, sexual glances, and at one point she
came over to my chair that I had let down, she clumsily straddled it, and
kissed me long and deeply before sitting back right onto my cock which had
already responded to the kiss.

   "Oh my, this mattress is lumpy!" She said with a giggle that only made
my problem worse.

   She got up and I brought up the back of my chaise in hopes of hiding and
discouraging my problem.

   We went back to reading and making eyes at each other until the sun
began to wane behind the condo building.

   "Ready to shower and go to dinner?" She asked.

   "Sounds like a plan.  What time did you make reservations for?"
"6:30"
"Wow, it's almost 5:30 now, I guess we let time get away, huh?" I said

as we gathered our stuff.

   "You shower, dress and come up." She said as we walked up the stairs,
shared a kiss and went in.

   It was about 5 after 6 when I went to her door, knocked, and let myself
in.  I saw her in the bathroom drying her hair and she saw me in the mirror
and smiled.  This was all beginning to feel very natural, very familiar.

   She came out and got her purse and fished for her keys.

   "I'm driving tonight, because I'm taking YOU out.  That means I'll bring
you home and hope you invite me in "for coffee".  Things will get out of
hand, and I'll end up staying all night." She said candidly as she
straightened herself and her purse.

   "What kind of a man do you think I am?" I asked, faux insulted.

   "Ummmmm, the kind I go home with, and there aren't very many of those."
She said putting her hand out as I took it and we headed down to her
Mini-Cooper, specifically a John Cooper Works Roadster.  I had seen it in
the parking garage, but didn't know it was hers.

   She got my door for me and then got in and looked to me.  "Frankie
always wanted one, and we couldn't really afford it, because we had to have
two cars.  So when I got my first insurance check I paid cash and fulfilled
the one wish I was able to do for him." She said misty eyed.

   I patted her leg.  "I'm sure you fulfilled a lot of wishes for him. 
Don't undersell yourself.  I can see what a wonderful wife you were to him,
and what a loyal wife you were."

   "Don't EVER expect me to be your wife, no matter what happens with us."
She barked, almost like she accused me of something.

   "Mel, I'll NEVER ask you to be my wife, no matter what, and I think I've
told you that.  I don't know what you think I meant by saying that, but it
certainly had nothing to do with us."

   "I'm sorry, I guess I was feeling guilty about you riding in it and he
never did.  You'll have to put up with these little things for a bit." She
apologized.

   "I know, I have my moments as well.  Together or apart, we'll be OK one
day.  I'm sure." I assured her.

   Melody said something under her breath and I asked "What?" and her
answer was, "Oh, nothing.  Just thinking out loud."

   From that point she remained quiet and I chalked it up to her thinking
about Frank and how he would have enjoyed the car, and maybe a little of
her guilt.

   We got into the restaurant and it was certainly elegant and we were
treated like special people, as were everyone in the place.  We ordered
drinks and they brought hot cheese bread sticks with a garlic butter dip
while we perused the menu.  She asked if she could order for both of us and
I let her.  She had been here before, I, on the other hand had heard of it,
but never tried it.  After she ordered we resumed that quiet silence we had
in the car and I sensed something wrong, but I had said or done nothing to
bring it on.  Before we ate I wanted to ask her what was bothering her. 
But, before I had a chance to broach the subject she blurted out.

   "I hope it's together, I think I could fall in love with you."

   "What?  You hope what's together?" I asked.

   "In the car you said "Together or apart, we'll be OK one day.  I'm
sure." And I said something under my breath that I didn't want you to hear.
That was it. . . .  I hope it's together, I think I could fall in love with
you."

   "Melody, you're only known me for a few days and . . . . ." I started to
preach when she interrupted me.

   "Come ON Bart, admit it.  We've got something special going on here. 
This isn't infatuation or puppy love.  We're grown up adults." Then she
leaned in to keep her next words private.  "I don't let one night stands
last past one night, and I've always felt shame and regret over them.  The
only person I've had our kind of sex with was my husband.  I AM serious
about you.  You preach honesty, I'm giving it to you." She said, her last
words choking in her throat.

   "What if we both go home and you don't miss me and I don't call?" I
countered

   She sat and looked almost dumbfounded at me.  "Remember when I kissed
you on the beach and you popped a boner behind me?"

   "Yes, of course!" I said laughing and blushing.

   "I kissed you because I missed you then.  We hadn't touched each other
for a couple hours.  Do you think I believe you won't call me the first day
we're apart?  I might be surprised if you don't follow me home.  I haven't
been with a LOT of guys, but I know when one is smitten with me.  You can
act cool all you want and think you're the hound who can't be caught. 
You've been caught.  a hound caught in his own trap." (A Piperism)

   I fell back into my chair and exhaled, going limp armed.  I KNEW she had
me.  Yes, right now I didn't want to let her get away.  Contrary to what
she said, I did welcome our both leaving just to see how I was going to
feel.  If I felt emptiness, and I was damn sick of feeling emptiness, I
would make arrangements to see her REAL soon.  Don't get the idea that this
was just horniness setting in and a great piece of ass to have handy.  Our
72 or 96 hours (I'd lost track of time and the days) felt like a couple
months.  I knew so much about her, and I loved so much about her.  I
straightened out in my chair as the waitress brought Lobster Bisque for
both of us.  When she left I leaned to Melody to talk just to her.

   "Well, I think I could fall in love with you as well, and I keep telling
myself not to, it's been so short of a time and time away will only prove
my feelings.  My emptiness is gone with you here and you ARE so special. 
We aren't imagining all of this, I know that."

   We each ate our bisque that was more than heavenly and after the
waitress cleared our dishes and told us our main meal was coming she left
crackers, oyster forks, and lobster picks.

   "Melody," I said with a definite sour tone, "You aren't going to like
this, but, when we go home on Sunday we should not contact each other for
at least 2 weeks.  No phone, no email, no texts, just to see how empty we
feel.  I mean, we both felt empty coming here and knew what it was like
being empty at home.  If that feeling at home doesn't change, maybe this is
just a ruse on our feelings.  Our spirits should be rejuvenated back home
with new hope in our life.  If the old feelings are still there, you and I
might be a fantasy."

   Mel didn't cry outright, but tears were flowing down her face as she
forced composure at the restaurant.

   In a strained whisper, which was all she could muster, she said, "I
think you're wrong in the way to go about this.  We should maybe not see
each other for a short while, but not talking would almost be cruel.  It
seems like punishment for liking you too much."

   "That's not it at all Mel." I retorted.  "We're asking each other to
take a step that took both of us a long time to make 6 and 10 years ago.  I
was 30 before I found a woman I could live with."

   She gritted her teeth and said in a low mean whisper, "You were 30
before you found a woman who could put up WITH YOU!  You blame the women,
I'm pretty sure it was YOU!"

   I exhaled deeply, sad she was putting out venom.  "Don't get mad at me,
this wasn't intended to piss you off.  It's supposed to be a cooling off
period to sit and evaluate.  Maybe you'll decide you don't want this and
you'll want to find another husband, one that can give you children." I
said as the waitress, assisted by a waiter, brought a cart with raw
oysters, lobster tails, extra colossal shrimp, and crab legs.  (Not to
mention corn on the cob and baked potato)

   She asked if we needed any more help and I said no while Mel kept her
eyes down in her lap.

   She looked up to me with red eyes and pointed at me.  "This is the last
we'll talk of this until tomorrow night.  I don't want to ruin these last
couple days, even knowing the way you SAY you think.  But let me end it
with the last word.  I KNOW how you really feel about me, about us.  I know
you want, as do I, to find out if this can be real, and we both suspect it
is.  A few days away from the closeness and sex may filter out a few
feelings, I agree.  Two weeks incommunicado is absurd and I won't have it.
Now, let me tell YOU this, IF we stay together and I decide I want to be
married, you'll marry me, despite what you say and what I said!  I know all
I'll have to do is ask you.  You can deny it with all the macho shit you
can muster, but remember one thing.  You've been caught.  a hound caught in
his own trap."

   After her preaching to me about NEVER wanting to get married again, I
wanted to rise up and tell her off right there on the spot, but two things
stopped me: one, making a public scene, and two, the distinct possibility
she was right.  No woman and I mean - NO WOMAN, had captured me like she
did.  She was so much like Piper Lee that it was as if she were
reincarnated or possessed, but any things I wanted to change in Piper
seemed to be smoothed out with Melody.  One was being more aggressive
sexually, and secondly, being assertive when she had an opinion.  Piper had
the same way of getting her way all the time because she knew how much I
adored her, but sometime she would give up too easily if it meant smoothing
things out.  I really wanted her to fight for her side and prove something
to me.  Melody was that way, there wasn't much "give up" in her.  But, I
was head strong on some things and when I wanted to fight for something
Piper would just get face to face with me and say, "Let it go, in some
amount of time it's not going to make a difference."

   Melody suddenly changed her attitude and it was as if we hadn't had the
conversation.  She helped herself to things off the tray and turned it
towards me asking if there were anything I hadn't had before.  I told her I
was skittish on oysters, fear of getting a "bad" one.  She smiled and
assured me these were fresh and showed me what to look for.  With drawn
butter and a cocktail sauce we dug into the seafood meal as two hungry
people would.  We had just finished our plates and were going back for the
remainder of the shellfish, passing over the potato and corn until we knew
we had room for it.  Then some "thing", or idea hit her.

   She looked across the table and smiled sweetly and nodding said, "Now I
know what you did!  You took photo assignments for the next two weeks to
stay occupied and make the time go by quickly and have an easy excuse NOT
to call, text, or email.  Didn't you?" She asked as I tried to divert my
eyes.  "Don't look away from me, just fucking answer me honestly."

   "I DO HAVE assignments!  OK?  The two weeks is going to kill me.  I
didn't think of how hard it would be for you with no diversions.  I'm
sorry." I admitted.

   As I looked up to her she was smiling with a giant shrimp in her hand,
taking a huge bite from it in one gnashing motion.  I got her implication,
and just in case I didn't, after she chewed and swallowed the bite she
whispered, "honesty".  She was right; I was caught in a trap and was now
foiled by my own preaching word, honesty.

   We finished the meal and I can't say it was the most comfortable for
either of us.  I was in a position that I hated being in, wondering WHAT
she was thinking.  The valet brought her car and let her in as I got in the
passenger door.  She pulled away quickly with a jerk and pulled down the
drive that led you out of the grounds of the "farm".  Down the narrow road
there was an old roadside stand with a sign reading "corn-lobsters" with a
little cul-de-sac type turn-off.  She zipped into it and put the car in
neutral and leaned over to press her soft sensuous lips to mine.  The kiss
was long and sexy, making me excited.  Then she pulled her mouth away, put
the car in gear and before zipping out of the pull-off she said;

   "Remember you were the first one to give the other a reason NOT to trust
him.  A crack has appeared in what we thought was solid."

   If she had taken a machete and cut my balls off I wouldn't have felt any
more wounded and disgusted in myself.  I couldn't speak with the lump in my
throat I didn't think would ever clear.

   "Melody, I . . . ." I began to say, but she interrupted holding up her
hand to me while keeping her eyes on the road.

   "Don't speak Bart.  Leave it alone," was all she said.  It was just as
we came to the junction of Route 1 and I didn't want to distract her from
looking for traffic to clear, so I said nothing, as she wished.

   I was preparing what I was going to say to her the rest of the short way
back but when we pulled into the parking garage she hopped right out of the
car with me following closely.  She turned to go up the stairs to her room
and she said, "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

   I wasn't prepared for that option and she left me totally speechless.

   I went into my condo unit and straight for my computer and briefcase.  I
fished through correspondence I had brought or had on my computer and found
two Express Mail envelopes and took them with me to go to her unit.  I was
glad I had hard copies that I couldn't be accused of doctoring.

   I knocked on her door and received no response.  The casement window
there was open, although the shade was drawn.

   "Mel, come here and see me.  I know you're mad and probably with good
reason, but I want to show you something to prove I wasn't as devious as
you think I was.  I've always been honest with you, I promise." I said loud
enough for her to hear through the opening.

   "Go away.  I'm about to take care of some business for myself." She said
snidely referring to masturbation that she claimed she didn't have to do
when I was around.

