Chapter 64 - We Need To Talk

WE HAVE TO TALK

Chris Davis had just finished his two-mile run and was letting himself into his three bedroom ranch house when he heard the phone start to ring. He pulled the towel from around his neck and used it to wipe his face as he looked at the caller ID. He recognized the San Francisco area code, but was puzzled by it. Who in hell in SF would be calling him at this time of day. It was, what, 6 A.M. out there. He picked up the phone.

"Chris here."

"Hey, Chris." The velvet voice took him immediately back twenty plus years to the first time he had met her, and through five years of a tumultuous and passionate marriage before they split and eventually divorced. "It's Ellen. Long time, huh?"

"And then some. How are you? What's up?"

"I'm sorry to call at this ungodly hour, but Rick and I are leaving to get Michael from school this morning and need to leave soon. I got a call from Susan, your brother's wife. Did you know Tommy passed away a few months ago?"

"I heard. I was on assignment in South America and got the message when I got home. Why did she call you?"

"She was afraid when you didn't go to the funeral that you were angry about something. She asked me if I might be able to help her out with a place to stay for a few weeks. I guess the medical bills totally wiped out her resources. She had to sell the house and her car. I told her the best I could do would be to intercede with you, to see if there was anything you might be willing to do."

Chris was assailed by a ton of conflicting emotions. Ignoring them, he replied, "Of course I'll help. After all, she is family. And if she has any of her own, they'd just try to bleed her drier than she is."

"That's kind of what I remembered. She says she has until the first of the month before she has to be out of her house. That gives you a week to come up with something. Good luck, and Chris, be nice. She's been through hell with Tommy's illness and death. Stomach cancer isn't a pretty way to go."

"No, it isn't. I promise. Have a good trip."

"Thank you. Again, good luck. I remember how you two used to get along, or rather, not get along."

"Hopefully we've both grown up a bit. Thanks for the call, I think." he laughed.

He pawed through his desk, looking for his address book. He hoped he had the right phone number for them. Tom, younger than Chris by 15 months,had been in the Air Force when he got Sue pregnant at 19, and married her. When he got out, he had bounced around the country, trying and failing at several jobs and businesses before he lucked into a job as a TV weatherman, taking advantage of his Air Force training.

As misfortune would have it, Sue had suffered a spontaneous abortion, at least that's what the note from Tom had said, about halfway through the pregnancy. Whatever had happened, it left her unable to conceive again. Chris couldn't help but wonder at the time if it might have had something to do with her lifestyle before she got married.

His late parents had both been professionals. Father, a corporate lawyer; Mother, a professor in the engineering school at the university in the town where they all had grown up. Sue's family was grey collar, both parents working on the factory floor of the company for which the boys' father worked. Sue had earned a reputation early for liking flashy cars and questionable boyfriends. Chris never did understand how she and Tom met, or why he had married her.

Upon reflection, Chris admitted to himself that last statement was a lie. He knew exactly why Tom had married her, and stayed married for nearly twenty years. Susan was one of the most attractive women he had ever seen. And worse, he had to admit it, she was just as nice as she was pretty. She was warm, generous, intelligent, witty, and fun-loving. His jealousy of his younger brother had, to some degree, been behind the failure of his own marriage, and to a greater degree, had led to the estrangement between the brothers. He had stayed away out of a sense of self-preservation.

He found his phone list, and Tom's number. He dialed, and heard the phone ring. On the third ring, Sue answered.

"Susie, this is Chris. Ellen called me. How are you?"

He heard a short snorting laugh. "Been better. Have had whole years of better. What's up? It's been what, ten, fifteen years. And you couldn't even be bothered to come to Tom's funeral. So why the call?": The harsh, bitter tone in her voice made Chris pause.

"Is this a mistake," he thought. There was going to be a mountain of issues to resolve before they would be able to tolerate each other. He took a deep breath. "Sue, I am truly sorry about missing the funeral. I was on assignment in the Amazon River country. I had been out of the country for six month's when I got home. As soon as I heard of Tommy passing, I wired you. If I had been in country, I would have been there." He heard her sob over the phone. "Are you still in Altamont, just outside of St. Louis?"

"Yes, on Peach street. Why?"

"I'll be there tomorrow. Ellen said you're out of options. I can offer you a place to crash for as long as you need one." The sobs softened and became more regular. She was crying.

"No,no. you don't need to come out. Just arrange it so I can pick the ticket up at the airport, I can be there Wednesday evening. I've stored everything I wanted to keep. Everything else goes with the house."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure, and thank you, Chris. I know how difficult this has to be for you. I'll try not to be any trouble."

"Susie, it's no trouble. You're family."

Her flight was over two hours late. He waited for her in the area at the opening of the concourse. With the new security regulations, non-passengers were no longer allowed to wait at the gates. He heard her flight announced as it touched down at nine o'clock. Several minutes later, a flood of people was walking toward the ramp exiting the concourse. He scanned the mob for her. He almost didn't see her because of the large sunglasses she wore. On the tall side of average, at five-eight, her dark red hair framing her face, she looked tired. He pushed his way to the head of the ramp and waited for her.

When she saw him, she gave him a wan smile and let herself be guided through the crowd. Once they were in the open, he embraced her and held her tightly for a long moment before stepping back. He had felt the beginning of a surge in his groin, an effect she had always had on him, even during their most contentious periods.

"Luggage?" he asked.

"This," she answered, hoisting an overnight bag, "plus two more large bags. They won't be out for a bit. Can we get some coffee and maybe a bite. The layover in Chicago was a bit longer than they said it would be, and I haven't eaten since lunch."

"Of course, no problem. How big a bite? There's a half decent restaurant here, or a zillion and one snack areas, and every fast food emporium you can conceive of."

"Just coffee, and some pie. That's about all I've been able to eat lately. I haven't felt like cooking. After 20 years of..." a sob broke her voice. He put his arms around her, burying her face in his shoulder, noticing how nicely she fit there. She leaned back after a moment, and patted his chest. "I hope your shirt is waterproof. I've been doing a lot of that these past few months."

"Actually, it's a living thing and needs water regularly, so whenever you feel the need, go right ahead." He led her out of the concourse area toward the food court.

She laughed. "I had forgotten your sense of humor". She took his arm, and wrapping both of hers around it, hugged it to her side. "Maybe this won't be so bad." she told herself.

Inside the food court, he got them coffee, and her a piece of banana cream pie. As he sat down, she gave him a fleeting smile. "You remembered, my favorite pie." She removed her sunglasses and briskly rubbed her face with the palms of her hands, then hugged herself and shivered. "Is it always this cold here? I thought it was summer everywhere."

Chris studied her face as he answered. Not for the first time, he had the thought that this is how Audrey Hepburn would look with red hair and blue eyes. "It's upstate New York," he answered. "Even though we're less than ten miles from one of the Great Lakes, it's not as humid here as it is in the Midwest, so it feels chillier. Plus, they do have the air conditioning set to wring out every molecule of water it finds." She looked tired, haggard. Her normally bright blue eyes lacked their usual luster, and were surrounded by deep dark circles. "When was the last time you had a decent night's sleep?"

"Hmm, define decent. Tom died six months ago next week, so, a few months before that. The last couple of months he needed a lot of assistance. I've been getting three to five hours at night, since he died, and then maybe an hour nap sometime during the day." She avoided looking at him, and dug into her pie. "Mm, this isn't bad. You aren't having anything?"

"No, I'm working on keeping my weight down. When I travel, it's easier to fit into the smaller jets. There's a chicken casserole waiting at home. It'll just take a little bit to warm it."

"When did you start to cook, I mean how long after the divorce?"

"Sandwiches, eggs, burgers and hots, right away. Anything requiring more than two cans, a few months. Cooking from scratch, I don't know, a couple of years. Took me that long to appreciate it as a seduction tool. Man cooking for a woman he wants to bed, shortens the chase by a good six months." He blanched as he realized the implication of his last remarks. "I'm sorry, Sue, that was crass and totally out of place. I didn't mean to imply..."

"What, that you want to get into my pants?" She looked him right in the eye, waiting for his response.

He tried to avoid her gaze. He looked at the table, the floor, for the waitress, at his watch. The time stretched out. She waited with the fork poised in mid air. Finally she set it down. "Wow, I'm still not sure if that was yes or no, but it's obviously something you've considered, right?"

Chris looked at her. He reached across the table for her hand, but she withdrew it. He sat back, and with a deep breath, began."Thought about it? Hell, Susie, there not a man in this airport capable of screwing who wouldn't jump at the chance to be with you when you're ready to start living again. And, yes, that includes me." He looked at her directly. "Do you want to change your mind about staying with me now? If you do, there's a housekeeping motel not far from here."

"That won't be necessary. As long as I know what's expected of me."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I don't expect anything from you!" The volume was a whisper, the emotion in his voice made it a shout.

