Marisol: Passion in Bloom

Mary was already laughing at Tom's whimsical display of color choices. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she realized that there was enough light outside now that she could see his smiling face. Looking out the window quickly, she saw the undersides of the clouds beginning to take on a thin orange hue around their edges. This bode well for a glorious sunrise indeed!

"Milady?" Tom said, pretending to be perplexed by her indecision, "which color should these pretty toes be painted with, please?"

Shaking her head, Mari grinned and thought about it for a moment. "Well," she said thoughtfully, "my toes were just white tipped, so I think I'll go bolder this time. I like both the color and the sound of 'Ruby Slipper,' so I'll go with that. Besides, it sounds magical - like this night has been."

Tom liked her sentiment - and agreed with it wholeheartedly- that the night had been magical. He smiled back at her and said with a dramatic flair, "Then 'Ruby Slipper' it is!"

He tilted the bottle back and forth several times, mixing its contents, and then unscrewed the cap, revealing the small, hidden brush as he withdrew it from the bottle. Wiping off excess polish on the inside rim of the bottle, he snuggled up close to Mari's foot and began painting. Starting with her smallest toe, he carefully painted the nail, holding the toe steady with his fingers and making sure to coat the entire nail without getting polish on the toe itself. Mari giggled as she saw his tongue sticking from between his lips in his effort and concentration.

From toe to toe he painted, brushing polish onto the nails thoroughly from side to side and tip to base, his steady hand not getting polish on a single toe. He was rather proud of himself. His years of model painting had apparently been excellent preparation for this close up, intricately detailed form of pampering. When he'd painted all five toes, he proudly held up Mari's foot so she could see the fruits of his labors. He placed the sole of her foot on his chest so she could see her toes clearly. She smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Ah," he said, "but now for the piece de resistance! No toe painting is complete without proper drying!"

Despite the fact that the nail polish Mari had purchased was the quick-drying type, Tom lifted her foot up and brought his lips to within an inch of the tops of her toes. He gently blew on them, one at a time and then slowly in a line from toe to toe, his cool breath wafting over her toenails and making them wiggle and dance, almost kicking free one or two of the toe-separating cotton wads. Mari stifled several squeals of pleasure as he continued to blow on her toes, drying the nail polish that much quicker. Somehow, the sight of a strong man bending to blow dry nail polish on her toes made her squirm and tingle all over.

If that hadn't been enough, it was just as he began blowing on her toes that the sun finally peeked from behind the mountaintops in all its resplendent glory. The low-hanging clouds burst into a kaleidoscope of brilliant colors. Yellows, oranges and reds blossomed throughout every cloud. A reddish-orange wave crept down the mountainside, bathing everything in its path in glorious sunshine. Shadows scurried everywhere as bright reds and yellows chased them farther and farther away from the rising sun. Above the now brightly-hued clouds the sky went from gray to brilliant blue in just a few heartbeats of time. Sunshine was everywhere at once, as the rising red orb changed to orange and then yellow.

When Mari looked down at Tom, he was still blowing on her toes. The sunshine now bathed him in warm colors, highlighting his entire outline in brilliant yellows and oranges. This served to make the sight of him blowing on her toes even more stark and powerful. It was all there in one beautiful picture. This darling man bending down to blow on her newly painted toes - that he himself had so erotically painted - with a gorgeous sunrise painting the mountainside behind him just as beautifully.

The entire scene, from Tom just a few feet away to the distant mountaintop with its brightly colored clouds, brought tears to Mari's eyes. She brought her hands to her mouth, her lips quivering with emotion. She looked from the magnificent sunrise to Tom blowing on her toes, and back again. She couldn't decide which made her want to cry more.

Tom stopped blowing on her toes and looked at her. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Her hands still covering her mouth, Mari could only nod. Tears began to flow freely from her eyes now. She had no desire to stifle them, nor the emotions that produced them. All this beauty and emotion; all this pleasure and joy. And all thanks to one chance encounter at a mall. As she wept quietly at all the sensations she was feeling at once, in the back of her mind she told herself that malls weren't so bad after all. If she wasn't so overcome with other emotions, she might've chuckled at that thought.