   "Oh, is THAT a side of you I'm supposed to see now?  Being mean and
petty?  I hope you enjoyed hurting me.  Maybe you WON'T see me tomorrow!" I
said pissed off she would say something just to hurt me for the sake of
hurting me.

   I turned and headed back to my room, contemplating packing and leaving
that night, I was so incensed.

   I was just about to enter my door when I heard her call, "Bart, wait!"

   I contemplated ignoring her, but that would have been me acting like
her. I looked up and saw her out in front of her door on the landing over
my entrance.

   "I'm sorry.  I can neither hurt or be mean to you.  That was an awful
thing to say.  I'm no less pissed off at you, but can't let you think I
would do that.  I'm sorry."

   "Will you at least listen to what I wanted to show you?" I asked.

   "Yes, of course.  What is it?" She said quietly in a tone that said she
couldn't be convinced.

   "Never mind, you don't want to hear me." I said as I opened my door.

   "I do!  Please?"

   I was resolute not to go back up the stairs.  She would hear what I had
to say from the landing.

   "When I was trying to think of how we could put our relationship to a
test I thought the two week thing WAS a good idea.  I didn't want to get
hurt, and I didn't want to hurt you if what we have here isn't real.  I
thought we might always look back on it as a break from the misery and
loneliness.  Our memories of each other would only be positive, even though
we would realize our feelings were misguided.  I opened my calendar to
clear that weekend to go to Towson and meet you face to face for either
decision.  It was then I saw I was booked for the next two weeks.  In these
envelopes are my assignments I've had since I got here, my airline tickets,
and my hotel reservations for next week in Ocean City for 2 days of beach
shooting, and 3 days of covering a Toy Convention.  Then I have to fly to
Tampa and spend 8 days in Clearwater for more beach shots, a couple days,
and then cover a Sports Nutrition Convention to photograph the body
builders and any prominent sports athletes who might attend.  In light of
the latest steroid scandals they wanted a photo look at it all showing
sports legal and sports illegal situations." I said reading off the
assignment sheets.

   "I couldn't very well ask you to communicate and call for two weeks
until I was off for two weeks and then start our moratorium, so I just let
it be.  It wasn't to make things easier on myself, they were already
booked. You've read my fucking mind all week long on how I really feel and
I'm surprised you don't understand this as well.  The last thing I would
ever do is hurt you.  My biggest worry was that one of us would want to try
to stay together and the other wouldn't, because one of us would be hurt
and I don't think we want that for either of us.  That's my story; I just
wanted you to hear it.  OK?"

   She nodded and I went into my unit, happy I made my point.  I poured
myself a shooter of Jamesons, downed it, and poured another to sip.  I
dragged out my big Hockey bag that I used instead of multiple bags, you can
do that over 50 pound airline thing if you're driving, and began to empty
the drawers of the dresser I had filled when I got there.  I decided that I
would set my alarm for early and I would just leave and not put myself
through any more of this.  Losing Piper Lee had strained me to the max and
Melody had eased that considerably, if not erasing it entirely at times. 
Now it was apparent that it might have been a mirage as we got into
pettiness and hurtfulness.

   In 20 minutes I had the hockey bag filled and put tomorrow's clothes, a
crew shirt and a light pair of cotton sweats I called my "driving pants",
laying across the top.  I gathered my chair, my bag of dirty clothes,
camera bag, and my 4 bottle booze "vault" and piled them near the door.  I
left a tip for the housekeepers and a note saying they were welcome to any
food I left or to otherwise discard it.  I packed up my bathroom bag,
leaving out just my shaver and toothbrush.  I stripped off my clothes and
underwear and put them in the dirty clothes.  I only had to wake, brush my
teeth and shave, make 2 trips to load the car, and I was off.  Hopefully I
would be gone before she noticed and she could start a clean slate Saturday
without me and begin another 1st day of the rest of her life.

   I pulled back the sheets and slid in hoping to get 5 or 6 hours of
sleep, my usual nights rest.  It was 11:15 and I set my phone alarm for 5
a.m.  The room was dark as was the rest of the condo except for the
bathroom light that served as a nightlight for me.  I hadn't closed the
door to reduce the brightness inside, but I was too pooped to get back up.
I was emotionally drained and I think I fell asleep in a couple minutes.  I
was going to miss Melody like crazy to the point it hurt, but I guess I
blew my chance with her and an empty feeling wasn't new to me.  I had
thrown away a lot of phone numbers in my life and I guess I would be on the
other end of the deal this time.  I had a good thing and by my own poor
judgment, I blew it.  I preached honesty and she had seen I wasn't
forthright with her, and she could no longer trust me.  Once you've lost
trust, you've lost it all.

   Chapter 6

   At 5:00 a.m.  my phone played a long series of waking rings, getting
louder each few seconds until I woke and went across the room to the
dresser to turn it off.  I had slept the whole night without getting up
once to pee.  That's when I knew I was tired, because that NEVER happened.
I washed up, brushed my teeth and shaved, put on the clean clothes I put
out and gathered my first trip to the car.  I glanced out the slider to the
ocean sunrise and it was just getting ready to peek from the orange and
deep purple horizon and I was sorry to be leaving that all behind.  I got
the hockey bag strap over my shoulder and the chair in my other hand and
opened the door to leave.

   I nearly tripped over a beach chair filled with Melody who must have
been a sleeping sentry for at least part of the night.  My lurching, almost
fall, over her with a foot kicking her leg or knee woke her and she raged
at me with fire in her eyes.

   "Where the FUCK do you think you're going?" She asked as she burst into
tears.

   "I came down during the night to straighten things out with you and
looked through the slider and saw you packed with your stuff by the door.
Why?  Why would you break my heart like this and run out on me like a
drunken one night stand?" She asked as she buried her tearful face with the
towel she had to keep warm with over night.

   "Shhhh, you'll wake the whole building and get thrown out of here!  Come
inside" I said as I got my footing back and set my things down and helped
her inside.

   "Break your heart?  I thought I was easing your heart.  You could no
longer trust me, I let you down.  Our bubble had burst and I could not last
another day being here and not being close to you.  I thought if I stayed
it would only cause you more heartaches." I said in a whispering holler.

   Melody only looked to me and began crying all over again sitting on the
edge of the hassock.  She seemed inconsolable; I didn't know what to do.

   "You see?  THIS is what I wanted to avoid, breaking your heart.  I
wanted to wake up, get out, and have you find I was gone.  You could start
fresh all over again." I said as she fell deeper into her sorrow and I
stood back with my hands on my hips, feeling so mad that I was too lazy to
get up and dim the light from the bathroom last night.  She wouldn't have
seen anything and I would be gone by now.

   "I should just go.  It kills me to see you like this.  If you can . . .
." I began to say as I moved to side-step her and she sprung to her feet
and drove a finger into my chest.

   "YOU AREN'T LEAVING!  I NEVER wanted you to LEAVE!" She said with
absolute fire in her eyes.

   She began to turn away and then suddenly she turned back and her right
hand came from nowhere and slapped me right across the side of my face.

   "I love you and you're not going to rip me up and throw me away like
that!!  I SHOULD SLAP YOU SILLY!!" She said slapping me two more times
before I fell back turning and tripping over the hassock and falling onto
the sofa.

   She was on me like a pit-bull and pressed both of her hands onto my
shoulders getting right in my face.

   "I didn't know your assignments were already set when you talked about 2
weeks off.  I never would have agreed to two weeks off anyway.  We could
have rested a week and I could have met you in Florida.  I still can, but
nowhere ever did I say I didn't want to see you again.  We had a
misunderstanding where I thought I was right to be pissed off and I wanted
some think time.  I wanted to give you time to think.  I saw you didn't
agree to the work just to make your two weeks easier than mine.  HOW COULD
YOU THROW ME AWAY SO EASILY?" She said breaking down and crying and hugging
her head to my shoulder.

   I was trying to avoid embracing her because it would have made it harder
to leave.  It was tearing me apart already and I didn't need more drama and
emotion.

   "You thought I was dishonest with you and made a situation where I
couldn't be trusted.  You can't love someone you can't trust.  I broke that
bond when I didn't tell you I was booked for work anyway.  It was an
oversight and not a ploy, but I should have thought it through better." I
said as my mea culpa in hopes of getting out of there.

   She began to sit up off of me and I saw her arm recoiling to pounce on
my face again.  I reached up and caught her open handed swing.

   "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU SLAP ME AGAIN!  I may have had one of those
coming but my face burns already and I don't need any more convincing about
how big a fool I was to not tell you up front about my assignments."

   Her arm went limp in my hand and she exhaled deeply and snuffed up some
of the blubbering she had done and looked at me sanely and calmly.  She
poured her heart out to me;

   "Wherever you got the idea that I couldn't trust you is beyond me.  I
thought I caught you in a little deception and you proved to me that while
you knew of your work it wasn't the reason you said we spend two weeks with
no interaction.  I just wanted to give you some time to think and then come
down and work things out.  You blew things out of proportion.  I trust you
and believe you are a truly honest and good man.  I would consider letting
you walk out of my life right now to be one of the gravest mistakes I've
ever made.  I hate saying this out loud to you because you may think less
of my better judgment, but I love you more than I've ever loved any man and
I can't imagine any circumstance that would change that.  I know that is a
foolish statement and a careless thing to admit to a person I met only 4 or
5 days ago.  I have thought my feelings for you were fueled by the
emptiness of losing my husband, but I've convinced myself otherwise.  While
I loved Frankie deeply, I've always known that I settled when I took up
with him.  He was the best friend I ever had and we had great times
together.  I coaxed a lot of good sex from him, but he was no match for my
libido and I took care of that at any free moment I ever had.  In you I've
found a man who pleases me in every way I've tried to test.  Please do NOT
walk out of my life.  I'm so sorry that I slapped you.  I've NEVER slapped
anyone, but that's how insulted I was that anyone could do that to me, take
my happiness away again."

   She had floored me with her words for more reasons than I could write of
here.  What I really took issue with was "I love you more than I've ever
loved any man and I can't imagine any circumstance that would change that".

   "What I think you mean to say to me Melody is that you love me as much
as you can possibly love someone at this time in your life and your
situation, and maybe you can't imagine any circumstance that would change
that.  To commit your love to me in any other way is foolish and you're
playing tricks on yourself." I said to her calmly hoping to keep her from
raging and losing her temper again.

   "Potato, potahto," She said drawing a deep breath and showing she had
calmed down.  "Maybe my choice of words was for drama, but you know what I
meant and I truly meant a LOT of what I said.  I sat in front of your
doorway for 2 hours crying before I finally fell asleep around 4 o'clock. I
need you that badly in my life but I can't understand how you could say all
the things you said this week and then just walk away from me.  Didn't you
say you could fall in love with me too?"

   I nodded yes, but pled my case; "I thought you had rejected me!  You
don't think I would have been hurt leaving you?  I know the pain of losing
someone so it wasn't going to be new to me.  The pain of caring for someone
who doesn't care about you was new to me, especially after all the women I
strung along over the years.  My chickens had come home to roost and I
accepted it, not willingly, but begrudgingly." I admitted.

   "And?" She asked waiting for me to finish my point and put a cherry on
her question.

   " Ummm, . . .  Oh!, Yes, I certainly think I could fall in love with you
and I dare to say it started to happen." I said, being a little slow on the
uptake.

   She smiled sweetly and cuddled right into my chest and hugged me
tightly. "So, you're not going to leave?"

   "No." I said shaking my head.

   "Can we say we aren't going to stop communicating for 2 whole weeks?"

   "Yes.  Let's just wait a week and get things in order at home and tell
the people who should know that we've begun to get "out there", OK?" I
answered, hoping she would agree.

   "OK, unless we find we don't feel the way we do, but I don't think
that's going to happen." She said, adding, "And can I fly to Tampa and meet
you and spend some time on the beach with you?"

   "I'm not going to be on the beach every day, but you can be, if you
want. Clearwater Beach is a blast.  A real alcohol beach, a lot of buzzed
people." I said as I hugged her affectionately knowing I hadn't lost her.

