A Literary Connection Ch. 02

This continues to be a slow burn with no actual sex, but if well-received the next installments will turn up the heat significantly.

I woke early despite not having set the alarm. Throwing on the same clothes I had worn for my date with Jessica the prior night, I headed to the kitchen, popped a pod in the single-serve coffee maker and poured myself a bowl of cereal. Adding blueberries and almond milk, I took both cereal and coffee to the table and ate breakfast while reviewing the news on my iPad.

Once I'd finished I washed the bowl, spoon and mug I'd used, dried them and put them away. Next I grabbed a duster and quickly dusted the entire cabin. I followed this with a quick vacuuming of the Persian rugs in the living and dining areas as well as the braided rugs in the hall, bedroom, and bath. All this took only about 25 minutes - benefit of living in a cabin consisting of only six rooms, counting the two baths.

A few minutes later my phone pinged: "On my way. CU soon!" Jessica had sent.

Without knowing just what area of Claymore she lives in I could only estimate arrival time. It would likely be somewhere between 25-35 minutes before she arrives so I put a baguette dough I'd thawed the night before into a preheated oven to bake. I still had plenty of time to touch up my bald head with the electric head shaver and then eliminate my five o'clock shadow. Being bearded means I only have to hack at the perimeter.

Finishing my tonsorial tasks, I hopped into the shower and cleaned up. Once dry, I selected my newest blue jeans and a black t, along with my maroon on cloud trainers. Returning to the living area (living, dining, and kitchen are just one larger, L-shaped open space) I asked Alexa to play smooth jazz from the satellite radio and adjusted the volume so it would be soft background noise.

I checked on the baguette and found it perfectly baked - brown, crusty exterior and soft interior. I pulled it out of the oven and wrapped it in a clean dish towel just as I spotted Jessica's car pulling to the top of my driveway and headed out to greet her.

"I LOVE this, Trent! Nothing but trees and nature! I can't even see any neighbors! How much property do you have?" she asked.

"Thank you, I do enjoy it. Just a hair below 7 acres.

But you've jumped the gun. Don't I get a hug and kiss?" I mock pouted.

"Of course you do - as long as you reciprocate!" Upon saying this Jessica wrapped her arms around me as I did to her and we hugged and then kissed deeply. Once again I could feel her nipples harden and I'm sure she could feel the stiffening of my cock as she pressed her hips into me.

"This porch is fantastic! I can just imagine sitting in the rocking chairs with coffee in the morning and an adult beverage in the evening. Do you have deer?" she asked.

"Yes, along with rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and even black bears."

I escorted her to the front door and into the dining and living area.

"Something smells delicious!" she stated.

"I baked a baguette. Do you like seafood?" I asked her.

"Absolutely! What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm hoping to convince you to stay for dinner after we spend our day in town. I had prepped a Seafood Au Gratin for last night's dinner but stuck it in the fridge when you invited me out. I just have to finish it in the oven and reheat the baguette. I can also fix a small side salad if you like."

"All that sounds fantastic! So, you cook and bake? And despite your caution last night the cabin looks immaculate. How in the world are you single? I'll bet you even put the toilet seat down every time!"

I couldn't help but laugh, long and loud. She joined in until I finally got control of myself to reply, "Well, I only bake bread and sometimes pizza dough."

"Ah, that explains it. If you did cakes and cinnamon rolls women would be lined up outside your door! Lucky for me you don't!"

I made each of us a cup of coffee after we'd toured through the small cabin and we sat together on the sofa. We discussed our options for the day and settled on going into Clarkston, my closest town, and visiting both the classic car museum and the antique mall there.

"I love that idea, Trent. I really like classic cars although I have to admit I don't know much about them. I can pick out a Mustang and a Corvette but beyond that you'll probably have to tell me what they are."

"It will be my honor and pleasure, m'lady," I said with a tilt of my head and my arm mimicking a doff of my invisible hat.

Coffee finished and mugs put up we each headed to different bathrooms for one last visit before leaving. I opened the garage door behind the Mini, escorted Jessica to the garage, and opened the door for her. We chatted about some of the local features we passed on the way to town. In a burst of luck the bison at the local ranch were in a section of the pasture visible from the road. I pulled over and we got out so Jessica could get a good look and take some pictures.

"You'll notice there are two fences. The inner one uses telephone poles for posts and is over six feet tall. That's to keep the bison in. The outer, post and rail fence is only four feet tall. It's to keep the people out. Bison can be very aggressive, particularly when there are cows in heat and horny bulls around. Without the outer fence people would likely go right up to the bison fence and even stick their hands through, trying to pet them. That would result in a lot of tourists earning the nickname "Lefty".

