Ann: A Love Story Ch. 47

Ann opened her mouth, but stopped herself. Whatever was on HER tongue, she kept inside. But I had a feeling I knew what it was. I couldn't explain how I knew, but I was as certain as I'd ever been in my life. So much so, that I never hesitated to answer her unspoken question.

"The answer is 'Yes', Anna," I said, looking over at Ann with what I hoped was a sweet, confident smile.

"Yes? I didn't even ask you the question. I didn't even let you know it WAS a question."

"I know, babe. But the answer is still yes. You're going to be an incredible mother someday."

Ann's eyes came to life, sparkling as she wrinkled her nose at me. "God I love you, Neil."

"I love you too, babe."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The skies were not what you would call picture perfect. It was overcast, the grayish misty clouds seemed to hang low on the horizon, creating a ceiling that made the setting more intimate than I had imagined in my mind. As we'd crossed over the mountains and headed west, the weather had changed. Gone were the bright sunny skies that had started our day, replaced by weather than was anything but pleasant.

It was breezy, and cooler. The shorts we were wearing were warm enough, but I had to dig out a couple of sweatshirts for Ann and me to put on. A white hooded one that zipped up the front for Ann that had the name of her former store in pink lettering on it. I had pulled out a gray pullover for me, with the emblem of my alma mater on the front. I stood there, holding my girl at my side as I looked out into the distance. I couldn't believe I was standing where I was standing.

"It's like a cathedral, Ann," I said quietly over the sound of the waves crashing onto the beach below.

A gust blew in off the water, bringing with it the salty sea air. I filled my lungs, wanting to take in the full experience.

Ann smiled and said, "It is beautiful here. I'm just sorry it's not a better day. You just never know what the weather's going to be like when you travel in Northern California. It can bright and sunny a half-hour east...and cold and grey when you get to the coast."

"Like today," I said, squeezing her against my body.

"Yeah...like today," she said with a little laugh.

"Don't apologize, Ann. It's perfect. It's heaven on earth," I said as I looked at the huge, majestic pine tree looming over the lush green putting surface. "I've seen this place a hundred times on TV...I never thought I'd get to see it in person."

Ann had taken me to Monterey. More specifically, we were standing on the edge of the cliff just behind the 18th green at Pebble Beach. I was indeed in heaven, and my angel had taken me there.

"I wish I could have found a way for you to play. When I called, they said they take tee times months in advance. I..."

"Ann...this is perfect. I can't believe you drove us all the way here just so I could see this place. Not to mention the Lone Cypress," I said referring to the famous tree perched on some rocks on a point along 17 Mile Drive. Ann had taken me along the tourist route, showing me the spectacular homes, along with the beyond spectacular views. "I mean, it's not this is exactly on the way to where we're going tomorrow."

"You can't come to California and not see the ocean, Neil. And I couldn't think of a better place to see it than here. Here, let me take another picture," she said as she moved back and held up my Nikon, framing me in the lens.

I knew there were other places for me to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time...ones that were much closer and a lot more convenient. Ann chose one that would mean the world to me. We watched one more group play up the 18th fairway. They were a bunch of hackers, having the time of their lives. "Look at them, Ann. You can see their smiles from here."

Ann looked at one guy who was on his way to the most memorable 12 he ever shot on a hole in his life, and said, "I think you could par this hole, baby."

"Me too," I laughed.

~*~*~*~*~*~

We'd left Pebble Beach around 1:30PM, and we had traveled about an hour and a half up the Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey. But we'd traveled the last half of that in silence again. It wasn't the same somber silence I'd had to endure during the morning drive. Ann was in a good mood now. But it was still silence. Well, the stereo was on, and the windows were open. But we weren't talking...so it was THAT kind of silence, and it was driving me nuts.

Caving to the pressure to actually say something, I said, "So we drove two and a half hours just so you could take me to Pebble Beach?"

Ann burst out laughing. "No. I told you, I wanted you to see the ocean," she said with a grin. Pointing out her window to her left, she said, "See...the ocean," her voice thick with sarcasm.

And that made me laugh. "Okay...we can check that off the list."

"We had lunch too."

Ann was right. We ate lunch a Café inside the Pebble Beach Lodge, overlooking the same 18th green we were standing next to earlier. It was pricey, but it was worth every penny. "True enough. So, what's next?"

"Sorry...still a secret."