   We both started crying and I realized it was the first time in a year
that I was crying, and it wasn't over Piper Lee.  They were tears of joy
and I thought of something Piper would say sometime when I would complain
about things.

   "To be content, just imagine if you lost everything you had . . . . . .
. and then got it all back tomorrow."

   There was so much truth in that little idiom, and that moment was proof
of it.

   I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, but she bounced right up
from the bed and dragged that big hockey bag into the room and opened it,
putting everything back in the drawers.

   "You're not getting away from me again mister!" She said as she placed a
handful of sock balls in the drawer and added the rest of my things before
smoothing out the shirts I had folded and putting them in the next drawer.

   I smiled as I watched her and when she finished she came to me on the
bed and straddled me, her hands on the top of my arms and her face close to
mine.

   "You know you can leave whenever you want to, but I think we both know,
you don't want to.  I know what we are doing and feeling is foolish, devil
may care, and on the surface may be setting one or both of us up for
heartbreak.  But, I've thought this through many times from any perspective
I imagine and I think the reality far outweighs the risks.  I've felt like
an empty glass for a long time and sexually I've been a half full glass for
a long time.  When I was married and happy, I was still masturbating 7 to
12 times a week.  After I lost Frankie it went up to 14 or 20.  Orgasm was
my release; it's always been my release.  I've never been with a man that
satisfies me fully where he can fall asleep beside me and I'm not playing
with myself to complete my satisfaction.  But, it's not just the sex.  I
know there's going to be a time when my libido will wane, I hope it's not
for another 50 years, but it happens.  Now I know I'm basing some of this
on just a few days and limited situations, but when we're alone we can
talk, have conversations, and you really listen to me and care about what I
have to say.  You don't seem to get in that "veg-out" mode.  Even relaxing
on the beach you're reading and when you're not reading you're doing a
crossword and then your eyes look up and take in everything around you. 
You take your binoculars and look out for something you see on the horizon
and study.  Your mind is working all of the time.  Then I see your eyes
catch some female form, or maybe a couple and that camera comes out.  You
focus and wait until the right turn is made, the right moment, the second
that interests you and you snap.  You don't even stop and check your shot.
You just drop it and whether that's self-confidence, or you want to hide
the fact you just snapped someone, I find that so intriguing.  I see the
art in your pictures.  When you first showed me your credential and told me
what you did I took you as a voyeur.  But looking at the things you've
shown me, I know you're not.  Those shots of couples staring off into the
horizon seems so simple, but when you edit the surrounding and get just
them in the shot it softens and I understand what they might be thinking
and they're always holding hands, or arm in arm, or hands on each other's
butt.  You can feel the affection and love they have." She said pouring out
her heart to me.

   "Wow, you given "us" more thought than I imagined." I started to say in
response to her lengthy evaluation of me, of us, but she interrupted my
thought process.

   "What's that I feel behind me, pressing between my ass." She said
reaching behind her and grabbing my erection through my thin cotton
"driving pants".

   While stroking the head of my cock through my pants between her thumb
and first two fingers she continued.  "Yes, I have given us a LOT of
serious thought, and not just about what's between my fingers.  Those
nights when I came back to bed after you had already fallen asleep?  I sat
up looking at you and thinking about everything that putting you in my life
would mean.  I know it may have sounded like I was playing down Frankie,
and I want you to understand, he was my best friend in the world, he
treated me like a queen, but he just wasn't the perfect lover.  I made him
extremely happy and he made me pretty happy.  He never understood the
attention I needed and actually no man ever did, well a couple did, but
they were assholes that I could never be with.  I can't believe I'm
confessing so much to you,"

   "Then STOP," I pleaded, "It's not necessary!"

   "NO, that's how close I feel to you and I WANT you to hear this so you
know I really thought this out.  I told you I had two one night stands
before I met Frankie, and both were with biker guys who treated me like a
piece of meat and left me so satisfied, but I could barely walk and I had
to wear long sleeves and long pants the next few days until the bruises
went away.  I knew I couldn't let myself get that low again, so it was
playing with myself after sex to get totally happy and that of course left
me guilty, which only led to more self abuse.  Bart, with you, you make me
crazy without abusing me.  You make sure I'm happy.  But, it's not just the
sex.  You listen with interest at everything I say.  You WANT to talk to
me, discuss things with me, and ask my opinion of things." She said still
squeezing my dick head to make her points, but she welled up again and
began to stream tears as she fought back a good cry.

   She kept her hand working and locked her eyes on me as she fought off
bawling and then looked me square in the eye and just before she began
bawling and drawing her hands up to her face she blurted out, "I think you
love me and act like you love me when you're with me.  That's why I
couldn't let you leave!"

   She cried hard for another minute as she (I think) waited for a response
from me.  When she calmed down I smiled at her and said "I think you may be
right and I do want to be with you."

   "Say it?" she said through waning tears.

   "I think I may be in love with you, Melody." I said as she fell on me
and cried again before sitting back and reaching back to feel the prong she
was leaning against again.

   "Bart I am sincere, just as I think you are, that love is a great
possibility and I fully understand, as should you, that tomorrow may open a
door that could change that.  This happened fast, and I know it could crash
as fast, but I just can't think of the situation that might cause that."
She said before lifting the elastic waistband of my pants over my cock so
she could put her hand directly on it.

   "I just have to ask you one question whose answer could color things for
me.  It's personal, but since you brought it up, it's open for discussion."
I said as she stopped fingering my dick and looked at me worried.

   I wondered aloud, "What question are you afraid that I might ask?  I see
the fear on your face.  Are you hiding something?" I said in response to
the look on her face.

   "Sort of." She said her eyes welling up.

   "Come ON, Mel!  You can't cry at every turn here.  IF . . .  it's to get
your way with me, can't you see it doesn't work?"

   "I'm sorry, and I wouldn't do that.  I'm no drama queen.  It's the
emotional roller coaster I've been on for the last 9 months and I feel so
close to the end of the ride.  I want to be the me that I am when I'm with
you, not this one.  . . .  (drawing a deep breath) . .  My two one night
stands were with 2 guys at once.  Was that your question?" She asked
frightened on how I would react.

   "That isn't what I wanted to ask, and it makes no difference.  Were
those one night stands while you were married, did you cheat?" I said as I
gripped her arms firmly.

   "NO, NO, NO!  I've never cheated on any boyfriend and certainly NEVER
with Frankie.  I was shit on once and I know how it feels.  NO!"

   "Thank you." I said adding, "Now where were we?" I asked as she looked
at me confused before smiling and blurting out, "Oh!"

   Her hand reached around and grabbed my cock by the shaft and began to
stroke it.  Then she seemed to sit up a bit and she reached down and pulled
aside her little sweat-shorts and thong.  She bent towards me and reached
back and took my cock and put it to her pussy.  I flexed my hips and sunk
into her and she sat back to be sure it got all the way in.

   "No man has ever filled me like this.  You curve right where I curve and
I can feel it all the way up!" She gasped as she fell onto me.

   I gripped her tightly and may have spoiled a moment but I had to say,
"Make sure you know WHAT you're falling in love with."

   "Don't worry," She said in my ear, "I'm a sexual person, but I'm not
that shallow.  You're so special in so many ways Bart."

   She sat back up and smiled that special look and began to bounce on me
as I was pushing her along.  Then she leaned back and braced herself up
with one hand on my knee and her other went to her pussy and she came
almost instantly upon touching herself.  She turned bright red and her eyes
looked like she stuck a finger in the socket and then she fell on me,
exhausted.

   "Ohhh," I groaned, "Two or three more and I would have cum too."

   She pulled herself off me and spun around to bend over me and take my
cock in her hand.  Her juices were enough to lube her stroke and true to my
words, on her fourth stroke I shouted out and shot a load high in the air
onto my chest.  She pulled 3 more little shots and then watched the
dribbles roll over her hand.  She ran her hands up over me to squeeze out
my last few drops before she put her mouth over me and ran her tongue
around the head knowing I would get sensitive easily.  I lasted a few licks
but quickly squirmed away.

   "I would have loved to have eaten that, but a big load of cum in an
empty stomach doesn't work to well." She said with a smile.

   "Are you comfortable with how you're dressed to go to breakfast?" I
asked.  "We have some things to talk about."

   "Can I borrow the one sweatshirt I put away for you?  I don't need my
titties bouncing under my t-shirt." She asked.

   "Grab it and we'll go." I said as I went to the bathroom and wiped the
cum off my chest and used a wash cloth on my junk.

   I turned around and she was standing there smiling.  "We can shower
together when we get back, OK?"

   "It's a date." I said.

   We got to The Big Maine Diner right at 7 a.m.  as they opened and we
were shocked there was not the usual line.  I don't think either of us had
realized how early in the day it was.  We purposely took a 2 person side
booth to be close to each other and we held each other's hands and talked
over coffee for 20 minutes before actually ordering food.  Any problems we
had with semantics and understanding intentions were ironed out then and we
got into family stuff as well as lots of little personal details, habits,
and quirks.  It was like a cram study course on each other.

   Getting back to the condo's I wanted to go in and change to go down and
take in the low tide, because you can walk out so far at Wells when it's
low.  I suggested she do the same and she seemed reticent, she wanted to go
in with me as I changed.  Well, I say change, it was simply shuck my pants
and underwear and put on a swimsuit, all of 90 seconds.  She then took my
hand and wanted to lead me upstairs to be with her as she changed.

   "Just go ahead and I'll meet you at the water, I won't go in until you
get there." I said stepping away from her while she held on to my hand.

   "No, please come up with me!" She said.

   "Melody, if you want sex we can diddle each other in the water, come on,
there's hardly anyone here before the lifeguards come in and the tides way
out."

   "It's not that, I just want you with me."

   "Mel, if getting clingy is going to be a new side of you, the last 4
hours have been for naught.  You have my heart, you have my word, and you
don't need anything else." I said getting short with this new sudden
dimension of her.

   She suddenly held her arms to herself as if a she were cold (it wasn't
even close to chilly) and said, "Are you sure you won't just leave?"

   I was dumfounded, flabbergasted, and any other word you can come up with
for being caught off guard and knocked off my feet.

   "MEL, what did we just spend the last 3 or 4 hours discussing?  Was that
an act or what?" I asked.

   "Unt . . .  uhh, we're back HERE now and all I can think of is looking
in and seeing your stuff packed.  I can't lose anoth . . . .  um, I mean
YOU!"

   "Melody, you have my heart and you have my word.  Love is trust, I never
want to hurt you, but you're hurting me right now.  I THOUGHT we just
passed all of this by."

   "Maybe I need a good spanking." She said in a tone that wasn't an
overture for sex play, she was just getting weird on me and it was causing
me distress.

   "Fuck you Melody.  I'm going down to the water and waiting for you to
come out in your swim suit.  Stop this foolishness right now!" I said as I
shook her hand off mine and turned and walked to the shoreline.

   I heard her burst into tears and run up the metal stairs and heard her
condo door slam.  I was determined to stand there until the tide came in up
to my head until she came out.  I just stood there with my arms folded
facing the ocean and waited.  I estimated 10 minutes went by and I began to
wonder if the whole relationship were up in smoke over some silly idea she
may have gotten in between the end of our breakfast and the 15 or so
minutes since we got back.

   I had just thought that the next move was definitely hers when an arm
went around me and she stood beside me saying, "Hi, I'm here, and I'm
sorry. I just had a little panic attack.  I've been off my medication for
the past 3 days and, thinking I didn't need it anymore, but I was wrong.  I
just sat up there thinking to myself, hating myself for throwing you away,
and all the emotions you put me through before and how nothing made sense.
It was then it hit me that I stopped taking it, thinking that you cured
me."

   "Cured you of what?"

   "I was a bundle of nerves and prone to crying jags when I wasn't playing
with myself and I got some psychiatric help and they put me on paroxetine .
It's an attitude adjuster for depression and phobia impulses.  As I asked
myself WHY, WHY, WHY, up there it occurred to me that I unmedicated
myself."

   "Playing Doctor Mel?"

