A Previously Unknown Talent

"So that's what you meant when you said you understood about losing a spouse and think that concentrating on your work is a good way to get past everything?"

"You remembered that? I'm impressed. Yeah, losing my husband because he walked out on me doesn't compare to your loss though. He was a bastard and I'm glad to be rid of him. Your wife was wonderful and would still be with you if it wasn't for some God-awful disease. We both lost someone we loved so in that way I understand your pain."

"Natalie, I want to say something and I hope you don't take the wrong way. It's just that I believe there are a lot of stupid people in this world and your ex-husband must be one of the stupidest. For any man to leave someone like you he has to be crazy. You're beautiful, you're smart, you're articulate and you have great taste in desserts. Why anybody would give that up is beyond me."

She just stared back at him and quietly said, "Thank you. I needed that."

They left the restaurant and walked slowly along the river walkway. For the longest time nobody said a word. As they passed an art gallery Harold suggested they go in. They spent the next hour in the gallery discussing art, music, philosophy, and life in general. They both came to the conclusion that their opinions and tastes were similar. Not the same exactly, but similar enough that they mostly liked and disliked the same things. They left and sat on a bench by the water and watched the sun set beside their hotel.

At the end of the pleasant evening they entered the hotel elevator and discovered that their rooms were on the same floor. Standing in the hallway Harold pointed to his room one way and Natalie pointed the other.

"Good night Harold. Thank you for a lovely dinner. I'll see you in class in the morning."

She leaned forward and lightly kissed his cheek before turning and walking away.

Harold stood and watched her walk down the hall and disappear around the corner. He touched his cheek where she kissed him and smiled before turning and walking to his own room.

Tuesday

At breakfast everybody looked fresh and ready for the day, all except for Bob that is. He looked like he hadn't had much sleep. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair was still damp from his shower, and he sat pushing his breakfast around the plate.

Harold asked the group, "So what did you do last night?"

Angel smiled. "I think I now understand what we were working on yesterday. It was around midnight that I had a breakthrough. I celebrated with some late room service and fell asleep with my books."

Bob realized that all eyes were on him and it was very silent. It must have been his turn to talk. "Man, that bar was awesome! It was a blast! The band wasn't to my liking, a bit too much rockabilly for me, but the booze was out of this world. I met this chick early on and we danced and drank and danced some more. I think it was about one o'clock that they closed everything down and kicked us out. We just went outside and sat under some trees and talked. She said she'd meet me there again tonight. She was beautiful, man. Long blond hair and long legs that went all the way up to... well, you know. She had these two enormous... yeah, well, you know about that too I guess. Anyway she was beautiful and if I'm lucky tonight I may get lucky. Did I say that she was beautiful? Well, she was. Not the same type of beautiful as you two lovely ladies but young and sexy and hot as hell. I can't wait for today's class to be over. Did I say that she was beautiful? Man, if..."

"Uh, Bob, may I interrupt for a minute?" Harold asked.

"Sure man. Go ahead."

"Bob, I know it's not going to be covered in the class this week but if you want to be considered management material you have to learn one very important thing. You've got to learn when to shut up. Now would be a good time to practice."

"Uh, okay, sure man. Thanks."

The two ladies smiled and kept on eating their food.

All day long everybody worked hard and concentrated on the traits that make a good IT manager. They did role playing and modeling and even some brainstorming on a particular problem having to do with mishandling of several projects by their development teams. Angel didn't look as awestruck as yesterday but she still absorbed the concepts at a slower pace than the others.

When class was over Bob disappeared first. Angel looked relieved but still a bit bewildered. She picked up her books and wished everybody a good evening and left.

"I guess it's just the two of us again tonight," Natalie said from behind.

Harold turned and faced her and said, "How about something light to eat and then take one of the riverboat cruises? Maybe we can go over to the Alamo too. I've never been there and want to see it before I leave."

"Okay, I'll meet you in the lobby in an hour. I want to take a shower first."

