The Bar and Grill Pt. 02

"Over here, Timmer," he called when he saw me, waving me toward the cooler on the floor to his right.

I lugged the beer to the cooler, opened it, and started putting the cans in.

"Ice?" I said.

"Back in a sec," he said to the women.

A minute later, he was back with a big bag of ice.

"Just three cases?" he said, pouring the ice over the beer I'd already stacked in the cooler.

"Rest is in the car."

"C'mon," he said, "I'll help you."

"Just three left," I said. "I'll get it."

He ignored me and took off through the door. He had two cases in hand by the time I got to my car. He nodded at the third case still sitting on the back seat.

"I tell you to bring five cases, you bring six," he said. "Gotta tell you, I love the way you think."

It was easy to relax with Jammer's outgoing cheeriness, and I felt my nerves calming as I followed him back into the house.

"Thought this didn't start until seven," I shouted above the music.

"They usually can't wait," he shouted back, coming to a stop in front of another empty cooler. "People started showing a couple of hours ago."

I looked around, recognizing most of the faces in the crowd. There were people we'd gone to school with, a few older couples, and at least a half dozen younger women. Jammer was never one to waste an opportunity to get single women drunk and in his house. Having a big party to get them drunk while already at his house was like luring moths to the flame.

"Oh my," Jammer said, looking over my shoulder. "And just in time, too."

I turned around and saw Jenny DiMarco step in the door and appraise the crowd.

Jenny DiMarco, the Miss Everything of the Class of '99. Class president, Homecoming and Prom Queen, All-State Girls' Volleyball, State Finalist in the 440-relay. Oh, and did I mention incredibly intelligent and even more incredibly drop dead, tuck-your-tongue-back-in-your-mouth gorgeous? And looking at her standing there, I quickly noticed that the years since high school had been more than kind. She had gone from looking like a teenage version of Sophia Loren to the adult version without missing a beat. Classic Italian beauty without the mustache and dowdy housedress.

"She's back in town," Jammer said in my ear, speaking low enough so that only I could hear. "Divorced, fed up with city living, and back here to stay."

"How long?" I asked.

"Three weeks ago. She was at your place the night she got in. That's where I saw her. Kind of why I'm having this little soiree."

I nodded. Jammer and Jenny had dated quite a bit during high school. The look on his face told me he wouldn't mind a chance at getting back into her pants now.

"You dating her?"

He shook his head. "Perish the thought."

From across the room, her eyes turned and met mine. There I was, like a deer in the headlights, unable to turn away. Jenny DiMarco, the featured star of my adolescent masturbatory fantasies, was looking me dead in the eyes and . . . holy shit! . . . she was beginning to smile and walk toward me.

I turned to Jammer.

"Is she-- "

"Looks like it," he said, smiling with resignation. "The ole Jammer strikes out again."

"Hey Jammer," Jenny said, leaning in and pecking his cheek before turning to me. "And you. Tim Franklin."

She leaned in and kissed my cheek. She smelled like silky spice, and her lips were cool and soft against my cheek.

"Hi, Jenny," I managed to choke out.

She stood back and took me in. "My my," she said. "You seem to have grown up quite a bit since I last saw you."

I had been a runt in high school, my growth spurt not hitting until half way through my senior year and continuing for another two years. Jenny had disappeared to college, marriage, and a career by then, though. We hadn't seen each other since high school graduation, and I doubt she even bothered to look at me then.

"How about something to drink, handsome?" she said to Jammer.

"Coming right up," he said, disappearing into the kitchen.

"So, Tim, how've you been?"

I shrugged. "Good."

She looked down, then back to my eyes.

"How long has it been?" she said.

I stammered.

"C'mon," she said. "You look like you haven't eaten a decent meal in forever, like you haven't slept well in even longer, and the indentation on your ring finger is still there."

"Little more than five months since she left," I said. "'Bout three since the divorce."

She nodded. "And you forgot to take off your wedding band until about six or seven weeks back, right?"

I nodded, looking at the faint circle around my ring finger.

"Figured as much," she said, slipping her arm through mine and pulling me through the crowd toward the kitchen. "C'mon, let's go find someplace with fewer people."

The kitchen was crowded, too, and I couldn't make out who all was in there. Something smelled delicious, though, and I realized I was hungry.