   "Jesus, another from the Frankie Ostin playbook!  You know all of his
little sayings and jibes, I swear!  He always accused me of thinking I was
smarter than the doctors whenever they would prescribe something for a
cold, allergy, anything.  I hate taking pills and would stop taking a
prescription after a day or two, as soon as I felt better, and then of
course, in a day or two I would need it again and he would catch me,
knowing I skipped.  That's when he would call me Doctor Mel.  I'm really
sure he brought us together."

   I was used to her references to Frankie, and I suppose she was used to,
(I might mean sick off in both cases) references to Piper Lee, and now I
really did feel we may have been pushed together.  From either of our
angles, it had to feel good.

   "Melody, just get it through your head that I love you right now, as
long as we are here.  I hope the feeling continues long afterward, but we
both have to realize that once back into our regular lives our feelings may
change.  I pray as hard as I can that it won't be the case, I REALLY love
loving you.  It makes me feel like I've never felt.  With Piper I had
doubts for a long time and even with your little escapade a few minutes
ago, I don't want this feeling to end.  If I have to lay you out right here
in the sand and make love to you to prove that, I will.  I am not ashamed
to say I love you after these 5 or 6 days, even though the "me" from 7 days
ago would have told you there was no chance of this EVER happening."

   Melody had tears streaming down her face as she looked out over the
ocean hearing my words.  Never averting her eyes from the horizon she said,
"I can't imagine any day without you right now.  I'm still a little edgy,
but the pill I took a few minutes ago will smooth out those wrinkles. 
Bart, I cannot lose you and I'll try my best, pray my hardest to keep these
feelings.  You know at one point, while still on the meds, while driving
here with 8 hours of only me to reason with, I considered walking out into
the ocean until I was gone.  I figured it would be fitting to come here and
join Frankie on the other side.  Do you still want to be with someone as
kooky as me?" zooi

   "Mel, don't think because you had those thoughts it makes you crazy.  I
only had 4 or 5 hours alone and I thought about just dying up here too.  I
didn't want anything to be so obviously suicide though.  Then I thought if
there was an afterlife as we imagined, Piper would never speak to me.  I do
know she would want me to carry on and be happy."

   "You spoke about it?" Mel asked.

   "We had cemetery plots together.  She ended up being buried back where
her family was from.  It didn't seem right to deny them, although it was
her wish to be buried with me, but I suppose we thought that might be a
long way off." I said choking up once again as memories came rushing back.

   She turned and we had a long hug together and started out into the
ocean. You are able to walk out a long, long way at low tide before the
water would be over your head, and we slowly walked until we were fighting
waves to keep our head above water when we came upon a sand bar that got
water back down to just above our waists.

   "I knew this was here, I was just going to turn back, giving up on it."
I said as Mel turned with her back towards shore and brought her hand up
under my suit to grab my cock.

   "Can I call this MY cock?  It makes me so happy, you know how to use it
so well to please me, I really don't want to lose it." She said with that
grin and look in her eye that made me crazy.

   "You can, but I can tell you that screwing in the ocean isn't as fun as
it seems, especially when the water is so cold.  We tried it." I said with
a winking smile and little peck on her lips.

   "I was thinking about sucking it." She said as she stroked me a bit.

   "Why don't we wait until we get back alone where we can do anything we
want, not have to rush or anything." I suggested, knowing there were more
people coming into the beach now that the lifeguard was in place.

   "You know I don't care who sees me.  I'm not ashamed to be in love with
you."

   "But there are public decency laws, and we do like coming here." I
reminded her.

   "I promise," I said trying not to show my smart-ass smile, "to let you
enjoy a nice blow-job later on."

   She took her hands from my suit and looked at me slyly, saying "Try and
stop me."

   She dove into the water and started toward shore.  I waited for the next
big wave and followed suit.

   When I caught up to her on shore she was bent over at the waist, her
hands on her knees, letting the water drain off her hair and body. 
Needless to say her suit clung to the gorgeous globes of her ass pointed
right towards me.

   "You offering me your ass?" I wisecracked.  "It's yours if you want it,
I can be very naughty with the man I love." She said not skipping a beat as
she stood and looked at me dead serious look and all.

   I hugged her close and ran my hand down over her delicious ass while
whispering, "Mel, I would never do anything to hurt you, or anything to
satisfy my own prurient interest.  If you knew you'd enjoy it, that's one
thing, but your few words made it sound like it wouldn't be good for you. I
don't want or need that, and if you think it would prove something to me,
think again.  What we've had is proof enough, and you know that."

   I heard her crying in my ear and she kept her head hugged tightly to
mine so I wouldn't see her tears.

   "Our rule always was, and it sounds like it was your rule, "anything we
agree on" and I would never think anything less of you for asking about
anything." I whispered.

   "The bikers peed on me, that was humiliating and over the top, but not
until after they left me.  While it happened it was hot, but now I know.  I
hadn't agreed to that, but I hadn't agreed to get my ass reddened and that
was fantastic, so . . . ."

   "Stop Mel!  No sexual history.  You don't need to explain anything.  I
don't care.  You think I want to fish for the deal breaker with you, I
don't.  I love the woman I met 5 days ago and anything you did 6 days ago
is NOT MY BUSINESS."

   Mel was crying hard and still holding on to me tightly, not wanting to
make a scene.  She calmed down a bit and spoke once more time.  "That's ALL
I want you to know.  I'm afraid you'll find out some things later and
reject me."

   "If you took your medication, maybe you should rest and let it work." I
said firmly so she might just go and get her head together.

   She backed from me quickly throwing her hands down as if to shuck me
from the hug.

   "NO!  Take me up and make love to me, any way you want.  That will fix
me!" She insisted and took off through the sand and headed for the stairs.

   She stopped half way there and turned.  "Now dammit, Bart!  Do this for
me."

   She once again was making me doubt her and wonder if this were all
blowing up in front of me.

   With her hands on her hips her sexy smile crept across her face as if
she was turning persona's on and off.  "You won't be sorry."

   I broke myself from my stunned pose to begin to follow her up.  As she
approached the steps I pointed towards her door and she saw the
housekeeping cart blocking her open door.

   She looked back at me with a sad face and I pointed to my door.  She
smiled and walked to meet me at the slider as I slipped the key in, let her
in, and locked the slider and put the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the entrance
door knob.  I pulled the curtain on the slider and looked up to see she had
slipped out of her wet bikini.

   "Don't ask me why I think you'll find something to blow this up.  It
just feels so good it can't be true.  I don't deserve this." She said
sadly.

   "Why in God's name DON'T you deserve to be happy?" I asked as I got out
of my wet trunks.

   "If I took him to the hospital that first day, maybe I could have saved
him." She said looking forlorn.

   "From what you told me that is way off Mel.  If he was just feeling sick
and wanted to sleep it off why would you bring him to a hospital?  You're
just talking of paranoia and foolishness now.  I love you and want you to
enjoy being in love with me.  You ARE in love with me aren't you?" I
wondered and wanted to test where her head might be at.

   She burst into tears and ran the three steps to me throwing her arms
around me, "Of course, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone and
that's what has me so crazy.  What kind of wife was I if I can say that
now?"

   She bawled on my shoulder until I shook her a bit and craned my neck to
look her square in the eye, "Melody!  Ask yourself this question, was there
any situation where you would have walked away from him, cheated on him, or
told him you were unhappy?"

   "I WASN'T unhappy!  Life was perfect!" She snarled at me.  "So, why do
you beat yourself up over this?  You were happy and would have never left
him or gave him a reason to doubt your love.  You could have done nothing
more than you did with him, for him, RIGHT?"

   "Of course!"

   "So, why the guilt?" I asked.

   It was as if the medication just reached her brain, and that wouldn't be
the case since paroxetine doesn't work that way, it would take a few days
to have REAL effects, she sort of shook her head hard.

   "That's it!  I have no reason.  You're just the answer to so many
questions in my life." She said and looked up and "mumbly whispered"
something else.

   She looked at me and I was afraid she was talking to Frankie.  She bit
her lip and repeated what she said to the air over her head, "The answer to
a prayer.  Bart, it was all I had left.  I prayed for a reason to live, a
way to feel love again, and you're it."

   She hugged me tightly again.  "No more tears.  Let's just enjoy what we
have together.  I love you Bart.  My heart has never been so full of love
and I don't care who knows.  While I was married I had sex a thousand
times, but you've made love to me, and I've made love to you more times
than I've ever "made love".  My heart fills so much with passion I've never
felt before.  You ARE the ONE."

   "That's the Melody I met and loved.  You keep taking your meds until you
don't need them, when the prescriber tells you to stop.  I want to love you
as much as you love me, and I do.  It's the same guilt I feel that you
have, but you have to follow your heart.  I told Piper I could never love
another as much as I love her, but here I am just short a week of knowing
you and I'm ready to say that to you.  Piper wouldn't be mad, she would be
happy.  She loved me that much and I'm sure Frankie loved you that much."

   Mel looked at me with wet eyes.  "I see it all now, and I think I've put
everything in the right places.  Let me make love to you, proper."

   She backed us up toward the bed and I thought she would pull me onto her
but she just sat down and took my junk in her hands while she looked up to
me.

   "I want to feel you in my mouth, hear you groan as you enjoy the
feeling, feel you tremble and your heart race as you push your love juice
into my mouth.  It's my proof that I love you, your proof that you love me.
This will make my pussy so wet, I hope you can taste all that I make, and
that will make even more.  If we taste what our sex parts make we'll become
part of each other.  I love you Bart."

   She slipped her mouth over me and I swear it was different than any
other time she had me in her mouth.  Her tongue was everywhere and the
sides of her mouth kept collapsing into me, she was enjoying my tastes so
much as she hummed and sucked, all the while moving her mouth over me.  I
felt a shudder deep within me and I know I passed her some pre-cum as she
looked up to me and her eyes rolled back.  She knew she was close, but she
did nothing to change the meter of her mouth she just continued and I think
I rumbled down deep because I felt a load coming like I hadn't cum in
weeks, and it was only hours.  I felt my knees wobble and she gripped me
tightly behind my calves, as if to hold me up.  It was then I came with a
whoop and the lock of my knees faltered and I fell forward to brace them on
the edge of the bed as she spread her legs to accommodate them, thus
forcing my cock deep into her mouth and throat.  The plum of my dick as at
the opening of her throat and her swallowing action just squeezed, driving
me crazy.  When she finally needed a breath she let her mouth up and made
me her own Tootsie Pop until I could no longer stand her tease.

   She tipped away from me to her back and wiped her mouth with the back of
her hand, exhaling long and hard.  It was easy for me to fall face first
into her juicy pussy.  I think she wanted to cry out, but all she had left
was a long breathy swoon.

   Maybe it was just the passion I felt for her, maybe it was the high from
her oral love, but all of the questions I had about her, and our,
commitment seemed to end once I tasted her sweetness.  She had creamed all
during the blowjob as it turned her on more and more anticipating my
orgasm, the pleasing of me.  The fact she wanted me so badly must have
convinced me of her commitment to us.  I was still hoping to better judge
things on Sunday morning before we both left so she would be over 36 hours
under the influence of the drug that helped her cope with the stress.  Did
I think she needed drugs to put her in the state to love me?  Not at all.
But there was still a lot of stress in losing her husband and the way in
which it happened.  She had to have moments of solitude when things rushed
back on her.  I'm sure waking in her bed at home had her thinking it was
all a dream each morning.  I probably could have used the same meds dose,
but I think I had a better grip on reality after my shock at losing Piper.
That was fast and final.  When Frankie died it was like he was fine one day
and after a week of hope, they were burying him and now 8 months later,
still no answers.  Although the long goodbyes (of like a cancer patient)
are cruel for loved ones to watch, it does make the end welcome.  She had
been through a personal hell.

   However, at the moment as she was grinding through her second orgasm
with her clit between my lips, my index finger in her pussy and my middle
finger up her ass, she had only one care in the world, ie:, when that third
orgasm was going to peak and would she stay conscious at the end of it
before throwing me off (she already had one hand on top of my head
reluctantly trying to push me away while her other hand pinched a nipple.)

   The push of her hand on my head slid my head down, wiping my nose
through the lips of her pussy as she yelped and gasped for breath, rolling
almost off the bed, her hips and legs on the bed, her head and torso
grasping the two pillows she pulled off with her.  Puffing like a steam
engine, she was trying to catch her breath when I got on the bed behind her
and nudged at her cheeks looking for her pussy to deposit my second load in
the last 20 minutes.  I was hard as a rock and so proud my 50 year old junk
was this happy.

