Long Way Home

The flight had been a long one and he was exhausted. The trip had gone well, better than he had hoped, but a trip was never like being at home. He yearned for the feel of his own shower, his own bed, and his own surroundings. The plane began its descent and he felt the familiar tightening in his stomach as the pilot banked first left, then right, and finally leveled out for the final approach. As the wheels touched down, he instinctively reached for his cell phone and turned it on.

The flight attendants began their post-landing script as he watched the phone first boot up, then register the signal.

"...and do be careful when opening the overhead bins as items may have shifted during flight."

He pushed the speed dial button for his house and placed the phone to his ear. It rang four times and then he heard his own voice speaking to him, "You have reached...." He sighed and hung up the phone, realizing that Dannie must be out. He unbuckled his seat belt as the plane approached the gate and then felt the phone vibrate. He pulled the phone from its holster and saw the new text message screen.

Hope you had a good trip. I'm going out with Nicky and Liz at 10:30. I'll see you late. Love, D

He raised his eyebrows slightly before placing the phone back on his hip. He stood and arched his back, then opened the overhead bin and pulled out his overcoat and suitcase. He picked up his briefcase and headed for the exit.

"Goodbye, Mr. Grove," said the first-class stewardess as she gestured to the door.

"Thank you, Suzanne. See you again soon, I'm sure."

Grove ducked out of the door and walked up the gangway pulling his suitcase behind him. As he reached the terminal door he put on a faint smile, glad to be home. He walked toward the garage glancing from side to side, noting the shops. His meditation was broken by a loud voice.

"Yo, John-o!, Johnny-boy!"

John Grove paused his walk and closed his eyes tightly for one second, steeling himself for the encounter. He rallied, turned with conviction and put on a smile. "Hi, Fred, how are you?"

Fred Mercer grinned. "Fan-fucking-tastic," he nearly shouted, causing several people to cut disapproving glances. "I just got back from Phoenix. I inked that Johnson deal and I'm ready to celebrate. You wanna get dinner and drinks? I'll call Josie and you can call Dannie and we can make it a foursome. How about it?"

John inwardly thanked Dannie before turning on his best 'I'm sorry' smile. "Afraid we can't, Fred. Dannie already has plans."

The two men resumed walking. Fred said, "Well how about just you and me? We can get dinner and do the titty bars. It'll be fun."

A bare smirk crossed John's face as he said, "That does sound tempting, but I just got back from Seattle and I'd really like to get home and relax."

Fred chuffed. "Alright man, your loss. Some of those girls look like...." John let his mind drift as Fred talked about the relative merits of women in their early twenties he'd seen twirling on poles. Walking along they looked an odd pair. An overweight man of average height, Fred's ruddy complexion and obvious lack of exercise made him look older than his 40 years. John looked like the sort of man who worked out regularly but not obsessively and who knew the value of dressing well. Even his glasses didn't detract, and few would have guessed that John was five years older than his walking companion.

"...and they had the perkiest...," Fred went on as they passed the security checkpoint. Fred's monologue continued unabated as they approached baggage claim. As John turned toward the garage Fred asked, "Hey, don't you have to get your luggage?"

John smiled. "Nope. Got it all right here."

"How do you travel so light?"

"Practice I guess. Hey, Fred, I'm going to head on home. See you in the office next week."

"Alright, man, enjoy your lonely night. I'm gonna see me some ladies," Fred said with a large grin.

"You do that."

Fred walked toward baggage claim as John turned left toward the parking deck. He found his car, put his luggage in the trunk, and opened the driver's door. Moving through the faint smell of stale Armor-All he got in and started the car. The Benz's engine purred to life and he backed out, glancing at the clock in the dash. He did the mental calculus, '7:30 now, 30 minutes to get home, about an hour to unpack, decompress, and shower. Go and get some dinner at about 9PM.'

He pulled up to the exit, handed his ticket to the attendant with the correct amount of cash, then smiled and waved as he pulled under the raised arm. He gently accelerated down Airport Road, then more forcefully as he took the onramp to the interstate. He got to his comfortable speed and settled in for the drive home. Had he come in two hours earlier the trip would have taken over an hour but by timing his return he missed rush hour and the irritation it brought.