"Alright. But where are we spending the night?" I said, suddenly worried that my OWN surprise would be spoiled by having to drive a lot farther the next day than I planned.

"I'm only going to tell you it's near Sacramento. Is that good enough?" she asked, seeing how antsy I had become.

"That's all you're going to tell me?" I said, trying to seem disappointed. But I wasn't. Sacramento would work, even if we were sleeping in a barn.

"Yes, baby. I want tonight to be a surprise."

"Okay, but I get the rest of the week."

"What?" she said, turning to look at me.

"You've already surprised me so many times I can't count anymore. So, if there are going to be any surprises the rest of the week, I'm springing them on you. Agreed?"

Ann's head kind of snapped back a little, a quizzical look appearing on her face. "What do you have in mind?"

I played it off, not wanting to get ahead of myself. After all, Tina and Nancy may not have gotten anything set up at all. "Well, nothing at the moment. You know me, Ann. I'm kind of a 'make it up as I go' kind of guy. I don't plan things out like you do. But I want to be able to do something if I get the chance. Okay?'

Ann leaned toward me, and I met her halfway giving her a quick kiss. "Okay, baby," she giggled.

We drove another couple of minutes without talking, and I wondered if we were going to slip back into that silent mode. Not that it really mattered. I realized just being with Ann was enough...I knew there would be times where we'd just sit quietly for hours, and be thrilled that we were next to each other. My heart sang as that sank in, thinking about how comfortable I really was with her. I stared at Ann, and I could tell she was in thought. I was going to ask her what was on her mind, but didn't. I'd warmed to the idea that we didn't need to talk all the time.

But now Ann felt compelled to talk, and she turned to me, putting her hand on my arm.

"Neil, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, babe...what is it?

"Were you serious last night?"

"Of course," I said with a smile, then I added, "About what?"

Ann smacked me on the arm and said, "Neil...I'm being serious."

I laughed and said, "Sorry...but you're going to have to be a little more specific. I said a lot of things last night."

"At the end of the night, Neil. Were you serious...about..."

"About not sharing you with another man?"

"Yes...did you mean it?"

"Yeah...why?"

"Because last night, I said something to you that I wish I'd never said. And that makes me wonder if you wish you hadn't said that." I sat up straighter in my seat and turned myself a little towards Ann, rolling the window up while I did. Ann took my cue, and rolled hers up while I turned off the stereo. Ann looked at me nervously and said, "What are we doing...the 'Cone of Silence'?"

I cracked up laughing, and said, "THAT'S why I love you!"

"What?" Ann said, her eyes still showing her nerves.

"Ann, you obviously have something you need to tell me, and you're worried about it. But the fact that you would reference 'Get Smart'...hell, the fact that you even know what the 'Cone of Silence' is...that's so funny! And that's one of a million reasons why I love you."

"Because I watched the TV show?"

"Yes! And you get the humor...and you used to try to break whatever tension you're imagining is here between us."

"I'm trying to break tension?" she said, batting those beautiful brown eyes again.

"Ann...you're so adorable. You do the cutest things, and you don't even know it when you do them. I just wanted to close the windows so I made sure I heard you. Now stop worrying, and just talk to me. What's on your mind?"

Ann took a deep breath and said, "Last night, I was teasing you when I kissed you, and I said something about how that was a close as you were ever going to get to eating Missy. And I feel bad about that."

"Bad...why?"

"Because it's not true. I didn't really mean it."

"Wait...you WANT me to eat Missy?"

"Well...not right now. Maybe not ever."

"Anna," I said calmly, letting Ann know she was getting lost in her thoughts again.

She took another deep breath and let out a little giggle. "I know...I'm talking in circles again. Look...here's what I'm trying to say. I meant what I said at the end of the night...you know...where MY line is. And so, what I said about Missy...well, that kind of contradicts that. And I was just wondering if I confused you. And because I kind of said two different things in just a couple of hours, I was wondering if you really meant what you said too. Maybe you were just saying that because I kind of freaked a little, when...you know..."

"I was fucking you with two big dildos?" I laughed.

"Well...if you have to be blunt about it...yeah."

"Ann, we're in the Cone of Silence. Nobody heard me," I laughed.

Ann smiled, and said, "You're right...I don't know why I'm being so modest all of a sudden. It's just you."

"Right...and we should be able to talk about anything with each other, and not be embarrassed about it."

