It was Written in the Stars Ch. 03

"What was that all about?" questioned Megan. "I sounded exciting."

"Well I don't know about exciting; that's not quite how I would describe Peoria, but it'll be fun. Come on, let's go check the schedule, we need to find a place where we can block out four full days. I also have to call Erica Snell and Jean Mathers to see if they can do the modeling."

Megan and I went to work and by four o'clock that afternoon I called Jim back with the timetable and everything was worked out. Jessica would fly in directly from L.A. and the rest of us would meet at Denny's for an early breakfast then drive to Peoria in a five vehicle caravan. Megan road with me, Erica and Jean drove together, and Jim with the rest of the ad department made up the rest of the wagon train.

When we all checked in to the motel they told us Jessica had already arrived. We found her by the side of the pool dressed...well, almost dressed in a little tiny bikini that left very little to the imagination. It was easy to see why Jim's boss wanted her, she was stunning.

Jim sent one of his guys to the riverfront to scout locations while the rest of us discussed what we would be shooting. With her background in set design, Megan tossed out a couple ideas of her own that both Jim and I thought were great. It was almost noon by the time we actually started shooting but we had a very productive day. Later we all went out to eat then headed back to the motel to make an early night of it; the following day would be a long one; we were going to shoot from dawn till dusk.

I was just drifting into dreamland when I heard a faint knock on my door. Being a bachelor, I didn't own a robe, so I slid my pants on with no underwear and threw on a shirt without bothering to button it before answering the door.

"Megan." She stood there, as far as I could tell, dressed only in a little white robe that barely covered her pussy.

"Hi, Steve," she said greeting me with a big smile. "Can I come in?"

"Ah, yeah, sure," I said stumbling all over my words. I closed the door behind her. She just stood there for a few seconds before speaking.

"Steve, I sincerely hope I'm not risking my job but I have something I want to show you." With that she stood in front of me, untied the sash of her robe, and let it slide down her arms to her feet.

Now I'd seen a lot of naked women; most models are not shy about undressing in front of photographers, but Megan's petite little frame was absolutely perfect; so perfect in fact, that with no underwear on the front of my trousers immediately stood out in obvious, tent like, fashion.

I saw a big smile stretch across Megan's face. "Steve, it's not nice to point you know," she chuckled.

I was too dumbfounded even to be embarrassed. "Megan, I...I"

"Please don't fire me; I know I shouldn't do this but I can't help it, I've waited as long as I could." She walked her naked self up to me, pressed her naked pussy into my discernible hard-on, reached up and kissed me.

Employee or no employee, I put my arms around her tiny waist and pulled her tighter to my body. I felt emotions I hadn't felt in a very long time as I kissed her back; our tongues danced together in rhythm. Megan was first to break the kiss as she slid my shirt off my shoulders then quickly unbuckled my belt. She pushed me backwards onto the bed and told me to lift my hips and she pulled my pants off in one motion.

My cock was straining to reach the ceiling. Megan lovingly caressed it with her fingers before taking it into her mouth. I knew I wouldn't last long; it had been so long and she was leaving nothing to chance. She licked my cock like a lollypop from my balls to the tip then swirled her tongue all around the head as she devilishly looked me in the eye.

"Megan, I...I'm not going to las..."

"Shhhh," she shushed me before devouring my stiff rod. It wasn't long after, that I tried to warn her again, but instead of pulling off, she feverishly starting bobbing her head up and down taking the entire length with every stroke. I exploded, gushing again and again as she swallowed every drop of my cum. My body convulsed forward and my hips bucked uncontrollably but she stayed right with me, sucking down every ounce of sperm.

I collapsed backward onto the bed trying desperately to regain some regularity to my breathing. My eyes were still closed in heavenly bliss as I felt her climb on to the bed next me. She put her arm over my heaving chest and nuzzled into my ear, nibbling at the lobe.

"I love you, Steven Haynes," she whispered. "I knew it before I ever met you; I knew it as soon as I saw your work. I know I'm taking a big chance, I've known you a lot longer than you've known me, but...well, at the restaurant that first day, Karen told me I'd better tell you how I feel or I could lose you."

