Signs Ch. 02

Knowing he needed to so something immediately, he moved his mouth close to her ear and whispered, "You're my little slut, aren't you? You love feeling my cock inside you. You're going to cum for me, aren't you, Hannah? I want to feel it. I want you to cum for me."

With a shout that he was sure could be heard in the hallway, she came, her body tensing, shaking, and pulling against her bonds. Seconds later his own release followed, and he pushed as far into her as he could, savoring the clenching of her muscles during her orgasm. He held her as tightly as he could, listening to her breathing, her moans, and feeling closeness he had previously believed impossible.

The weekend's events came crushing down on him as he fought to maintain his composure, trying to stay in character.

"It's what she wants, what she needs," he told himself. He moved off of her and covered her with a sheet, then quickly released the restraints. Sliding under the sheet next to her, Jay began softly stroking her upper body with reassuring touches.

"You were wonderful. You couldn't have been more perfect," he told her with complete sincerity. Holding her body as the shivers subsided and she transitioned into total relaxation, he felt a self-confidence that he couldn't remember ever experiencing. Feeling her post-orgasmic bliss meant more than any accolade she could have given him.

"I love you, baby," he said, feeling the meaning behind the words more than he ever had before.

>>>>>>>

The plane began to clear out as Jay waited patiently. Because of his location, he'd be the last person to get off the plane. He snuck a sideways glance at the young couple, still beaming at each other, and felt envious at the endless possibilities they had in front of them. As they walked toward the exit, he followed, watching the glances between them and the hand-holding. Even the bounce in their step screamed love.

He sighed, letting them move ahead. Although his earlier annoyance had faded during the flight, he didn't have a desire to be around anyone so deliriously happy. Things were so confusing at that moment he didn't have the heart to think about anything...good or bad. He just wanted to make it to the hotel, grab a nap, then wait for Hannah to arrive. Even with everything telling him he was right, he was desperately hoping for the best. At the moment, it was easier to just not think about anything.

After his bag arrived, Jay headed out to the shuttle area. There was a bus from his hotel due any minute so he walked to the nearest bench and sat. The sun beating down on him felt therapeutic after being in the freezing storm just a few hours earlier. It was nice, but waiting alone was another reminder that things were different this time.

Although it wasn't her fault; Hannah had to work and it was the first time she wasn't there to meet him at the airport. Their greetings hadn't always been as passionate as the first one, but were all special to him; treasured memories he would often recall on nights when the distance from her weighed heavily on him. He was afraid, her being too busy was a perfect metaphor for what was yet to come.

After the shuttle dropped him off, Jay quickly checked in and headed for his room. Part of him wanted to go for a dip in the pool, but after considering it, he decided it should wait until after Hannah arrived. Even with something so benign, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to the past.

<<<<<<<

"OK, they'll be here in a couple of minutes," Hannah said, trying to suppress her annoyance. "He's such an asshole."

"Relax," Jay tried to reassure her. "He's only a little late."

"If you don't think he's doing this on purpose, you're wrong," she replied, then stared off into the distance, fuming.

Ronny, her ex-husband, constantly found ways to aggravate her. Sometimes they seemed harmless, like calling her for no apparent reason and trying to talk about his personal life, while sometimes they were insidious, like lying to her kids about what was going on between them. When it came to visiting them, the problem was purely one of selfishness.

He was completely undependable about picking up the kids, or when he'd be dropping them off. Often, his last second changes of plans would suspiciously interfere with her plans. Twice in six months he tried to cancel at the last minute, which either altered well-planned visits with Jay, or at least led to extremely stressful confrontations between Ronny and Hannah, causing the visit to start off differently than they'd hoped.

This weekend, he had the kids for a couple of days, then was returning them early on Sunday. Hannah and Jay decided it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce him to the kids. They had seen each other on the web cam, and had talked a few times by phone, but it was especially important to Jay that things go smoothly.

She had already met his daughter, Cindy during one of the few trips Hannah was able to make to Chicago. It had been an instant connection between the two, which melted Jay's heart. Even though it had been months since her last visit, Cindy constantly asked when Hannah was going to come back to visit her, and would often insist on Jay using the web cam so she could say hi.