Jessica laughed. "I love your sense of humor, Trent." Then she rewarded my wit with another great kiss.

Back in the car, Jessica said, "Last night you asked a personal question. That entitles me to ask you one in return, right? Truth and nothing but!"

"Absolutely, Jess. Ask away."

"Does your cock always get hard when you kiss a woman?" she said with a smirk.

"Only when I'm kissing a drop dead sexy woman I'm wildly attracted to," I deadpanned.

"Good answer!"

We spent the balance of the morning touring the classic car museum and then I asked, "What do you feel like having for lunch? There's a great little pub on the square that has good burgers, another spot near there with great pizza, and a place the next town over that does subs very well."

"Pizza is a favorite of mine but would that be too much for lunch? I don't want to spoil my appetite for your dinner!"

"We can order a personal size pizza and a large salad and split them both between us," I suggested.

"Perfect! Pizza it is. But no anchovies or pineapple, please!"

"Not a problem," I chuckled, "I'm a pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, black olive guy."

"I like all those as well as onions and bell pepper," Jessica explained.

"Okay, we'll decide when we get there."

"But Trent, since you paid for dinner last night and are cooking for me tonight I insist on paying for our lunch. Please tell me you're not the macho male type who can't stand to have a woman pay for a meal!"

Chuckling again, i replied, "Nope. I'm secure enough in my manhood not to worry about foolish little things. If we continue to see one another, and I sincerely hope we will, I think we both have to feel comfortable contributing financially commensurate with our incomes."

"Well, I'm not rich but I am comfortable. In addition to Social Security at a very nice level, I have a nice IRA nest egg."

"I'm lucky enough to have two pensions as well as Social Security. And I have to take a RMD from an IRA I inherited from Mom. I'm glad they pushed back the age for RMDs so I don't have to start taking those on my IRAs until I turn 73," I explained.

"I agree. So far I've not had a need to dip into my IRA so I just let my financial guy manage it and he's doing a great job," she said.

"Same here. And here we are," I said, pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant. I directed Jessica up the stairs as parking is behind, and below the restaurant. We went through the back door and then through the main dining floor until we reached the hostess station.

"Table for two, please," I told the hostess.

"Certainly," she said as she grabbed two menus from the stack on the counter. "Please follow me.

Will this be acceptable?" she asked after stopping at a table in the far corner. It occurred to me that she had recognized that we were on a date and had selected the most private table in the restaurant.

"Perfect," I said, "Thank you." I then stepped behind one of the two chairs and pulled it out for Jessica.

"Such a gentleman!" she gushed.

"A lady deserves a gentleman," I replied.

We each took a menu and looked over the pizza section. We settled on pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper. Next we reviewed and discussed the various salads and decided on a Greek salad. I gave our order to the waitress when she arrived and added "One check, and the lady will take it, please." Jessica laughed.

Having explained our sharing plan to her, the waitress served both the salad and the pizza at the same time and brought an extra plate for each. We immediately dug in, and Jessica exclaimed "This IS a great crust!"

Once we finished and Jessica had paid, we headed out the same way we came in, which took us past both rest rooms. Jessica indicated she wanted to stop in the Ladies' so I took advantage of the opportunity to use the Men's. Back out in the parking lot, I clicked the fob to unlock the Mini then held the door for Jessica.

We headed to the local antique mall, which is housed in a former textile mill, so it's huge. We made one complete circuit, up one aisle then down the next, until we'd at least passed by every booth even if we hadn't fully examined each of them. Overall, we spent about two hours there but neither of us purchased anything.

We drove back to my cabin with a short stop at the liquor store for some gin and tonic to make Jessica's favorite cocktail. Once home and inside I fixed drinks for each of us while she used the bathroom. We took our drinks outside and each claimed a rocking chair on the front porch. Having chatted throughout the day we both fell silent, listening to the birds and sounds of nature.

Ten minutes later, Jessica said, "Only couples who are truly comfortable with each other can sit quietly. Remarkable considering our first contact was by message less than 36 hours ago!"

I smiled at her and was about to reply when I spotted motion in the trees across the circular driveway from us. Holding up my hand, I whispered "Shhh!" and then pointed.

First one, then two, and finally three does emerged, cautiously. They each began to graze on the wild plants growing along the side of my drive. Jessica and I had both stopped rocking and strove to remain as motionless as possible to keep the deer from seeing us and spooking.

We were able to stay unnoticed for about five minutes then the largest and presumably oldest of the three suddenly raised her head and looked right at us. I knew she'd seen us so I raised my drink to my lips and that's all it took for her to dash off down the hill, followed closely by the other two.

