A Quick Fix

"Um, Mel?"

"Uh-huh?"

I gestured to myself, though she did not see.

"I'm covered in this," I told her. "I mean, I don't think you want me in here with these nasty clothes on."

I grimaced at my own words. Innocent as they may have been, I realized immediately how that must have sounded.

Melanie half turned toward me, eyeing my outfit.

"Well, no, I guess not," She said absently. "I made you a batch of these, though. Need someone other than myself to try them. See if they're alright."

I stood motionless, unsure of what she was talking about or of what I should even do.

After a few seconds Melanie turned to regard me again. She snickered and shook her head.

"Just take your coveralls off and let me throw them in the washer real quick," Melanie said. "Least I can do."

Before I could deny her offer, Mel was walking around the bar to join me. Why the sight of her stole my focus, I couldn't be sure. Melanie wasn't in pajamas or a sexy outfit. She wasn't coming to throw her body at me desperately. She wasn't much different than I'd seen her earlier. The woman stood before me with one hand on her huge hip and the other hand outstretched.

"C'mon, give 'em here," Melanie said.

My emotions crashed together hard. On one hand I was thrilled to do what she asked. But a silent dread was building as well.

I shook my head. "I should be going, Mel. I've got a job first thing in the morning, and I wouldn't want to-"

"Oh, please," She said. "It's not that late, and if you're working tomorrow you don't want to do it in a pair of cold muddy coveralls."

I balked. I had nothing for that. My mind raced trying to find another way out.

Melanie snapped the fingers of her outstretched hand.

"Tony, c'mon," She repeated. "I've got something in there I want you to try. Made extra."

As if under a spell, I began stepping out of the soaked coveralls and wadding them into a ball. When I reluctantly handed the heavy clothes over to Mel, she winced and looked me over.

"Might as well do that, too."

Melanie was motioning to my shirt. I was wearing two, and I knew she meant the denim shirt I wore over my tee. I glanced down realizing it was stained and wet as well.

I looked up at Mel, but something in her demeanor told me she wasn't taking no for an answer. Against every bit of my good senses, I unbuttoned the shirt and pulled it off. I set it in her hand as well.

Before I could say anything, Mel was already walking off toward a door on the opposite side of the room.

"Get yourself a glass of something from the fridge," She called back to me. "You'll probably need it."

For several seconds I stood frozen in disbelief. It wasn't as though I were naked. I still had on my t-shirt and jeans. Still, I felt strange. She'd done that dozens of times before, but that'd been years ago when I was still in school. I shook away the thoughts and bent to cuff the leggings of my jeans. The ends were filthy. As I did so, I grew warm thinking of how I might have reacted had she told me to give her my jeans as well.

Stepping into the kitchen, I noticed the cake sitting on the stove on a large platter. It must have been what I'd smelled earlier. The thing looked incredible. How the hell Melanie had whipped together such a professionally decorated double-decker in such a small amount of time was beyond me. Other snacks were set on the counter, amid a chaotic mess of icing containers and wrappers.

I spotted a tall dark bottle near the sink. My eyes darted across the kitchen until I found the half empty wine glass near the bar. It didn't surprise me, what with the day the woman had gone through already. But it made the awkward feeling I had worse. I comically pictured myself jerking my boots onto my feet and diving into the truck outside in retreat.

The sounds of running water from the next room stirred me from my thoughts. Melanie appeared a few seconds later. She stepped into the kitchen on bare feet and grinned at me.

"Well, you must have done a good job," Melanie said. "I've got water again."

I nodded. "Sounds like it. Might need to run a faucet, though. Probably still air in the lines."

Melanie's smile didn't fade, but she passed in front of me and made her way to the sink. I watched her. I couldn't help it. In the bright lights of the kitchen, I could see the shape of her huge backside when she walked. Both cheeks seemed to slide past one another in her slacks. Melanie turned her faucet on and fetched something from the counter.

She turned to me. Her eyes were fixed on mine as she stepped up close. The proximity intimidated me. One corner of her mouth seemed fixed in a peculiar smirk.

"Here. Try it."

I saw that she was holding something that looked like a large lollipop. It was a big white ball on a stick. I reached between us and took the treat from her hand. Our fingers barely touched. Melanie seemed unfazed. I studied the thing in my hand.

"Just put in all in your mouth," Melanie told me. "That's the only way to do it, honey."