"Okay...so, how do you really feel about me fucking other men?" Ann said bluntly.

"I told you last night, Ann...I want you all to myself. I'm okay with us playing around and having fun. The game we played with Chad and Dana was a blast, and I was totally cool with you blowing him. I really don't have a problem with us doing things like that. But I put in the 'no fucking' rule for a reason that night...and that reason really isn't going to change. I don't want to share you like that."

Ann's eyes smile softly as she wrinkled her nose. The excitement on her face practically glowing as realized I was absolutely serious. But she stopped herself, like she was hitting the brakes. "Okay, but what does it say to you that I want you to be with other women?"

"What does it say?"

"Yeah. I mean, I said what I said last night about Missy because I was trying to tease you, and turn you on. And, well, we're leaving...so there's not going to be an opportunity, really. I mean, she could come visit us, and I'm sure someday we'll come back here to visit...but you know what I mean. Let's say, hypothetically, that we COULD be with Missy."

"Today?" I asked.

"No...just sometime. Or maybe someone else...like maybe Carol. Or whoever...what does it say to you about ME, that I might want us to have a threesome, and I'd want to watch you fuck someone? What does it say that I want you to go farther than you want me to go?"

"Well, before I answer that, are you okay with where MY line is? Does it bother you that I don't want you to fuck other men? It's not like I told you before last night...there was always a possibility that..."

"Neil, I am so happy you want me to yourself, at least as far as fucking goes. I can't TELL you how happy that really makes me. I want to play games...I want to have fun like we did Chad and Dana too. But it's going to be a lot easier, knowing you want to keep part of me for just you. And you know I'd never do anything without you, or behind...OH MY GOD!"

Ann's hand went over her mouth, and she turned a little ashen as she thought of something that obviously bothered her. "What's wrong, babe?" I asked, my hand reaching out to touch hers.

"I did just that. I went behind your back last night," Ann said, turning to me, horror showing in her eyes."

"What are you talking about...Missy?"

"Yes. I just did that on my own...I never asked, or told you I wanted to. It just happened."

I smiled and said, "Yeah...so. I finger fucked her in her store without telling you. You didn't get pissed about that. And she ate YOU in her store...neither one of us was upset about THAT. What's your point?"

"I just should have told you...that's all."

"Like what...leave her and come ask me for permission? Is that what you mean?"

"Well...yeah. I guess."

"Ann, I know this may seem like a double standard, but if it had been a guy, then yes...I would be very angry. But it was Missy, and I'm not. I hope you can understand the difference."

"But what if...what if that DID happen with a guy?"

"Will it?" I asked with a smile.

"Well...of COURSE not...but..."

"Ann...I KNOW that's not going to happen. You're NOT my ex. You know that, and I know that. And it's not like I didn't know you being with Missy was a possibility. You said that yourself. You're over thinking this...and I don't want you doing that."

"So, you're really okay that I didn't tell you?"

"Ann, I think if you're honest with yourself, you know...in your heart, that we BOTH know where the line is now. And you told me we weren't going to regret when we did things that felt right together. And last night felt right, and you know it. You KNOW it turned me on when you kissed me...and you KNOW it turned me on KNOWING you'd been with Missy. If you had told me ahead of time, it wouldn't have been the same. It wouldn't have been as good...as...exciting for BOTH of us. So stop regretting, okay?"

"Alright," she smiled.

"So...are we good?"

"I guess so," she said, not so convincingly.

"That wasn't a glowing endorsement, babe."

"Tell me...just suppose...if we go to West Virginia, and I want to do my date with Carol and have it be a threesome, would you do it?"

"That would depend," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"On what?" she asked.

"On whether she wanted to or not."

"Fine...be difficult," Ann laughed. "Suppose she did...would you?"

"If you wanted me to, and that's how we're still feeling at the time...then yes. But I'd be doing it for you...not necessarily for me."

Ann grinned and said, "You have no idea just how wet that made me."

"So...that's what you want to do...a threesome with Carol?"

"Don't you get it, baby?"

"I guess not," I answered.

"The third party doesn't matter as long as we both like her, and we're attracted to her. I just want to do it...with YOU!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ann seemed to have a destination in mind. She kept looking at the road signs, and appeared to get more upbeat the farther we drove; like we were getting closer to wherever it was she wanted to take me. She was also squirming in her seat, which I'd figured out was a telltale sign of her being horny. Or maybe she was pretending to be an eight year old, and she had ants in her pants. Either way, it was amusing to watch her wiggle her cute ass around as she drove.

