You Don't Pull On Superman's Cape

When it came to sex she was a rookie and I wasn't much better but we sure had a hell of a lot of fun experimenting and learning what we both liked. She had small breasts; about thirty-four B's and was a little self conscious about them. I didn't care how big or small they were, just that they were all mine.

After a particular great session of love making one Saturday night, about three months later, we were laying in bed catching our breath when she asked the question of all questions.

"Steve, I'm your girl right?"

"Well if you're not, I don't know what we've been doing for the last seven hours,"

"No silly, I mean we're together right?"

I sat up with my back against the headboard and grabbed my glass of wine from the night table.

"All right, what's up?" I asked taking a sip and handing it to her.

"I just want to know we're going down the road together, that's all."

"In other words, you want to make sure I'm not just using your hot body for my own sexual fulfillment," I said with a laugh reaching for her.

"Asshole," she retorted hitting me with a pillow. "Do I have to spell it out for you? I'm falling in love with you and I know you like me, but I'm not sure how much. There, I've said it," she continued. She sloshed down the last of the wine and with a worried look stared at me. "Well?"

"Does this mean I have to give up all the other hot babes I've been banging every other night?" I joked, but when she didn't smile I knew she was serious. "Look babes, I really care for you and I think you know that. Is it love, I think so but give me a little time will you? After the move we'll have a good break and we can explore all our avenues and possibilities."

"Steve, I think we've explored all my avenues but one and that's not going to happen anytime soon. I just needed to know I'm not being played, that's all."

"Shelia, there are two things I don't do, I don't lie and I don't play games with people I care about." I said soothingly kissing her. "Now that we got that out of the way, what's this about an avenue I haven't checked out yet?" We went back to what we'd been doing for the last twenty-four hours as we each tried to wear the other one out; I won. After that we were an official item and everyone knew and accepted it, even my dad.

The next few months were brutal. Business was good and combined with the move we had precious little time for each other. By December fifteenth we were in our building and by the twenty-second everything was up and running just in time for Christmas. We shut the place down between Christmas and New Year's and everyone kicked back for the holidays. We spent Christmas Eve at her parents and Christmas day at mine.

By the evening of the twenty-fifth we were exhausted. Since we both still lived with our parents we were now spending more and more time together at the Hampton Inn.

"Steve," she quietly voiced as we lay in bed recovering from another passionate evening, "I need something from you."

"Give me about an hour and I'll see what I can do," I said rolling her over onto my chest, kissing her and biting her lower lip.

"I'm serious."

"I'm serious too," I responded reaching for a nipple. I sat her up on my lap.

"Steve, look at me will you? I want us to get our own apartment."

That made me stop and look at her for real this time.

"I'm serious. I think it's time we got our own place. Steve, I'm twenty-three and you're twenty-seven; don't you think it's about time we go out on our own? For what we're spending on hotel rooms, it would probably pay for itself." She added with a hesitant voice, "that is, only if you want to."

I figured this was bound to come up sooner or later and I'd already given it a lot of thought. With the relocation done, things would get back to normal, whatever that was. I really did like the idea of us having our own place together.

"Ok, when do you want to do it?" I guess that took her a little by surprise. I think she was prepped for an argument and now she just sat there looking at me until her brain finally caught up to what I'd just said.

"Oh my God, this is going to be so great. We'll have our own place and we won't even have to wear clothes if we don't want to," she was jumping on the bed. When she stopped and got this serious look on her face I got a little worried. "How do you think your parents are going to take the news, especially your dad?"

"Let me worry about that. It's going to be your job to find us a suitable place close to work that will cover all our needs. I don't want a huge place, one just big enough for a kitchen and one of these," I said patting the bed. "Now that we got that out of the way, I think it's time we practice a bit more before we have our own place," I moved down to her pussy and spread her lips. "On second thoughts, maybe we won't need a kitchen," I said licking her clit as she lay back raising up her bottom and pushing her pussy against my lips. "Maybe we can live on love," I added while slipping in one than two fingers, working them in and out of her as Shelia bit her pillow. "Or maybe not, we'll see anyway."