Ignoring her gaze, I did as she said. I was surprised. The white ball slid easily from the stick and melted into my mouth. I tasted sweet flaky before buttery smooth cake exploded across my tongue. My eyes widened. I chewed, but didn't really need to.

"Holy... wow." I nodded to Melanie, unable to speak with my mouth full of cake.

Melanie smiled. "Like it?"

I swallowed. "Yes I do. Holy cow, Mel."

"They're cake pops," Melanie said. "I had a lot of extra mix, too much actually. So I whipped up some of those. I'm giving some to Megan, but these are ours."

Melanie motioned to a tray of styrofoam where more of the cake pops were sticking up neatly. The faucet behind her was sputtering, forcing the remain air out of the lines. She watched the small commotion while lifting her own cake pop to her lips. I couldn't help but stare. Her mouth opened and took the round treat into her lips, which sealed with ease around it.

I'd never truly studied Melanie this closely before. Subtle lines had crept across her features. Her eyes were only lightly shadowed. Nothing more was on her face. She wasn't a woman that caked on make up. The trivial action of chewing something drew my eyes to her lips. I wondered what they might feel like. No longer were they the smooth plush lips of a young woman.

Mel shut off the water and reached for her glass of wine. Trying to hide the fact that I was watching her, I fetched another cake pop from the tray. As she took a deep drink from her glass, I saw her arms. With her blazer gone, her arms were now bare up to her shoulders. I had no idea her arms of all things caught my eye. It had to be her skin. So many other girls I'd seen naked, and their shoulders or waist or feet I'd considered no more than that of a mannequin. They were all plain and uninteresting. The flesh of Melanie's arm was slightly thicker. Spots freckled her darker complexion. As odd as it seemed, her skin appeared seasoned and appetizing somehow.

"Is that a new one?"

I blinked. Melanie was pointing with her cake pop stick toward my arm. I looked down. She was referring to the tattoo on my right forearm.

"Uh, yeah I guess so," I said sheepishly.

I rubbed my arm as though that might wipe away the ink. I wasn't sure what Melanie thought of my tats. She hadn't brought them up until that exact moment. Once again I felt warm all over.

Melanie eyed me curiously as she chewed her cake. "That's not from prison is it?"

I smiled at her and rolled my eyes. "No, Mel. I paid a pro for that one. And I've been to jail, not prison."

The woman smirked at me. "I'm just teasing, Tony. You seem like you're pretty straight edge to me now."

I changed the subject quickly.

"What are the desserts for?" I asked.

Melanie stepped over to the counter, opened a cabinet near her knees and leaned down.

"One of Megan's friends is having a baby shower," Melanie answered. "She was impressed when I did her wedding cake, so now every event she or Megan plan, I wind up making this kind of stuff for them."

Melanie's short hair drifted down like dark curtains. She searched the cabinet for something. I couldn't stop myself. The red blouse she wore gaped open at the neck. Had she unbuttoned that? I couldn't be sure, but now I was able to peer inside her blouse. Mel was only a few feet from me. I was afforded a view of her breasts, cradled in a simple black bra. Mel was still talking as she reached into the cabinet and sorted through dishes there. As she searched, her every movement caused her flesh to wobble beneath her shirt. The sight of the bare flesh caused my insides to ache. It was the first time I'd even thought of Mel in that way, let alone basically seeing her breasts.

"...And sometimes I think Megan is using her friends to map out how she wants her own life to go," Melanie was saying. "If she ever makes it to marriage and kids, I imagine I'll be doing this all over again."

Melanie rose, and my eyes darted up just as quickly. She'd found what looked like a giant plastic container of some kind. Placing the huge container like a lid over the cake, Melanie then found the bottle of wine and began filling her glass. I steered my gaze away from her, trying not to fall deeper into the trap I was setting for myself.

"What about you?" Melanie asked.

I was caught off guard. The woman's large eyes were fixed on me as she sipped from her full glass.

"What... about me?" I replied.

"You settled down with anyone since I last saw you?" Melanie said.

I shook my head. "Oh, no. No, I'm focusing more on keeping my footing, I guess. All work and no play."

Melanie was leaning with her hips on the counter. She sipped her wine again, still watching me closely.

"You know I almost thought it'd be you," Melanie told me. "With Megan, I mean. I know you two were just pals, but she thought a lot of you. All of us did."