"Yours was more subtly put, but it was the same message I got from the bank loan officer." She was choking back the sobs. "He offered to let me stay in the house until it was sold if I'd come in and give him a...oral sex every day. Or Tom's boss, who offered me a 'trainee' position. I just had to service him and some of his buddies from time to time. They'd even pay for the motel. Sometimes, even Tommy. He'd withhold the money to run the household until we'd had sex. What else am I supposed to think, Chris? Hell, if your behavior for the past 20 years is any gauge, you don't even like me. Just what are you expecting?" Her tears were visible, ready to spill.

He shook his head. "Expecting? Hell, I don't know. That you'd come, stay for a few weeks, or months. I hadn't thought beyond offering you a place to stay. Some respect for each other's personal space, some conversation, help keeping up the house, doing the cooking. Shit, just some company would be nice. But I never expected any kind of payment, certainly not sex." His voice was taut with the tension between them, He started to relax when he saw her smile,

"But you wouldn't turn it down?" she asked, her eyes starting to twinkle with humor.

"I may be noble, but I'm not stupid, dead, or impotent." he smiled, the tension lessening if not dissolving. "We should get out of here. It's a bit of a drive."

"Where...?"

"I own a hilltop about 40 miles south of the city. I let out most of 640 acres to a grape co-op which pays me a share as rent. Part of it is still wild woods, and then there's the house and pool."

"You have a pool? Do you get to use it much?"

"Wait until you see it."

They had retrieved her luggage and were at his car, a Mercedes sports coupe. "Something must be paying well. The writing or the grapes?"

"A bit of both, but right now most of my income comes from my winery holdings. There are four family run wineries, separate from the co-op, I helped finance. I offered them a choice for financing – a long term conventional mortgage or a percentage of the business, so I was just as much at risk as they were. Even with the sizeable percentage I wanted, it was better for them and the business to trade me a share. Through my travel contacts, they were able to gain access to some master winemakers, and now, seven to ten years after our first harvests, we are producing some of the best wines in the state."

It was just past eleven when he turned off the two lane into a winding dirt road which led up a hill to a rambling three bedroom ranch style farm house. "I've put you in the west bedroom," he told her, "so the sun doesn't wake you in the morning. The windows are all screened, as are the sliding doors, so you can leave them open for fresh air. We don't have any wild critters bigger'n a 'possum, and they all tend to stay in the woods. And this is the time of year when the vines take care of themselves, so there shouldn't be any workmen anywhere close. The cleaning lady won't be in until Friday.

"If I'm not around when you get up, make yourself at home. This is your home now, as long as you need or want to stay."

"Thank you, Chris. I know I keep saying that. I can't tell you how relieved I was after you called. I had no idea what I was going to do. My own family wouldn't offer a glass of water to a thirsty neighbor. I called Ellen out of desperation, hoping for just a loan or even a cot. I didn't expect anything like this."

She gave him a hug. As his arms went around her, he felt a surge in his loins. Apparently, so did she. She quickly pulled away, looking at him, an unreadable expression in her eyes, anger, disappointment, resignation, he couldn't tell. She dropped her eyes and turned away from him. "I'd like to shower and turn in, if that's okay with you."

"Of course. Shower's right across the hall. Towels and supplies are in the linen closet right outside. I usually run in the morning for a bit, then I have to go into town for an hour or so. I should be back at lunch time. I'll leave my cell number on the kitchen table." As he left the room, he turned to look back at her. "Sue, I really am glad you're here, and that I am able to help. Anything you want or need, if it's not here, we'll find it somewhere. Sleep well."

For the first two weeks, Susan didn't do much more than sleep. Over time, she grew noticeably less haggard. Her color improved, as did her appetite. She went from eating only pie to full meals by the middle of summer. As her energy and stamina improved, Chris introduced her to the farm. He showed her the vineyards, pointing out the differences in the kinds of grapes, and explained how they were blended to produce the different kinds of wines. She was fascinated when she saw the tiny grapes used for the sparkling wines.

Two weeks after her arrival, he walked her through the woods, showing her the track he ran every morning he was home, even in the winter. As they were walking it, he suddenly stopped her. As they paused in the middle of the track, he raised his head to check the wind. "This way," he said, turning them around. About twenty-five yards back up the track, he turned to follow a path into the woods. "Shhh," he cautioned her. In a few more steps, they stepped into a clearing, surrounding a large pond. Across the pond she saw a number of deer, including a stag with an impressive rack of antlers. Chris's arm across her body kept her from advancing into the clearing any further.

"They're gorgeous," she whispered. "I've never seen them like this–in the flesh, as it were."

"This is only the second time I've seen them. I caught a glimpse last summer, but I thought they had moved on when I didn't see them any more." The sound of their voices, a slight shift in the wind, instinct, something spooked the stag and he bounded off, followed by the others.

"This, by the way," he gestured, "is my swimming pool. This end, right off shore, is about six feet deep, increasing to ten in the center. The six foot depth is between those two boulders on the shore." He pointed to a pair of large boulders about fifteen yards apart, sitting at the water's edge. "The rest of the pool, a fairly shallow area out to ten feet or so, then there is a drop off to the deep bottom. It's about fifty, sixty yards across. Eighteen laps to make a mile. And if you look around, you'll see you can't be seen in here, so if you want to swim or sunbathe in the nude, feel free. Lots of times, I finish my run with a quick skinny dip. Then by the time I'm back to the house, I pretty much am dried off."

"We'll have to rig up some sort of bell, so we don't walk in on each other at an embarrassing time."

"Yeah, I suppose," he replied, a sound of disappointment in his voice. Her slap at his shoulder was more good fun than reproach.

After dinner, one Thursday evening toward the end of the second month of her stay, she asked him, with a smile, "Do you remember that awful, awkwardness in the diner at the airport?" He looked at her, his face a mask of hurt, guilt, remorse and fear.

"Sue, I..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any upset. I was just going to comment that I can fully appreciate now your comment about cooking being an effective seduction tool. Being waited on the way you've waited on me the past several weeks has been absolutely delicious.

"It's enough to wipe out all those awful years of fighting. No, you don't need to say anything. God knows, I was just as spiteful as you were. Right now, though, I can't remember why. I really appreciate all you've done and would like to cook for you tomorrow. Is that okay?"

"If you want. I was going to ask if you feel up to going out for dinner. I have a travel assignment starting Sunday and will be gone a week or so. Eating out before traveling is sort of a tradition with me. It means I don't have to come home to dirty dishes," he laughed.

She smiled and nodded. "That'll be fun. Then I can practice my kitchen skills while you're gone and cook you a welcome home dinner."

The next night found them at a steak house situated on the shore of one of the smaller Finger Lakes. On this night the restaurant was offering line dancing lessons, which Chris and Sue cheerfully joined. Four hours later they were homeward bound, Sue resting her head on Chris' shoulder as he drove. "That was fun. Do you think we might be able to do it again sometime?"

"I'm sure we can. The only restrictions we have are what's legal and what we want, or don't want to do." As they pulled into the driveway, Sue straightened up. When the car came to a stop, she reached for the door handle, only to be stopped by Chris. He got out of the car and walked around to open her door. He took her hand and helped her out.

She reached up to caress his cheek, and said softly, "Thank you for a lovely evening. I wish..."she stopped. "So, where are you off to tomorrow?" Her voice had gone from wistful to businesslike in a heartbeat.

Chris' heart sank. He, too, had wished. Matching her tone, he replied, "My manager called me yesterday. There's a relatively new travel card service pushing into the Northwest market, and they want some feedback on merchant responsiveness. It usually means several visits to the same merchant, using different cards or offering to pay with two or three to see which they prefer. It's normally a week long assignment, including travel going and coming."

"Anything I can do to help you get ready? Or while you're gone?" As they walked into the house, his arm found its way around her waist.

"No, I think I'm all set. One of the perks of these assignments is that I get to keep a lot of the stuff I have to buy, including personal supplies, and I usually average a new suit, or its equivalent in sportswear, every eight to ten weeks. Is there anything I can get for you?"

She was pensive for several seconds. Shaking her head, she responded, "Just come home." Her face and voice were both full of the wistfulness he had heard outside.

He called her daily, describing his experiences, asking about hers. She told him about the feeding station she had built out of scrap wood she found in the barn and the animals which had quickly found it.

One night, it was after ten, local time, when he got back to his motel. Thinking it was too late (It would have been one AM on his hilltop), he went to bed without calling. The next night, when he did call, Sue was so anxious and upset he promised to call everyday, regardless how late he got in. When the assignment was extended twice, he shared his disappointment and frustration. By the time he started for home, he had been gone a month.

As he walked down the concourse toward the exit, he thought it would be nice to take Sue along next time. At the exit, he saw her waiting at the top of the ramp, wearing tight boot cut jeans which showed off her hips and legs to perfection. She had borrowed one of his white shirts and had the tails tied under her nicely proportioned bosom, displaying her tanned toned abs. Her smile let him know he had been caught checking her out, and she didn't object. "Hey there, traveling man, need a ride?"