There were plates lining the countertops, neat arrangements of hot and cold appetizers, and I reached over and plucked two of something as Jenny grabbed her drink from the passing Jammer, then pulled me through the crowd and out the back door. Once outside, I handed one appetizer to Jenny and took a bite of the one in my hand. Chopped chicken liver pate on a toasted slice of sourdough baguette with a crackling of what looked and tasted like crunchy, smokey chicken skin on top.

"This is really good," Jenny said, chewing.

I nodded. "Great idea with the chicken skin on top. Really great idea."

Jenny walked toward a garden bench at the edge of the outdoor lighting, sat, and patted the bench next to her. I followed her command and sat. I sipped my beer, she took a drink of whatever was in her glass.

"Heard you just went through the same thing," I said, taking the initiative.

She nodded and turned away, looking into the darkness as she spoke.

"It was final seven months ago."

"Bad?"

She nodded. "Took over a year."

"Why? You have kids?"

She snorted. "I don't," she said, emphasizing the first word. "Turns out he has two, though. Both fathered while we were married. So I told my lawyer to go after him for anything he could get me. Damn the torpedoes and all that."

"And?"

She turned back and looked at me. "And I should have taken Jammer's advice from the get go. I called him when it all started, get a referral in the city. He told me to just get out of the marriage as soon as possible. Instead, thirty grand in legal fees later, I ended up getting an extra fifty grand above the original offer."

"So it paid for itself."

He eyes focused in on mine and held there as she spoke, her voice a hiss. "It was more than a year of pure, unmitigated hell for another twenty grand. So no, it didn't pay for itself. I'm still pissed off, and I'm as mad as ever because it just dragged everything out a lot longer than it needed to be."

I wasn't even thinking when I took my jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. I definitely wasn't thinking when I then pulled her into my arms and held her spicy, warm softness against my chest. I must've been in a fugue state when I reached over and kissed her forehead and said, "Well, it's over now. Might as well quit being pissed off about it."

It was strange, like I was alone and talking to myself. Jenny DiMarco in my arms was forgotten as my own anger and hurt and sorrow vanished for a moment in the chilly evening air. Really, I told myself, how long could I go on being pissed off and alone and all that shit?

I was shaken out of my reverie by a pair of hands stroking my back.

"You're getting chilly," she said.

In response, I pulled her tighter against my chest, enjoying the warmth of her breath against my neck.

"I haven't been laid in months," she whispered.

I froze.

She kissed the base of my neck, flicking the tip of her tongue against the skin.

"You don't have to hold your breath," she said between kisses, her lips brushing up toward my earlobe.

Have you ever been in a situation where all of your dreams looked like they could come true and you were suddenly scared shitless that your dreams would come true? That's where I was: Jenny DiMarco, more gorgeous than ever, previously totally unattainable, coming on to me. And there I was, terrified to move for fear I'd wake up and the dream would end.

The kissing stopped, and I looked down into the deepest, darkest eyes in the universe.

"I don't really want to stay here," she said. Her fingertips found my crotch and traced lightly over the outline of my excitement. "Doesn't seem like you want to stay here, either."

My mouth opened, but no words came out. This couldn't be happening.

"Say something, Tim," she whispered. Her face was going taut, her eyes pleading for me to say yes.

"But you're . . . and I'm . . . . What about Jammer? You're his guest. His date, right?"

She shook her head. "Jammer told me you'd be here. Called me this morning and said if I wouldn't go out with him, at least I could hang around the party and try to keep you company. Cheer you up and get you out of your shell." "Is that what this is?" I said, my voice uncertain. "Try to cheer me up? Was this his plan?"

"No," she said, pulling away from my tone and huddling in on herself. "I figured I'd show up, say hey, chat for a few minutes here and there, and get home early."

"So what changed?"

Her eyes went soft when she spoke. "When I walked in," she said. "The look on your face when you saw me. The way your eyes followed me the whole way."

"But there were twenty guys looking at you the same way."

She laughed at that. "Oh no there weren't. There were twenty guys mentally undressing me as I walked across that floor. There was Jammer trying to figure whether he could get a quick score in tonight. But your eyes, they were different."

"How so?"

"They gave a brief glance at the rest of me, then stayed on my eyes. The others looked at me with lust, Tim. And you looked at me with admiration. With . . . ."

"Enchantment," I said.