"That was incredible, Trent! Do you see them often?"

"Probably about once a week if you count seeing them on the road when driving. You have to be very attentive around here, particularly early in the morning and late in the afternoon when they are most active. Constantly scan the sides of the road because if they dash out in front of you, you will very likely hit them. Usually fatal for the deer and expensive for you and your insurance company," I replied.

Nature show and drinks both finished, we moved back into the cabin where I pulled the au gratin out of the fridge and put it into the oven. "About 30 minutes until dinner. Do you want a salad along with the seafood?" I asked Jessica.

"Normally I would but that was a huge salad we had for lunch. Even splitting it as we did I think we both met our veggie goal for the day!" she answered. "Do you watch tv, Trent? And if so, what do you watch?"

"I do but I don't have satellite or cable, so no national networks. I have an internet service that carries a lot of the DIY, cooking, and car show reruns I like and I have max and Prime video plus Peacock and several lesser known free tv show and movie services. Right now I'm working my way through a HBO series called True Blood and the 90's network show Northern Exposure."

"I love both of those! I've seen all of True Blood and probably saw all of Northern Exposure back in the day but that was thirty years ago! Could we watch a few episodes? Today was a great day but lots of walking so I could do with some downtime while we wait for dinner," she said.

"You've got it," I replied as I grabbed the remote control while also saying "Alexa, stop" to end the music she was playing in the background. Once the tv came on I selected Prime and then on the Continue Watching section Northern Exposure.

The timer chirped at me and I got up and checked on the au gratin. Nearly finished, I put the baguette into the oven to warm while the seafood finished and then set the table. "Wine or another cocktail with dinner, or something else?"

"I think just water, if that's okay with you."

"Absolutely," I answered and filled two large tumblers with ice and tap water. As I did the timer chirped again and I shut off the oven and, using potholders, pulled out the seafood and bread. I sliced several pieces off the bread, put them on a plate, and took it to the table. I had made the au gratin in two small baking dishes as they were originally intended to be two separate meals for me. That way I could eat one and freeze the other for future use. I placed each on a dinner plate and called Jessica to the table, saying, "Be careful - the baking dish is hot!"

We ate dinner while enjoying the ridiculousness of Northern Exposure. Afterward I rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher. "What time do you need to leave for home?" I asked Jessica.

"Ummm," she stammered, "I have a confession to make. In an optimistic wish I packed an overnight bag. it's in my car. Too much? Too fast?"

"Wow, I'm flattered! Was sex part of your intentions?"

"Most definitely! Assuming you're interested, that is."

"Jessica, I've thought of almost nothing else since dinner last night. The way you kissed me in the parking lot hinted at a very sensual, sensuous woman who, I expect, is fantastic in bed. I can't wait to explore that with you.

Just one thing. I'm a stickler for STI testing before intimacy. I have current test results I can show you so you know I'm fine. I'd like for you to get tested just to be safe."

Jessica giggled and said, "I also have a current, clean bill of health. My last relationship ended five years ago. Last year he reached out to tell me that he tested positive for herpes and chlamydia so I got tested but he must have gotten them after we broke up. Here," she said, going to her purse then handing me a piece of paper, "see for yourself."

I scanned her results which were all negative and then went up into my loft office and retrieved my last results. Returning downstairs I handed them to her and watched as she read and smiled. "I'll be right back," she said and headed outside to her car.

Back inside, Jessica asked, "May I use the primary bathroom to freshen up and brush my teeth. Then I want to change into something more comfortable. But no peeking, mister!"

I turned off the television and restarted the jazz on Alexa while I waited for her to reappear. Then I shut off the ceiling lights and turned on one small table lamp. In a few agonizingly long minutes she opened the bedroom door, walked out to the hall and stopped.

I looked at her and my jaw dropped. Jessica was standing in my hallway clad only in a sheer blue baby doll and what appeared to be a skimpy thong. She smiled at the surprise on my face and then slowly turned completely around, pausing to allow me a long look at her amazing ass.

When I was in my 40s and 50s I assumed anyone, male or female, over the age of about 60 would be a wrinkled up, saggy bag of skin. If there was any truth to that, Jessica definitely dispelled the myth. No, she doesn't have the perfect, baby smooth skin of a 20 year old, but her exercise routing, diet, and probably genes kept her in outstanding shape. I swear if I took a photo of her naked ass and posted it online for people to guess not a single person would think her over 45. Many would likely guess 35.

Completing her turn, Jessica smiled at me and said,"Like what you see, hon?"