"Actually I need something to tell me I'm not dead and gone to heaven. You look great! What have you been up to you haven't been telling me about?"

"Just running and swimming. I should have had you get me a new swimsuit. The one I have is so big I swim right out of it when I dive in the pond, and I wind up skinny dipping."

"And what's wrong with that?" he grinned. She responded with a smile and an elbow in his ribs.

Back at the farmhouse, he dropped his bags in the living room. "God, it's good to be home. I missed you, even talking every day. It's just not the same."

"I know. I missed you, too. It's funny how easy it is to get used to a routine, and to having someone around. But you're back, at last." She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She tilted her head back and reached up on tiptoe to give him a quick peck on the lips, but it lingered a bit longer than she planned.

When they separated, Chris looked at her, a question in his eyes. Then he leaned down and captured her lips with his, in an open mouth tongue invading kiss, which she returned. As he pulled her close, into a full body hug, he felt himself grow erect and press into her. As she felt it, she pressed back into him. His hand moved up and rested against the side of her breast. When she felt herself open and dampen, she pulled away, her face red with passion and embarrassment.

She looked at him. "I can't..." and ran from him, locking herself in her bedroom. He followed her, and knocked on the door. "Just let me alone, Chris, please."

Dejected, he got his bag from the living room and went to his room to unpack. When that was done, he went to his office to catch up on his correspondence and start his reports. Some time later, he heard her leave her room and go to the kitchen. He followed her.

"Sue?"

She looked up, startled. "I was just going to put supper on to warm. I made a chicken fricassee. It won't take long to heat."

"Sue!"

"Don't, Chris. Please. As soon as I can find a job and a place to stay, I'll be leaving."

"Susie, that's not necessary. There's no reason to leave."

She shook her head, and lowered her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. I think this afternoon showed there is plenty of reason. Christ, look at me. It's not even a year since Tommy died, and the first man to show me some kindness and attention and I'm ready to screw him to the floor." She put the chicken in the oven and turned it on, not looking at him. " A few months ago, we could barely speak civilly to each other. I was afraid to call you on the phone for fear we'd end up fighting. And suddenly, I want to make love to you so bad I can smell it." She looked at him. "If you didn't like me before, what must you think of me now? And why should I care?" She bowed her head and shook it. "I'm so freakin' mixed up"

Chris gave a short laugh. "Maybe this will help. Susan Davis, I'm in love with you. I have been in love with you for twenty years. I was jealous of my brother, and resented him all to hell when he ran you down, like he was always doing. There were so many times I just wanted to grab you and run away....

"When she left me, Ellen didn't know who, but she knew there was someone else. She couldn't understand my attitude toward you. For me it was simple, being nasty was the only way to protect myself, and you and Tommy, from being hurt by letting my true feelings show.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you're here, to be able to ..." His voice started to choke. "I don't want you to leave. I'll honor any boundaries you want to establish. But it's your choice. Whatever you choose, I'll help you anyway I can. Just let me know how."

She nodded, dumbfounded. His statement came as a total surprise. In spite of his protestations, she had viewed his behavior since she had arrived through the filter of his statement at the airport. And it wasn't just him. It had been a fact of her life since she entered puberty.

His declaration did help to explain some stories she had heard over the years. Like the time he had stopped Tommy from hitting her while in a drunken rage. And the report from her sister about Chris reading Tommy the riot act when he had reduced her to tears with his insults about her family.

Tears streaming down her cheeks, she walked over to her brother-in-law. As he started to reach for her, she brushed his arms aside and beat her clenched fists softly againsst his chest. "Why?....why?.....you fool, you sweet wonderful fool," She left the kitchen and walked to her room.

Chris turned off the oven, put the fricasee in the fridge, cleaned up the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. He watched TV for a bit, hoping she would come out and join him. He puzzled on her response, wondering what it meant.

After the news, heart heavy, fearing she would decide to leave, he made his way along the hall. He paused by her door. There was no light under the door, and no sound from the room. She must have fallen asleep. He hoped he could.

He showered and toweled away the wetness. Then, as usual, crawled into bed, nude. He switched off his bedside lamp and rolled onto his side into his sleeping position. He thought he heard the door open.

When he reached to turn on the light, he felt a weight on the bed, the covers lift and settle, then a warm, nude body cuddle up to his.

"We need to talk," she said.

Sunlight streaming through the windows and sliding doors woke Chris. As the sleep left him, and his body became aware of his surroundings, he grinned. Looking down his body, he saw the dark red tousled hair of his sister-in-law, laying on his chest. She had come to his room last night, saying they needed to talk. There had been a lot of communication, but very little talking. He moved his hand and lightly caressed the skin in the small of her back. He heard her murmur something in response. "What was that?" he asked.

"I was just saying a prayer in thanks, thanking God for every thing this past year, horrible as it was, that brought me here this morning. A bit selfishly, but for Tommy's illness and passing, thankful that it was as fast as it was so he didn't suffer too long, for the expenses that made it necessary for me to ask for help, for Ellen thinking to call you, for you and your offer, for this place, for you being able to tell me how you felt, for me loving you and recognizing it."

She took hold of his member. "And for this magic wand of yours. In 20 years of marriage, I was never able to have more than a single climax a night when Tommy and I made love, and we tried often. Nor was Tommy. Last night, there were at least four for me, and I can remember three for you." She shifted position so she could look at him. "So I was saying 'Thank you, God, for this man.'"

Chris reached down and pulled her over him, her legs straddling his hips. "Tell him thank you also from me, for sending me this beautiful, sexy, adorable, beautiful, lovely, lusty, beautiful, sexy woman," he said, punctuating the adjectives with kisses. He pushed the bed covers down, then pushed her up on her knees, so he could look at her nude body for the first time.

"My God, you are absolutely gorgeous," he whispered as he took in her body, from the heavy natural breasts, sagging slightly from their weight, capped with silver dollar sized areolas, nipples just starting to show, down past the indentation of her waist, over the toned abdomen she had acquired while he was gone, to the auburn colored bush which disappeared where their bodies met .

She beamed at his words, "You approve, then?"

"I'd have to be dead not to approve, and even then, I think I'd probably break out of my grave seeing you like this."

"Mmm, I get the feeling there are other parts of you that agree," she said, shimmying her hips over his. She raised up and guided him to her rapidly moistening center and lowered herself onto him. "Mmm. I don't have a lot of experience in judging cocks, but I have to say, this feels like a real nice one." She started to slide her hips along the vertical axis of his body. "I've not done this much, either. Is this right?"

"This will speed your climax, but at some point you're going to want to go up and down on my cock." She changed her motion to match his words. "That's right, mmm, god, that's good, very good. While doing that, you can also move your hips in a circle, sort of like a hula dance."

She looked down at him, his eyes closed in rapture. As she attempted the motion he described, she became aware of his cockhead moving against the sensitive interior walls of her sheath, resulting in a small jolt whenever it hit one particular area. She changed her motion to maximize that contact and soon felt the stirrings in her quim which she recognized as her pre-climactic signals.

She saw Chris' breathing quicken and felt his hips start to move. Both of their movements became frantic, dis-coordinated as they drove toward the release which they both needed now. Sue tensed, her body on the threshold of climax. Chris continuing to drive his shaft into her, pounding against her clitoris, massaging the sensitive nub on the front of her vaginal wall, fighting against her clamping muscles to keep moving in her.

With a primal grunting groan, he expelled his seed into her canal, through her cervix, into her womb, setting off her orgasm. He collapsed, his cock continuing to spasm, pumping seminal fluid into his lover's body as she lay on his chest, quaking and quivering, her body recovering from the explosion of pleasure often referred to as the little death.

"Lady," he panted, recovering his breath, "for someone who hasn't done much of that, that was pretty fucking wild.'

"Thanks, coach." She raised her head to look at him. "Much as I would love to stay here all day, and continue to explore new ways to tire you out, my body needs some basic maintenance--like pottying, and then some food. I know there isn't much you can do about the first, but if you make the coffee, I'll also see about the second."

He laughed. "I can handle that. And after?"

"We still need to talk."

Once the coffee was started, Chris returned to the bathroom, knocked on the door and walked in. "Don't..." Sue started to say as the door opened. The odor told Chris the nature of her business. He flipped on the exhaust fan and reached in to start the shower. Sue looked at him, shocked and puzzled. "Doesn't it disgust you?"

He looked at her, vertical furrows between his eyebrows. "I can't think of anything about you or your body which would disgust me,' he answered, bending down to kiss her as she sat there. "Want to join me?"

"Tommy..."

"I'm not Tommy."

"I know, but you're from the same family, and some attitudes run in families. Like that."