She smiled. "It's been a long time since someone looked at me like that. And besides, you're a helluva lot better looking than you were in high school."

We sat for a few minutes, just staring at each other and trying to figure out what the other was thinking. I finally broke the silence.

"But we barely know each other."

She shrugged. "I'm not asking for a date here, big boy." She gave a sad laugh. "God knows neither of us is ready for that yet, right?"

I nodded.

"I don't know," she continued, sorting it out in her mind. "It's like I've been alone and pissed and . . . just not wanting to be with someone for so long that I think I owe it to myself to get over it. At least take a step."

Her face got all mischievous on me, a glint in her eye and a pleasant curling of her lips exuding her intentions.

"And I've got urges," she whispered conspiratorially. "It's been a long time since I've been with someone. A man. Especially a man that looked at me like you did tonight. Like something other than a piece of ass. And . . . well . . . you know . . . it's really been a long time."

I smiled. "I know."

"You, too?"

"Yeah," I said. "I suppose I have urges, too. And tonight is the first time in a long time that I remembered those urges."

Her eyes flashed at this. "So you want to get out of here?"

I stood and held my hands out, helping her from the bench and walking hand in hand with Jenny toward the front of the house. Who the hell was I to turn down a dream I'd had for fifteen years?

I shot a quick glance toward the kitchen as I left. Nicole was standing over the sink, washing some pots and pans. Her eyes were following us, the expression on her face unfathomable.

Curious, I thought. What's she doing here?

My thoughts were broken when Jenny squeezed my ass and said, "So, your place or mine?"

"Mine," I answered. "And last one there loses."

"Loses what?"

I leaned in and kissed her before answering. "Loses their clothes first."

She kissed me again, her tongue finding mine as she pulled me close and kissed me nearly to death. Her hands were all over me, and I was lost in the intensity of our passion. Then she broke the kiss and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" I said, disappointed at the sudden break in the kiss.

She held up my car keys, dangling them in front of her. "Guess who's getting naked first?" she said, tossing the keys onto the front porch before turning and running toward her car.

"You cheated," I yelled to her fleeing back before scrambling toward the porch.

FIFTEEN

Ten minutes later, I turned into my driveway and parked behind a black Porsche.

"Took long enough," Jenny called from the front porch.

I walked down the sidewalk. She was sitting on the top step, her feet on the sidewalk and her upper body leaning back, her arms behind her. Her jacket was unbuttoned, and I sucked in my breath as I took in the slim legs in tight jeans and proud breasts straining against her blouse.

"Not fair," I said, coming to a stop in front of her and looking down at her grinning face. Her brown hair was cascading loose around her shoulders, her smile an evil grin promising great things to come.

"Strip," she said.

"Here?"

She nodded. "A bet's a bet. Now strip."

"It's forty-five degrees."

"Oh well."

I kicked off my shoes, then started unbuttoning my flannel shirt.

"Slower," she said. Her eyes were traveling up and down my body now, sparkling with excitement. Her grin was bewitching, her tongue sliding over her lips hungrily.

I complied with her direction, pulling my shirt from the waist of my jeans before going back to my shirt buttons. I felt the goosebumps popping on the skin of my chest and belly.

"You've sure gotten mighty good looking, Tim Franklin," she said, gazing at my now exposed chest before looking a little further south. "And grown in all the right places, I see."

I laughed, finishing with the buttons on my shirt but leaving it on.

"The socks," she said. "Get the socks off next."

"No," I said.

Her eyes flashed at mine. She was enjoying the game.

I unbuttoned my jeans and unzipped.

"The socks first," she repeated.

I stepped closer to her. "Help me."

Her face told me that this was a good answer. She leaned forward, her palm feeling my chest and leaving blazing heat in its wake down my stomach. Her other hand went around behind and cupped my ass, while her palm continued its journey downward, over my straining cock, and down the inside of my thighs.

"The longer it takes you to get out of those socks," she said, leaning in and kissing my hardness through the underwear, "the longer until I get to play with my new toy."

Fine, I bent to her extortion. I peeled the socks off and stepped closer to her. My crotch was so close I could feel her hot breath against my abdomen.

"I like," she said.

Then her lips were kissing my belly. I felt a tugging at my waist, and my jeans were sliding down my hips and over my legs.