John drove without aggression, making calm lane changes, passing and being passed. He reached the exit for his bedroom community and made the six turns between the interstate and his house with the ease of long practice. Despite being so close to the highway, his neighborhood had enough standing old trees that the feeling was one of a remote country lane. In a fluid motion he tapped the garage door remote and turned into his driveway, gliding under the lifting door and placing his car in the middle. He lowered the front windows as he turned off the car and closed the garage door. He exhaled and let his shoulders sag, relaxing into the moment. He retrieved his coat and suitcase, then walked up the five steps to the entry door. John entered the vestibule and passed into the kitchen where he noticed the flashing light on the answering machine. He tapped the button and heard that there was one old and one new message. He selected the old message first, noting the timestamp at 5:30PM.

A man's voice came on, saying, "Hey Dannie, great to hear from you. I tried your cell phone but it didn't go through so I thought I'd try here. It has been a while and I'd love to get together for drinks. The usual place at 10:30? I'll be there unless I hear from you. And Dannie, wear that dress I like. See you later."

John Grove crinkled his eyebrows together, clenched his jaws, pressed the delete button, and listened for the second time stamp. The next message had been left only a half hour before.

A woman's voice said, "Hey John, it's Bonnie. Welcome back. I hope you had a good trip. Listen, Dave called me and told me he'd be late again tonight so I was wondering if you'd be interested in dinner. Maybe you and Dannie can come over and the three of us can get a late bite. Give me a call when you're in and let me know."

Grove frowned and waited for the answering machine's cycle to finish before deleting the second message. He went to the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of Sam Adams ale, opened it, and took a long pull. He pursed his lips as he felt the cold liquid warming and chilling him simultaneously. He took another pull, then took two steps to the phone and picked it up. He used speed dial to call Bonnie Matthews.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bonnie? John Grove here."

"Oh, hi John, thanks for calling back."

"No worries. So is Dave being a weasel again?"

"Yes, he is," Bonnie said. "Some days I think he only cares about his work, and other days I think he only cares about his dick."

John raised his eyebrows. "Really? Well, I guess it's natural. For all of us guys, I mean."

He could hear the smirk on Bonnie's face as she said, "Which part, the work or the prick?"

John chuckled. "Both."

"Well, what about it, are you up for some dinner?"

"Sure, but Dannie isn't here. She texted me earlier that she already had plans. It'll just be me. You still want to?"

Two seconds passed before Bonnie said, "Yeah, John, I want to."

"OK, well I just got in so give me time to get a shower and I'll come pick you up. Be there in 45 minutes? About ten 'til 9?"

"That would be perfect."

John asked, "Do you know where you want to eat? Or do you want to play it by ear?"

"I'll see if I can think of something."

"OK, then. See you soon."

Bonnie whispered, "You bet." Then she said, "Ten 'til 9. I'll be waiting," and hung up the phone.

John returned the phone to its cradle and took another drink of his beer. He looked at the bottle, then set it down and headed for the stairs. Once in the bedroom he opened his bag and extracted his toiletries case. He took the case to the bathroom, removed his electric razor, and began shaving. The half day's growth came off easily, and once done he turned on the shower. As it warmed he stripped and then stepped into the shower. He grabbed the soap and began to lather his body, running his hands over his pectorals. There was a slight valley between them and they were prominent without looking like a body builder's. They were covered with a light growth of salt and pepper hair and John scrubbed them before moving to his toned arms. He had pianist's hands and they traveled to his abdomen and ran over the layer of fat that covered firm abdominal muscles. John had given up the illusion that he would have a 'six-pack', realizing that losing that much fat would make his face too gaunt. In the competition of vanities, what everyone could see won over what was seen by only a few.

John's thoughts turned to Bonnie. Although her body type differed from his wife's, Bonnie was very attractive. She was a librarian and usually dressed the part, with her hair in a bun and with reading glasses but also in skirts that were short and shirts that were fitted. Bonnie always looked smart but seemed to smolder with barely suppressed sexuality. The gaze from her dark blue eyes gave the feeling of a shared secret and many men had read too much into that look. Bonnie was capable of scathing rebuffs of unwanted advances and John had seen more than one man withered by her retorts.

