A Misanthrope and Artichokes

"N-no, i-it-t's a t-t-tor-r-toise, Pp-enny. H-h-his n-n-n-name i-is L-l-lump-p-py." Wilbert was fighting to watch her eyes, as her nipples had become hard through her shirt. The look on her face was new to him also, but it paled in comparison to her appearance in his soft interior lighting. He forced thoughts of turtles and tortoises through his mind, hoping his slowly growing penis would listen and act the part. Wilbert needed all his blood in his big head, he needed to stay conscious.

"Oh... right of course, duh," Penelope laughed at both herself, and the new name, as she bonked her own head with her palm. "Well hello there Mr. Lumpy, aren't you a cutey," she wiggled her finger at the large glass tank, towards the watching tortoise, as she now spoke. The sight of her fine behind, visible once again as she re-bent, slowed Wilbert's descent to the couch. Penelope turned and went to join him; she had busted him staring, again.

"It's ok. You can look all you want. I don't mind in the least, Billy. It's nice to have some kind attention for once." She sat close to him, but not touching, as each was now splitting one of the two seams of the three cushions on the couch.

He smiled and handed her a plate. There was already a few napkins, and some forks, on the table, brought with the tray. He did not take his hand away, though. He held his index finger out over the plate for a moment. When it was clear Penelope was watching the hand and finger, he moved it a short distance from his face, to point at his eyes. Then there were two fingers. He was silently saying "watch" as he reached for the specialty toast he had bought for a 'fresco' meal. Slowly he dipped the hardened bread into one of the minced substances, and set the combination onto his plate. He then grabbed a fork, scooped some of the artichokes from the can with the lid removed, and placed them onto the combination on his closer moved plate.

"A-al-l l a-at-t w-w-w-once," Wilbert said to her as she concentrated on his movements, she had the entire time he instructed her, amazed at his silent communication. He popped the crunchy, yet moist, concoction into his mouth, smiling and grabbing a cut slice of imported, and hardened, cheese. He closed his eyes as he chewed, clearly enjoying the flavor. After a few moments, he took a bit of a bite of the cheese, washing it down with some crafted beer, and opening his eyes to look at her.

"T-t-trust m-me, y-y-y-y-u, it's g-good." He was smiling at her attention, looking at the details of her expression. Wilbert's eyes went incredibly wide, and his brow furrowed with upturned eyebrows, when her sparkling irises went from blue to purple.

It was the first time Penelope Alvarez knew how she was going to live in her world. She would take joy beyond pleasure from the smallest of moments. She had just witnessed such a thing for the first time, and she knew that's how Wilbert had survived. Now she understood how he lived through the taunts, the stutters, the ridicule, and the hate.

"I've never had anything like this... but, I do trust you," Penelope said to him, though her face was now slightly wary. She went about the same routine as Wilbert, short of putting the cheese on her plate and grabbing a napkin beforehand. She clutched the napkin aside in the same hand she used for serving herself the whole time she moved around.

"G-g-good c-c-choic-se, b-b-by the w-way," Wilbert was pointing with his index finger, beer still in his hand, right at the main receiver to the stereo. "L-l-lllove th-th-this-s."

"Oh, Buffalo Springfield, yeah my dad used to listen to this all the time. He said he and my mom made me while it played. He listened to it when he missed her, and I missed it. It's been a long time since I have heard it... Long time..." Penelope looked far away and sad for a moment, her eyes turning blue again.

"Ok, here goes nothing!" She had shaken her head for clarity before she spoke, popping the combination, the same as he had eaten, onto her tongue all at once after she had finished.

There was a flash mob in her mouth, and everyone was invited to the party. It was almost too much food for her to fit at first, causing her to breath deep in her nose when she began to chew. The attack of multiple, clearly separate, flavors mixing in her mouth made her 'mmm' continuously. Penelope had never known food was like this, the feeling and depth of taste compared to her beloved chocolate. She had always been a normal eater; gourmet was never on her mind.

It was then she remembered the cheese and the beer. The roof of the party was raised, and her palette could not have felt better if she were licking heaven.

"Oh Billy..." she whispered as if in his ear. Wilbert could only watch, in disbelief, as she smiled, never breaking eye contact, and tongued her own mouth while it was closed.

There is a point where the little head will win. His manhood leapt in his pants, it had just intercepted and run for the touchdown. The game was on at the sight of the Juliet before him. For the first time, Wilbert was having a date, and it was the best date of his life.