Once freshened up and outside they walked to where the riverboat tours started. For the next hour and a half they sat with other tourists in a little flatboat and toured the city's fanciest public park and recreation area. Afterwards they walked over to the Alamo and found they were too late: It closed at 5:30. So they walked back to the River Walk area and found a little Greek restaurant. They ate quite differently than the day before. Greek salads and Greek drinks were ordered. The aperitif was strong and two glasses had both of them acting quite silly. When they left they walked arm in arm, not because it was intimate but because they needed the other to help them walk steady. They found the same bench as the night before and sat to watch the sunset again.

"Natalie, do you have a boyfriend?" Harold inquired.

"No I don't. But why do you want to know?"

"Just curious. I can't believe that someone hasn't grabbed you up. You've got everything a man could want. You would make someone a wonderful wife."

"Well, I'm not sure if I want to get married. I've had one bad experience and don't want to be sucked into that whirlpool again. Once burned and all that. Besides, can't a woman be a good provider and a nurturing mother and a strong friend without having to be a wife? I don't believe I need a man to help me or protect me or make me a better person. I can do it all by myself."

"Don't you miss having a man around the house?"

"Miss picking up his dirty underwear? Miss watching him pick his teeth and listening to his loud belches after eating a meal I put my heart and soul into? Miss having him slobbering and pawing all over me in the middle of the night as he does what he laughingly calls 'making love?' Having him lie and cheat and steal from me and then go over to his girlfriend's to share her bed? I think not!"

"I mean, don't you miss love?"

"Love? Love?? I have love with my children and cats. I didn't have love when I was married, I had someone that slept in my bed and snored. I don't even know what love is anymore. I don't have to be married to have love and I don't need love if I'm going to be with someone I can't trust. Hah! Men are pigs!"

"Whoa, I'm sorry I asked. Why don't we just change the subject?"

"No, let's not change the subject! I can see that your old fashioned way of thinking about women only includes two things: marriage and sex. You want marriage to feel secure and have someone to show off to your buddies. And you want sex just to satisfy your primal urges. You don't care anything about how a woman feels. You won't even try to satisfy a woman. You just want to get on top, shoot your load, and then roll off and go to sleep. No, that's not for me. I don't want anything to do with a Neanderthal and his ways. I'm me and I'm happy being me."

After the last tirade the tension was palpable - quiet but palpable.

Natalie stood up, crossed her arms, and looked down angrily at Harold. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She briskly walked away.

Harold sat back on the bench and wondered what he did to stir up that hornet's nest. And he thought about what he could do to apologize. Slowly, he rose and walked back to the hotel.

Around ten o'clock he had an idea.

"Hello, room service? I'd like to order a large piece of German chocolate cake and a small bottle of white wine, a Riesling if you have it. Send it to Ms. Natalie Paredes' room. She's on the ninth floor, but I don't know the room number. And, could you please include a note with it for me. I want it to simply say, I'm sorry. And sign it The Old Pig. Just put it on my room tab. Thanks."

Satisfied that he either made things better or he made things worse, he turned on the television and watched the news.

As the news was ending a knock came at his door. He looked through the little peep hole and saw a waitress with a tray standing there. But when he opened the door it was no waitress.

"Hi," said Natalie. "I feel so ashamed of myself. I was way out of line earlier. I think it may have been that ouzo we were drinking. I'm here with a peace offering. Would you like to share my cake and wine with me? Please?"

A big smile came to his face and with a flourish of his hand he beckoned the red faced woman in.

As she set the tray on the table and began struggling with the wine, Harold sat at the little table and started his own apology. "I have to apologize too. I haven't had the pleasure of the company of any woman, let alone someone as beautiful as you, for a very long time. I'm afraid my communications skills are a bit rusty."

She sat down across from him and poured the wine. "That's the second time you've called me beautiful. I like hearing it. Do you really think so?"

He moved his chair around next to hers and looked deeply into her eyes. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life. There aren't enough adjectives in the English language to describe what I see, but the word beautiful is the best I've got. Simple, precise, and one-hundred percent correct. You are beautiful."

She blushed. They shared the slab of cake. They drank their wine. Nothing was said for a long time.