I rubbed the back of my head, growing more uncomfortable.

"I think maybe I got a little too wild for her," I admitted. "I didn't really think of her that way. She was more like a brat sister."

Melanie chuckled.

"I can see that," She said. "Still, she could have done a whole lot worse, even with all the trouble you liked to get into. Look at you now, Tony. You'd be quite a catch. Hard working, handsome, and polite."

Her eyes. Melanie's eyes drifted down. Surely she was deep in thought. Right? Or was she looking... where was she looking?

My heartbeat was fluttering. I could hear the washing machine spinning. I wished somehow it would hurry through its cycle. I felt cornered. This had to be all in my head. Either way, I had to slip out of this.

"Uh, Ronnie into fishing now, I take it?" I asked.

Melanie's eyes found mine again. She sighed and pushed away from the counter, stepping toward me. I stood still, trying not to telegraph my thoughts, my discomfort.

"He fancies himself a big tournament fisher now," Melanie said. "In the summer they head up to Canada. In the winter, it's always somewhere down south. Bigger and better lakes, nicer weather, and eating out three meals a day. If he keeps it up, our life's savings will be gone."

Melanie was close now. I could see every tiny spot, every little line in her skin around her neck and her collarbone... her chest. In her voice I heard genuine worry. I was regretting my question already.

"Of course, he thinks I don't know everything they get into on those trips, but I do." Melanie finished her glass. "I've known him far too long."

I swallowed. I didn't want to say anything. But Melanie had left the air open, and stared at me silently. It was more awkward just standing there.

"Is he mixed up in bad things, or something?" I asked timidly.

Melanie gave me a little movement of her head and a bored expression.

"He sleeps with whichever little philly is drunk enough to have him," Mel said bluntly. "You know that."

I didn't. It wasn't exactly the most surprising news I'd heard, but I was still shocked that Melanie knew this and decided to tell me.

The woman moved, and I slowly exhaled when she turned toward the wine bottle again. Another glass was poured. I saw the final drops fall from the upended bottle. When Melanie turned again, she moved right toward me. Again my chest seized.

Mel stopped right in front of me and cocked an eyebrow. My jaw quivered.

"Excuse me, Tony," Melanie said.

Confused, I glanced down. Behind me was the trash can. I slipped to the side and allowed Melanie to put the empty wine bottle inside. My mind was about to scurry back toward relief. But Mel stood inches from me now. A slow grin formed on her face.

"What is it with you?" She asked me.

I shook my head and looked away, laughing sheepishly. I wish I knew the answer to her question. My pulse beat at my eardrums. I couldn't draw in a proper breath.

"I'm just... I dunno, I can't believe it," I stammered. "About Ronnie. I had no idea. I always, you know, thought you two were fine."

Her smile continued to grow. Her big brown eyes searched my face. I could practically taste her. A certain sweet aroma hovered around her. I knew it was her perfume. But in the air I still smelled cake. My mouth watered, unable to separate the intoxicating smells.

"You have a lot to learn about marriage if you ever do settle down," Melanie said.

There was a deafening silence for several seconds. My eyes darted this way and that, unable to settle. Melanie stared right through me.

"Marriage isn't always fair," She went on. "Especially if you're in it for the long haul."

There was no way Melanie wasn't aware of how close we were standing. It didn't seem to faze her.

"Do you think it's fair that he gets to screw around?" Melanie asked. "While I'm stuck here alone?"

"No it... isn't right, Mel," I replied.

The woman took another gulp of wine.

"I mean, wouldn't you say I deserve to have just a little bit of fun every now and then?" Melanie continued.

I nodded speaking quickly. "You should take off work and go somewhere and do something. I agree. Maybe plan a vacation or find-"

My rambling words were cut off. Melanie's lips sealed mine.

For what seemed like minutes our lips pressed together. My head felt like I'd stared directly at a blinding light. I was reeling, but I didn't resist.

Melanie opened her mouth slightly. I couldn't fathom what she might do if she'd went this far and I didn't do the same. All it took was for my lips to part. Her tongue eased into my mouth for only a moment to meet mine.

She withdrew a few inches. I saw so much in that instant. I saw the cliff I'd allowed myself to plummet from. I saw it written there on her face. Melanie's brown eyes said so much. I could see her own shock, and her worry. But there was also the thrill... it was a hazy, zombified look that fell over her.