The food sex they were having continued throughout as they munched away to smiles and intermittent conversation. It was the first time in his life that he thought he might be able to sleep with a woman, let alone his Juliet; Penelope's nipples were pointing the way.

***

"Y-y-you s-said u-u-u-used-used to... Y-y-your d-dad-d, d-did h-he d-d-die?" His head was bobbing front to back in time with the syllables, as usual. The tray still sat on the table, both new beers opened by Penelope. The couple had eaten their fill, relaxation abounding; now sipping away, each leaning on an arm of the couch, facing each other. They had been almost touching throughout the big little meal, short of when Wilbert went to flip the vinyl, or change to the other record of the set.

He spoke after arriving at the couch only moments ago, he lounged with his right knee past the center line of the couch, short-sock covered foot dangling in the air. The other sole rested on the floor. Penelope had been sitting the same way, but moved to sit on her left leg after he asked about her father, inadvertently about her family. She pulled into herself, but only a little.

"No. No he's still alive. He, uh, just sort of, just stopped talking to me. I kind of, well, got, uh, exiled from my family..." She had the sad look once again, still just as beautiful.

"'C-c-c-cause of-v..." Wilbert stopped, he had caught himself late though. His intention was to just avoid this. He felt unintelligent and embarrassed again. "Way to blow it, dumb-dumb," he thought to himself, the look on his face now as hers.

"The rumor... Yeah, everybody knows..." the couple sat in silence for a long while, Wilbert avoiding her soft gaze of study. Penelope could tell he didn't want to talk about this, probably more so than she. Penelope decided to bring it out, to put it in the open for the first time with another person. Before she could, Wilbert beat her to the punch.

"Ii-it c-c-can-n't-can't b-be a-all t-true a-anyw-way. Y-Y-Your n-not l-l-lik-ke th-that, a-an-and i-i-itw- w-wou-wouldn-n't m-mmat-tt-ter a-a-an-ny-w-w-w-ay." Wilbert looked as if he wanted to throw up. He should not have eaten so much, but with little choice, he took beer as an antacid. He had not expected all of this, he was hoping against this talk. He survived though, quietly holding back a burp with his fist.

"How would you know?" Penelope knew she should be offended for his judging and assumptions. She almost was as the reflex phrasing came out. "Who is he to think he knows who I am?" flashed in her thoughts. The look on his face though, he was watching her now, was almost pleading.

His eyes were the saddest thing she had ever seen, puppy dogged for her. For a moment, she could believe the rumor was about his actions instead of her own, pure empathy bringing her to a sniffle. She stayed calm despite her genetic fury.

"Did you see it? The video...? A lot of people have... everybody I think." Penelope moved her leg to touch his as she spoke. His skin to her skin was hot, fire and burning, the room felt smaller. All of it was more comforting than anything else, Penelope never cried even though she wanted to. She had always been a strong person, but his muscles flexing slightly and staying to her touch, and his perfect natural loving reaction, were making her tingle in reception.

This is how she used to live, how she used to feel. This is what a man was supposed to feel like - and she cursed her self for never noticing. Wilbert nodded his head 'no' in reply to her questioning statement.

Wilbert leant forward, seeing Penelope was not angry, and brought his shoulders tight and square. He made a few angled punching moves into the air between Penelope and himself before he started speaking. He moved like a professional fighter, two punches flew faster than even they usually muster.

"F-f-f-frist-t t-t-time, o-o-only t-t-time I-i e-ever h-h-hita g-gguy, i-i-in," he paused.

"E-eng-gi-n-nneering," he panted heavily, and then continued on.

"T-t-trie-ied t-ta g-g-giv-ve m-me a c-c-copy. C-c-callLed y-y-you," Wilbert switched to a mock tough guy voice as he leant back on the arm of the couch and continued, " 'You S-s-should-d- dasee t-t-t-his b-b-bitch.' " His head and shoulders bobbed left to right together, for the first time she had noticed, while he moved with the parroted syllables. It made her smile, clear and cute both ways from either.

"You did that? For me?" Wilbert nodded a few times slowly in reply to Penelope's questions, 'yes' this time, showing confidently that he was proud of himself.

"Oh Billy... Well thank you, that was nice. When was that? You didn't get in trouble did you?"