   "No Bart, please!  My pussy is so wet and sore, and I'll crap the bed if
you try the other." She cried out, but not too convincingly.

   "My 50 year old dick doesn't get this hard again, this fast, very
often." I jokingly complained.

   "Give me a minute to catch my breath and I'll eat that for you." She
said as she pulled away from me onto the floor, bringing herself up to her
knees.

   She looked up at me and smiled shaking her head.  "I've never felt so
fucked out, and you never put your dick in me.  We've got to insure that
tongue."

   I went to say something and she knelt straight up and took my cock in
her hand.  "That last orgasm made my insides go crazy, otherwise you could
be up my butt right now.  Jerk him off for me."

   The thought of going up her cute pink rosette made me grab myself right
away and start stroking to get that 2nd nut off.  I knew it would be close
and after 10 or 15 strokes and felt my breath catch, and she saw it too. 
Her mouth went over the head as I kept stroking and my nuts squeezed out a
paltry load, although it felt like a golf ball coming out over her tongue
as she hummed while pushing my hand away and use her own to finish me.  The
mere joy on her face as she pleased me made me think of some of the whores
and sluts I've been with, but one thing I knew denied me those thoughts;
She was and had been a good girl, was married to a sexually conservative
man, had basically one fling before being married and satisfied her
previous urges at her own hand.  Whether it would translate back in her
normal environs, right now she really did love and apparently adore me. 
For myself, while I had no limits when I was tomcatting around, when I was
with someone I truly cared for, and previously that may have been limited
to Piper Lee, I let her set the pace, limits, tune, and timbre of our
sexuality.  I "allowed" Mel to push all those beyond what I would have ever
considered plausible for such a short "courtship".  I caught myself on this
the 5th day of our relationship thinking of our life "together" as a
functioning couple.  What in God's name was happening to me?

   With Mel lying naked on the floor in sexual exhaustion, my cum still on
her lips, me lying on the bed in the same state, my face covered in her sex
juices, I'm sure we were a sight.  I was unsure to how much time passed
when she rose to her knees and reached to run her fingers through my hair.

   "Wakey, wakey, did I wear you out?"

   "Not sleeping, just zoned in deep thoughts." I mumbled.

   "About us, . . .  us together?" She asked.

   "Yes, you too?"

   "A little mystical, huh?" Mel said turning her head in a stunned
wonderment.

   I rolled from my stomach to my back, putting me on the edge of the bed,
getting almost face to face with her.

   I had to ask, "Are we really going to believe that our loves
co-conspired to bring us together from beyond?  It's all too coincidental,
all too perfect, and all too comfortable."

   She looked at me strangely and then seemed to zone a bit before saying,
"Whether we believe or agree HOW it happened, it sure seems like it is
happening.  Ummm, running in fear is an option, but I'm feeling much too
happy to do that.  You?"

   "Ditto." I said sighing in resignation to let this happen.  "I should
shower.  I'll get dressed and go upstairs.  Why don't you do the same?" She
asked.

   "Get dressed and go upstairs?  We can shower here."

   "No GOD!!  You shower here and I'll shower upstairs.  If we shower
together I'll want you again and I don't want to break your dick." She
giggled.

   "Don't think I'm man enough to handle it?"

   "Reality check Bart." She said tipping her head widening her eyes to
express her meaning.

   "You're right, for sure." I said with a laugh.

   It was then she brought herself to her feet and found her bikini and put
it on and came over to the bed.

   "Get up, I'm not leaving until you're on your feet, wide awake and
headed to the shower." She commanded in a kidding manner.

   I got up and she came over to me and hugged me and put her mouth by my
ear as if someone else might be in the room to hear her words.

   "I'm not worried about how manly you may end up.  Right now, you wear me
out.  Our age difference is bothering you and trust me, you WILL keep me
satisfied in that department.  Libido does fade as we get older but I
promise you, every day I spend with you we'll raise your flag, and it will
never stop coming out to see me.  We'll keep an active healthy prostate and
if you ever fail, there are little blue pills.  If we are together for 5
days, 5 weeks, or 50 years, just know it's YOU I love.  The sex is a bonus
and you're open minded enough to let me take care of myself if I have to,
but that is a long, long way off, if ever.  I was up one night on the
internet this week checking all this stuff out because I know you're
worried.  I'm not worried and you shouldn't be worried either.  If I
thought our compatibility was based totally on sex I would have serious
doubts about both of us.  Get in the shower and come upstairs.  Take me
shopping, OK?"

   "Shopping?" I said, "That's a couples thing."

   "As is eating my pussy with your middle finger stuck up my ass, and we
both liked that.  I think we ARE a couple Bart." She said as she pulled
away from me with a smirk on her face, but I was able to get a hard swat at
her bikinied ass before she went out the door.

   After the door closed I heard her reply to my swat, "Save some of that
for later."

   All the while I showered I began to question what I was getting into,
but one thing was sure.  I already missed her.  Her smile, the way she
cared about me, just HER!  I knew Piper Lee was somewhere in the afterlife
laughing her ass off pointing her finger at me saying "a hound caught in
his own trap".  There was really no denying it.  Each time I tried to
discount my feelings, search for cracks in our relationship, or think I had
found the wrinkle, she proved it wrong.  She was special and attached to my
heart.  I actually thought I would be relieved when I saw the nervous
possessive side of her, but she quickly explained that with her medication
faux pas.  I knew that removing ourselves from this environment could
change a lot, but now I looked forward to the test.

   I was knocking on her door in 20 minutes before I saw the little post-it
that read "Bart come in" on the jamb.  I heard the water running in the
bathroom and I went and knocked, opening the door a crack to say I was
there.

   "I'll be out in a second.  I'll just have to dry my hair." She called
back.

   True to her word she was out wrapped in a towel in just a couple
minutes. She looked good enough to eat so I didn't pursue her to engage in
conversation to let her hang with me.  She went and dressed and I saw her
come out and go to the bathroom where I heard the hair dryer going.  She
finally came out in a tank top and jean shorts, ready to go.

   "Can we go to Portland and the Old Port?  There's a little womens
boutique there, Lulu's Bow-Teek", nice clothes, plus I need to get
something for my mother-in-law to show where I was, not that I need proof,
but I'm going to tell her I met someone when I see her.  Better to do that
right up front.  I don't want to hide you from anyone."

   "Are you that sure of me?  I don't really have any doubts, but . . .
.you know." I wondered.

   "Bart, I'm very sure of you, and even if it all blew up for an
unforeseen reason, I'm putting myself out there.  I'm positive of that. 
Imagine if I had shunned you because I thought the time wasn't just right.
I would have missed the time of my life." She said as she came over put out
a hand and pulled me up to give me a huge, very sexy, kiss.

   I looked at her and just smiled like a happy idiot, and maybe I was.

   "Just think," She said, "A week from tomorrow I'll be on the beach at
Clearwater with you at one point, and," She said pausing to pat my package
and kiss me again, "we'll be making up for the days we lost in between."

   She turned on her heels and went out the door holding my hand, dragging
me with her.  The old Bart would have pushed her away fast at this point,
but I was glad to be going along with her with just the sound of Piper Lee
laughing in my ear.

   We rode in the car for only a few minutes while we both were in quiet
thought when she broke the silence.

   "Do you believe Bart Stocklas is bringing me shopping and he WANTS to do
it?"

   "You talk as if you know exactly who I am." I mused.

   "I think that I might.  That's what's so weird." She said, explaining.

   "Well, be assured, I'm doing this to make you happy.  I don't like
shopping and am very impatient when I'm standing in a store if I don't
really need or want something.  If I want a new belt I go to the store, buy
a belt and go home.  I don't go into a store not needing a belt and buy
one."

   "I can see that head strong grouchy streak you have for the second time
today.  The first time was when you were just going to leave me this
morning."

   "THAT wasn't grouchy, that was using my head, trying to let you carry on
if you no longer trusted me." I protested.

   "Are you sure it wasn't just taking your ball and going home if I didn't
play by your rules?" She asked.

   I pulled the car over into one of the many new car dealerships along
Route 1 and stared at her.  "Isn't that a rewrite of what we discussed and
settled this morning?"

   "God, Bart, I'm just messing with you.  Don't get so defensive."

   "Defensive HELL!  Yes, the shopping thing is my grouchy side, but, I'm
doing it because of my feelings for you and wanting to make you happy. 
Just to clear things up, when I was leaving this morning it was to make
things easier for you again.  I was feeling you couldn't trust me and I had
burst my bubble with you.  You wouldn't have to work at avoiding me the
rest of the week.  It was breaking my heart as well, you know."

   Mel unbuckled her seat belt and climbed over the console to hold my head
in her hands before she pasted her mouth to me.

   "Don't be silly Bart, you know what's true and I KNOW you're doing this
to make me happy.  For God's sake I have no other ways to tell you I love
you unconditionally than what I've shown.  You knew and I knew going in
that this could all blow up in our face once we get to our perspective
homes, but that possibility is becoming less and less an issue in either of
our minds.  I'm already looking forward to you finding me on the beach in
Clearwater.  You'll finish work and call to see where I am.  I can't wait
for the rush I'll feel when I see you for the first time in a week.  Do you
know how many times I'll play with myself once we part on Sunday?  I'll
probably do it in the ocean in Florida that day while waiting for you. 
Just KNOW how I feel and I wouldn't hurt you for anything.  Let me kid with
you a little will you?  It's a part of me, having fun with my lover, not at
his expense either.  It's little eye-wink stuff, like when I said, "Do you
believe Bart Stocklas is bringing me shopping and he WANTS to do it?" I
already know how out of character it is for you.  You love me and can't
help but try and please me, just like I'll do for you.  "

   I exhaled deeply and looked into her eyes and saw the sexy smile on her
face.

   "Okay, I'm alright.  I guess I just didn't think you had figured me out
already, but you have.  Piper used to say I was a prickly cactus with soft
hands."

   "I really haven't seen the prickly side, well I've seen the prick, but I
like your prick.  But prick usually means a bastard type of guy, but I know
it's also that cute little soldier in your pants." She said softly,
beginning to make me excited again.

   "Anyone who ever thought I was a prick deserved it.  I never prejudge
anyone.  Be nice to me and you get it right back, and conversely the same.
Now, let's get going and get this goddam shopping done with." I said as she
slid over the console and re-buckled up.  "Do you want to hang in a bar
while I shop?"

   "Yeah, that sounds good, I can check out the local talent." I said just
to see if I could kid her a little.

   "Never mind, you can come with me." She said as she readjusted herself
in the seat to face outside.

   "So I can't kid around?" I asked her.

   She sat back straight and gave me a sheepish smile, saying, "Touche".

   She loosened her seatbelt and stretched, I was thinking she was reaching
into her pocket for something.

   When her hand came out she ran her middle finger under my nose.

   "Just so you know the scent of what "home" (making finger quotes) is
like." She said as I recognized the smell of pussy, and her pussy in
particular.  (it was that tasty and smelled so different.)

   I grabbed at her hand right away and she looked at me in fear, until I
put that middle finger in my mouth and sucked it clean.

   "S'matter?  You think grouchy old Bart was going to hurt you?" I said
with a smile.

   "No, you just startled me, and I've got a belly full of cum and sore
pussy that says you're not quite as old as some may think.  Your tongue may
be as hard as your dick."

   I smiled and said "You're just trying to butter me up for later. 
Hehheh!"

   "Goddddd, I won't need any butter, you make my pussy run like a faucet!"

   I just shook my head and let conversation lag so I didn't end up with a
big hard-on to walk the streets of the Old Port with.  As we got near
Commercial Street she knew her way around and she led me to an alley with
two parallel parking spots that said "Lulu's Bow-Teek customers ONLY - we
tow."

   "She told me no one knows about these spots, except her best customers."

   "Do you spend enough here to qualify?" I wondered.

   "You bet!  She ships too.  A lot of one of a kind things.  You come in
and I'll show her your car and then if you go out the front and go up 2
doors, there's a nice Irish Pub, in and old apothecary, called Bull
Feeneys."

