Keeping Warm

Januaries are always cold in the upper Midwest. This year, though, has been the coldest we've seen in a long time. But, despite high natural gas prices and low temperatures, our house had been comfortably warm throughout the cold spell until the day my husband, Michael, an airline pilot, left for his monthly four day trip to Europe. Suddenly our almost new, high efficiency, just out of warranty gas furnace, Michael's proudest home improvement, stopped - you'll excuse the expression - cold. Frantic calls to the company with our service contract brought only vague promises of help "by sometime tomorrow." Even more frantic calls to the "round the clock repair service guys" brought either more vague promises or outright refusals to hazard a guess as to when a repairman might make it to our house. Grrrrr!! Men! Silently abusing my husband for not being home to handle this problem, I started considering my options as the temperature in the house fell past the 60 degree mark. We have two girls, one six and the other eight who would soon be home from school. I needed a place for the three of us to sleep tonight because once the sun went down, the temperature in here was going to fall a lot farther.

Just as I started running possibilities through my mind, the phone rang. It was Carol from a couple of doors down calling to see if I could work at the school tomorrow. She knew it wasn't my normal day, but one of the mothers had canceled out on her. Now, Carol Meyers is one of those people who are involved in every neighborhood activity, do everything well, will walk through fire for a friend and don't have an enemy in the world. My older daughter is in the same class as Carol's son and I'd known her since we moved here five years before. We saw each other at school, at the pool, at church, at the neighborhood social club; we went out together with our husbands for dinner and dancing. Carol, I thought, will help us out.

I was right. When I told her that I couldn't help at school because I had to be home for the repairman, she asked what was going on. And when I explained our predicament, there wasn't even any discussion. Carol's husband was down in Virginia someplace for two weeks of navy reserve stuff and he'd left one of her two guest rooms unusable. (It seems that putting in the new hardwood floor had turned out to be a little harder than the guy at the Home Depot promised.) But, if my girls doubled up in the other guest room and I didn't mind sharing her room, Carol said we were welcome to stay with her until the heat was fixed.

That was all the invitation I needed. I told Carol - who hates cooking - that I had a pan of lasagna in the oven and a chocolate cake that I'd bring for supper. She'd said she'd supply the heat, beds and wine and would expect us right after school. See, I told my absent husband, who needs a man around all the time!

The girls got home about 4:00pm and by 4:15 we were on our way to Carol's with school books, overnight bags, favorite stuffed animals, lasagna and chocolate cake in hand. Carol, who's in her early thirties, with a cute pixie face, short hair and nice figure met us at the door, dressed in old sweats and athletic socks. Typically, she insisted on hugs all around. Soon the overnight bags were in the proper bedrooms and dinner was on the table. The kids were in high spirits because of the unexpected "adventure". I was glad to be under a warm roof and Carol seemed genuinely pleased to have us there. After seconds on chocolate cake, the children were put to work on their studies, while we moms cleaned up. By eight o'clock, the kids were washed, brushed, tucked in and, if not quite asleep, certainly well on the way. Carol and I were sitting next to each other on the couch in the family room, warming our toes in front of a nice fire, sipping merlot, talking and laughing. I felt a nice, pleasant buzz from the wine and Carol did, too, I think. Anyhow, after a hectic day I finally began to wind down. It felt nice and I reminded myself that life can be pretty good. Though I didn't know it, it was about to get a lot better.

We chatted and sipped our wine. At some point, I said that on nights like this at home, in front of the fire, Michael would rub sometimes my feet, which I absolutely loved. Carol said she'd rub them for me, if I wanted. And to my surprise, I found myself swinging my legs up on the couch and into her lap, as I laid back against the arm of the couch. Carol rubbed my feet gently, running her thumbs along the bottoms, then slowly pushing her fingers back up along the tops, towards my ankles. It really felt lovely. After a couple of minutes, she said sometimes her husband liked to suck on her toes and asked me if anyone had ever done that for me. I shook my head no and Carol smiled, lowered her head a little and raising my left foot with both hands, starting to lick and suck my toes. It would have been funny, if it hadn't been so pleasant, almost erotic. I suppose if it hadn't been for the wine (we'd finished the whole bottle) alarm bells would have been ringing in my head. Instead, I just kind of purred as she licked my toes and rubbed my foot.

My other foot was lying in her lap and Carol had opened her legs slightly so it fell between them, resting against her crotch. As she continued to lick the toes on my right foot, I could feel her pushing her crotch against my left. Without really thinking about it, I started pushing back and turned my foot so that the toes dug into her crotch. I realized with a little start that Carol wasn't wearing much under her sweats, and found myself getting a little aroused. Our eyes met as I continued to push and she wriggled her hips a little. After a minute or so, she dropped my foot back into her lap and shifted position so my toes were no longer pushing at her crotch. Giving me a little smile she said she hoped I'd enjoyed the foot rub as much as she had. We both laughed!