I lay there trying to absorb what Megan was saying; she loved me, but did I love her? I swore an oath to myself never to give my heart away again; never again to put myself in a position to be hurt as badly as I was by Cora. All I wanted was a fuck buddy, was I ready for more? My heart was beating so hard I was afraid it might stop.

"Please say something, Steve; please," pled Megan.

I smiled, rolled on my side to face her, and gently kissed her on the lips. "Megan, no you're not fired, no you haven't blown anything." I thought about that statement for a second and smiled. "Well, that's not exactly true, is it." We both chuckled. "However, I am going to need a little time to process this. When Cora and I were together she was the most important thing in my life; as a result, when we split it almost killed me and I vowed never to let that happen again; I would never allow myself to fall so deeply in love with another person...never. Lately; however, I confess that since you've come into my life I've been fighting those feelings from coming back. When you're not with me, I miss you. When I go home at night I find myself thinking about you, wishing I could make love to you before going to sleep; wishing I would wake up next to you the following morning. To be honest, I don't know if I could love you as much as I did Cora; I don't know that I could ever love anyone like that again, but I know I don't want to lose you; I want you in my life, Megan; could you settle for that...at least for now?"

She smiled then swung her leg over me, propped her petite little body on top of mine, looked down into my face, and kissed me. I put my arms around her and rolled over, trapping her beneath me. I continued the kiss while my sex organ stiffened again and started poking at her pussy.

"Oh baby, do you know how long it's been since I've had one of those things inside of me?" she asked as we broke apart.

"Well wait no more," I said climbing the rest of the way on top of her. In spite of her being unbelievably tight, due to the preparatory functions of Mother Nature, I easily slipped inside of her.

"Oh God, that feels so good," she cried out.

I leaned down and kissed her again as I slowly stroked my hardened rod in and out of this lovely creature. This time it was she that last long. I could feel the walls of that heavenly tunnel of love spasm tightly, encasing my dick.

"Ahhhh, of God, yes, yes...AAAAAHHHHH," she screamed in ecstasy; her fingernails dug into my back and she wrapped her legs around my waist as she held on for dear life.

At that instant I erupted with rope after rope of thick creamy cum. My body stiffened as a loud, continuous grunt escaped from the depths of loins and I collapsed into Megan's embrace.

We lay side by side and nurtured one another with touch while coming down from our blissful high. We were content in each other's arms and drifted off to sleep cuddled in euphoria.

"Hey, you guys, you up yet? Come on, chop, chop; it'll be light in an hour," came Jim's voice booming through the door and waking us up.

"I guess our secret's out, huh?" Megan said with slightly worried look. "How did he know?"

"Honey, after last night I'm sure the whole motel knows; we were rather vocal."

Megan looked so embarrassed, then got the biggest smile. "You called me honey," she said.

"I did, didn't I. Well, HONEY," I emphasized the term of endearment with a big grin, "You should have brought some clothes; now you have to go back to your room in that skimpy, little robe to shower and get dressed."

"Oops," she said picking up her robe, still on the floor where she dropped it, "You think Jim's still out there?"

Reluctantly, Megan slipped on the small, white terrycloth covering and peeked out the door before scampering back her room; half an hour later we all met for breakfast then hightailed it down to the river for a long day of shooting.

Once again, Megan was invaluable as my assistant and contributed suggestion after suggestion, most of which we took. That night, as well as the next, she joined me in my bed again.

The morning we were due to leave I woke up with her snuggled into me, still in peaceful slumber; she was actually smiling in her sleep. I looked into her lovely face as the sun shone through the blinds and highlighted her perfect features. If I was honest with myself I had to compare the previous three days with some of the most wonderful days of my life; even those spent with Cora. Did that mean I was falling in love? In spite of my determination to keep it from happening, had I allowed my heart to be placed in jeopardy again? There was only one answer I could come up with; yes. As scary as it was, I was falling in love...again.

"Is something wrong, Steve?" Megan asked about an hour into our drive home. "You've been awfully quiet."

"Nothing's wrong, Megan, I've just been doing a lot of thinking...soul searching really."