Melanie put the wine glass to her mouth and in only two deep gulps, she drained the remainder of the deep red substance. In a singe deft move, Melanie brought herself close, planted the wine glass on the counter behind me, and pressed her body into mine.

Now her mouth was hungry. She all but forced mine open with her own. Our tongues met. I tasted wine and a sweetness that made me want more. Melanie all but fell against me. Her arm was draped around my shoulders. Her hips pressed into mine. I could feel her big thighs split to cradle my own leg between them. Her crotch was wedged around me now.

I couldn't think. Even if I wanted to. Our bodies being locked together felt incredible. My animal instincts were taking over. My hands wove under her arms, down around her waist, right to the small of her back where I tugged her closer.

This was all familiar, yet so peculiar. I could feel her extra flesh around her waist. My hands had to slide out wide around those bulbous hips. Every bit of Mel's body felt like it had... extra. The thought might have repulsed a younger me. I felt the opposite now. In no way was Melanie a plus sized woman, but she was no longer small or petite. Her years had filled out her body, simply stacking more of her in places where my hands now groped.

Several times our faces parted and I thought she might speak. Then we'd collide again. I could feel her breath cascading over me through her nostrils. The embrace felt so desperate. I didn't fight her. It was all to late.

Finally Melanie pulled her head away to stare into my eyes. Her shoulders rose and fell with her heavy breath. I still couldn't shake the impact. Mel was in my arms. My hands clutched the skin of her back beneath her blouse. Her body was against mine. I could feel her excitement, and it was contagious.

"Mel, I-"

"Just don't," Melanie said. Her eyes searched mine. "We both know."

My mouth hung open. I couldn't think of anything else to say.

Melanie wore a weary expression. I could see how much her decision was weighing on her. Her eyes shut. For a while I held her while she caught her breath. When she looked up at me again, she seemed different.

"I wanted this when you walked in," Melanie said. "And I can tell you do, too."

Melanie started to move her hips into me... or had she never stopped? I was just catching up. I knew she felt me through my jeans. Her motions kept zeroing in on my crotch, crushing my hard dick between us.

"I don't want to keep acting like we don't," Mel went on.

The finality in her words left no room for challenge. The way she said it turned me to putty. I gave in. My hands dove lower to clutch Melanie by her ass. I could feel all the flesh through her slacks. It seemed so wrong, or forbidden. This was Melanie. I could not believe that I was groping her there. It wasn't enough. I wouldn't be enough until...

My hands found a seam and slid into her pants. I gave her plump cheeks a squeeze before I drove downward with my hands. Just like I thought, the motion forced her slacks down. I sank, and Melanie gave me room. I tugged her pants until they fell loosely around her ankles. On one knee, I was now staring right at Melanie's panties.

I'd been so used to petite girls. I could only gaze up Melanie's body in lust and awe. Her thighs were so full. In a hot flash I saw every detail, every imperfection and bulge in her flesh. I lunged for her skin, biting and sucking at every swollen inch of it that I could. Her silk panties clung to the mound between her legs. My fingers grazed her there, and I felt how damp the cloth was.

The force of my advances pressed Melanie against the cabinets. Already she was opening herself. My jaw was between her legs as I licked my way upward toward the heat of her crotch. I heard her moan, a deep guttural sound that burst upward from her throat. I couldn't hold back. I knew where I wanted to go. I hooked my fingers in her silk panties and peeled them down her skin.

I was staring at Melanie's naked crotch. My fingers swept up across the soft black patch of hair. Her flesh glistened beneath. I could feel it on my palms. One of her thighs lifted as she attempted to recline against the counter top. Her lips opened with such ease right in front of me. Seeing it told me just how worked up she was. It was more than enough invitation.

I planted my face firmly against her soft flesh. Out rolled my tongue and I let it glide between her, splitting her open as it went. My jaw buried itself into her. I looked up in time to watch her head fall back. Her arm shot forward and her hand clutched a wad of my hair. She tugged me in. Greedily I dove back down and tasted her.

Already my face was slick. Somehow, Melanie was leaning so far back that her single thigh was open wide, and her leg was draped over my shoulder. A single bare heel dug into me and pulled me in tighter. I was gasping. My nose was buried in her pubic hair while my mouth sucked in more of her flesh. Every time the flat of my tongue slid upward, I felt Melanie heave into me and twitch.