Now it was Jay's turn. The problem was, this was definitely not a slam-dunk. First, the kids were in a very unstable situation with their father and had very unpredictable mood swings after visiting him. Second, they were fresh out of a very messy divorce that saw the father remarry quickly with a woman he had been "friends" with during the marriage. There was a serious concern that they might get defensive about their mom sharing her affections with another man...especially after their dad started paying less attention to them after his new marriage that included her kids.

Third, there was no way to predict what Ronny might say to the kids to cause problems. Some of the things that he or his family said about Hannah in front of the kids made Jay wish he could have a face-to-face meeting with the man, although it was probably for the best that it hadn't happened. Ronny would be dropping the kids off, but Jay had promised himself he'd be on his best behavior in front of the kids. It wasn't easy. He had fallen hopelessly in love with her, and had to often hear of the horrific treatment she'd receive from a man who had already done his share of damage to her life.

Above all, Jay wanted things to be natural. He really did like the kids, despite some problems they'd had as a result of the stress in their lives. He felt a great deal of empathy for them, especially her oldest, who justifiably felt ignored by his father. After watching Hannah and Cindy bond, he hoped for a similar reaction, but didn't want to push if it wasn't there.

"Here he is," she muttered, staring at a huge green 4x4 truck...a large, ridiculously useless vehicle for someone who never used it for any purpose other than driving in the city to work, or chauffeuring his wife and kids around. It didn't even have enough seats for the kids, forcing them to double up, which constantly caused Hannah concern about their safety. It fit what Jay had learned about Ronny's personality perfectly.

They both got out of the car, and the kids ran over to their mother to hug her excitedly. The older boy stepped over to say hi to Jay, without any hint of reticence. Jay snuck a glance at Ronny, who was fuming.

Unconcerned, Jay walked over to him, pleasantly said hi, and took the kids bags, then turned and walked away without any other acknowledgement. He knew it would drive Ronny crazy, because it would make him feel the same way about anyone dating Cindy's mom. Allowing himself a self-satisfied grin, he walked the kids to the car and hopped in the front seat, cheerfully saying "Who wants ice cream?"

After the snack, they headed to the hotel room where they changed, and headed down to the pool. They played there for about an hour, with Jay launching the kids one at a time into the pool to their delight (and their mother's apprehension). Afterward they went up to the room, where Jay had brought old monster movies they had never seen and they had dinner. They spent the rest of the day enjoying each other's company before Hannah had to get them home.

As they headed out the door, Jay made sure to give them the movies, which brought smiles to their faces. Hannah, on the other hand, looked completely exasperated.

"You know they're going to make me watch them endlessly."

Jay smiled broadly. "Gee, I hadn't thought of that."

>>>>>>>

The loud ring of the room's phone woke him. Groggily, Jay looked around in confusion before becoming coherent enough to grab for it. The clock next to it read 9:30 PM.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Hannah's voice replied, sounding very tired. "You're not going to believe this. He's an hour late and just called to say he couldn't pick them up tonight. He wants to get them in the morning. He said he's working but I know it's a lie."

"Well, bring them with," Jay said, trying to sound positive. "You know I'd love to see them."

"I can't. You know I have to work tomorrow morning. I can't bring them with me to the office."

"They can stay here," he reasoned. "By the time breakfast is over and we hit the pool, you'd be done with work."

"There's no way." She not only sounded tired, but extremely aggravated. "I don't know how they'll react, and if they freak out there won't be anything I can do. I have to open the office, so I can't take the chance. I'm going to try to get him to come here tonight. I'll let you know as soon as I hear back. OK?"

"Yeah, sure," Jay said, not wanting to add to her stress. "Do whatever you need to."

"I'm sorry, Jay."

"It's OK. I'm just going to have dinner and catch some TV if you can't make it. I'll see you after work tomorrow no matter what."