Suddenly, I was kind of sleepy; looking at my watch I told Carol that it was already nine o'clock. She looked at the fire, which had burned down considerably and said that she didn't feel like getting any more wood and asked if I was ready for bed. I was tired and said yes. Carol got up from the couch first, and as she did I noticed a little wet spot in the crotch of her sweats. She wasn't the only one, my panties were a little moist, too. My mind may have been a bit fuzzy, but not so fuzzy that I didn't know we'd been a little "naughty." And had enjoyed it.

When we got to her room, Carol told me to go ahead and use the shower first, she'd get in when I was done. We both started to undress. I'd seen her at the pool changing who knows how many times, but now with just the two of us in her bedroom, and despite the episode in the family room, I found myself suddenly a little nervous. I tried not to watch her as she undressed, but couldn't help it Kind of glancing out of the corner of my eye, I admired her trim figure; she really was an attractive woman and I wondered what it would be like to touch her. I felt myself start to blush, because I never thought of other women that way and I wondered why I'd had so much wine. As I pulled my robe around me and walked into the bathroom I caught sight of Carol watching me in the mirror with kind of a far away look. Suddenly our eyes met and she smiled at me, a kind of sexy wicked smile. Oh boy, I thought and looked away, hurrying into the bathroom.

I stepped into the shower, right into a stream of cold water. I wanted it to shock me out of the wine buzz that I blamed for the strange way I'd been thinking and behaving. The cold water caught my attention and I felt my nipples stiffen and muscles contract from the intense temperature change. Feeling my head clear a little, I turned the water back to warm and let it wash over me. I told myself to take it easy. I'd known Carol for years and in all that time, she'd never shown the slightest interest in any kind of physical relationship with me. And I hadn't thought about anything like that since my college days, so I told myself to just let it go.

Turning off the water, I toweled myself down and then stepped out of the stall and slipped into my robe. Carol was standing by the sink rinsing her mouth and I said the shower was all hers. Nodding her head, she shrugged off her robe, got in and pretty soon the room started to fill up with steam from the hot water. I finished brushing my teeth and then went into the bedroom. I'd brought a cotton nightie, which at that moment seemed more revealing that I would have liked and found myself wishing I brought some pajamas instead. But, too late for that, besides, I thought, I was being silly. So hanging my robe over a chair by the bed, I pulled my nightie on and slipped into bed.

I reached for the light on the bed table and turned it off and then lay back. Pretty soon I heard the water shut off and in a minute Carol walked out of the bathroom in her robe. The lamp on her side of the bed was still on, and as she slipped out of the garment, her skin seemed to glow in the soft light. I didn't want to look, but I couldn't help it. Her firm breasts stood out from her chest and her nipples were erect. I wondered if that was from the cold. Carol would have said that she needed to lose a couple of pounds, but she didn't. He stomach was flat and her legs and butt were firm. She cycled in the summer and did cross country skiing in the winter and it showed. Suddenly I didn't like the way my thoughts were heading and I turned away, trying to clear my mind.

I heard, rather than saw Carol turn down her side of the bed and I felt the mattress dip a little under her weight as she got in. I realized that she hadn't put on a nightie and I turned to look at her in surprise. Almost as if reading my thoughts, she said she didn't like night gowns or pajamas, they always seemed to get tangled up. She said she hoped I didn't care. No, I said it was fine. Leaning back against the head board, she asked if she could read a little. I turned on my side and propped my head up on my elbow and looked at her. She was sitting there, her lovely body right there, not even a foot away. It was as if she was daring me; she was daring me. No, I didn't mind I if she read I said, as I continued to watch her. I watched the rise and fall of her breasts, the curve of her neck. I wondered if her skin was as soft as it looked. I couldn't believe my thoughts, I couldn't believe how wet I was getting between my legs, how hard my nipples were. I remembered a girl from college and how sweet that had been. And then, on it's own, my hand simply reached out and stroked her thigh.

The touch was electric, as soon as she felt it, she dropped her book and rolled over on her side to face me. She said she'd started to think nothing was going to happen, that she'd been wanting to touch me, but couldn't quite do it. She was so glad I had. And then she leaned over and kissed me on the lips. I rolled over on my back, still not quite believing what was happening. She followed me, her lips still on mine. I felt her mouth open and her tongue pushing at my lips; I opened my mouth and pulled her in. Our tongues searched every part of the other's mouth, pushing, probing. We kissed for what seemed like hours.

My hands roamed over the smooth flesh of her back, down her sides, across her butt. I felt he breasts pushing at mine and suddenly I wanted to feel her flesh on mine. Wait, I told her and pushed her a way, just for a second, so I could pull the nightie over my head. Then I felt her weight on me again and I felt her breasts and nipples against me. I felt her hand squeeze down between us, in between my legs as she pushed them apart and then pressed her leg between my thighs.

Feeling her laying between my thighs, her leg pushing up against my pussy, feeling the wetness seeping from me onto her flesh caused the fire in me to flare up. Breaking away from her kiss, I ran my lips down her neck, back up toward her ears. I nibbled her earlobes, biting too hard and drawing a little laugh from her throat. Easy she said, there was plenty of time. I answered her by rolling her over, putting my weight on her. My lips traveled down her neck to her breasts. I took her left nipple in my mouth and rolled my tongue around it, while my right hand kneaded her other breast, pulling at the nipple. She moaned and I wondered that I could have forgotten how soft another woman's breasts could be, how hard and hot her nipples, and I remembered what it had been like in college.