His cock thickened. It was well proportioned like his hands, and he stroked it with soap covered fingers then rubbed his smooth scrotum. John kept his pubic hair shaved, another vanity that he indulged because he liked the feel. He had shaved that morning before leaving his hotel so there was only the faintest hint of stubble. His hands moved through the valleys created by his thighs and pelvis, then around to his buttocks and legs then put the soap away before wetting his hair. He shampooed and rinsed his hair and grabbed a towel, drying himself in the same pattern he used to wash.

His cock bobbed in the air and John caught sight of it in the mirror. He again thought of Bonnie, and a smirk crossed his face. He hung the towel and walked to the sink where he put a small amount of gel in his hair, applied cologne and deodorant, and critically looked over his naked form. Finally he turned and went to his dresser, extracting a form fitting black undershirt, sports briefs, and black socks. From the closet he selected a pair of black pleated pants, a burnt orange shirt, and a dark tan wool blazer before quickly dressing. He tied a pair of simple black dress shoes, loaded his wallet and keys in his pockets, and headed downstairs. John poured out the remainder of the beer before rinsing the bottle and placing it in the rack to dry. He left the kitchen and went to his car, inserting a CD of thumping sensual music as he backed out of the garage to go to the Matthews' house.

►◄►◄

Bonnie Matthews was putting on the last of her makeup when John arrived. She was wearing a form fitting ice blue blouse that in the right light would show a hint of lace bra and a slightly stretchy black skirt that hugged the curve of her hip. Bonnie had debated about hose and finally succumbed despite the summer heat but decided to forgo panties. A pair of cute black pumps adorned her feet. Her shoulder length dirty blond hair was in a tight bun and she smiled into the mirror as the doorbell rang. She took a midnight blue silk scarf as a wrap then glanced at her watch as she headed downstairs, noting that John was exactly one minute early.

As she reached the first floor she called, "I'll be right there, John," and grabbed her evening purse from the kitchen. She transferred the essentials from her main bag after her phone call with John and before the quick shower she had taken. Because she knew it would make her late, Bonnie had used great willpower to not masturbate in the shower but she had washed thoroughly and noted the slickness between her lips.

Bonnie opened the door and smiled at John who was turned in profile, looking down her street. He smiled at her before extending an arm to usher her toward his car. She closed and locked the door to her house, then walked down the steps. John opened the car door then closed it after she was in and went around to his seat. He started the car and backed out while the music resumed.

"Hmm, good song. What is it?" Bonnie asked.

"A band called Loop Doctors. From Vienna, I think. Heard them on the internet."

"Hmm, aren't you eclectic?"

John grinned as he turned out of the neighborhood. "Thought about where you want to eat?"

"Some. But I couldn't come to any conclusion," she replied.

"OK, how about Morel's on High Street? Dannie and I have eaten there before. The owner is a friend so even though it's Friday I think we could still get in."

Bonnie licked her lips. "Sounds good to me."

As John drove he slipped on a Bluetooth headset and dialed his cell phone. In a few short sentences he arranged for the belated reservation. Fifteen minutes later he was parking and soon after that he and Bonnie were seated at a table. They ordered drinks and heard about the specials, then looked at each other as the waiter retreated.

John said, "So how are the kids?"

Bonnie sighed. "They're OK, but you know how it is. There's always something they have to go to."

"I didn't see any sign of them when I picked you up. They off at practices?"

"No, not on a Friday. Bobby got invited to Jimmy Tyndall's and Sarah has a party tonight."

John raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Sarah twelve? She has a party?"

"It's a sleepover birthday party for Mary Hopkins."

"Oh, that makes sense," John said. "We haven't had as much of that to worry about lately. Since Jack went to college and Claire went to Northwood we've had an empty nest."

Bonnie looked thoughtful. "How has that been? Has it been hard on you?"

"Some, but not as bad as I'd feared. It bothers Dannie some, but she also likes the freedom. We've been to visit both of them and I think that helped. Let us both feel they were doing OK but we also saw they missed us." John grinned sheepishly. "Makes you feel good and bad at the same time."

"I guess I could see that," Bonnie said.