Tom turned to watch the sun rise higher and higher, also enjoying the cascade of colors that rushed down the mountain toward his home. As he sat there mesmerized, he unknowingly again bent toward Mari's foot. But, he didn't resume blowing on her toes. Rather, he very gently, almost worshipfully, began kissing her instep and the side of her foot, as if it was the proper thing to do under such emotion-inspiring circumstances. Mari watched in awe, barely able to breathe. The ever brightening sunshine created a halo-like glow around Tom as he adoringly, almost reverently, lavished her foot with kiss after heartfelt kiss, lost in his desire to unashamedly worship her.

They sat that way for many minutes, Mari watching the sun rise while taking intermittent peeks at Tom, and Tom stealing quick glances at the sunrise while planting love pecks on Mari's pampered foot. By the time the sun fully cleared the mountaintop, Mari was shivering with mixed emotions; joy, love, desire, awe, and even a hint of sadness. For, after all, she was a visitor to New York, and would soon be leaving for her Florida home. But, for now, she couldn't bear to think about that. Her mind blocked it, refusing to let her impending departure ruin this magical moment.

After the sunrise ended its miraculous visual display and became simple daylight, Tom and Mari just sat looking at each other, smiling, eyes communicating more than words ever could. He had stopped kissing her foot - to a twinge of dismay for Mari - and had simply begun rubbing it and her calf gently as he looked into her eyes. Both seemed lost in deep thought.

Then, suddenly, Tom began moving with purpose again. He removed the cotton from between Mari's toes and made one last visual inspection of the toenails. Again nodding his satisfaction with his work, he lifted her foot, turned to face the other way, and placed the foot that had been on his knee onto the cloth on the tub's ledge. He then placed the newly painted one on his knee. Whistling a happy tune, he began the entire procedure over again from the beginning, drying this delightful new canvas completely, slipping cotton between the toes and preparing to remove the old nail polish. A new masterpiece must be created.

"Time to even things up," he said. "I'm sure this foot must be very jealous by now. So, I'd better get started with IT'S paint job."

Mari laughed, but there was a sadness behind the humor.

They sat in silence for a while as Tom removed polish from French-tipped nails and began to apply the 'Ruby Slipper' shine to them. Something intangible hung in the air. Both of them sadly realized that Mari would be leaving soon, and this night, though immensely pleasurable, would become a mere haunting memory, a niggling reminder of what could have been.

Tom finished painting her toes in silence. And, as before, he blew on them to quicken their drying time, even though he didn't have to. When his lips were done drying the shiny lacquer, he abruptly stopped short, his eyes staring at her foot in a look that had no immediate definition. He slowly removed the cotton from between her toes, letting his fingertips linger on her toes. Then, suddenly overcome by emotion, he brought her toes to his lips and kissed them passionately, his actions saying what his heart could not bring his mouth to divulge.

For several minutes he lavished oral adoration on her toes, then again her instep and even the sole. His hands trembled and he held her foot to his lips almost desperately. He couldn't bring his eyes to meet hers, for fear of what his eyes - and hers - might show. He was lost in emotion, not wanting to let her foot go, for he knew full well that this might be the last time he held it, caressed it, kissed it.

Slowly the sun rose higher in the sky, and time passed within the walls of Tom's suddenly gloomy house. Eventually, he and Mari exited the bathtub. He dried her with a towel, but there seemed to be less joy in it now. She let him brush and blow dry her hair, but as enjoyable as that was for both of them, it seemed to herald their final good-byes. Reality had entered both their minds, and joy was beginning to reluctantly take a back seat to the inevitable disappointment to come.

Tom had found a silk robe for Mari to wear until she had to leave, until he had to take her back to her car. He fixed her one last drink, even though it was early morning. They sat in his living room on the long, soft sofa, each wearing a silk robe, talking quietly, sipping and preparing for the moment which could not be avoided.

"So," Tom finally broached the topic, "when will you be going back to Florida?"

"Tomorrow. Or, actually, this IS tomorrow. So, today, I guess. I fly out early this afternoon," Mari replied, the words seemingly lifeless as they almost caught in her throat. She wished she didn't have to say them.

The revelation seemed to jolt Tom. He was visibly shaken, but then relaxed, though he was still clearly unhappy. "I see," he replied, looking into his glass but seeing nothing, "I didn't realize it would be so soon."

Mari moved closer to him, put her hand on his thigh, leaned to look into his eyes. She HAD to know. "I had an incredible time, Tom. I've never felt so pampered, so spoiled, so adored and wanted in all my life. I'm going to hate going back home. I..." Words finally failed her.