It took about three weeks but we did find a suitable place and moved in together. My parents wanted to know what my intensions were, but all I told them is that I wanted to get to know Shelia better.

"I think you know her well enough," my mom said with a wink, "judging by all the Hampton Inn bills I've paid over the last few months." Dad didn't say a word but he knew he couldn't control me any longer.

Life was good. My business grew rapidly over the next two years and we expanded once more before we finally settled into another larger facility. At Christmas that year I proposed to Shelia and she accepted. Dad insisted on a prenuptial agreement and although I objected, Shelia thought nothing about signing it. I did make two modifications so it wasn't so hard-core, but in the end we all got what we wanted.

Three months later Shelia was pregnant and mom was overjoyed. When Linda was born Shelia quit work and stayed home to care for her. She was beautiful and looked just like her mom. She had the same light brown hair, blue eyes and had a little mole on her right ankle. Mom and Shelia became tight as thieves while dad and I ran the company.

The next five years were good to us. My business almost quadrupled in size and I went from four employees to fourteen. I still found myself usually swamped but Shelia required my attendance at dinner a minimum of three nights a week. We bought a nice home, bigger than what we really needed, and with time on her hands Shelia got involved in charity work and fund raising for the Children's Wish Foundation.

"Babes, not another event this weekend," I whined. "I thought the three of us would sneak away and have a little fun," I said grabbing her around the waist kissing her. "If you cancel, I'll make it worth your while," I said pleading.

"Hon, you know this Saturday's auction is important to me and it's for a good cause," she replied kissing me. "Those kids can't sneak away for a weekend but if we raise enough money we can at least make a few of them smile."

She had a good heart and although I didn't like it she was right. So, Saturday night we all went. I told my parents that if I had to go they did too. They didn't care except my dad said he wasn't going to dance no matter what my mom said. It was turning out to be a fairly nice evening until I met Ken and his wife Connie. He had worked with Shelia on putting this together and I already knew that he owned a successful aircraft parts machine company just outside of town. Their biggest customer was the U.S. government and with two wars going on, business was good.

"Steve, this is Ken and Connie Collins," my wife introduced us. "Ken has been a huge help in securing the items we'll be auctioning off tonight."

"It was nothing. I just went to a few places and shamed them into giving twice what they had planned on, and getting the rest to donate money to the cause."

"Ken, don't be so modest. We should be able to send over a hundred kids to various camps this summer because of what you did. You should be very proud of yourself."

"Well, if it wasn't for Connie I never could have done it. She ran the company while I was off gallivanting about raising funds." Looking at his wife and smiling he said, "I don't know what I would do without her."

The smile she gave him back was pleasant but forced. It was the fake type of smile you give someone when you're pissed and you don't want them to know it.

"Ken, I see a few people over there I want you to meet. Maybe you can sweet-talk them into giving a few extra dollars. It was nice meeting the two of you," Connie said pulling away her husband.

The only thing I knew about him, was that he had money and was one to let everyone know it. I think pompous and presumptuous would be good words to describe Ken. But I knew Connie very well. She came from old money and was tough as nails. She was a great negotiator and a worthy adversary to her competition. She was more than qualified to run the business while her husband was off fund raising and having fun; but it looked like she wasn't too happy about it. "That is one person I wouldn't want to cross," I thought to myself.

The dinner was good and the speeches too long as usual. Everyone was thanked for their help especially Ken and Shelia. After dinner the music started and my dad cringed. My mom sweet-talked him into dancing and I was more than willing to get my lovely wife into my arms.

I wasn't initially upset when Ken asked Shelia to dance. Although there wasn't any funny business on the floor, I was uneasy with the way he held her, talked to her and laughed with her as they moved to the music. That was the one and only dance Ken would be getting with my wife that evening.