Carol was moaning softly as I suckled at her breast, her hands rubbing the back of my head. Slowly I moved my mouth away from her breast, licking my way down to her belly button, running soft kisses across her stomach. I given myself up completely to the moment and I heard Carol moan as I pushed my fingers down through her pubic hair, and cupped the lips of her pussy. As my tongue swirled around her navel, I pressed my middle finger against her and parted her swollen lips. She moaned and arched her back as I entered her and I smiled and told her it was okay as she rubbed the back of my neck. I could smell her musky scent and opened her further, sliding two more fingers inside and running them up and down her wet cleft. My thumb found the base of clitoris and started rubbing at it causing her to buck and moan even more. I loved the sounds she was making and I felt her hand pushing my face down, across her pelvis.

Raising myself up on my knees, I trailed my tongue down her loins and felt her pubic hairs tickle my chin. Lowering my head, I put my lips around her clit and sucked on it, stretching it, teasing it with my teeth. Carol was bucking and rolling her hips, moaning and calling me baby and asking me to lick her. I loved the control I had over her and I grabbed her hips and pulled them more closely to me. My fingers we still deep inside her vagina and she was squeezing her legs, trying to trap my fingers and pull them more deeply into her. I started flicking the top of her clit with the tip of my tongue and I could feel her writhing under me, hear her moaning, begging me to make her cum. My other hand was between my own legs, running up and down my own dripping cleft, circling my clitoris, moistening it, teasing it, getting me ready to cum as soon I gave Carol her orgasm.

That happened sooner than I thought possible. Suddenly she squeezed her legs tight against my head, rolled on her side and began to moan as it started, deep inside her. I could feel her pussy contracting on my fingers, her hips thrusting up at my tongue as the spasms ran through her body. I increased the speed of the fingers on in my pussy, and suddenly felt my own orgasm break loose. Waves of pleasure rolled across me, making my head spin, making me lose track of everything but the feeling that was flowing out from deep, deep inside me.

As the heaving of Carol's breasts started to subside and my own breathing grew slower, I crawled up beside her and kissed her on the lips. She smiled and wiped my face with her fingers, and then cradled my head against her breasts. Neither of us spoke, both lost in our own thoughts. I was thinking of how good it had been and wondering why, after college I had put it all out of my mind. As I lay there, I felt Carol's hands running up and down my back. Putting her mouth by my face, she said she wanted to make me cum like I'd done for her. I smiled and said yes, please.

I rolled over on my back and felt her leaning over me, kissing my forehead, my cheeks. Brushing my lips with hers, she trailed her tongue down my neck and towards my breasts. I felt her shift her weight as she parted my legs with her knee. I raised my leg, and bending it, brought it up against her crotch. I felt her hair and her wetness on my flesh as she slid up and down my thigh, rubbing her pussy against me as she sucked my breasts. With the tips of her fingers she brushed lightly over the flesh of my stomach teasing me, testing me. Then, down through my bush of pubic hair to my swollen lips, completely open to her.

As her fingers touched me, I thrust my hips up to capture them. I wanted Carol to rub my lips as I had rubbed hers, to delve into me and plumb the depths of my vagina. My breath was ragged and my butt moved in little circles against her fingers as her pussy ground up and down my thigh. She was running her fingers up and down my slit now, her thumb rubbing the base of my clit. I wanted more and grabbing her hand, I tried to push the fingers inside me, telling her to fuck me. She laughed and told me to take it easy, she had plans.

Rolling off my leg, Carol knelt over me and grabbing my hips, pulled me up to her lips. They closed around my clit and electricity shot through me. My hips were thrusting up at her, completely out of my control as she sucked at my button and pushed her fingers deep inside of me. I lost track of everything but the fire in my groin and the lips and the fingers fueling it. Carol was now rubbing her face up and down my slit, licking my lips and my clit while her fingers continued moving in and out, in and out. Suddenly, I felt myself stiffen, my back arch and then the explosion deep inside me. My hips bucked and thrust up while Carol held onto me, still fucking me with her fingers. For what seemed like forever I rode the swirling waves of the most intense orgasm I'd had in years. As the electric lights in my head started to go out, Carol laid down on top of me and we held each other, listening to our breathing, feeling the beating of our hearts. And then we just fell asleep.

The next morning, as the alarm went off it took me a second to realize where I was, and another second to remember what had happened the night before. I felt my stomach drop as it all came back to me; I was afraid of how Carol might feel, that she might hate me or not want to see me, not want me as a friend. I felt her stirring and though I was scared, I forced myself to roll over on my side to look at her. Hi baby, she said, and I knew it would be okay. I kissed her on the cheek and we both smiled.

After we'd gotten the kids dressed and off on the bus, we sat down in the kitchen with our coffee and looked at each other. Finally, Carol said we're going to have talk about how we make this work. I agreed with her and suggested we do that right after we made love. Carol got up and reaching for my hand, lead me back to bed.