"I suppose, but we had slightly different experiences growing up. I spent my early childhood with our mother, who had a kind of laissez -faire attitude about the body and its functions. Tommy's first three years were overseen by a sitter who thought everything about the body was the devil's work, especially the waste it produced. Even though I was only four years older than Tommy, it made me laugh to see her handle his diapers." Chris pinched the fingers on one hand together as if he were holding something obnoxious, his arm stiffly extended, a 'sour' expression on his face.

Sue broke out in laughter so hard she farted into the bowl, magnifying the sound. Chris guffawed, "Wow, I guess the honeymoon is over before it even got started."

Sue laughed again, blushing. "Your own fault, clown. Get in the shower. I'll be right there." The love and laughter in her eyes belied the sting in her voice. She finished the paperwork and joined him, sliding her arms around his waist, her cheek to his back. "No, you're not Tommy. And that's another reason I was thanking God."

He turned to kiss her. "Was it all as bad as the bits I saw?"

"Later, after breakfast," she promised. "You need to know some of the junk, the misconceptions, like the toilet thing, the walls I'm going to have to get over. Your brother could be very charming and loving, fun to be with. He could also be a mean, cruel son of a bitch, especially if he wasn't getting his way. I expect you know that. I just have to remember that wasn't you. I also have to remember that when you were like that, it wasn't really you. That's what we have to talk about, and what it was like to live that day to day.

"I love you, Chris. I knew it the night we went dancing. I just couldn't accept that you might feel the same after all those years."

Chris' face broke into a giant smile at her last words. He pulled her to him for another kiss. "Are you sure you want breakfast right now?" he asked.

She laughed at him, at his frank glee. "It's not so much want as need right now. I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday. If we go back to bed right now, tempting as that is, I'm afraid you'd be making love with a comatose woman."

"Hmm, possibilities, possibilities."

"Rat! Wash me, and let's get business done so we can play some more." Her eyes shone, recognizing his love for her matched hers for him.

For breakfast, she mixed up some cinnamon oatmeal muffins. While they baked, she put together a fruit salad of melon, grapes, berries and kiwi fruit. They ate on the patio, looking out over the valley to the south.

Their chairs were at an angle to each other, hands within easy reach. She reached out and took his hand, holding it loosely, fingers entwined. "Do you remember the last time you visited us?"

"You were living in Eugene; Tommy was working some sales job, industrial tool machine. I remember him complaining his territory was shitty, that he was being set up to fail. He was pretty drunk, and getting royally pissed off at you. I had never seen him so ready to hit someone."

"He thought I was the reason his territory was so bad. His manager had a little contest going among his sales force. Each quarter, the agent with the lowest sales, including the new agents who had been there more than half the quarter, that agent had to supply the "entertainment" for the quarterly sales meeting. Historically, that entertainment had been the agent's wife. It had been going on so long, they all just accepted it. Nobody explained it to Tommy until the week of the meeting. When he told me, I said no. In spite of what you may have heard before we got married, Tommy was my first, and only, lover, until last night," she said, squeezing his hand.

"There was no way I was going to do that. Tommy accepted that and explained to his boss, who apparently announced to the other agents that I was some sort of poor sport who didn't care about her husband's career. But when the other wives found out, they all refused to go along anymore.

"As a result, Tommy was moved to commission only payroll and given the worst territory in the state. That weekend you came to visit was his third week without a sale, without a check. He blamed me. Said if I had cooperated, he'd have had the best territory instead of the worst.

"I knew it was the drinks talking, but it hurt. I told him there was no freaking way I was going to open my legs to save his twenty-five thousand a year job; that when he was making a hundred thousand, I'd think about it. That's when he got mad. When I said I'd think about it.

"That was the weekend you stopped him from beating me. You said something to him while you held him back, after he hit me the first time. Do you remember what you said? He looked at you as if he wanted to kill you, then ran out of the house and was gone nearly a week. When he came back, he had the weather job and we moved. Do you remember what you said? He never told me."

"I told him 'don't hit her for your mistakes.'"

Sue nodded, her brow knitted in thought. "When we started dating, I thought he was the coolest guy, cute, smart, charming. I decided on our second date that he'd be my first lover. He, apparently, was attracted by my questionable reputation. I knew what they were saying about me, but the guys who knew me, my friends, knew it wasn't true. Until Tommy came along. He thought it was true.

"That first time, he didn't ask anything except could he. When I said yes, he just shoved himself in me. They probably heard my scream downtown. Between the scream and the blood, I scared him to death. But not soon enough, he had come almost as soon as he entered me. That was the night I got pregnant. Didn't know it, didn't even think about it at the time, but I made him use a condom every time after that.

"When I told him I was pregnant, he tried to blame it on someone else, based on my reputation. When I reminded him of our first time, and pointed out there hadn't been anyone else since then, he grudgingly accepted responsibility. I knew he had college plans, so I wasn't expecting him to offer marriage right away. I would have waited, and told him so, but he insisted."

"Dad insisted, told him to man up, take responsibility for his mistakes. It was Dad's suggestion to join the service, half decent pay, good benefits, training."

"Benefits for the servicemen were good, I guess; not especially for the family, at least me. The doctor I saw for my three month check-up hadn't examined a pregnant woman since med school, he told me. He didn't realize, didn't recognize the baby had problems.

"Between that visit and the next, it died. Whether there was an infection, or the dead fetus caused an infection, they didn't know, but the effect on my uterus was irreversible, it no longer produced a viable lining to support a fertilized egg. I know Tommy told everyone I miscarried, but they had had to abort a dead fetus.

"I went home right after that and stayed with your folks for awhile. Ellie was teaching and you were in grad school, so the two of you were around quite a bit. As bad as I felt, that was a good time, just about the last good time.

"Your Mom took me to see a specialist in the city to see if they could determine what had happened. They couldn't, but they did tell me it would be a miracle if I ever carried a child to term. They were also surprised that I had even been pregnant. One of my fallopian tubes is totally blocked, the other, nearly half. "

"That, I think, was the weekend I fell in love with you." Chris interrupted. "Ellie had been called into school for some voluntary training, and there was a movie opening that we had been planning to attend for three or four months. I was pissing around, complaining about it, and there you were, just losing the baby, and getting that rotten news, trying to cheer me up, pointing out that it would still be around for awhile.

"Being around you that month was a lesson in living in the moment, realizing what was important, and I knew when you left I would miss you terribly. When you did go, I envied Tommy something fierce, and I resented him for taking you away." She smiled at him and kissed the back of his hand.

"When I rejoined Tommy, that night when we were 'getting reacquainted' and I told him that we didn't need to use the rubbers anymore and why, and about the tubes being blocked, he just got a very strange expression, like he had caught someone pulling a joke, but too late, you know what I mean, then he said, 'just my luck.' When he climaxed, he just rolled over and went to sleep. He never mentioned the baby or anything about it again."

Still holding his hand, she stood up. "Let 's go inside. I want to be held, and there's no way to do that out here." Chris rose and they walked into the living room. He sat on the sofa, pulling her down so she laid in his arms, across his chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

"After basic training, he requested weather school and was accepted right away. He was good, and he enjoyed it. He got promoted pretty quickly, and when he elected to extend his service, was made master sergeant. He was sent to the Gulf, for the last six months of his enlistment, to help set up and modernize their weather stations.

"Another sergeant's wife, who was pregnant, and I shared quarters while he was gone. She was about ready to pop when he got home. The expression on his face when he saw her, it made me want to cry. Such longing. Tenderness." Her voice caught as she choked back a sob. "It's so easy for so many, and to not be able... I suggested adopting once. Before I could get the word out, he flat out refused to discuss it.

"A service buddy gave him a lead on a sales job in Florida. We moved there, and six months later, he came in one day and told me we were moving to Arizona, he had a 'better' job. That one lasted almost a year. I knew things weren't going real well for him. He developed an ulcer on that job, and toward the end of the year it was flaring up almost daily.

"We were so in debt to everyone we had to sneak out of town in the middle of the night. We just took our clothes and the few precious memory items we wanted to keep, left the furniture, it was all second hand anyway. We made it to Oregon before the car broke down. Tommy talked his way into a job as service manager for a car dealership. He worked just long enough to pay the repair bill and save enough to get us to Eugene." Sue paused to think, blinking away some tears.

"In the twenty-two years we were together, your brother never bought me a present, not for Christmas, my birthday, not our anniversary. He said he gave me his check every week, I could go buy my own presents. Some times I did and told people they were from him. I think that embarrassed him." She snuggled in closer to Chris. "Mm, this feels good. This is some thing else he'd never do. Once in a while, if he was in a good mood, or horny, I could get a hug and a kiss, but never did we just sit and snuggle.

"Our sex life was a lot like our first time. Once or twice a week, he'd roll over and grab my breast, and kiss me. If I didn't refuse him, he'd enter me right away. I learned his signals, how to read his mood so I could guess when he was going to approach me, and I'd masturbate for a little bit before going to bed so I'd be kinda ready for him.