   "Oh, you trust me now . . .  is that so I'll leave you alone?"

   "I've always trusted you, and I KNOW you're going to look, and if that
keeps you happy, I know I get the benefits at home.  (another Piper
Lee-ism) That old hurt act, was just that, an act." She said.

   "Bullshit, I saw that lower lip quiver.  Never be jealous or untrusting.
If I'm not happy, you'll be the first to know.  I promise you that you'll
always know where I stand.  I've tried to tell you this in many ways.  Take
me at my word." I reiterated.

   We went in the back door of the boutique to a metal mesh gate with a
buzzer.  A call came from the store that "I'll be right there" and in
moments a face appeared.

   "Oh Melody!  I thought I'd never see you again in person." Lulu said and
Mel introduced me as her boyfriend.

   We went into the store and Mel ran directly to one rack and took two
dresses off the rack and ran to try them on.  Just before she went into the
dressing room she turned and asked, "You staying or drinking?"

   "Drinking.  Meet me there."

   "Not interested in waiting and watching?" Lulu asked.

   "Not at all, but take my credit card and charge it all to me.  Don't let
her know until she cashes out.  We have to come back through to get to the
car, I'll get it then."

   "Well, you're a sweetheart.  Looks like she's happy again and for that I
commend you.  When she called to change the name on the account and told me
about Frankie she was quite a mess." Lulu said.

   "Long story short, I had the same situation and we found each other. 
We'll see if it works, but it feels good." I said with a wink and a smile.

   I went to the Bull Feeneys Irish bar and it was a fine place where you
could sit and have craft beers and the menu looked great.  I was on my 3rd
beer when she came in and sat beside me.

   "New in town sailor?"

   "Just today matter of fact!" I answered without looking away from my
reflection in the mirror behind the top shelf of the well.

   "I can't let you pay for my clothes." She said quietly.

   "Really, how are you getting back to the condo's?" I said without
skipping a beat.

   "Bart, I spent just over $500, I can't take that as a gift from you."

   "Why not?  I like doing nice things for you, and I want you to look
nice." I insisted.

   "I don't look nice now?"

   "Of course, but you're starting a new life with me.  New life, new
image. When you go home I want you to have a something to remind you of
me." I deadpanned.

   "Bart, I only have to look in the mirror to be reminded of you, the
smile on my face, the change in my complexion, especially my face, (she
leaned in to my ear) from all of the cum I've swallowed and I plan to get a
few more treatments before I leave tomorrow.  Plus, I've slept so much
better, it contains melatonin."

   I looked at her, that sexy little grin on her face that makes me hard,
and said, "I'm buying you the clothes.  They make you happy; they make you
look nice, and I WANT to do this for you.  I love you."

   "I'm not poor, or in need of help." She insisted.

   "Neither am I, so this is a gift of the heart.  It's not out of pity or
need.  Please." I begged.

   "OK, I'll let you do this.  If we end up together, you can do it all you
want, but after a week, it feels funny."

   I looked at her and asked, "Do you really think there's going to be an
"if" anymore."

   "No, not really.  I think I've looked at this from every angle." She
said with a shrug.

   "Well, IF we end up together I like dealing everything from one pot,
joint checking, joint savings.  We have no kids or anyone else to lay claim
if anything ever happened.  Once we invest our lives to each other, risk
our personal lives in each other's hands, shouldn't we be the beneficiaries
at each other's demise?"

   "Oh, I couldn't agree more, but we have to determine a vesting date to
those provisions, legally on paper." She said letting on that she had
thought about it too.

   "Well, of course!  Twelve months, eighteen months, after we decide on
one place to live.  If I end up in Towson, you put that house in both of
our names and we put the proceeds from the sale of mine in some sort of
joint IRA or other account." I said as an example.

   "I don't think THAT will happen.  I'd love to get out of Towson and if
your place is on the river, and close to The Big Apple and trains nearby, I
LOVE TO SHOP!" She said with a big grin.

   I stroked my chin saying to nobody in particular, "Hmmm, maybe I should
rethink this combining of funds." A comment she poked me after.

   "Melody!" I declared, "Anything to make you happy will make me happy,
I'm sure."

   "As long as you want to get maudlin, suppose after we make it all legal
and that we die together.  Can we make the National Research Hospital at
Boys Town our beneficiary?  It's pretty special to me." She asked,
surprising me, again, she had thought about this a little already.

   "Well, without thinking about it much, I don't see why not, but we have
time to works on that.  I ain't going anywhere soon." I assured her.

   I downed the rest of my beer and told her, "Let's go pay for your stuff
and head south.  We can stop at Davids KPT in Kennebunkport for dinner."

   We were off and with no argument she let me pay for her stuff, with Lulu
handing me both cards, hers and mine, saying "I don't want to be in the
middle of this.  She insisted on giving me her card after I told her you
gave me yours."

   "We settled things OK." I explained as she smiled and whispered, "Take
good care of her."

   Lulu obviously took a personal interest in her customer and was aware of
the situation.

   We did stop in K'port to eat and on the way back to the condo's I turned
and saw her with a tear in her eye.

   "Mel, what's the matter?  Something bring up and old memory?"

   She shook her head and looked away so I stopped at a fishing turn-off
for casting off a little bridge over the marsh at high tide.

   She seemed to cry a bit more before looking to me.

   "I'm so happy I found you.  You make me so happy.  I was convinced that
I would never have another happy day again, and you've given me 6 already,
and the way it all came about I have NO reason to feel guilty.  It's as if
our former loves have pushed us together.  My trust in God is revitalized
and my trust in my own fate is stronger now than ever.  Hard to explain
that I would have been content the rest of my life had Frankie lived, even
if I had to take care of my own business after he fell asleep or was away.
But you make me delirious, making love and sex so satisfying, I can't bear
not being intimate with you beyond a few hours.  I look at you and I'm
ready to have you.  Then you take me on this little trip and each minute is
so fulfilling.  We talk and laugh and can even cry together while we plan
the rest of our lives together.  I'm crying because I'm happy, and if
you've made me this happy in just a few days, what's the rest of my life
going to be like?"

   Well, as rough and tough and cranky as I might want to believe or
project, she took many of the words I had been thinking myself and
expressed them and had me crying too.

   She thrust herself over the console and wrapped her arms around my head
and pulled my lips to hers for a tear soaked kiss, a long one at that. 
When she broke it she put her hand on my junk saying, "As soon as we are
alone I want to taste this and feel it everywhere in me.  If it were dark
out right now it would be in my mouth."

   Needless to say she had me pretty excited but, I kissed her right back
and reached back to pat her ass and tell her to hang on for 20 more minutes
until we were back.

   We were off in a flash to hurry back and after a mile or two she
exclaimed, "Shit, we part company tomorrow and won't see each other for a
week.  How will I get by?" She asked.

   I reached for her hand and took her first two fingers in my mouth,
knowing THAT was how she would get by.  She smiled and blushed at my
action.

   As we got closer to the condo's I remarked, "You know we take the same
route for about half of the way, we can stop and have lunch together."

   "Can we get a room?" She asked with a big grin.

   "Your trip is going to be long enough.  You can always stop at my place,
stay the night and get back to Towson on Tuesday." I said hopefully.

   "SHIT, NO, I HAVE to be back to work on Monday.  I have 4 personal
interviews from 2 guys coming from the Carolinas and 2 gals flying in from
out west.  These are the kinds of things I CAN'T skip out on, even when I
move to New York with you.  Luckily it will be a short flight." She
informed me.

   "You can do the REST of your job over the internet?" I asked.

   "Oh hell yes.  I'm only on campus 4 or 5 days a month.  I usually do a
week there for orientation, and sometimes at graduation.  I don't need an
office or secretary there, that's what saves them money to be able to
afford me.  With the out of state students I bring in, sometimes 30 or 50,
plus transfers, I make a lot of dough for the college.  I told you, I
research students who have been rejected by bigger schools and find the
gems they missed out on.  I know what to look for."

   "Out of state students pay about 10K each semester.  If they stay four
years with a normal credit load, that's 80K plus other charges and fees. 
If I just bring in 30 full time students, that 2.5 million over 4 years,
plus I get tons of under grads, graduates, summer courses, minimesters, not
to mention the housing and food.  They have 22,000 students and probably
400 there right now are there because of me." She declared, trying not to
brag, but how could she keep from feeling proud?

   Quickly I figured in my head that if 400 students paid 80K plus for 4
years, that was 32 million plus all the extras she was mentioning. 
Whatever she was paid was probably not enough.

   I looked to her and smiled.  "You sure are something special to more
people than just me, that's for sure."

   "But," she said raising a finger to make her point, "YOU are the only
one who's THAT special to me.  Now get us home, I want to taste you!"

   When we got to the condo's I thought she would run up and be waiting for
me, or something like that, but she let me get her door and take her arm to
walk to the foot of the stairs.

   "My place or yours?" I asked.

   She smiled and giggled and went to kiss me, but she just wanted to
whisper close to my ear.  "I have Joy Jelly in my room and you'll need it
tonight, you're getting all of me!"

   With that she went ahead of me up the stairs sashaying her ass back and
forth as an invitation.  I hadn't had a spontaneous orgasm in many, many,
years, but I came close right then.  While I certainly thought of taking
her butt, not many women volunteered it and enjoyed the deed.  Actually
Piper Lee chose the occasions herself and those times were well spaced.

   She went in the front door and I trailed her by 10 or 15 seconds as I
thought of the possibilities the evening might have.  I went in and closed
and chained the door.  I turned to see her, but she was gone.  I strode to
the bedroom and she was naked already, on her knees on the bed facing me
while crooking her finger for me to come close.  When I got close enough
she fell to her hands and knees and kissed me over my package before her
hands busied themselves to relieve me of my belt and undo my shorts and
pull my underwear over the lump in them.

   "You can finish getting undressed by yourself", she said, "I'll be busy
with this."

   She bent and took as much as she could in one big mouthful using her
lips to push back the foreskin and retract me fully and nestle the
sensitive head of my dick in the back of her throat while she flexed her
throat.  That's talent!

   Melody truly wanted to make this last night before we left to be
memorable and one not easy to forget.  After pulling me onto her we rutted
with our lips locked until she rolled me off of her and she climbed on to
ride while I played with her gorgeous tits.  She must have cum a couple
times then and to tell the truth I was about numb from overwork already.  I
knew I just needed a quick break so I extended my arms for a close hug.  As
she fell on me my arms went around her and I popped out of her.

   We nuzzled and kissed for a few minutes and I began to get that engorged
feeling back and gave her ass a couple love swats.  She stood right up and
spun around and sat on me, fitting my dick in her wet slice.  She moved up
and down a couple times before losing her balance and falling forward into
a full reverse cowgirl, which I think was a first for me, at least sober.

   As she began to move on me I realized that she was in full control. 
With her on my thighs, like she was, there was little I could do to thrust.
So this is why so many guys liked this, you're getting fucked and she's
fucking herself.  It also gave you a nice picture of her cute ass crack
wide open and that pink little asshole opening and closing as she moved to
and fro.  I was mesmerized by the feeling until she looked back to me.

   "This is the best position for me to start you in my ass, you just watch
and enjoy.  If it's all OK you can take over.  No words!"

   I didn't know what to say anyway as she went over me a few more times
before her hand came back with two fingers full of a light blue gel.  She
pushed it over her little wrinkled pooper and bent forward holding that
position, which left her hole dilated.  She neatly pushed the gel collected
around her pretty asshole into the opening, squeezing it shut every second
or two.  She reached in front of her once again and re-applied the gel but
this time took the residual and put it around my shaft as best she could
with the head still in her pussy.  She went back and forth on me a couple
more times and then stopped for a second, then reached back and pulled the
head from her pussy and pressed it to her bottom hole.  It began to go in
and she leaned back letting it penetrate a little as she groaned loudly.

   "Hold my back up when I fall back." She commanded.

   I put my arms up as she began to come towards me and I saw she would
lose her balance at one point making me understand her request.  My palms
went just below her shoulder blades as she sunk my cock all the way up her
butt.