He hung up the phone and sat quietly. Instead of being upset, he felt a sense of inevitability. No matter what was going on, he knew that six months ago she wouldn't have let this stop her. It was eerily reminiscent of a conversation he had just a few weeks earlier.

<<<<<<<

"Hey buddy, over here!" a shout greeted Jay as he walked through the doorway. He looked around the packed bar and found the owner of the greeting, his friend Nick. With a wave, he took off his coat and negotiated through the crowd toward his friend. The two had played in bands together, and was probably Jay's closest friend out of the musicians he worked with. He was also the person who knew the most about Hannah.

When Jay first began dating her, it was Nick who most understood the unusual relationship. When Jay showed a few of Hannah's more intimate pictures to friends, it was Nick who seemed to get why. Jay knew she got off on him letting complete strangers see her photos. The first time he showed them to Nick, he immediately called Hannah and told her, then put Nick on the phone to tell her how good she looked. She acted mortified, but Jay knew better. It was one of the things he loved most about her...his ability to really understand what turned her on and what she needed for a self-esteem that had endured a lifetime of knocks.

"Do you want a beer?" Nick asked, waving to the waitress.

"Sure, anything is fine."

Nick's face showed concern. "Dude, what's wrong? You look like crap."

"Thanks, buddy. I really needed to hear that." They shared a laugh, then waited for the beer. After it arrived, Jay took a long drink, then gave his friend a thoughtful stare. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Of course, man. What's going on?"

Jay took a deep breath. "Hannah's going to end it."

There was a moment of silence. "Are you kidding me? I thought you guys were so happy."

"We were," Jay said with a shrug. "A couple of months ago things started to change."

"Like what?" Nick asked, clearly not convinced.

"The phone calls for one thing. We used to have the most amazing conversations and never missed a night to have sex. A couple of months ago all that stopped. The intimacy is almost gone, and even the conversations seem strained."

Nick tried to be sympathetic. "Look, everybody goes through a rough patch. She's busy, you're busy, it get's tough. That doesn't mean it's over, especially if you don't want it to be."

"It's not just the calls. It's the way I can't read her any more. I used to always know what she was thinking, what she needed. She's pulled away and I don't know why. I have no idea what's going on any more, and it's killing me."

They both paused and drank quietly. The noise all around gave them an excuse to think. Nick finally broke the awkward pause.

"Maybe it's you. Maybe you are giving her a vibe and she's just reacting to it. I've met her a couple of times and can't believe she'd just pull away for no reason. You guys are perfect for each other."

Jay shrugged again. "I honestly don't know what happened. Maybe I'm blowing it. Maybe she's just tired of the situation. Maybe there's something else."

Nick looked surprised. "You don't think she's cheating on you?"

"No, I have never doubted her for a second. I don't care how weird things are. I'd know if she was. It has to be something else."

"Well, what are you going to do?"

Jay shrugged helplessly. "Nick, I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm not sure if I should try harder, give her space, make her talk about it, or what. You know how fucked up her situation is. The last thing I want to do is make things tougher for her because I'm feeling insecure."

"Well, you can't just let things stay the way they are."

"No," Jay agreed, "but I don't have to do anything drastic. We're both insanely busy. I'll give it some time and maybe it'll work itself out. I can't get down to see her this month, so it will give us time. Hopefully I'm wrong and things will get back to normal."

"What are you going to do if they don't? I mean, you wanted her to move up here and settle down, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but she can't move the kids. She's not crazy about the winters here, either. I can't move down there away from my job and Cindy." Reaching the bottom of his glass, he signaled the waitress for the next round. Staring at the empty glass he mumbled, "I wouldn't blame her if she wanted something more. It just bothers me that I don't know. That's the one thing I never thought I'd say about her."

The two sat drinking for hours. Despite his best efforts, nothing Nick could say brought his friend any comfort.

>>>>>>>

Saturday morning Jay headed downstairs for breakfast, feeling tired from a restless night's sleep, but anxious for Hannah to arrive to make up for the lost time. Despite his fear that things were in a spiral, he clung to the hope he was wrong. If the worst was true, he resolved to do his best to make this weekend spectacular for both of them...something they'd remember for years to come.