I really wasn't paying attention to the road when I felt the car start to slow down on the two-lane highway. I sat up in my seat, and my antenna perked up when I saw what I was sure was a golf course to the left as we drove. I wondered to myself why Ann would be taking me to another one, after we'd just been to the best one on the planet. A moment later, she had turned left, and we were now going down what looked to be a residential street. I could see her smiling out of the corner of my eye, and she seemed pleased that I was puzzled.

Ann pulled into an empty dirt parking lot at the end of the dead end road she'd taken. I could see the ocean in front of us. We were right next to it, and yet, we seemed so far away. It was an optical illusion, because I didn't realize that we were near the edge of a very big cliff. Ann parked the car and set the parking break.

Opening the door, she hopped out and reached behind her seat, pulling out a small orange bag that looked like one you'd put clothes in and take to a gym. Draping it over her shoulder, she smiled and said, "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"For a walk on the beach, silly. Let's go."

~*~*~*~*~*~

The cliff was impressive, at least 40 feet high, if not more. Ann and I held hands as we carefully made our way down the wide, steep dirt trail cut into the side that led down to the beach below. It was a few hundred yards of treacherous footing, with loose rocks everywhere and little crevices created by water run off.

"So, what do they call this place? Sprained Ankle Cove?" I said as we traversed very slowly down the pass.

Ann's intoxicating giggle filled the air, and she said, "No...this is Half Moon Bay."

We finally made our way to the bottom, and Ann stopped to take off her shoes. I did the same, so we could walk barefoot on the sand. It was still a crappy day along the ocean, even though we were an hour and a half farther north. The sky was battleship gray, the clouds seeming to just hang low over the water and beach as the waves rolled up onto the shore. Yet I couldn't get over the beauty. With the cliffs rising straight up, it was like a huge wall, separating us from the rest of the world. We were looking out against the vast expanse that was the Pacific Ocean, and we were secluded.

As beaches go, it wasn't what you think of first when someone says 'Let's go to the beach'. The sand wasn't white and pristine, and there wasn't a lifeguard tower filled with Baywatch babes. It looked more like something out of Ireland, or perhaps Scotland. I silently listened for bagpipes to be playing above the sound of the tumbling surf.

No, it wasn't the classic beach one might picture when you think of 'California', but the place had a unique beauty all its own. As we strolled down the sand, our hair blowing wildly in the ocean breeze, I felt Ann squeezing my hand. She was dragging her toes in the sand, looking shy as she glanced towards me. She had that wicked grin on her face; the one she flashed me whenever she was thinking naughty thoughts.

Very naughty thoughts. Ann dropped her shoes at her feet, and pulled the rope like strings of the orange canvas bag off of her shoulder and handed it to me. Opening it, I saw that Ann had put the cameras inside it. She pulled out the Polaroid, and said, "It's loaded and ready to go. But you better hurry. It's pretty cold, and I'm not sure how long I'm going to do this." Ann handed me the camera, and slowly unzipped the front of her sweatshirt, grinning at me.

Before I could get the camera up to my face to look through the viewfinder, Ann walked away, taking off her clothes as she went. I followed, taking pictures of her as she stripped along the beach, leaving a trail of items along the way. It reminded me of Dawn, leaving her clothes on Mark's lawn in front of his house, finding a way to let him and Jill know what we'd done. I didn't strip like I had that time. Instead, I focused on taking pictures of Ann.

I got several great ones of Ann in various stages of undress, and two amazing ones of her walking naked on the beach. One from behind, and one as she turned slightly towards the water, offering a perfect profile of her breasts to go with that magnificent ass of hers. Yet she kept walking south, away from me, towards the end of the stretch of beach we were on.

At the south end of that beach, the water jutted in towards the coast, crashing onto a large rocky formation in what was a little cove along the shoreline. With the tide out, the rocks toward the cliff were exposed and dry. Ann headed toward them, and as she got to a large one, she climbed up and sat on top, posing for me. I got closer, shooting a couple more pictures as she changed positions. Ann was moving like a model. She wasn't being X-rated...it was more along the lines of what you'd see in Playboy. She was being tasteful as she played upon the dark formations, formed and sculpted by thousands of years of ocean gales and battering seas.