   "Oooo, so much, so full!  Let me stay!" She cried out before she hissed
loudly.

   We stayed in that position for what seemed 5 minutes, but it was maybe a
minute with my arms tiring.  Then she began to adjust her feet a bit.

   "OK, you're going to get all my weight for a second or two, . . .  then
we fuck!"

   She did give me all of her weight as she rescuttled her legs and her
palms went to my knees and she was over me like a frog position taking her
weight off my hands and arms and putting on my knees.  She began to go up
and down on me, each time pressing me fully into her as she grunted and
moaned, but not in a painful way.

   Her legs were not strong enough to do this very long, but it was quite
enjoyable for me, I only worried I was hurting her, but as I saw the back
of her neck turn red and she dropped her head, I knew she was spasming.  As
soon as that passed she came up off of me, turning and falling flat on her
back on the bed.

   "Stand at the edge of the bed before I close up!" She commanded me.

   I went as she asked, standing before her and she raised her legs pushing
her crotch to the edge.  Her hand snaked over her pussy and she said "Get
in me!"

   I ran the head of my cock over her fingers thinking I was going to go in
her pussy, but she didn't part her hand and I went to her little hole and
she nudged at me if I had any doubt what she wanted.

   I went into her fully as her eyes rolled back.  "Whew!  You were
perfect, like I knew you would be.  Just stay in me like this."

   She breathed heavy and then seemed to calm a bit.

   "You don't want to hear ancient history, but my first time was basically
rape.  I was DP'ed by the bikers and I thought they would kill me.  When I
got off one they switched and the other came behind me and I thought we
would doggie, but he went back in my ass and it was pretty OK, I was
enjoying it when he stopped.  They pissed on me and left me.  It was sexy
until I woke up alone.  The smell made me puke to make my situation more
disgusting, but I managed to get up shower dress and go home."

   "Please stop!" I begged but she held up a finger to quiet me.

   "My girlfriend in D.C.  told me how to do it like we just did.  Frankie
didn't want to do it at all, but I raped him just like I did you a minute
ago.  It worked great twice and awful 2 more times.  I know you say you
don't care, but I don't want you to think I'm some ass whore.  I've only
had 4 dicks in my mouth, the bikers, Frankie and you.  I want to be your
sexual Disneyland while making love to you and I never want you to think
I've passed it out all over the place.  You have to be special to be in
this body and you are number 7.  My first, that was once and awful, a guy I
thought I loved, that was twice before he dumped me because I wouldn't suck
him, a one night stand with a blind date, he was handsome - I was stupid,
the 2 bikers, Frankie and you.  Lots of hands on my boobs and fingers in my
pussy from my sophomore year of high school on, but you are THAT special to
me."

   The room was quiet while I hoped she was done extrapolating her sexual
history.

   "Hearing all of that, if you still think you're falling in love with me,
fuck me, make love to the ass you so desire." She said as if ready for me
to cash in my chips right then.

   "No Melody, I'm not falling in love with you, I am in love with you.  So
stupid to say after a week, but I always say that love is honesty and there
is no other word for it.  I do love you." I said as I began to withdraw
from her tight bottom and pushed back in, repeating that a few tentative
times.

   "I love every INCH of you," I continued, "and I will make love to you,
your ass now, your pussy, your mouth, anywhere, anytime, as long as you
want me."

   She just rolled her eyes back and made some animal pleasure noises as I
began to fuck her ass in earnest.  Her butt felt so good gripping the whole
of my shaft as she began to have deep body spasms.  As I looked down at our
juncture her pussy was flowing and her prominent little nubbin seemed to
vibrate as she lost her breath and grinded out orgasm after orgasm.  I was
losing control of my strokes as my orgasm neared and I contemplated pulling
out as not to hurt her but it came on me so fast pulling out was no option
as I pounded my load up her.

   We lay quiet and I began to feel myself begin to shrink out of her.  I
put my hands under her ass and asked her to put her arms around my neck.  I
picked her up with me still in her and walked to the bathroom.  I got her
to turn the shower on and when the water was right I stepped in with her
before my hands slipped off her hips and ass.  My cock fell out and a trail
of odd brindle stained cum ran from her, followed by a couple long farts.
We laughed and hugged while she began to wash herself.

   "I have to wash, rinse, and get out.  I have to sit on the john." She
said with some urgency.

   I stopped the shower and reached for a towel for her.  She hopped out
and pulled the curtain shut to give herself privacy.  I turned the water
back on to drown anything I didn't want to hear.  She asked me to pause the
shower twice so she could flush and she was back in with me, hurrying to
wash her butt before turning to me.

   We hugged under the water and she looked up to me saying, "Messy, but
all worth it, it was the best screwing my butt ever had.  Assgasms are
different than orgasms, just incredible."

   We quickly finished as the water began to cool, then we dried each other
and sat on the sofa in just our towels.

   I think we were both close to falling asleep when she picked her head up
from my shoulder and got my attention.

   "You know, that didn't hurt me, and it was incredibly enjoyable.  It's
not always that way, and that's the first time anyone came in me like that.
Speaking of cumming, you got me 3 or 4 times like that too.  You make me
real happy.  I don't want to leave tomorrow."

   "Afraid the bubble will burst?" I asked.

   "Not really, I just don't want to be away from you." She assured me.

   "Well, I'm in that same mood or rut." I said agreeing.

   I kissed her and looked her square in the eye.  "What does your close
girlfriend in DC think of us?"

   "How did you know I told her?" She asked like she was embarrassed.

   "I know you confide in her and this has happened so fast that you, like
me, need some assurance that we haven't missed some detail or point."

   Melody hung her head and looked up to me, rather forlornly asking,

   "Are we doubting ourselves now?  I'm worried that I needed her
assurance." She said as I think she was welling up.

   "I know, I'm not.  This is the most assured I've been with anyone,
especially this fast.  I wondered about Piper and our relationship for a
year before I felt like I feel for you.  I don't have a problem with you
asking her.  I understand that because it's happened so fast.  So what did
she think?"

   Mel was still acting like she had done something wrong, or that it was a
betrayal of me, so I assured her;

   "Mel, I WANTED you to call her to put some perspective on all of this
for you.  As confident as I am, I wonder if there's something we've missed
or not figured on."

   "Well, she didn't have any great advice except to ride in the saddle
until you stop making me cum and that if putting up with you is more
trouble than fucking and sucking you it's time to get out.  You should know
that she is a dear friend, but she's quite a loose cannon with sex.  The 2
bikers I took on to get my initiation into crazy sex, were . . .a . .  uh .
. . .  "regulars" that she saw often.  She and I have been out many times
and I think we actually went back home together once or twice because she
picked somebody up or got picked up."

   "Putting up with me?  What the hell did you tell her?" I asked insulted.

   "I guess I said you were almost 50 and set in your ways."

   "After 50 years old damn right I'm set in my ways and you've already
changed a lot of them.  For God's sake I took you shopping." I said
defending myself.

   "If that's the worst thing I can say about you . . . . ."

   "It IS the worst thing, and it's almost nothing, so . . . ."

   "So what's the worst thing you can say about me?" She wondered.

   "Probably that you can be mean and spiteful." I quickly answered.

   "WHAT!  WHEN?" She demanded.

   "When I wanted to show you proof that I already had plans and didn't
fill them in out of convenience for the 2 weeks I proposed.  When I knocked
you said "Go away.  I'm about to take care of some business for myself." as
you snidely referred to the masturbation you did every day until you met
me."

   "Oh!?  That WAS pretty shitty on my part." She said

   "Point well taken and noted." I said with a little grin.

   Mel suddenly had tears in her eyes and looked at me doe eyed.  "Bart I
promise, never ever again.  I was being mean to be mean and I wanted to
hurt you.  I love you so much, and you've made me so happy.  I'll never
forget that.  I had vengeance on my mind thinking you had used me, but you
proved me wrong.  I really wanted to come down and make love to you that
night.  When I saw your shit packed up I knew I had done something hurtful
and stupid.  If you don't think I did a penance waiting for you to get up,
you're wrong.  I contemplated beating down your door but I figured you
would have been so pissed off at that point, it would have gotten ugly with
both of us saying things we didn't mean."

   "Well, I had assumed all of the blame myself, and figured you didn't
want a part of me at all." I confessed.

   "Aren't we a pair?  We should go to bed." She said

   "I thought we were going to pack tonight."

   "I'd rather lay with you, sleep with you, wake up and make love to you,
and THEN pack.  Set the alarm for 6, OK?"

   "I'm going to set it for 5.  You have to be on the road by 8 or 8:30. 
You have 9 hours ahead of you." I insisted and she nodded in agreement.

   We spent our final night together and on Sunday we both headed to our
respective homes.  She cried while we made love in the morning and she even
had me weepy.  We did manage to meet for lunch just before she went for
I-84 to avoid DC traffic.  Although we promised no contact for a week, I
made her call me when she got home and we spoke for about an hour.  If you
only knew how MUCH I hate the fucking telephone and would ride Pipers ass
for staying on the phone for a hour with her family or girlfriends.

   When I meet her in the afterlife she is surely going to kick my ass for
changing all of the ways she never could get me to do.

   Luckily, I was busier than a one armed paper hanger from the time I got
off the plane Monday afternoon near Ocean City.  My agent wanted 2 or 3
weeks of photos, meaning 18 or so "good" ones.  I usually submitted a 100
or so to get that many real aces.  Then I had to take a short flight to
Pittsburgh to cover a Toy Convention.  I finally got out of there Friday
morning and spent the day chasing airline gates to get to Tampa on an
evening flight.  Mel was going to meet me at the airport but after being
delayed I told her to go about her business and I would meet her at the
hotel, we had booked the Hyatt at Clearwater Beach.

   As usual, it was hot as hell, even for 6:30 at night September 1st.  I
rented a car and went to our room and she left me a note, "In the third
cabana from the pier." I put on flip-flops and trunks and headed down, it
was a nice walk in the sand, feeling it in my calves, but in 15 minutes
there she was in that dark blue and white striped bikini, fast asleep.

   I got down on my knees and went into the cabana and whispered, "You
shouldn't fall asleep with your hand in your pants."

   She startled awake and looked at her hands on either side of the chaise
before she realized where and why she was.

   "Oh Bart!  God I missed you and I was dreaming of you, sort of surprised
my hand wasn't in my bottoms!"

   It took her a couple seconds to get her bearings before she pulled me
onto her as we kissed and necked for a couple minutes.

   "God, a week is a long time when you miss someone." She said slobbering
down her front between wet kisses.

   "Come on," I asked her, "let's go down in the water for a few minutes.
Then we can pack up and head for dinner."

   She got up to run and catch me, as I left her little choice if she
wanted to be with me and told me, "Pick a place I can go just like this
because I'm not changing.  What I really want to eat is bouncing in your
swims right now."

   I put my arm around her and we walked out a little ways.  I heard a horn
blast and we turned to see the guys picking up the cabanas so the sand
could be dragged overnight.  The guy with the bullhorn was calling out,
"Vacate cabanas in 10 minutes, no exceptions."

   "See we have to go anyway.  We'll go up to Frenchys and eat there.  We
can get food and drinks and they might even have a beach jockey to bring
hotel guests home in those sand buggys."

   Melody didn't have much with her, just a small bag so we walked up to
the restaurant with that, easy to carry.

   As soon as we walked up the ramp at Frenchy's the hostess ran up to hug
me and machine gunned words to me.  "Bart, you dirty old man, I didn't know
you were in town.  Is this your daughter?  Where's Piper, I love getting
drunk with her!"

   Melody just turned away and let me talk to Vicki, who worked summers in
Clearwater, a gal I photographed a few times and Piper and had become
friendly with.

   I filled Vicki in and she went to the Ladies room crying.  When I turned
back to Mel, she was running after her, hopefully to comfort her.  I sat at
the bar and got my first Rum Runner and, after two of them Mel and Vicki
came out.  Vicki came to apologize and I let her know right away it was OK,
all too understandable.

   Vicki turned to Mel and hugged her saying she would find us a table.

   "She's a pretty cool girl Bart.  She felt so bad, I had to go in and
talk with her.  I gave her the whole story about us and what happened, so I
hope she's a GOOD friend." Mel said.