"Well," Tom sighed sadly, "What has to be, has to be. I'm going to hate seeing you leave, though. You're the most fantastic woman I've ever known. I can't...I mean, I just...I can't think of another woman I'd rather be with. But, hey...I understand. I mean, your life is in Florida."

She looked into his eyes and saw exactly what she wanted to see. Maybe it was too early for love to be there, but she could see very clearly that he WANTED her, that they'd connected so completely on several levels. And with that much in common, that much having been experienced and shared, could love be far behind? Was it worth pursuing? She laughed quietly, because, in her mind, that was a silly question. She'd never felt more adored in her life, more special. And how could that NOT be worth pursuing?

Tom dreaded her leaving. He couldn't believe how much he cared for Mari in such a short time. But everything about her was perfect. She GOT him. She understood his needs, and he understood hers. They fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. Shouldn't he try SOMETHING to keep her here, even if only to lengthen her vacation? Even if she couldn't stay forever, couldn't they enjoy a little more time together?

"Mari, I think you're the sexiest, most incredible woman I've ever met." His statement was so full of emotion that Mari nearly wept again.

"I think you're wonderful, too, Tom. You're just incredible."

He lifted her hand and held it near his lips, perhaps in a final gesture. "May I?" he asked, smiling sadly.

Mari took her hand from him, and instead jumped on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with rekindled passion. Sitting on his thighs, facing him, she mashed her mouth against his. In seconds he was returning the favor. And moments after that, they were rolling on the sofa, bathrobes flapping open, naked bodies entwined in passion.

"But won't you miss your....?" Tom gasped.

"Shut up and kiss me," Mari said, capturing his lips with hers again.

The robes were gone now. Neither remembered removing them, but gone they were. Tom lay on the sofa on his back, and Mari was again sitting on his lap, but this time with his fully erect muscle deep inside her. As she rode his throbbing member, staring down into his gorgeous blue eyes, her mind replayed all the sensual delights they'd shared, and it told her that if she left for Florida any time soon she'd have to be totally insane.

Fused as one, they made love long into the new day, stopping only to rest for a few minutes, take a few bites of food or sips of drink, and then resume some form of love play. They talked, touched, made love, lived out fantasies, until they were exhausted and barely able to move.

Mari missed her flight. Tom was happy beyond words. Minute by minute they became closer and closer, wanting less and less to EVER part. They were perfect for each other, and they knew it. New York, Florida, what difference did it make where one lived...as long as they actually LIVED? They didn't want to just exist anymore. They wanted to LIVE. And live TOGETHER.

Eventually, that would all be worked out. Life had a way of sorting things out. They had plenty of time to decide their futures. But the most important thing had become living those futures TOGETHER. It wasn't just about sex, though in that arena they fit perfectly together. It was about who they were, what they needed from life - and from a lover. They'd never be able to answer those questions if they lived a thousand miles apart.

Yes, Mari missed that flight back to Florida. And the next one. After that, she stopped booking them. When and if she did return she would know for certain if it was the right move. But, for the time being, she was going to stay right where she was. Leaving now could be the biggest blunder of her life. She'd made her share of those before, and she told herself she wasn't going to do it again, at least not without thinking things through and considering all possibilities. She was going to take her time and see where things might lead. She was tired of being alone, of men who didn't know how to love or show love, and Tom was as openly loving and adoring as any man she'd ever met. If she couldn't have a relationship with him, then she most likely couldn't have with ANY man. She'd led a nearly celibate life, even though she'd been married for over two decades, but now she'd found a man who was so erotically sensuous and imaginative that it almost brought her to tears just thinking about it, and him. He found her not only attractive, but sexy. His touch and the way he looked at her told her this was true. So, she was definitely going to give this a shot. She'd made up her mind. She was going to stay in New York - for now - to see if love could blossom between her and Tom. Yes, that's what she was going to do. She was going to find out if they could truly love each other.

Oh yeah, she was going to hump his brains out, too. And foot rubs - plenty of delicious foot rubs - let's not forget those! And massages...and bubble baths...and shiny, painted toes! Hmm... maybe she'd have him shave her legs! And hey, even though he did a wonderful job on her toes, he still hasn't painted her fingernails!. THE NERVE! WHAT A SLACKER!! Oh, and he could help her dress, put on sexy stockings and shoes! And put perfume all over her body! And...ohhhh myyyyyyyyyyy....so MUCH to explore. Such endless, endless possibilities...

It seemed Florida would simply have to wait.

END

"Marisol: Passion in Bloom" copyright Bacomicfan/Mike, 2005