"He suffered from delayed ejaculation, so he was usually able to get me off before he came, which was good, because once he came, he went soft immediately, and was done for the night. He'd just roll over, no kiss, no good night, no thank you.

"In fact, he never said thank you for anything I ever did for him. Nor please, for that matter. Or, if I didn't do some thing he had asked, or told me to do, more likely, there would be a flash of anger, then he'd just do it himself. Unless he'd been drinking, then I'd hear about it." Feeling an increase in the tension in Chris' arms, she stopped, leaned her head back and looked at him.

"Why in hell did you stay and put up with that shit? What you're describing is a not very subtle form of wife beating." Chris pulled her closer. "If I had known, I would have come around more. Maybe it would have helped to diffuse his anger toward you."

"No, when you were there, somehow it got worse. He was worse, more like he had to show who was boss in his house. I think that was part of the reason I was mean when you were there, partly to stand up to Tommy, partly to make you uncomfortable so you'd leave. I was the same way with my sister.

"And it wasn't all bad. When things were going well, Tommy could be a lot of fun, and I got to meet a lot of interesting people through t he TV station. I met Willie Nelson, Mrs Clinton when she was First Lady, Dolly Parton, most of the Missouri politicians, some from Illinois and Kentucky; other, less well known Hollywood folks. And I finished high school and college, and got a nursing license. Did you know I'm a registered nurse?" She leaned back and smiled at him. "At least I was. I let the license lapse. But the training came in handy when Tommy got sick.

"By the way, you are holding a woman of substance. The TV station, as part of their benefits package, bought Tommy a life insurance policy. It was automatically continued when he went out on disability. Three years salary, a quarter of a million dollars. The check came the other day. I need to open a bank account so I can deposit it. Think we can go to dinner some time soon?" she asked, her face alight with happiness. She hesitated for a minute, frowned, then continued.

"But you're right, he was abusive. And like a lot of abuse victims, I thought, to some degree, I was responsible. Plus, I had nowhere else to go. My family? They would have charged me rent, and gone through my luggage looking for things to steal and pawn. Your Mom and Dad were gone. You? At the time, I thought you hated me. I couldn't support myself, not safely. I would have had to work and live in the worst part of the city. With Tommy, at least I didn't need to be afraid of frequent physical abuse, just an occasional spousal rape.

"Can you understand why I thank God you're not Tommy? Why I appreciate everything you've done for me this summer? Why I think I've fallen in love with you?"

"I didn't realize Tommy had turned into such a bastard." Chris shook his head, "I am so sorry you had to put up with him like that. I don't know why he was incapable of showing you love or affection. That last time I visited, in Oregon, when he didn't come home. I figured he'd be at the bar on the corner and went to look for him. He was there and we talked.

"I asked him why, if you made him so crazy, why he didn't leave. He said he couldn't, when he had been overseas, the thought of you waiting for him was the only thing that made it possible to get through the day. As much as you aggravated him, he loved you.

"But, he told me, you weren't the source of the aggravation, you were just the reminder that he had fucked up, and spoiled what was supposed to be his play time. He wasn't ready to join the adult table. And he felt he hadn't had a choice.

"He told me about your response when he accused you of not caring about his career. I laughed at him. Told him he was stupid to have even asked you to participate, that he should have known what you'd do. The fucking job wasn't worth it. I told him your response was exactly right, you were telling him if he was going to pimp you out, then be damn sure the job was worth It, and this job wasn't. He agreed when I put it like that, didn't appreciate my pointing it out, though."

"No, he wouldn't have. I know he loved me, in his own way. At the end, when he was dying, he said he was glad I had decided to stick with him, that he couldn't have made it without me, and that nobody else would have stayed. It was as close to a thank you as I ever got, or to him actually saying he loved me. To me. You're going to have to tell me every day, Chris, at least once. Tell, not show, but you can do that, too." A tiny rumble from one of their stomachs was heard.

They both looked down to the source of the sound, smiling. "Oh, gracious. Look at the time. We've been talking, or I've been talking all day. I need to start supper. Feel like firing up the grill? We have fish, chops or steak, or burgers. What's your pleasure?"

"Burgers are fine. Salad?"

"I'll get it started. Want to open some wine? Do that before starting the fire, so it can breathe?"

"Got it. Anything else, chef Sue?"

"Don't get smart assed with me. It's your own fault for setting such a high standard this summer." She stood and shrugged off her robe, letting it lay on the floor as she went to the kitchen. Just before she disappeared through the door she glanced back over her shoulder. "Since I'm doing the cold part, I won't need the protection."

"You will if you want food to eat." he called to her.

They had put the robes back on to eat on the patio, but were forced to return inside for dessert by the chilly evening. Over the berries with homemade shortcake and Asti, Sue asked, "Last night, you said Ellen knew there was someone else, but didn't know who. Given the rest of what you said, the someone was me?"

Chris took a sip of wine to wash down the last of his shortcake, and set the glass down, not looking away, but still not meeting her gaze. "You were part of it, most of it. Like I told you earlier, I fell in love with you during the period you stayed with the folks after you lost the baby. I didn't realize that for a few years, when I stopped to analyze why I was so pissed at Tommy whenever we visited back and forth. I couldn't tell anyone why I was mad at him, so I had to pretend to be mad at, or to not like, you.

"Then just after our fourth wedding anniversary, I thought I discovered some evidence that Ellen was being unfaithful. A couple of motel receipts charged to our credit card. It hurt like hell. Instead of asking, I just went out and got drunk, one of maybe three times in my adult life. While I was doing that, I ran into some women who had been in some of my classes the previous semester. Four of them, two married, having a girls night out. We all got pretty shit -faced and wound up going back to the apartment the single girls shared. Before the night was done, I screwed 'em all.

"Toward dawn, I started to sober up, so I showered and left. When I didn't come home, Ellie had called a friend on the police force to see if there had been any accidents. He saw me walking and picked me up, to take me home. I convinced him I was okay to drive, so he turned around and was taking me to my car when he started talking about Ellie and her willingness to put herself out for her students. She had learned the father of one of them was physically abusing the student and his mother. To get them away from him, until she could get them help, she had paid for them to stay at a motel.

"Shit, the way I felt, I could have walked upright under a snake. I never told her what I had done, or what I had learned about what she had done. For some reason, she didn't want to talk about it. And, truth be told, a lot of the passion, maybe some of the love, had already disappeared from the marriage.

"We were good friends who shared a bed, and a couple of times a week, had sex. It wasn't really making love any more. Even though I was drunk, the sex I had with those four drunken women was just as satisfying, if not more." Chris looked up into Sue's eyes. "She never asked me where or why, but I'm pretty sure she knew what I had done. We stayed together another year, never talking about any of it.

"Nothing changed. We still shared the bed, and every Wednesday and Saturday, we screwed each other, but there was nothing there. Then one Saturday night, we were going to bed, and I saw her getting her diaphragm ready. I asked her why were we doing it and she turned and looked at me like I had three heads.

"I went downstairs and got a bottle of wine and some glasses and then went back to her. We drank the wine and talked until dawn. She told me about the student, and said she hadn't told me at the time because I seemed so busy and remote, she didn't think I'd care. I told her about finding the receipts, and how I felt. I didn't tell her about the women, I was too ashamed. She did ask if I had been unfaithful; when I told her only once, physically, she just nodded, as if she already knew the answer.

"We looked at our relationship, really looked at it, and where we were going professionally. We realized it wasn't going to work, in the long run. We could have stayed together for a couple of more years, but not much more. We wound up making love for the first time in two years, then I got up, packed and moved out that evening. We've stayed in contact, I even spent Christmas with them once when I was on assignment in L.A., although that's a while ago.

"If your question was, were you responsible for my marriage failing, I don't think so. I think Ellen and I were just two real good friends who got caught up in the wedding frenzy when all of our friends were getting married. We enjoyed each other in bed, genuinely liked each other as persons and thought we could build a life on that, like so many people seem to. And like so many, found we were wrong."

"And companions since then?" Sue asked with a smile and twinkle in her eye.

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "You looking for confessions?" he replied. "Yes, there have been some. Over the years, there have been a few women I have met on a regular basis who have been willing to let me share their beds when I've been in their vicinity. Mostly single, thirty and forty somethings, some single mothers, some separated, on their way to divorce, two couples, one female, one mixed. Or is that TMI?"

"It's more detail than I expected, but about what I thought. You're too handsome not to have had women make themselves available to you. From the quantity you listed, am I to assume there weren't any strong emotional attachments." Again, the smile and the hint of amusement in her eyes made it seem more like teasing than probing.

Chris' face first went somber, then smiled. "No, no emotional attachments. My heart was busy elsewhere." Sue returned his smile.

"It's getting late. Let's stack these dishes and continue this conversation in bed," she said, standing up. Chris just smiled and started gathering the dishes in a pile while Sue covered the berries and shortcake.