"Do you regret us sleeping together? I know you're still hurting over Cora; I would have never had the guts to approach you like I did, but after what Karen said...well, my fear of losing you was stronger than my fear of telling you how I felt. I'm sorry, Steve; I didn't mean to pressure you into something you don't want."

"That's just it, Megan; I do want it, more than anything. When Cora and I split up I told myself, never again, and I meant it; at least at the time. Over the last year and a half I've tried hardening myself; telling myself I don't need anyone; my studio is my only passion, and for a while I believed it, too. Then you came along and showed me how stupid I've been. You made me realize how lonely an existence can be with an attitude like that. You opened my heart again...and walked right inside. I still have a lot of emotions I have to sort through but I'm sure one of them is love...love for you," I said.

"Steve, I...I..."

I looked over at her; she was emotional and had tears escaping from her eyes. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yes," she answered nodding her head slowly and reaching in her purse for a tissue. "It's just...well this is like a dream come true; I've wanted this for so long but never dared to think it would actually happen...I..." she wiped her eyes, "I love you with all my heart."

When we got back to Chicago we talked and decided to take it slow; after all we hadn't even dated yet, so that's where we decided to start.

A couple days after getting back, Jim stopped in at the studio to see what we had so far in the way of shots. "Where's Megan," he asked after he'd been there for a few minutes without seeing her.

"She's out running a couple of errands," I informed him.

"You're a lucky man, Steve; she's wonderful; beautiful, intelligent...God what I wouldn't do to find someone like that," he said showing some desperation in his voice.

"I didn't know you were looking; you always seemed to be happy as a bachelor."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm okay with the way things are; it's just that when I see a couple like you and Megan, I...well I guess I just get a little jealous."

I was thinking, sometimes I can be dangerous when I do that. "What's your thought on kids?" I asked him.

"Are you kidding, I love kids. I have a great dad and I always wanted to be the same kind of father he is; of course you have to have kids before you can be a dad."

"What about someone else's kid, could you still be a good dad if the woman already had a kid?"

He looked at me suspiciously. "What are you getting at?"

"Jim, have you had lunch yet?"

"No; why?"

"Because there is a waitress at the Denny's where we all had breakfast before we left for Peoria; her name is Karen, she's absolutely gorgeous not to mention intelligent, and personable. She has a seven year old boy. Come on, let's go have some lunch; I'll introduce you but from there you're on your own."

I did introduce them and by the time we left they were like old friends. They started dating and even double dated with Megan and me a few times.

As the next few months passed I found I had done it, I'd given my heart to Megan; I just prayed she would keep better care of it than Cora did.

For those of you who have never been in Chicago during the fall you don't know what you're missing. The leaves on the trees turn beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and red then dance with the gentle breezes against a royal blue sky. The temperature during the day is perfect for a sport coat and the nights were created to cuddle with your sweetheart.

It was on just such a fall evening when Megan and I were walking along the lakefront. We sat and watched from the large rocks as bright yellow moon beans danced on top of the black water.

"Brrrr," she said as the breeze shifted and came off the lake. I put my arm around her and held her close. It had been a little over two years since the night I caught Cora together with Mark and proclaimed myself henceforth as a solitary man. I had already broken that promise to myself; it was time to make it official.

"Megan, I want to thank you."

"Thank me; for what, honey?"

"For fixing my heart; only two years ago I thought it had been shattered with no hope of it ever functioning for anything more than to keep me alive...but you showed it how to love again; for that I'll be forever grateful."

"Awe, that's so sweet, I..."

She stopped talking as I slid off the rock and started to kneel. "Oh my God...Steve, you're not..." she put her hand to her mouth and started to squeal.

"Megan Biondi," I said while pulling the ring out of my pocket, "Would you marry me?"

She was speechless; she just held out her left hand and nodded with tears flowing from her eyes. I slipped the ring on her finger just before she jumped from the rock and threw her arms around. She kissed me several times then laid her head on my chest. She still couldn't speak. We set the date for the following May.

It was an unseasonably warm day in early March; Megan and I were in the back office going over our last assignment when I heard someone come in the front door.

"I'll see who it is, honey," I said getting up and heading toward the front. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me; "Cora."

"Hi, Steve," she said demurely. "How have you been?"