Once back in his room he took a shower, then watched a little television. At some point he must have dozed off, because the sound of the door opening woke him. Hannah entered looking frazzled, still wearing her work uniform, her face pale and haggard.

"Hey sweetie," he mumbled, stifling a yawn. "Are you OK?"

"No," she complained. "He wouldn't answer his phone all night, so I wasted hours trying to call him. Then he didn't show up until five minutes before I was supposed to leave for work. Everything was crazy from the minute I stepped in the door until it was time for me to leave. I'm hungry, I haven't had a shower, and I'm sick."

"Aw, honey...come here," Jay said, holding out his arms. Hannah sat on his lap, melting against his chest and didn't move for several minutes while he held her tightly, rocking her gently. The worries over what would happen during the weekend faded away as he luxuriated in the familiar warmth of her body.

"You are burning up," he said worriedly. "Get into the shower now." Wearily, she got up and went into the bathroom, while Jay unpacked some supplies she had brought from home and fixed something for them to eat. She looked a little more refreshed after she was done, and was able to eat most of her lunch, but was still obviously not feeling well.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Jay said, giving her another hug.

"No!" she protested. "I'll be fine. We already lost Friday. I don't want to ruin your weekend."

"My weekend is fine," he countered, steering her towards the bed. He pulled back the sheet. "Get in here and relax."

Pouting, Hannah obeyed, slipping out of her clothes and crawling into the bed. Jay looked her over worriedly. She looked thinner than usual, and was alarmingly pale.

"Why don't you lay on your stomach and I'll give you a massage," he offered. She complied and he began working on her back, noting how stiff her muscles were. He was careful to keep the sheet covering her as much as possible, but even so it was impossible to miss her shivering. The close contact had a soothing effect on his concerns about what might be happening between them, while reminding him how difficult things were for her. Once again, he felt a surge of pride at being able to do something to alleviate her pain, no matter how slight.

After about fifteen minutes on her shoulders and back, he moved to her lower back, then to her upper legs. Once there, he couldn't resist the temptation to slide his fingers between her legs, stroking her inner thigh. After an approving moan, his slid his fingers higher, grazing her outer lips. She was incredibly wet, so he let a finger slide inside her, then two. Quickly removing his shorts with his free hand, he slid next to her under the sheet, pulling his fingers out, then running them across her clit, causing her hips to respond.

Jay pulled her on her side, then slid into her from behind. Neither of them said a word, instead savoring the intimacy each had been missing so desperately. They stayed locked together, barely moving, feeling each other's bodies as even the smallest motion was enough to continue pushing them both towards a climax.

When he felt her cum, Jay hurried towards the orgasm he had been longing for. It was always different with Hannah than any other woman he had dated before. There was a purity and passion to the act with her that paralleled the descriptions he'd always read in romance novels. It was physical, but much more; something he didn't believe he'd ever be able to put into words...not even to her.

After he finished, they held each other, not moving until Jay was certain she had drifted to sleep. Although not tired himself, he was content to lie beside her, stroking her skin while contemplating the future.

By Sunday at checkout, they had only had sex twice more, both quiet episodes that were satisfying, but still missing the fire that marked most of their previous encounters. Jay wasn't sure if it was Hannah, if he was being too cautious because of her cold, or if it was his concern about what the future held. Although she was feeling better, she was still missing her normal energy and voracious appetite for pleasure, so he tried not to overanalyze the situation.

They checked out of the hotel and caught a movie, then walked around the mall before having a late lunch. It was subdued, with them quietly enjoying each other's company, but saying little of what was happening in their lives. It was more guarded than he had ever seen her, although she still gave every indication things were fine.

He had a late afternoon flight, so they cut short the shopping and she took him to the airport. They talked a little more about her kids, but when Jay brought up another visit, she changed the subject. He stared out the window at the sites, knowing with every fiber of his being that something was wrong, but wanting to do anything to avoid confronting it. As she pulled up to the curb to drop him off, she put the car in park and stared down at her lap.