They lay facing each other, only their feet touching. Chris was smiling, his eyes bright with joy. Sue looked at him, recognizing the meaning behind his smile, and returned it, partly in response to the smile, mostly in response to the love it conveyed.

"I don't want to sound mercenary," she started, "but do you intend to keep on working? With the income from the rents, and from the wineries, do you need to keep traveling?" Chris saw and heard a small frown in her expression.

"I don't travel because I need the money. If I didn't, if I had stayed here and only took care of the business the farm represents, we wouldn't be lying here right now. I would have gone bonkers years ago. Much as I love it here, and like the people in the village, I need to get to the larger cities, to be among city people for a while every few months, to get out and interact with people familiar with the popular culture.

"Not that the people in the village aren't aware, it's just they don't have to interact with it. Sometimes that need in me becomes like an obsession and I have to get away. That will probably change with you here, but I don't think it will entirely disappear. Hopefully, you will want to come with me."

"Sometimes, probably. But, while I missed you terribly, I have to say I really enjoyed my month alone. I know that may, probably will change, and I can understand your need to experience the hustle and bustle of cities now and then." She hesitated, looking into his eyes, chewing on her lower lip.

"Please don't misunderstand what I'm about to say. I am in love with you, more than I can ever remember being in love with Tommy, and I love you, more now than I did this morning, and I thought that was going to make me burst. But, when you are traveling alone, if you feel the need to visit some of the women you told me about, the single thirty and forty somethings, I'll understand."

She paused, then went on, "I'm not asking for, I don't want the same kind of permission," she said, still looking in his eyes. "Until you pack my bag and drop me at a bus station with orders not to return, no other man is going to come close to my lady. Even my gynecologist will be a woman."

At that, Chris grinned and leaned in to kiss her lightly. "No other man, huh? Does that mean if I bring home another woman, you might think about it?" He kissed her before she could answer. "Thank you for what you said. But, if the need for a woman's attention gets that great that I need to consider visiting someone else, I'd be on the next flight home."

His hand reached out and slid over her hip to her buttocks and pulled her closer, so he could feel the warmth of her body, but not the touch. "The only time this dick will visit anyone but you is if you give me a direct order to fuck her by name. Understood?"

"So, you're putting me in charge of your Mr. Mister? Meaning I can have it whenever I want it, and if I want you to pleasure the seventy-five year old widow down the road, you'll do that, too?" She teased.

"Hmm, only if I'm certain you really mean it." He looked at her, his brow furrowed, "I'm sort of curious now, though. Would you, what would you call it, loan me out?"

"I don't know. The circumstances would have to be pretty special, and the person someone we both care about a lot; not just for casual sex, but in a situation where it would really be meaningful for her as well as for you; but probably more for her sake. What about you, can you see a situation where you'd "loan me" to another man?"

He thought for several seconds. "No, I can't think of a situation where that would be likely to occur, or a man I think enough of. The only man who might have had that kind of claim is no longer capable of using it. And even if he was, I think I'd still let him think I was ungrateful and ungracious rather than share you.

"The mixed couple you mentioned?"

"Mmhmm. He's well into his seventies now, and suffers ED due to diabetic neuropathy. I suppose he's still capable of oral sex; it's been a while since I visited him and his woman."

"His woman, not wife?"

"Yeah, last I knew he and Vicki weren't married. She'd be about fifty now. It was her idea I join them. He could only get it up then watching her with another guy. He'd get her ready, I'd screw her, then he'd clean her juices off me, mine off her, then fuck the bejesus out of her. Then he'd clean her up and have me do her again, while he went to sleep next to us. It was always the same."

"People in their relationships are as varied as the snowflakes in a blizzard. It never fails to amaze me. Meanwhile, all this talk of sex and sharing has one of us all wet," she said, throwing her leg over his hip. "And you have to do something about it. I command you to fuck Susan!" she said, with a faux haughty tone in her voice, her face alight with love and passion.

"You do, huh. Then I guess I'll have to, but it'll be hard."

"I hope so, otherwise you won't be able...mmmff" and her comment was sealed by his kiss as he entered her.

Chris' bladder, aided by the first rays of the sun, woke him. Sue was still wrapped around him, her leg over his hip, her arms around his neck and shoulder, her pelvis pressing his piss hard into his belly. When he tried to extricate himself, she gave out a soft moaning "No," and tightened all her grips.

"Either that, or the wet spot is going to get a lot wetter," he told her.

"Okay, but come right back. It's cold and lonesome when you're not here."

"I promise," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'll be back as soon as the water works shut down."

She looked up at him, her eyes finally open, grinning. "Just be sure you don't walk away and leave the water running."

He just laughed and walked into the bathroom. The sound of his stream triggered a need in Sue, who soon followed him. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Didn't want you to get lonely," she whispered in his ear.

"It has always amazed me, the male plumbing has. Both life creating seed, and liquid waste using the same exit from the body." She peeked around his shoulder, watching his stream diminish and stop. "Oh, good! I was afraid you were going to go on forever. If you will excuse me, your running water has had its predictable effect on my bladder," she said sitting down. "I'll see you in bed in a minute."

Chris laughed and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I'll be waiting." On the way back to the bedroom, he thought he heard a noise, crunching gravel, come from the front of the house. He went to look out the front window, and saw a strange car pulled up on the far side of the driveway. He was unable to see the driver because of the angle.

When he got back to the bedroom, Sue was just getting into bed. He glanced at the clock- -half past seven, on a Saturday morning. He looked at Sue, pulling on a pair of jockeys and sweat pants. "You better put on a nightgown and robe. It looks like we have company. There's a car in the driveway I don't recognize. I can't tell where the plates are from, can't get a good look at them. You expecting any one? Or have any ideas?"

Sue shook her head. "The only people I know who might visit unannounced are my family, and they don't know where I am, or where you live. Your manager?"

"She thinks I'm still in Washington. I wasn't scheduled to leave until tomorrow morning. I requested stand-by status Thursday. I'll go invite them in, unless it's a lost sightseer, at this ungodly hour."

While he had washed his face and found a pullover, Sue had thrown on a flannel knee length nightie and her robe, and had gone to the kitchen to make coffee.

Chris slipped his feet into the thong sandals he kept by the front door and stepped into the late September crisp morning air. The small sedan had pulled up just past the front door, across the drive, so he had to approach it from the back, walking into the rising sun. As he turned to walk to the driver's door, he caught a glimpse of shoulder length sun bleached blonde hair. Just as he reached the passenger door, the car started, and began to pull away. He rapped on the window, startling the driver, causing the car to stall.

He opened the door, asking, "Is there something we can do for you?"

The driver turned a tear stained face, with a small mouse under her left eye, to him. "Hi, Chris. Would you have a spare bedroom I can borrow for a while?" she asked with the tears plain in her voice.

"O my god, Ellen! What are you doing here? Are you okay? Where are Rick and Mike? How'd you get the shiner?" The questions tumbled out of him. "Come in, we'll get coffee and breakfast. Have you eaten?"

"Thank you, coffee would be great." She swung her legs out to stand up. When Rick reached out to help her up, she stood and stepped into his arms, wrapping him in a hug. "It's good to see you again."

"You, too. C'mon in. Sue will be glad to see you again, too. We were just talking about you last night."

"She's still here, and you two haven't killed each other. Miracles do happen," she said, giving a half laugh.

"Yes, " he agreed, "they do." He pushed open the door, ushering Ellen inside. "Sue, come see who's here to visit."

Sue came into the living room from the kitchen. In her mid thigh length robe, over the knee length flannel nightgown, with her still sleep tousled hair, she looked very much like the lady of the house on a weekend morning.

She looked at the visitor, slightly puzzled, then recognized her. "Ellen," she screeched and ran to her, wrapping her up in a giant hug. "Oh, my god, its been forever and a day. Is your family with you? How long are you going to be around? Of course you'll stay here, right, Chris? Sit, sit, I'll bring the coffee."

Ellen looked at Sue, heading to the kitchen, then at Chris. "Are you two...?" Chris nodded. "And when I called, I was afraid you'd kill each other. Look, I don't want to be in the way. I should just go."

"What's wrong, Ellen? Who hit you? Was that Rick?"

Sue heard the questions as she came back into the room, coffee and supplies on a tray. She set the tray down, then took hold of Ellen's chin and turned her left cheek into the light. "That bruise is about three days old. About the time to drive from Los Angeles, if you didn't stop too long anywhere. Talk to us, Ellen. It's amazing what unloading that kind of baggage can accomplish."

"Coffee first," she said. "I haven't stopped for anything but gas since I left St Louis yesterday morning." She accepted a cup from Sue, added sugar and creamer, then tested it for heat. She looked at Sue. "You look a thousand percent better than you sounded when you called."

"Thanks, that's about how I feel, thanks to you, Chris and this place. Mostly Chris, though, and his cooking. Wait until you try his chicken casserole. It's to die for."