With the last bite Harold looked over at the beauty sitting beside him. He reached over and took a napkin from the tray and wrapped it around his finger. With the tip of the white cloth he wiped the last remaining morsel of chocolate cake from the side of her mouth and moved it to his own for a final taste. Then he did something he hadn't done for a very long time. He slowly leaned over and put his lips on hers; gently at first, but as the seconds went by more vigorously, until their mouths seemed to be joined as one. His tongue was the first to start the exploration of her mouth but was soon joined by hers. They kissed until they could feel the other's body heat and then they came up for air.

Natalie looked into his eyes and communicated her wishes without uttering a single word. She had just experienced the most passionate and erotic kiss of her life. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted more. So did he. Without a word Harold stood and took her hand in his. He pulled her up in front of him and put his arms around her waist. He gently pulled her body to his. They could feel the heat of their bodies again and their hearts beating in unison. They pressed their lips together again and allowed their tongues to explore the depths of each other. Natalie could now feel the strength of his passion pressing against her. She responded by pressing her hips harder into his feeling a stiffness in his lap that wasn't there moments before. A shudder ran down her spine.

When they broke their kiss minutes later Natalie felt weak all over. Her knees felt like they were on the verge of buckling but his strong arms around her body held her tightly against him. She laid her head on his chest and let out a sigh. They held each other tightly.

It was Natalie who moved first. She stepped back and took his hands in her own and led him across the room to the bed. She turned him around so that his back was to the bed and stepped forward into an embrace and kiss more passionate than the previous. This time their hands moved up and down their backs rubbing and caressing tenderly. With a gentle nudge she pushed his upper body over until the two lovers fell back onto the bed, their lips never parting.

When the kiss ended each scooted, squirmed and sidled onto the bed until they were completely prone, lying next to one another. Somewhere during all the twisting their shoes fell to the floor.

Harold pushed himself up onto one arm and looked down into Natalie's eyes. Her long black hair created a frame around her beautiful face and he intertwined the strands around his fingers. He leaned down and kissed her more deeply than before. One hand moved to stroke her stomach and slowly traced its way upward until it cupped her breast. A gentle squeeze caused a slight moan to come from her throat and into his mouth. The breast filling his hand was at the same time firm and hard as well as soft and malleable. With each caress she moaned. When their faces parted their eyes fixated on each other. He moved his hand between her breasts and started undoing the buttons of her blouse. When he unbuttoned the last his hand slid down between her legs and he pressed into the soft mound in between. That caused her to press her head backward into the bed and open her mouth to let an even louder moan escape.

When the moan was done she lifted her head up to his and hungrily forced her tongue deep into his mouth. He moved his hand up and pulled the fabric of her blouse to the sides and fingered the bra between her breasts, twisting and squeezing until the hook sprung open. With a single motion the fabric of her bra was moved aside exposing two of God's best creations. The smooth taut skin and hard nipple moved under his palm as he fondled each breast in turn. Moan after moan escaped from her throat into his as his palms kneaded the tender flesh and his fingers gently rolled the nipple between them. The pace was quickening. She was becoming more demanding. But Harold was in control. Everything that she wanted and needed he would give her in his own time. He was like a virtuoso playing her body like a Stradivarius violin.

After a couple twists of her shoulders and torso Harold removed the blouse and bra and tossed them onto the floor. He lowered his face to one breast and pulled an erect nipple deep into his mouth. Another moan filled the room. The pulling and sucking and licking occupied her mind as he slid a hand under the waist band of her pants and slowly slid down to the soft hairy mound between her legs. As his fingers explored the wet folds and his mouth pulled on her firm breast, Natalie writhed in delight under his masterful touch. When a single finger found its mark and slid deep inside her hot box a quiet gurgling sound accompanied the moan.

With both hands Natalie pushed his head up off her breast. She sat up part way and looked down to see one hand deep down into her pants. She grabbed the sides of her pants with both hands and pulled sharply downward, pulling them down to her knees exposing the one hand now pressed tightly between her thighs. After kicking the pants to the floor she thrust her legs apart as wide as she could to allow his hand free reign over all parts of her lower body. She collapsed back onto the bed pulling his face back to the nipple that she had just evicted him from.

