Innocent Collector

"She didn't tell you that."

"Okay, maybe not like that, but after we talked awhile she agreed with me that I needed to go home."

"Maybe I should call her."

"You can, but she's going to bed so she may not answer."

He pulled her to him again, but she kept her arms tucked in between them. He kissed her lightly then and said, "I'm outnumbered."

"Look at it this way, all of the women in your life, or at least the ones I know of, love you. That's not a bad situation to be in at all."

"You're right, I am very lucky."

"Now I'm going to go to bed too," and she kissed him quickly and retreated.

Chapter Nineteen

Paul was first up and standing there in baggy shorts, watched the coffee finish perking as he stretched, yawned and scratched his head. "Good morning," he heard behind him and when he turned he saw Sybil standing there in her nightwear. Plenty of leg open to his eyes and enough cleavage to tease him.

"Good morning to you beautiful. The coffee just finished."

"Wonderful. That's what I need, coffee and a shower." By the time Sybil returned, Paul had shaved and combed his hair, but he was still in his baggy shorts and no shirt or socks. She smiled when she saw him at the table and said, "I take it that's how you are when I'm not around."

He looked up and told her, "I'm afraid so, at least some of the time." He got up and refilled their cups and they sat down across from each other. Conversation was spotty as they sipped at their very hot coffee, and then she asked him, "Did Tony really tell you to look after me?"

"He really did Sybil. Would you like to read it, or have me read that part of it to you?"

"I don't think...okay, would you read that to me?"

He came back with the letter and some tissues for both of them and sat back down. "The letter isn't overly long, but the part where he talks about you is the heart of it actually." He looked at Sybil and reached for her hand as he read to her.

I'll skip the first part of this page and pick it up where he wrote, 'Paul, I know how much you love Sybil and always have. I always thought that I was lucky to meet her first or you would have made it very difficult for me to convince her to marry me.' Sybil had a tissue to her eyes as Paul continued. 'I'm sure that I don't even have to ask this, but I will anyway. Please, whatever you do or wherever you are, look after the love of my life. Do what you can to keep her safe and happy. By the way, she loves you too, but then you knew that I'm sure. I entrust her well being to you my friend. Hold her close to you partner.'

Paul folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope and looked at Sybil.

She dabbed at her eyes again and managed a smile, but she wasn't ready to trust her voice right then. Paul went around to her and knelt down and put his arms around her. She finally managed to tell him, "Thank you for reading to me."

"You're welcome. Now I'm going to take advantage of the moment and say, tell me when I can come up or you will come down again."

"I promise you that one of those two will happen, but I can't promise you precisely when beyond soon." With Paul on his knees in front of her and her sitting on the kitchen chair, she was holding him to her chest as she told him, "Paul, these days with you have been wonderful. We've laughed and acted like kids, talked and kissed and so much more. I enjoyed relaxing and reading and knowing that you were in the next room the whole time. Now before I start crying or saying too much, I'm going home. I'll grab something at a drive through before I leave town so don't worry about me going hungry on the way home."

"Call me when you get home would you?"

"Of course I will." Her bag was near the front door, so he grabbed that and dragged it behind him as they went out to her car.

Once she was behind the wheel, he leaned in and they shared one more kiss before he told her, "Please be careful hon."

"I will and you try to get caught up with your work so I won't worry about that. I'd hate to have your publisher start breathing down your neck or whatever." He smiled and promised he would do his best. He watched her back out of the driveway, and then with waves to each other she headed toward home.

Paul went back inside and with a fresh cup of coffee went to his office and forced himself to stay there until he could get something accomplished. He managed to get some work done, but he was struggling because the house seemed so empty and hollow. He went to the guest room to strip the bed and stopped, because there at the foot of the bed was a pair of her panties laid out and next to them was a pair of men's briefs with a note. "Paul honey, I bought my panties that are on the bed and the briefs for you when I was in Victoria's Secret. Your new briefs are supposed to be the latest rage. Men's regular white cotton briefs are so passé now you see. These are called Ginch Gonch, and don't ask me why, but now you know how far behind you are style wise. Thank you for everything and I really do love you, just as Tony said. Talk to you soon, Sybil."

Paul stripped and put on the new briefs and checked himself in the dresser mirror and smiled. Then he went to his bedroom and put her panties on his dresser and looked at them before he went out to change the guest room bed and await Sybil's call.

When she did call, he dropped into the nearest chair and listened as she told him, "I'm home and safe, but I miss you damn it."

"I don't much like this house now with you gone. Oh and thank you for the gifts."

"I'll bet you didn't even try yours on."

"You lose that bet because I'm sitting here in my Ginch Gonch and nothing else on."

"Now behave."

"I'm serious, that's all I'm wearing."

"But are they comfortable?"

"Very comfortable in fact, but I'll have to get used to the wild print."

"There you go, now you're right in style. Of course you can't exactly go around announcing what you're wearing. That might be considered tacky."

"I guess you're right."

"I just wanted you to know I'm home. Now I have to go to the store and get caught up on the mail and so forth."

"Just don't forget me, and to be sure that doesn't happen, I'll call you in a couple of days."

"And tell me how much you've accomplished with me gone."

"Okay, I'll do that too."

"Bye Paul."

"Bye beautiful." Once again the house became cold and empty, but he went back to his office and worked to get his thoughts back into his story.

Thursday, late in the afternoon, Sybil called him. "Hi Paul."

"Hi, you don't sound very happy."

"I am very happy, but I'm scared to death."

He sat up straight and asked her, "What's wrong honey, what can I do to help you?"

"You could open your front door." He left the phone on his chair without turning it off and went to his door and threw it open. Sybil was standing there with a large suitcase on each side of her and she was smiling as she told him, "These bags are very heavy."

As soon as they were inside they melted into each other's arms as she told him, "I hope I didn't misread what you were saying to me, because as you can see, I've come back."

"You didn't misread me honey. How long can you stay?"

"That's up to you because my fridge is empty and I quit my job and stopped my mail." He was looking at her and smiling, but he wasn't doing a very good job of talking. "Paul I'm so afraid. Tony's only been gone a few months."

He tightened his hold on her and then kissed her. "Honey, we'll take our time and work things out as we go along. I do love you so much."

"I love you too." Then she smiled and asked him, "Were you really wearing those briefs when we talked?"

She stood there somewhere between shocked, happy and surprised as he quickly peeled his shorts down and stood there in his new briefs. "You've worn them all that time?"

He smiled and told her, "No, I've rinsed them out." She reached out and ran her hands over his hips and butt and the across the front as she looked up at him and said, "Nice fit honey, maybe we better get you a few more pair of those."

"I hope you'll check the fit on each pair that we buy."

Her hand went over his front again, but he was hard and her hand moved slower as she smiled and said, "Maybe we better check that fit in the bedroom."

"Good idea." As they walked toward the bedroom she said, "Now you have two pairs of panties in your collection, but I suppose you also have a pair of Meg's panties."

He stopped and said, Oh damn, I think I left them at her house. Oh well, I'll go see her and get another pair." She smacked his arm and told him, "You're collecting days are over except from me."

"You can add to my collection."

The End.