When the auction started everyone got into the swing of things as this or that item was auctioned off at twice their value knowing it was for a good cause. When the big items came up the bids weren't so free in coming. We all knew money was tight everywhere. I'd bought two medium priced items and that was all I was going to do until Shelia asked if I'd bet on the weekend trip to the wine country.

"Please hon, do it for me will you?" How could I refuse?

The bidding went nuts and it looked like Ken wanted it pretty badly for some reason. When I made my final bid Ken immediately bid a thousand dollars higher and since there were no other bidders he won. When he walked up to get his prize he said he'd done it to take his wife there for her birthday. Everyone clapped and awed at such a nice gesture but his wife didn't. She just sat and sipped on her glass of wine. "I thinks there's trouble in paradise," I said to myself.

"Steve, we should have won that trip," Shelia said pouting.

"Hon, for what he paid for it, we could go for a week instead of three days,"

"Steve, he did it for his wife, what a romantic gesture."

"If you want romance just wait until I get you home, my love."

"That's sex not romance."

"All right, I'll buy you flowers on the way home, how about that?" She just gave me the look that it wasn't going to be enough. That's how it all started.

They say a cockroach can get into a one sixty-fourth of an inch gap by just wiggling in. To me that's what Ken was, and now I only wished I'd stepped on him when I had the chance. However, life went on. I worked, Shelia still did her charity work and the three of us were one big happy family until May twenty-first.

It was late and I was mulling over some papers when I looked up at the clock. Seven o'clock, I had to get out of there. I turned off my light and walked down the hall to my mom's office. She was sitting there with her head resting on her desk.

"I don't pay my employees to sleep on the job even if they did birth me," I said with a loud laugh, but she didn't move. "Mom, wake up, dad is going to have my ass if I don't get you out of here." I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder; it was cold, stone cold.

When they finally got there, the paramedics couldn't revive her, she was already gone. They said it looked like a heart attack but they couldn't be sure until all the tests were done. Everything for the next twenty-four hours moved in slow motion. I heard voices but they were somewhere far away and I just ignored them. I guess there was a lot of crying and people telling me how sorry they were but nothing registered. It was my mom, the one staple that had always been in my life.

"Steve, honey, is there anything I can do for you? Sweetheart?" my wife asked more than once but there really wasn't anything anyone could do short of bringing my mother back.

My daughter cried and I held her until she stopped. And then I started, but mine never stopped; at least not on the inside. A piece of me died that day and I didn't know how big a piece until months later.

Carl and the other managers stepped up and covered for dad and I. Dad knew mom was sick but they'd both agreed not to say a word to anyone, including me. All the arrangements had been made in advance so nothing had to be done. I didn't eat, I didn't drink and every once in a while I forced myself to breath.

I don't remember much of the funeral. I know physically I was there, but only physically. It was well attended and I'm told she got a beautiful write up in the paper but I never read it. My mom was gone and she didn't take me with her this time.

Dad had always been the one to keep me in line but mom did everything else. She filled my emotional needs growing up and taught me to be the person I'd become. Through her eyes I saw the world as something I could conquer and when Linda was born we became even closer if that were possible. When she died I got lost, I felt empty inside; I think I also died for a while.

Dad and Shelia got me the help I needed. Through counseling and a lot of medication I started to rejoin the ranks of the living; but it had taken almost five months. I functioned at work and if you didn't know any better you'd swear there was nothing wrong with me, that is until I left the solitude of my lab.

I guess it was especially hard on Shelia and Linda. They couldn't get through to me and although they tried, I never responded. Did Shelia and I make love? Well I'm sure we had sex but it must not have been very good because I could tell she was frustrated with me more often than not. When I started to come back around the one thing I did notice, was that she no longer wore her glasses; she'd gotten lasik sometime over the last couple of months. Life was going on without me.

Carl was a Godsend and one day I called him in and told him so. He asked if there was anything else he could do for me and I told him he'd done more than I could have ever asked. Dad went back to work with a vengeance the week after the funeral. More than once Carl had to tell him to go home or he'd physically remove him from his office. Between the two of them the business grew while I tried to get my head around the fact that my mom was no longer with us.