"You cook, too?" she asked, looking at Chris.

"Too?" asked Sue.

"She guessed about us. But," he went on, looking at Ellen, "that is such a recent development, the only thing it might explain is her hairdo."

"What's wrong with my hair?" Sue asked, in mock indignation, resulting in laughs all around.

Ellen took a small sip of coffee, then drained her cup. "You didn't buy that in any supermarket. I may live 'til lunch, now," she commented, setting her cup down.

"I was serious, Chris, when I asked if you had a spare bedroom I could borrow. If I had known you were still here, Sue, I probably wouldn't have come, but I couldn't think of any place else to go."

"What's happened, El? Have you left Rick?"

She nodded. "That is sort of the summary statement.

"When I called you about Sue, remember I said we were going to school to pick up Michael. He was at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Over the summer, he transferred to UCLA and was staying at home this semester, waiting for a room in the dorms.

Wednesday, God, was it only Wednesday, I had an early meeting, and was going directly from home. I was about halfway to the expressway when I remembered a packet of information I needed, that I had left at home. When I got back to the house..." Her voice broke and she started to sob. In a few seconds, she began again, "I walked in and found Michael and his father, naked, in the living room, in the 69 position." Her voice broke again. "I guess I lost it and attacked Rick, accusing him of all manner of evils. He defended himself, physically, and pushed me away. I fell and hit my cheek on a coffee table." Her voice was steady, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I don't know why I'm still crying about this. I've been crying for 2700 miles." She gave a weak laugh.

"Oh, shit, Ellen. I am so sorry." Chris reached out to take her hand. Sue put her arm around her shoulder.

"Well, the fall sort of calmed us all down," Ellen continued. "Michael explained to me, while Rick was getting some ice for my cheek, that he had been the aggressor in their relationship. He had realized his last year in high school that he was gay, and had come out while he was at Colorado.

"He said as he became more comfortable with his decision, and more experienced," she gave a small shudder and went on, "he recognized several silent signals, as he called them, that his father projected. They had gone to San Francisco for a baseball weekend in July. That was when he seduced his father." There was a small sob, and the tears started again.

"Rick told me that he had recognized a few years ago that he had bi-sexual tendencies, and had experimented a couple of times while out of town on business trips. He claims he practiced safe sex, but he's been lying for a few years, so who can tell? When he told me that, I started to get angry again. I think I could have accepted him having an affair with another woman. I could have fought back somehow. But this, it felt more like rejection than betrayal."

She poured herself more coffee and fixed it. "While he was talking, I made the decision, and while he was there in the room, I called our lawyer. I told him we were divorcing, that there would be no contest, that the property and bank accounts were to be evenly split, and that Rick had agreed to pay $50,000 a year alimony.

"Then I handed the phone to Rick, saying I was sure he wouldn't want to go to court.

When he hung up, I went up to pack, called the people I was meeting with and explained there was a family emergency and some one from the office would be in contact with them as soon as practical. Called the office, and here I am. Not mad anymore, and not quite as cried out as I thought." She tried a small smile. It didn't quite work.

"What can we do for you, El?" asked Chris.

"How long do you want to stay?" asked Sue.

Ellen looked at the couple, one on either side of her. " Thank you. Right now, I think I just need a place to collapse and hide for a few days, but you don't need me here, infringing on your relationship."

"Nonsense!" the couple said together. Chris caught Sue's eye, and winked. "Yeah, Sue's been looking for an excuse to move her stuff into the master bedroom. This is perfect." Sue beamed. She had been ready to share her room with Ellen.

"You're sure? Both of you?" They nodded.

Sue stood up. "While you two get the bags from the car, I'll move my stuff. There isn't much. Then I'll start breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, ham? What's your pleasure?"

While Ellen unpacked, Chris joined Sue in the kitchen. "You know," she said, "you're going to have to do the same sort of magic on her that you did on me, and it may take longer. I think you may even need to use that great magic wand of yours."

"You serious?"

Sue nodded her head, slowly. "Yes, I think I am. Mike is her stepson, am I remembering correctly, and they've been married fourteen years or so? Think what her discovery will do to her self image, her image of herself as a sexually attractive woman. It's bad enough to lose your husband to another woman, but to a man, and that man, your stepson? O-o-o-h-h-h-h!" she shuddered.

"She is definitely going to need some of your special therapy. With or without me present. Or both." Suddenly, she smiled

"It's going to be warm today. We can go skinny dipping."

"Skinny dipping? At this time of year? What has this man done to you?" Ellen stood in the door to the kitchen. She had changed into jeans and a pullover sweater which hugged her body like a lover, showing off a nicely sized bust.

"To properly answer that question, you have to see the pool. Which we will do right after we eat. What would you like?"

"Chris, what was that Italian omelette you used to make us Sundays for brunch?" She looked at Sue, "We tended to sleep in on Sundays, especially when we were first together. He'd get up first and make these great omelettes out of leftovers."

"Fritatta," said the couple together, looking at each other.

"Chicken," said Chris.

"Fricassee," said Sue, at the same time. They broke out into grins, then the trio laughed.

"How long have you been a couple?" Asked Ellen. "You act like you've been married for years."

"I don't know," answered Chris. "What time is it?"

"Nine-ish," replied Sue, smiling, pulling stuff from the fridge.

"Hmm, about 35 hours, give or take a few minutes." Chris said, pulling pans from the cupboard. "Although, to be fair, I was gone a month, so she was left here alone with no one to talk to but the raccoons and deer, and a few wild birds. So, as soon as she feels civilized again, she may up and leave me."

"Don't count on it. I gave you your chance yesterday, and you pledged your undying devotion to me and my lady."

"Your...oh!" said Ellen, blushing.

Over breakfast, Chris and Sue described the farm and his various winery endeavors. Ellen was intrigued by the pool, but given the chilly morning, wasn't sure she was ready to try skinny dipping, especially with a man she hadn't seen in nearly fifteen years. Sue offered to loan her a suit, but thought it might be a little small, especially since it was a one-piece. The alternative, was for Ellen to swim in her skivvies.

This was pure sophistry on Sue's part. She and Ellen were, nominally, the same size, especially through the bust. Because of her running and swimming over the summer, Sue was trimmer, more solid than Ellen, and visually, looked thinner. Ellen, not being aware of her activities through the summer, thought Sue's swim suit was purchased to fit her present figure, not the one she had when she was built more like Ellen. Expecting an uncomfortable, unflattering fit, Ellen opted to swim in her undies. Sue gave herself a mental high five.

It was late mid-morning as the trio walked to the pond. Chris pointed out some of the sights and sites they had talked about over breakfast. For the first time, he saw the feeding station Sue had built while he was away. He asked if any deer had been seen using it. Sue shook her head. "That's good. We need to move it back towards the woods, away from the vineyard. If deer begin using it, and discover the grapes, a half dozen deer can kill a small vineyard in less than a week."

"Oh," said Sue, apologetically. "I never thought about that. I don't usually think of deer as grape eaters."

"They don't. It's the leaves and new growth they go after. And, while they're feeding off the plants, their hooves can dig in and cut up the roots. They're beautiful, and great to eat, but they can be hell on any kind of planted acreage."

They had reached the turnoff for the pond. Chris instructed Ellen to close her eyes and give him her hand to guide her. Sue followed, her hands on Ellen's hips to help steer her on the way to the water. It had been nearly a week and a half since Sue had been swimming, so even she was unprepared for the expanse of wild asters which had taken over the lea surrounding the pond. It looked like a carpet of yellow, orange, rust, and purple had been spread over the ground. When Ellen heard Sue's gasp of surprise and amazement, she opened her eyes and echoed her. While she looked around in bewilderment, after all this was Upstate New York, not exactly known for such beauty, her companions were shedding the robes they had worn.

The splash as Sue entered the water, drew Ellen's attention back to the reason they were there. As she focused on the pond, Sue's red head broke through the surface of the pond. Her painful gasp, followed by "Omigawd, it's freakin' freezin' in here," elicited a laugh from her companions.

Chris was poised on the shore to dive into the cold water. The sight of his well muscled back and tight buns refreshed some memories in Ellen which she thought had gone forever. As he dove, she caught just a glimpse of his member, hanging free. The sight and the memory stirred something within her, and she felt the beginning of a tingle between her thighs.

She pulled off her top and unbuttoned her shorts, letting them drop. After removing her sneaks, she ran to the pond and jumped in without pausing, figuring if she thought about how cold it would be, she'd change her mind.

After three or four minutes in the water, she no longer felt the chill. Even the air felt warmer. Sue and Chris were swimming laps, Chris easily out swimming Sue. His long arms were cutting powerful, driving strokes through the water, completing a lap in just about a minute.

After five round trips, Sue made her way over to where Ellen was sculling around in a circle, enjoying the sun on her skin. Sue led her to a place where they could climb out of the pond, and they made their way to the blankets she had brought along to lay on. The sun and the breeze combined to dry them fairly rapidly.