Minutes seemed like hours as the sucking, caressing and intermittent kissing continued unabated. When he moved his mouth from the rock hard nipple and kissed her stomach below the breast her eyes shot wide open. She exhaled violently. He kissed lower. She mumbled and thrust her hands backward grabbing handfuls of the bedspread. He kissed lower again just above the strip of hair at the juncture of her legs. This time she growled "Oh God!" When his face moved to feel the heat between her legs he blew a gentle stream of cool air at the hot, swollen lips. She jerked in anticipation. When he moved forward and pressed his lips against hers she again exclaimed "Oh my God!" but louder this time. The kiss of her lips between her legs was as passionate and as lustful as the kiss of her lips on her face. When his tongue moved forward to find the little button nestled between the folds she moaned, jerked, and again cried out "OH MY GOD!"

The ministrations between Natalie's legs continued with full force for what seemed to her to be an eternity. She twisted, jumped, and cried out again and again until the built up pressure within her body exploded in a violent eruption of passion. She moaned and cried "GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH MY GOD! PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T STOP! PLEASE!!!"

The crashing orgasm continued until she couldn't endure the pain any longer. She grabbed the sides of his head and pulled his face from between her burning thighs. He looked up seeing her face all contorted, panting mightily, with sweat running down from between her breasts to pool at her belly. He smiled watching her exquisite agony.

The convulsions subsided as quickly as they came. Natalie fell back onto the bed with her arms and legs splayed out and mumbled incoherently. Harold took that opportunity to stand and remove his clothes. When naked he moved quietly from the foot of the bed, up between her legs and started kissing the hot, sweaty body of the supine beauty. The kisses started at her thighs and upward to her belly and to her breasts and finally to her throat. By the time his tongue was searching for hers his body covered every inch of her. As they kissed deeply and passionately the hard manhood down below was searching for a home between her legs. Smoothly and effortlessly his cock slid between the folds that only moments before wrapped around his tongue. Without even thinking Natalie wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled tightly impaling his cock as deeply as it could go.

"Ahhhhhhhh," emanated from her throat into his when she was completely penetrated. Time froze. Activity froze. The only movement was a pair of hidden tongues competing for supremacy. Slowly Harold withdrew from between her legs and when almost completely withdrawn drove back to the hilt sharply. He repeated the in out movement again, and again, and again. The repeated upward withdrawals and downward thrusts spawned a passionate rhythm of bodies lustily crashing against each other. Each plunge generated a guttural sound from Natalie adding to the chorus of sounds coming from the bed. The slowly building crescendo of movement and noises built until neither could contain the built up energies within.

Natalie broke their kiss and turned to bite down on her lover's neck. Between her teeth she growled "Oh God! Please don't stop! Please don't... Harder... Please! OH GOD... PLEASE..." And then there was absolute silence as her eyes went wide looking toward the ceiling, her mouth wide in a silent scream, and her whole body tensed on the verge of a mighty explosion.

She let out a primal scream into Harold's shoulder. "OHHHH MYYYYY GODDDD!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Harold never slowed his pace. He kept thrusting deep inside and withdrawing completely before another deep thrust. Natalie's mind was gone, she existed in a maelstrom of sights and sounds as the man above her brought her to one orgasm after another, each better than before. Time didn't exist. The only thing that did was each glorious explosion in her body.

With one single deep thrust between Natalie's thighs, Harold lifted his head and emitted his own moan of orgasmic delight. He halted all hip movements and pressed her body hard into the mattress with his hips. For a time both bodies were frozen like statues, melted together in a mass of intertwined arms and legs. The only movement was the rising steam from the spent, sweaty bodies. The only sounds were two hearts rapidly beating in unison.

In an indeterminate amount of time Harold came back to reality and looked down at the beauty passed out beneath him. He smiled at her face, seeing the true inner beauty and innocence she possessed when asleep. Slowly and with care he lifted his body from atop hers and moved to one side, leaving an arm and a leg draped over her. She never moved. Harold propped himself up on one arm to look at her. Her hair was all twisted and thrown over the bedspread. There was a pool of sweat in her concave belly. The hair between her legs was matted and covered with his semen. One foot quivered as she dreamt of the recent glorious orgasms. She was completely spent but she was absolutely the most beautiful woman in the world.