He was shaking his head 'no' as he tried to speak: "H-h-he-h-h, i-i-it-itw-w-was-w-" The moment he stopped shaking his head, he scrunched his face, almost angry, but more than frustrated at himself and his impediment. He instead chose to point off in the distance a few times before putting his hands in his lap, saddened. His brain continually screamed "fuck" at itself, very loudly in an internal voice.

Penelope moved forward and placed a hand on his chin, pulling to look him in the eye before she put the hand on his in his lap.

"Good. He's an asshole. Your right, it's not true, I'm glad you felt that way about it. You are probably the only one..." Penelope was smiling at him for the pause before she straight-faced and spoke again.

"They uh, it was legitimate, you know, a contract, but, uh, it was supposed to be, like, normal one on one. It was just for money, and it was... We were dating, ya know? But then, he drugged me, on this break, like in the water bottle? I should have known better cause it was open, but I was having fun... and then, the... Well the other guys... and no lawyers would take it..."

Penelope was far-off, but not sad, and not speaking in complete thoughts. It felt nice to just get it out what she could and not be judged wrongly.

Wilbert made a hand sandwich and patted the top of hers on his own. Just looking at her and blinking, like he understood. He just watched and listened. The silence was left for a few seconds before he spoke.

"S-s-swim-m-ming aw-aw-always m-m-makesm m-me f-feelL b-b-better. D-d-doit aw-all lth-the t-t-time. Aw-aw-always-e e-eig-ghty d-d-degr-grees, h-h-heat-heated." He was stating it as best he could verbally, but his face was asking a question with its eyebrows up and his green eyes wide. The slight frown, pouted lower lip, and directional head jerk at the end only emphasized his statement.

"Ok, but, Billy," Penelope pointed at him with her free had, index finger out, a comically serious look was strewn across her face. "I'm not getting naked." She continued to point until he reacted.

The sound of laughter flowed to her ears again, and she closed her eyes to burn it into her brain. She hummed to herself in a high pitch, crowding her shoulders and knees together in pleasure as she reveled in the sensation. Somehow they both were barely touching the other's entire side, and they were both on the center cushion. Wilbert stood up, holding her hand to guide her off of the couch.

When Penelope stood and looked at Wilbert, he Groucho'd and shrugged his shoulders. "Y-You-your c-c-call." With that he led the way, both with thoughts of the body on the mind.

***

"Oh my... Billy... It's glorious. I haven't swam in like, two years, last summer or this one, yet." Penelope had just tested the water from the middle of the pool with her bare foot, as the motorized cover finished its run.

"G-g-glad I-i c-c-could h-hhelp," he said as he stood next to the outside switch panel on the side of his workshop. "Y-y-you a-ar-are g-g-g-on-nn-na l-l-l... l-LL-l, w-w-watch..." He had scrunched up his eyes toward the end of the statement, but flicked various light switches on and off. The well lit yard now had soft blue lighting in the flower beds, making everything black and white. The main lights were off, and the pool was glowing a soft blue that seemed to stop at the water's surface.

"Wow... It's beautiful... ...electricity, huh?" Penelope, enthralled and looking around, noted as he nodded his head in reply, just before taking his shirt off. He had thrown his wallet and keys by her phone on the counter in the slim kitchen. Both of their pairs of white cotton socks had been left on the floor by the door. The feeling of her bare feet on the concrete around the pool reminded Penelope of a nail file compared to the grass in the yard; the grass felt like cotton. She moved to one of the inlaid slate stones at an end of the pool.

Wilbert had been observing the porch light as the only light in the Evan's yard, the only other house for a great distance while he stopped removing his shirt; thought had stopped his physical actions. The back yard was separated from most of the other houses as his parents had owned the empty lot next door. Now though, he was watching her stare at his shirtless chest and abs as he held the shirt on his forearms. She was jaw dropped and viewing unrestrained, causing Wilbert became immensely confused and nervous.

"W-w-what?" was all he could muster.

"Look at you... Oh, Billy... My-my you are grown up... Aren't you?" she said as he tossed his shirt to the grass while chuckling timidly. His pants had been slung low, but his shirt had hid that well. He did not have a belt on, and the very edges of his hips were peaking from the waistline.

As he turned and dove into the water, embarrassed at the compliment - but smiling nonetheless - the dimples on his back were exposed with dots on his ribs as he struck the pose for a second before motion. His diving form was flawless in cargo shorts ending at his knees, like watching an Olympian play.