The waiter returned with their drinks and took their order. John sipped his gibson while Bonnie enjoyed a glass of pinot noir. They continued making small talk about their children and their work as they each enjoyed a relaxed meal. As the plates were cleared John asked if Bonnie wanted desert and she turned it back to him.

"Perhaps, but not here," John said. "How about drinks instead?"

"I could go for that. Here?"

John said, "How about a place with some dancing?"

"Hmm, that would be fun," Bonnie said with a smile.

John signaled the waiter, paid the check, and then stood to take Bonnie's chair as she rose. As they passed the maître d's podium John saw his friend and they spoke briefly. Bonnie thanked John's friend for an excellent meal and for getting them seated on a busy Friday.

As Bonnie and John went to his car, Bonnie asked, "So where do you have in mind?"

"You know, the Hilton has a good bar and a good dance floor. One of Dannie's old friends is managing it now and he's turned it into a hot spot."

"I've heard it's getting more popular, but isn't it kind of a gay bar?" Bonnie asked.

"I guess," he replied. "Is that OK?"

"Sure, fine by me if you don't mind."

"No, doesn't bother me."

►◄►◄

They listened to the music and as they drove a sporadic rain began to fall. They reached the Hilton in ten minutes and as they approached the hotel Bonnie extracted her credit card and ID from her purse. John dropped Bonnie at the door then parked the car and tucked her purse into the center console. He considered bringing his umbrella but decided he didn't want to have to keep track of it and so dashed across the parking lot to the entrance. He ended up with a slight glint in his hair and a few rain spots on his jacket. He entered the lobby and scanned the room but Bonnie was not in sight.

John looked toward the restrooms and then walked over to use the men's. He came out, again looked for Bonnie, didn't see her, and decided to go into the bar. It took a second for his eyes to adjust then he spotted Bonnie as she was getting a wine glass from the bartender. He walked over and eased behind her.

"Thought I might have lost you," he whispered in her ear.

"Oh, no, John, you won't lose me that easily."

John ordered a glass of wine and looked around for an available table. He spotted one and pointed it out to Bonnie, and they both took their drinks and went to it. The dance floor was full with men and women grinding to a bass beat and the table provided a good view. They both started people watching and after a few minutes they began to comment to each other.

"Look at her, she's barely got anything on."

"Man, those two guys look like they're trying to fuck on the floor."

"Look at that guy, sandwiched between two girls."

"Wow, that man has some serious moves. I wish I could move like that."

"If she keeps bouncing like that her breasts are going to pop out of that blouse."

They continued their observations for several songs and noted the waxing and waning of the population depending on the song. Finally, a sexy thump started up and people seemed to materialize. Bonnie got up and grabbed John's hand, pulling him to the floor. He resisted slightly, then grinned as he rose and followed her. He faced her, began to gyrate his hips in time with the music, and then Bonnie placed one of her legs between his and matched his rhythm. After about a minute, John put his hands on her hips and turned her around, putting his knees behind hers and pulling her ass into the greater than sign formed by his legs and abdomen. Bonnie's ass brushed the fabric over John's cock and she could feel it stiffen. They continued to grind each other though the song but the dance floor was so full that no one noticed them. Several times during the dance John's hand slipped around to stroke Bonnie's tummy making her nipples harden.

The song came to an end and another song with a slightly faster beat started up. A third of the dancers left the floor, leaving John and Bonnie and about 20 other couples of all combinations still dancing. With the more open floor John and Bonnie started to move freely, separating and coming together again. They also began to look at their fellow dancers.

There were two lesbian couples that remained on the fringes looking uncomfortable. Most of the couples were gay, with a wide range of ages and dancing styles. The younger couples tended to get very physical while the older men touched each other and kept spying the younger ones, often with hungry looks. There were five other hetero couples and they, too, represented a range of styles. Two were young white professional couples that looked nervous and one was older, not moving as much but touching each other and feeding off the energy.

The next song had a similar beat. Another third of the couples left the floor and it became much easier to see everyone there. John and Bonnie continued their face to face moves and then John spun her around again and snuggled her hips to his. He turned her so that they could grind and watch all the remaining couples. After two minutes, Bonnie leaned her head back and John leaned his in to hear her.