In a few minutes, Chris joined them, shaking his head and splashing them with the drips from his hair. "You rat," they both yelled, laughing. He dropped down on the blanket between them with a huge sigh.

"It's too bad I can't find a way to enclose this for the winter. That's the only attraction Florida and California have ever had for me," he said. Turning to Ellen, he asked, "So, how did you like my pool?"

"It could use a heater, but otherwise, it's lovely."

Chris sat up, an unreadable expression on his face. "A heater, huh. I'll heat you up," and he fell forward, his face landing on Ellen's stomach before she could react, where he delivered a resounding raspberry, and set his hands to search out the ticklish areas he remembered she had.

Ellen screamed and began to laugh. She tried to push Chris away, and only succeeded in exposing herself to more attack. Sue lay on the blanket, laughing at the horseplay. As she watched, she saw Chris's hands skillfully slide under Ellen's bra and lift it over her very erect nipples. Somehow, he had maneuvered himself so Ellen's legs were over his shoulders. His face lowered between her knees, catching a nipple between his lips. Ellen froze, moaning. Sue watched Chris pull her panties from around her hips.

"Chris, what..." started Ellen.

"Sshh," he replied, moving his face to between her thighs. The first touch of his tongue caused another, louder moan.

"But Sue..." She gasped as she felt his fingers enter her, and a thumb begin to stimulate her clitoris. "Oh, God! It's been so long since... damn, Chris, you're too fucking good at this! O! Shit! Don't! Stop! Not noooooooooow!" And her legs began to kick in the air. Soon her whole body was shaking, and whatever she was saying sounded like oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh!

Chris lowered her legs back to the blanket and lay down beside her, Sue spooning into his back, rubbing his chest, kissing his ear. "You did good, lover."

Ellen opened her eyes, her breathing still uneven, and looked at Sue. "You don't mind? You're not mad?"

"It's funny, ironic, in a way. Last night, one of the last things we talked about before going to sleep, was under what conditions having sex with someone else would be permissible. I told Chris, if there was a woman we both loved, who needed to have her femininity reaffirmed, then he would be free to make love to her. He told me, only if I ordered him to. While we were getting things together, I did just that. Told him I wanted him to seduce you, that after what you had been through, you deserved to be loved by someone for whom you still had strong feelings. Was I wrong? Did I make a mistake?"

Ellen laughed. "No, Sue, you sweetheart, no mistake. Does that mean I get the whole enchilada? And are you going to do more than just watch?"

She rolled onto her side, facing the couple. Glancing down at Chris's groin, her eyes grew big. "Jeez, Chris, I think you've gotten bigger, and you were already almost too big for me."

"Mmmhm, you get the whole enchilada, as you put it. A couple of simple rules, though. You don't get to sleep in our bed, and he doesn't sleep in yours unless I'm there, too. And, while you're here, you have to share him with me. As for my participation, I don't know. I've never been involved with another woman. If you were willing to try, I guess I would, too. Were you considering some kind of payback to Rick? Or just curious and adventurous?"

"I don't know, really." She reached for Chris' rod. "That was the best orgasm I've had in a few years, and instead of satisfying, it acted more like an appetizer. Right now, I guess, knowing it's available, being horny and all, I guess I'm feeling a little wicked." She smiled and pulled on Chris' staff. "If I can get a sample of this, I'd like to try something, Sue, that I haven't done since I was sophomore in college." She grinned. "I always wondered what a threesome with you would be like."

"Too bad we didn't try back then, it might have saved fifteen years of bad feelings. Or if we could have got Tommy involved, too, maybe more." She moved to lay on her back as Ellen got into position on her hands and knees, between Sue's thighs. While Chris was getting into position, Ellen dropped to her elbows and began kissing the inside of Sue's legs. At the first touch of her tongue, Sue felt a frisson of exhilaration pass through her. Reflexively, she jerked away, then settled back, with a low moaning, "oooo."

Ellen continued concentrating on the soft, sensitive inner thigh areas, occasionally venturing into the thatch covered area surrounding her outer lips, eliciting louder, longer moans. Concentrating as she was on Sue, Ellen momentarily forgot about Chris, until she felt his tip opening her, entering and stretching her, her own moaning replaced Sue's in the meadow while Chris worked his way into her lady, marveling at the tightness of the 40-something chickpea under him.

He paused about half way in to let her adjust to his girth. Instead, she pulled forward on his rod, then pushed back until she captured all of his length. A loud guttural scream accompanied her effort, causing a flight of small birds from the sanctuary of the surrounding pines. Sue could barely hear her muttering, "oh god, oh shit, oh my god. Uh, uh, ow oooh, Christ, mmm."

She sat up and signaled to Chris to back out. He pulled his hips back slowly, to a change from sounding distressed to pleasured in Ellen's tone. Not until he was nearly ready to exit her did she acknowledge his movement. "Back in me, now," was all she said.

Chris reversed direction, working his way back into her love chute with short back and forth strokes. Again he paused about halfway in. When Ellen signaled she was about to repeat her action, he held her hips and slowly and gently pushed in until his pubic hair was mashed against her ass cheeks. There was no scream this time, only the repetition of the phrase, "oh fuck!" Until he bottomed out in her.

Sue had scooted up to hug Ellen, holding her around the shoulders so that Ellen was leaning on her. "God, Sue, how can you take this? Rick never gave me the impression of being small, but shit...Chris, is the same prick you had when we were married? Have you had some weird surgery, or just gained weight in a strange manner. Can you back out like you started to come in the last time, short in and out strokes? That's right. That's good. Oh, yes, that feels good. I may live after all. Okay, a little faster...more. More. Okay, a little harder, yeah, that's right, oh shit, that's starting to feel good. Okay Chris, go for it, fuck me!"

She pushed Sue down on her back. "Where were we? Oh, yes. I was about to sample your pussy juices," she said, dropping her head between Sue's legs. The change in position elicited a moan as it changed the pressure points in her vagina. Her tongue snaked out, running up and down Sue's slit.

Oral sex had not been high on Tommy's list of enjoyable sexual activities. In fact, with the exception of a half dozen times when he had been both drunk and amorous, she could probably count on one hand the number of times his tongue had been in contact with her vulva. The other night Chris had demonstrated a willingness and a certain amount of talent, but the lighter, more focused, almost delicate approach she was experiencing now was enough to convince her, that from this day forward, she would not lend Chris out, only share him. Soon it was hard to identify the sources of the sounds filling the meadow.

The lack of activity for a long while, her needy emotional state, and the feeling of being stretched and filled beyond capacity combined to quickly bring Ellen to a gigantic climax. Nearly senseless, she pulled away from her two lovers and fell on her side, in orgasmic bliss. Her two partners looked at her, then at each other and smiled. In a heartbeat, they were joined and completed their simple mating dance with each other.

Ellen watched, fascinated. This was the first time she had witnessed a live performance of the act of love. She was overwhelmed by the beauty of the act performed by two people so obviously in love with each other. Although Chris' thrusts appeared to be as hard and fast as those she had received, there was a tenderness, almost solicitousness, he exhibited toward Sue. It stirred memories of their early days together, before the sex had become routine, memories which were lacking with Rick.

Their climaxes, seconds apart, triggered a mini-wave of pleasure in her own lady, strong enough to be noticed and to bring a smile to her eyes. She leaned in and gave each of them a kiss. "You two should give lessons. I have never seen anything more beautiful than the two of you together." She stood up and looked at the pond. "Will the water still be as cold as it was?"

"What is it, Ellen?" Chris asked, softly.

"It's just me. I don't belong here. Watching you two, I realized that only once in my life have I ever really made love, and that was the night we broke up. I've had a lot of sex. But, making love? Not really, and I don't want to get between you two." She turned to look at them. "I'll be honest, I feel needy enough to try. And, bad as it might make me feel, I don't think I could stop." She started picking up her clothes.

"Ellen..."

"No, Sue. I'll pack up and leave as soon as we get back to the house."

"No, you won't," Sue replied, iron in her voice. "You'll spend the night, and tomorrow night with us, in our bed. You need some time to make some plans for yourself. It may as well be done here, where you have someone who cares to help and advise you. Whether or not we all have sex together, that is a question we'll deal with when it comes up. No pun intended," she added with a saucy grin.

Ellen looked at her, a trifle taken aback. She looked at Chris, the question plain on her face. "What she said," he said.

Sue got up and crossed the short distance to Ellen. She stood in front of her so her nipples just grazed the other woman's. "When we get back to the house, we'll decide what we want Mr. Unicorn over there to cook us for dinner and send him out to shop. Then you and I will lay down and discuss what's really bothering you, and you show me how to attend to this," she told her guest, sliding her hand between Ellen's thighs, grazing her labia. Her tone let Ellen know there would be no arguments allowed. The slightly older woman felt herself open and moisten. Sue's smile told Ellen she was aware of it.