Penelope gawked at where he had been until he came out of the water. She then turned to his treading form, and closed her mouth. He looked fit at the store, and in the kitchen or during dinner, but he was build different from the workout freaks she had known. He was a swimmer, long and lean from a lifetime, making the water look effortless. He did not have underwear under his shorts, she could not believe that, or his flawless tan skin. He looked like model, better than most models, all beauty to spite his non-physical flaws.

He was her perfect man, he had been there all her life and she never knew it. Penelope had been looking too hard for other things. She felt like herself again just from being around him now. She decided to put on a show, he was watching, treading, waiting. She decided to apologize as she undressed, hoping he wouldn't faint in the water.

Wilbert deserved a good show for his loving kindness. "I'm really sorry for never talking to you, Billy. I see now what I've been missing," her belt hit the grass.

"I don't know what I was thinking. I should have come to you. I know, now, that you were trying to tell me. I just wasn't listening," her over sized green shirt hit the grass, near her belt.

Wilbert's mouth hung open as he walked towards her and the shallow end where she had moved, stopping mid-abs in the water at the sight of her breasts. They were magnificent, easily an oversized C, jammed into a plain white, small C brassiere. Her dark, but small nipples were visible through the cups barely sheer material thanks to the lighting.

"I just feel so terrible," Penelope had her hands in her hair, grabbing handfuls of it in the sexiest way she could, slightly twisting her body and bending her knees. When she removed the fingers, they came along with a hair-band on her wrist as the locks spilled free, and flowing. It was like raining silk, and blacker than night, with a reflection on the sheen that made it glow with her skin.

"Do you think you can ever forgive me, Billy Powers?" She was fooling with the button and zipper of her shorts as she spoke with the sexiest uncaring mock face she could play.

Out of the blue, the lighting that is, the almost too short shorts unclasped, and unzipped, while she slid them down to her feet, past her bent knees, and onto the soft dark red of one of the slate pads cast into the concrete randomly around the slim patio of the pool. Those pieces of slate now appeared black from the light of the gardens and water, while Penelope's skin appeared light gray; both contrasting her glowing white thong and bra.

Wilbert could see the darker wet spot at the crotch of her panties, along with the finger of her right hand playing with the string for a waistband and the split of her rounded full lips molded by the fabric.

Penelope was falsely, sexily, chewing at the nail of the other hand's index finger. She was watching him react, loving the sensations his eyes produced.

"Do you Billy? Do you think you can forgive me? I know you've been waiting." Penelope's tongue came out and touched the index finger on her bottom lip, but only for an instant, teasing.

Wilbert could only let out a groan. This was something he could not have imagined, something to destroy fantasy. He felt like he was losing it. His footing wavered, but only for a second. He didn't faint, instead, he fought. He scrunched up his face as hard as he could, and shook his head vigorously for a second or two. Instead of being tired, like he should be from two days of desk naps, the shake brought him his second wind. He was suddenly coursing with energy that he did not know was sexual. Wilbert was still a virgin at twenty-five years of age.

When he opened his eyes, Penelope had not moved from place, she only smiled, one leg bent and crossed over the other. Her hands were still on string, and mouth, as she slowly moved her body side to side the way only the Latin woman and women enamored can. The zipper of the cargo shorts began to pinch his full erection. He was forced to adjust it to the side in full view of his Juliet.

"Good, thank you, Billy. Thanks for dinner and the lovely evening as well. It could not have come at a better time." Wilbert returned her compliment with a smile, a smile not unlike her own, along with a nod to go with it. Penelope cannon-balled into the water in front of him, splashing Wilbert in the face as she hit, jumping as soon as she saw his answer.

They were very near each other, barely at the depth of treading water as he moved to where she surfaced. "Oh, you were so right! This is the best I've felt in forever." Penelope was slowly moving in circles around him, wiping the water and hair from her face, the tops of her breasts peeking the surface as she went around.

"I-i n-n-n-knewy-you-you you'd-d l-l-Like it," Wilbert replied as he slowly turned in place to follow her circle.

Penelope looked free to him, the way she did before the lies. He decided to answer a question - though well belated - from earlier at dinner. He knew he could, he knew they had forever. He took off his glasses as she approached the side his shirt was on, throwing them onto the clothing from the pool.