She was looking good; her blond hair was just as silky smooth as I remembered it and those blue eyes were like the waters around a Caribbean island. "I...I'm doing well, Cora; how about you?"

She tried a weak smile. "Oh, not too good; I came by to tell you how I regret what I did to you...to us; you were right all along, life is what we make it, not what the stars say. I still didn't know that the last time we talked; in the restaurant I told you I regretted my affair and my dishonesty about it; when you confronted me in that motel room I'd never been so ashamed in my life. When you smashed my rings I broke down because of the guilt I felt; I never wanted to hurt you like that, but at the same time I still believed Mark was my destiny, not you. Boy, how wrong can a girl be?"

"You mean you no longer believe in astrology?"

"No, I no longer believe, Steve; the stars said Barbara would live to a ripe old age and she died at fifty-seven. The stars told me you were not trustworthy and it was me who turned out to be the one to deceive; the stars told me Mark was my perfect mate and he wound up trying to pimp me out to his friends. Right now he's in jail for drug possession. He got caught with a bunch of coke in his car a few months ago. Would you believe he actually thought I'd bail him out? Mark was an unbelievable disaster; and when I think of what I threw away I...well...No, Steve; astrology is a bunch of hooey just like you always said it was; I just wish you could have convinced me of it before I destroyed our marriage."

"I tried Cora; I begged you..."

"I know you did," she said bowing her head. She looked at my left hand. "I see you're not wearing a ring yet, is it too late to give it another shot, Steve? I..."

Just then Megan came out of the back and put her arm around me. I knew she overheard our conversation and had come out to stake her claim. "Darling, I have...oh excuse me," she said coyly, "I didn't know you were talking to a client."

Up until that second there had been a look of hope in Cora's face. "Megan, this is Cora, my ex-wife. Cora, this is Megan, my fiancée; we're going to be married next month," I told her trying not to sound like I was rubbing it in.

"Cora," Megan greeted her with an outstretched hand, "It's so good to meet you."

I couldn't help but feel a little sorry as the look of despair clearly showed in Cora's eyes. She and Megan shook hands as Cora graciously gave us her congratulations. "Well, you two," she said with her eyes glistening with tears, "I just stopped by to say hi. Again I hope you'll both be very happy together; treat him right, Megan; he's a hell of a guy," she said before turning around and hurrying out. I watched as she quickly walked past the front window; she was sobbing.

"Are you okay?" asked my bride to be.

"Yeah, honey; I'm fine. She said she no longer believes in astrology; maybe that will free her up to find someone again; I hope so."

On the day of the wedding I thought I'd be nervous but I wasn't; I knew it was right. Gail was the matron of honor and Brad was my best man. My folks were in attendance and Megan's mom flew in as well. She was an older version of her daughter. Jim, Karen, and her son, Daniel, were also in the audience and I knew they would be next.

For a couple months prior to the wedding Megan had been keeping me in suspense. She told me not to buy a wedding band for myself. I had no idea why and she wouldn't tell me; she said I would find out on our wedding day.

I'm surprised the buttons didn't pop off my tux when I saw my bride to be walking down the aisle. She had to be the most beautiful bride I'd ever seen. The minister started the ceremony; we each spoke our vows, then came time for the rings. For the second, and last time in my life, I proudly declared, "With this ring, I thee wed," and slipped it on her finger.

Megan took a hold of my left hand. "My father was the finest man I've ever known," she told me loud enough for everyone to hear. "I was his princess and he was my king. He was taken from us when I was just sixteen. The only thing of his my mother had left was this, his wedding ring. She wanted me to give it to you on the happiest day of my life. We both know he would approve. With THIS ring I thee wed," she said with tears in her eyes.

"I now pronounce you man and wife; you may kiss the bride."

EPILOGUE:

Six months after Steve and Megan were married Jim and Karen also tied the knot; Daniel was Jim's best man.

Megan and Steve continued working together and Steve's studio grew in size, stature, and reputation. Within three years of their marriage they employed five people. That was good, because by that time Megan was pregnant with their second child already and Steve needed the help. Every little girl should have a baby brother and Lindsey Haynes would soon have hers.