   "Not a Christmas card friend, but someone we always see regularly down
here.  She works here some years, sometimes at the Hooters, sometimes at
Pete and Shortys.  She posed for me a few times for $100 a couple times
when she was short.  She fills a bikini out real well.  When Piper got a
few in her she would call her Titty, instead of Vicki.  She always tried to
talk us into a threesome, but after she sobered up the next morning she was
embarrassed and apologized, until the next time she got drunk with us."

   "You couldn't talk Piper into the threesome?" Mel asked.

   "No smartass, it was ME who didn't want the extra pussy in the bed.  If
we did ever do it Piper would have been mortified in the morning, once SHE
sobered up.  I NEVER get that drunk."

   "Well, I don't know how old she is, but she's put together pretty well
and looks about 25.  Your story tells me she's older than that." Mel said
looking back to the hostess stand to get another look at her in a tank top
and jeans.

   "I think she's exactly 10 years younger than me to the day.  She's
single, lives in Boston, works at one of the universities and comes down
here every June through mid-September.  She told Piper that the young cock
on campus keeps her happy and youthful.  If you ask her how she keeps her
skin so wrinkle free she'll tell you about cum facials.  Still want us to
get friendly with her?"

   "No, I guess not, I mean she's probably no worse than my friend in D.C.,
it's just I know her and she knows me and everything about each other.  I
wouldn't want to share intimacies with a stranger, besides she has her eyes
on you.  I trust you, but I don't trust her from what you tell me."

   "So if she makes a move to "get together later", we have plans and I
have to work tomorrow.  Check?" "Check.  You're mine and I'm not sharing."
She said with a big smile.

   GOOD LORD, I was falling so hard for Melody, I could hardly believe it.
If there was a pin to burst this bubble, I was not in sight.  Anything she
said that indicated "Love", "You're mine", or "When we live together",
didn't make me bat an eye.  It was so NOT ME, but I didn't, couldn't,
wouldn't fight it.

   I had just swallowed her "you're mine" and somehow I didn't balk at it,
as a matter of fact, I couldn't wait to be alone with her.  Not so much to
have sex with her, just to be alone with her.  I enjoyed her so much; she
made me feel so good, so happy.  Was I in true love for the first time?

   "Penny for your thoughts, Bart.  You've been zoned out for the last
minute since I said I wasn't sharing you.  Is there something I should
know?" She said with a worried look.

   "Yes there is, I really love you Melody.  I had the funniest feeling all
week long, a real empty feeling, and it was much different that the
emptiness and loneliness I felt after Piper died.  Once I read your note
back in the hotel room and I knew you were near and I would see you so
soon, I just re-inflated.  What in hell have you done to me?" I asked her
in mock seriousness.

   "Jesus Bart, I don't know and I ask the same question to you and of
myself.  I wonder if there's something I missed, we missed.  We know
intimate details of each other, and yet know nothing of the whole of each
of us, yet here we are anxious to commit to something , something we know
nothing about yet."

   I looked at her and suddenly I wanted to take her and kiss her, but I
wasn't about to make a huge PDA in the middle of this partying restaurant.

   We caught each other's eyes and said in unison.  "Let's get out of
here!"

   I motioned for the check and she came and I gave her cash with a nice
tip.  Mel went to get up and I asked her to wait.  "When Vicki goes to seat
someone we'll just slip by the front and not have to face that
interrogation."

   "You DO have to work tomorrow so you wouldn't be lying." Mel exclaimed.

   "I know, but if we leave without talking to her, she should get a pretty
good hint I'm not interested in staying drinking buddies any longer." I
figured.

   I no more than said that and Vicki went off with a handful of menus and
a family in tow, so we made our escape.  We hitched with a dune buggy
service to take us all the way to the front of the Hyatt.  We skipped the
elevator, there was a crowd waiting and we were only on the second floor,
and as soon as we were alone in the stairwell, Melody crashed me to the
wall buried her head in my chest and started crying.

   "God, I missed you so much!  I promised myself I wouldn't seem too
needy." She cried to me.

   "Oh Mel, you just got used to having someone again when it seemed like
it went away." I chided her, thinking she WAS over reacting.

   "No, godammit, I missed YOU!  Not anyone with a warm body!  If you don't
think I've had my chances with guys who've come calling for me, or men at
Towson who think I'm a horny widow, YOU'RE WRONG!  Both of us have to get
it through our heads that you and I are something special.  I KNOW I've
come to that realization, and I think you have too, we just have to ADMIT
it to ourselves."

   After all the postulating and self analysis, getting into each other's
heads and deep thoughts, she was right.  We still second guessed each
other's instant devotion even though we knew it was true.  "Three weeks
does not a true love affair make" was false.  When I thought of the future,
she was in it, and in it as if she was always in it.  Piper Lee was gone
but she would bless my happiness.

   Those thoughts passed through my brain when she said "I know Frankie is
gone, and he would bless my happiness.  Every thought I have of tomorrow
has you in it."

   The thought in my head and the one she spat out were like echo's.  I was
convinced.

   I took her hand and we headed up the stairwell two steps at a time to
the next landing and opened the door with our room just 2 doors up.  I slid
the key-card in and I pulled her in and backed her to the bed where I laid
on her and attached my mouth to hers as we necked and pawed each other like
horny teenagers on prom night.

   When I moved my mouth to her neck and earlobe she whispered "You didn't
even give me a chance to undress."

   "I don't need you to undress.  I just want to taste your mouth, feel
your warmth and the pounding in your chest.  I love you Melody.  While our
friends and people on the street may view us as a young fool and an old
fool on the rebound, our hearts know the truth.  If I can just be next to
you forever to talk to, laugh with, make love with, and just enjoy life
with, it's all I need."

   "You're making my heart sing!" She said back.

   Needless to say we ended up getting rid of clothes and sweating over
each other's bodies for half the night, finally getting to sleep after
midnight.

   Chapter 7

   I had to be at the Convention Center Saturday morning by 11 to cover The
Sports Nutrition Convention to photograph the body builders and any
prominent sports athletes that might attend, as well as conduct interviews.
I hung around until almost 7 that night, and spent Sunday there from noon
until it wrapped up at 5 o'clock.  Melody spent both days on the beach and
each day I found her asleep in the room when I got back.  After rousing her
each night we went out for dinner and found a place with live music.  We
had fun like kids on Spring Break.  Starting Monday morning I had to take
and then submit 60 to 75 good shots and that was to cover me as far as the
syndicated beach-tease pictures until the fall colors really took effect in
the Northeast in about another month.  My agent had a company who did state
postcards and scenic calendars waiting for new shots of fall.  Upon
finishing that, I was on my own to submit things I felt were worth a look,
unless I got a "real" assignment.

   In past years I gave my agent unsolicited submissions and he had been
able to keep a little money rolling in for me until it was time to get
through Fall colors, ski bunny and snow scene assignments.  Now with Melody
in tow, she DID have to report to Towson for a few days each month so we
planned a 2 week stay there and then she would "move in" to my house
overlooking the Hudson just North of The City.

   A car trip to Towson from New York would be 5 hours and unless my work
interrupted, we would always make those trips together.  We would be
forthright and wide open to all friends and relatives about our
relationship and how serious it was.  She usually stopped in on campus once
a week, just to see people she worked with, but only "had" to be in person
for interviews with perspective students and meetings.  Now, if she was
closer to a student from NY, she would go see them and arrange a campus
tour if they seemed seriously interested.  I suggested that as long as she
maintained a residence there we should spend a week every month in Towson
so she could be in touch with friends and work.  Melody didn't entirely
agree with that arrangement, but it was open for discussion.

   We had booked flights out of Tampa back to New York on Friday and we
spent every day on Clearwater Beach enjoying ourselves, all the while
taking snaps and taking naps.  By Thursday afternoon I had sent in over 120
photos to my agent hoping he could approve most of them and maybe have a
little backlog.  The syndicate must have been happy because I didn't have
to pay one person for permission to print.

   It was a great week of getting to know each other, and of course making
love.  We were still in that honeymoon mode, going 2 or 3 times a day.  In
the morning it was coffee, showers, 69, and to the beach.  Between 1 and 2
we would order lunch to be delivered to our room.  We would go up and meet
the delivery man, eat and make love, then back to the beach for naps in the
cabana.  Late afternoon snaps when most of the families were leaving and
couples began to arrive.  Around 7 when they would pick up the cabanas for
beach cultivating we would go to one of the beach eateries, usually
Frenchys, (after we found Vicki had left to go back North), have a light
dinner with many rum concoctions.  Once we got back to the room we usually
stripped, showered, and spent the night playing some sort of sexual games
with each other until I was no longer able to hold off.  Then it was cuddle
off to sleep.  Life was fun again and we were making the most of it.  If
Piper Lee was watching over me (us), I'm sure she would approve.  She loved
making me happy and I was that for sure.

   Melody still had pangs of guilt about finding love so fast, but they
were mostly brought up to her by old friends (ones she knew through
Frankie) and Frankie's family.  She would cry to me after hearing from them
saying, "What was I supposed to do?  Just let all my feelings go by and sit
at home and knit until the year was up?  I didn't pursue the "us" we have,
it was thrust upon us.  When I tell them it's as if Frankie was talking to
me, they say I'm imagining things to ease my conscience."

   I would tell her that those people were not her friends if they weren't
on board with her happiness.  She was paying Frankie no disrespect at all.
Her being happy after so many months of misery HAD to be good for her and
her psyche.  If they only knew the respect she had shown for him in her
mourning.  She had went to the place where their love flourished the most
to pay a tribute to him and THEIR memories.  It was there she rediscovered
the person Frankie fell in love with, herself.  She found the passionate
person so willing to give and receive affection and yet, still understand
the signs that both of our spouses had sent.  You can make up and force
some coincidences, (Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln, Lincoln had a
secretary named Kennedy - that's happenstance) but some of the things that
went on with us were borderline spooky.  Melody even told me at one
juncture she wondered if I weren't a con man who had knowledge of her
circumstances.  (of course that wasn't true).  Her closest friend in
Washington, Aubrey, said she hadn't seen Mel more comfortable, ever, even
when she was with Frankie.  She took to me right away and we had a great
time the day and a half we spent there.  Melody even worried she might make
a play for me, she seemed so smitten with me.  When Aubrey sensed this, she
insisted it was our coupleness she was smitten with, knowing Frankie "would
have sanctioned us in his absence".

   Later that night while we lay in bed back at her place after making the
hour trip home, Melody started crying and I thought I had said something,
but she insisted they were happy tears.

   "Aubrey said Frankie would have "sanctioned" us.  That was a little
word-play thing we used in our cutesy sex play.  I might try to go down on
him while he read the paper and he would say, "Who sanctioned this?  I may
have to call the sanction board", (Frankie was a shop steward in his local)
WHENEVER I initiated sex, that was almost always his line.  Who uses that
word?  He fed her that line.  I know he approves of us.  Everybody else can
go to hell."

   "Mel, you have to remember ONE thing, the only people we have to make
happy are me and you.  If I make you happy, and you call yourself happy,
and you make me happy and I call myself happy, who cares what others think?
Both of us know, all too well, life is short, life is fragile.  When
Frankie died he was happy with you and you he, ditto for Piper and I.  Our
hearts and happiness were ripped from us in a cruel manner.  To sit here
less than a year later and both of us are happy, content and in love; can
there really be a problem with that?"

   Melody wiped her tears and brought her lips to mine saying, "God, I love
you so much!"

   After this exchange she had fallen asleep and I laid there thinking
there had to be a breaking point, some missed detail that would snap the
binds of our love and affection for each other.  I had this drill at least
50 times in my head, and never did I ever get an answer that made me think
it could end.





   Perhaps the truest love is the one you don't try for, the one that
sneaks up on you.  We've made a rule of not keeping anything from each
other and always voicing our true feelings about anything we have to deal
with, even if we know it might hurt feelings, because feelings can be
fixed. If you keep bad feelings inside you end up with grudges.  Grudges
are a waste of time.  Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and
let go of what you cannot change.  It's how we've lived and loved and so
far, everything is working out fine.  Although I never believed it
possible, love will find you, just be ready for it.