It was just over six months after the funeral that I got my first realization that something was wrong.

"Steve I'm going out to a fund raiser tonight, I should be back before midnight," Shelia said getting dressed.

"Don't you want me to come with you?" I asked.

"I don't need a zombie for a date. Take your meds and I'll see you when I get back." That was brutal I thought. "Do you want me to at least drive you?"

"Won't be necessary, Ken is picking me up," she said putting on her earrings. I guess the look I gave her said it all. "What? What's with that look you're giving me? It's a fundraiser not a date." With that I walked over to my bottles of medications, opened them and dumped the contents in the toilet. "Steve, what are you doing?"

"Something that should have been done months ago. Now, give me twenty minutes to get dressed. You go call Mr. Ken and tell him I will be escorting my own wife to the dinner." I was glaring at her, and she knew she'd better than to say anything right now.

It was a big crowd and everyone still said how sorry they were for my loss. I thanked them but immediately changed the subject. When I saw the cockroach I readied my heel.

"Steve, you're looking well. How are you doing?"

"Never better Ken," I said out loud while scowling at him in disgust on the inside. I guess he got the message anyway because he excused himself and moved away.

"That wasn't too friendly," Shelia whispered to me.

"I have no reason to be friendly to him," was all I said.

After dinner, when the music started I asked Shelia if she wanted to dance.

"You up to it?" she asked.

"I'm not dead yet," I replied smiling. So we danced for the next half hour. It felt good to have her in my arms again, and then it happened.

"Hey old man, can I have this dance with your lovely wife?" Ken asked already reaching for her.

"No."

I surmised by the surprised look on his face he wasn't use to being told no; it took Shelia by surprise too.

"Steve, it's just one dance," Shelia implored looking at me.

"What is it about no don't you understand? Ok, let me say it again more slowly so you can fully understand what I'm saying. No, you are not going to dance with my wife now or ever again. Now, do you understand it or do I have to write it down for you?" I said looking him right in the eye.

"No problem," he said skulking away.

"Steve, that was rude."

"Shelia, did you want to dance with him instead of me?"

"Of course not, why would you ask such a thing?"

"Because just the way you looked at me when I basically told him to go to hell, that's all." My mind started to imagine a whole lot of things after that night. Did we make love that night when we got home? No, she complained that she had a bit of a headache. The following morning I left long before Shelia woke up. I was the first one in.

"Morning boss,' Carl said coming in, dropping his stuff down and started making a pot of coffee. "You look good, how are you feeling?"

"Like I could chew the asshole out of a dead dog so please don't fuck with me this morning," I growled at him without a smile.

"Well, it looks like we've got the old Steve back; maybe we'll be able to catch up for a change."

For the next two days I never went home. I slept in my office, showered and since I had a couple changes of clothes there all I needed was a little food. I had already turned off my cell phone, unplugged my office phone and told everyone to leave me the hell alone. I checked and rechecked the last months test results and found that too many things were falling between the cracks; I called a meeting.

"Look guys, if you still want to be here Monday, I highly suggest you get your heads out of your asses and do your job or I'll find someone who will. This is my one and only warning, next time I'll be cutting severance checks. Do I make myself clear?"

There were a lot of nods, some scared looks and a few pissed off people, but everyone got the message. When Shelia came in just before five, Carl warned her not to go into my office.

"I don't know what the hell happened between the two of you, but if I were you I wouldn't go in there."

"He doesn't scare me," was her reply.

"Well, it's your funeral?" he turned away.

When she walked in I never looked up. I knew who it was but I wasn't about to play her games today.

"Steve," she said once before saying it louder the second time. "Steve!"

I looked up and my eyes said it all.

"You coming home for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"That's a good question. Define home."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's an easy question Shelia. Define home and why in the hell should I go there?"

"All right, I'll play your stupid ass games. Home is where we all live and where you're supposed to come to eat and sleep every night," she answered sarcastically.