"I like a lot," she murmured. She pulled my underwear down, still kissing my belly and flicking her tongue against my skin. Forty-five degrees might as well have been ninety-five. I couldn't remember when I'd been so aroused, and my body temperature was near boiling. The goosebumps were gone.

I kicked out of my jeans and underwear, leaving them in a pile on the front sidewalk. Say what you will, but there are definite benefits to living on three acres in the country. Getting naked with a goddess in your front lawn without prying neighbors tops the list of country living benefits.

Jenny's hands continued stroking my torso and kneading my ass, her mouth tasting my hips and stomach. I was past excited, suddenly worried I'd let loose before getting a chance at doing more.

"Let's go inside," I pleaded.

In response, she slowly stood as her mouth moved back up toward mine while her hand brushed down under my cock.

"Not yet," she whispered into my ear before sucking in my earlobe. "Now it's my turn."

Not sure how she wanted to do this, I decided to take over the lead. Now that I was naked, save for my open flannel shirt, it was time to get her equally disrobed.

I started slowly, pulling her blouse from the waist of her jeans while I leaned in and kissed the side of her neck. Her skin was silky smooth, cool, and taut. Her breath sucked in a bit when my thumbs brushed over her nipples on the way to the top button of her blouse. I continued kissing and nibbling on the side of her neck and around her ears while my hands made leisurely work of her buttons.

"Please," she whispered into my ear before sucking on my earlobe.

"Please what?" I said. Her blouse unbuttoned, I pushed it open and again brushed my fingertips over her hardening nipples before looking down at the sexy, lacy fabric of her white bra.

"Please hurry," she responded with a slight shudder at the movements of my fingertips around her nipples.

I ignored her request, kissing her full on the lips and seeking out her tongue with mine. She groaned into the kiss, and I felt her hands going to the buttons on her jeans.

"Slower," I murmured, pushing her hands away before cupping her ass and pulling her into my naked hardness.

She met my grinding hardness in kind, rubbing her crotch up and down while kissing me deeper.

Breaking the kiss, she warned, "I can't wait much longer."

"Too bad," I said.

I slid a hand up the naked skin of her back and flicked her bra strap, freeing those perfect, pale olive-skinned orbs from their lacy white encasement. The contrast between her skin and the white bra was mesmerizing, and my lips were drawn to her dark nipples. I sucked in first one nipple, then the other. Jenny ran her fingers through my hair, keeping my mouth on her breasts. Her breathing quickened when my tongue swirled around her small, dark brown areolae and outward to the sides and bottoms.

"Please, Tim," she repeated again. "Tease me the second time, not the first. I'm really, really . . . oh."

My hand was pinching one of her nipples hard while my mouth blew the frigid night air onto her wet nipple. The effect on her was electric. Her eyes rolled back and she ground her pelvis harder into mine.

She was almost ready, so my mouth went to her ear and whispered, "Strip. Now."

Jenny didn't have to be asked twice. She shrugged out of her blouse and bra and had her jeans off within seconds. And the vision that greeted me caused me to suck in my breath. Jenny's dark skin was smooth and taut, stretched over beautiful, proud breasts and flat belly that ended at the white line of her white silk thong. Her legs were likewise toned and smooth, dancer's legs if ever I'd seen a pair.

"Cat got your tongue?" she teased, her hand grasping my happy soldier and pulling me toward the front door.

I followed like a lovesick puppy, my pecker throbbing in her tight grip.

Once in the living room, I kicked the front door closed behind me before picking Jenny up by her ass and carrying her--her legs entwined around me and tongue locked in feverish battle with mine--to the couch. Setting her on the couch, I broke the kiss, pushed her shoulders back, and trailed my lips and tongue down to her panties.

Her hips jolted in shock as I kissed over the small triangular patch covering her mons. I looked up at her face, and her eyes were locked on mine, staring intently. Her lips were barely parted, her face begging me to get on with it.

"Who's in charge now?" I said, grinning.

"Don't push your luck," she said.

I traced my tongue in lazy circles over the silky triangular patch, her breath coming in gasps as I got closer to the small bump of cloth covering her clit.

"Say you cheated," I said.

"Never," she gasped, her hips jumping as I flicked over the nubbin of her clit.

I circled my tongue away and to the soft sides of her inner thighs, tickling the downy softness of her flesh.