A River Runs in Vermont

"Oh, ok. That should be fun," Joanne answered. Now she had to break another work habit -- in addition to not working tonight, she would skip Friday afternoon.

When Joanne left her biology lab on Friday around noon, she gave detailed instructions on what needed to be done with the samples in the next 24 hours. She announced she would only be back Saturday morning.

Once she stepped out, Debra and Chad looked at one another. "Something is up. I can say with a 0.01 margin of error," Chad declared.

And then after Friday afternoon tennis, another dinner was planned for Saturday.

Strangely, she hadn't had those bizarre and erotic nightmares since Tuesday. Friday night she was especially tired from the tennis games. Strangely, she didn't feel the urge to masturbate. Yet she felt so sated.

Joanne planned to dress up for the dinner Saturday night. The best outfit in her wardrobe was a knee-length black cocktail dress. For her, this was the equivalent of the slutty look.

Dennis suggested a Turkish restaurant and he would pick her up at 6 p.m.

Would she really let it go all the way this weekend? One part of her said yes. She would make it happen, either at his place or hers. He was smart, handsome and perceptive. Quite a bit older than she was, but she wasn't looking at commitment yet.

The other part of her said that she should take things easy. Perhaps one more week. If he played it coy, she should too.

Saturday morning, she stocked her kitchen cupboard with an assortment of wine. Six bottles for her were the equivalent of a personal cellar. Three red, three white. Symmetry, balance, whatever that meant.

She even went to a drugstore and bought a 3-pack of condoms. Nothing wrong with a single woman getting protection for herself. But to stock up on a 12-pack would be sending the wrong message that she was a heavy user. So three was good.

Dinner was terrific. They ate, talked and laughed. One glass of wine and then he asked for an unsweetened ice tea. He seemed like a guy who would not in anything heavily.

After dinner, they walked to the back of the restaurant to his car. Under the halogen lights in the parking lot, everything took on a ghostly yellow shade. When Joanne and Dennis walked under the lamp posts, long shadows were cast behind them. It was a cool spring evening. They both walked with their hands in their coat pockets.

**********

Dennis was elated that Joanne accepted his dinner invitation. He couldn't believe his luck. This lady was like a hidden jewel -- intelligent, successful and independent. She didn't let it show, but was beautiful in an unassuming way. Ever since he moved here to Vermont, he had only had one serious romantic relationship. That was with a Ph.D. student of his, who was in her 30s. They worked very hard to withhold the physical part of their relations until she finished her degree. It lasted for about six months -- they both felt something taboo about it, and then she moved away to start her career. There were very few available and desirable single women in his circle.

He had noticed Joanne from the day he started working at Vermont State College. Short news releases about her grants or her projects in the college's newsletter always caught his attention. He admired her work in ecology. He had thought about approaching her. And then there she was a few days ago, showing up at his lecture. It was fate.

**********

He went to the passenger side to open the door for her. He paused and said in a low, halting voice, nothing like the eloquent professor in front of a class of 50, "Well, Joanne, I ... er ...," he took a deep breath and continued, "I am very rusty with this going out and dating thing. I would love to invite you to my place and have another drink, if you like the idea."

Joanne absentmindedly pulled the lapels of her coat together as she pondered the question. A silence of five, six seconds elapsed.

"Are you cold, or ... are you afraid of letting others gain insight into you?" Dennis asked.

Dumbfounded, Joanne lowered her hands to her side. She gave up. "Are you trained in psychiatry as well?" She felt naked in front of Dennis. He could dissect her every thought and every gesture.

"No, maybe it's empathy. You see, you listen and you sense," he answered with a smile.

Joanne was torn. They were colleagues, but they didn't work in the same department and there would not be any conflict of interest if they were involved in any sort of way. But suddenly she got cold feet. Her heart was pounding and her body wanted to break free of the walls she had built all these years. However, her brain told her to hold back, perhaps one more week.

"I'm not used to this dating thing either. Perhaps we 'll end on this high note, and you give me a ride home?"

Slightly disappointed, Dennis nodded and cheerfully said, "Sure."

On the drive back to Joanne's place, she kept bouncing the idea around in her head. When was the last time she'd had such a good time? But she was so scared to let someone into her heavily guarded emotional world.

The car turned the corner and arrived at her block. Suddenly, Joanne had the revelation that this good thing had been around her, on the opposite side of the campus, all along. She rarely went over there, and she never paid attention to this man. Then serendipity brought her there because of the Earth Day lecture flyer.

The car pulled up in front of the apartment building. She didn't care this was a public place.

"I want to kiss you, Dennis," Joanne whispered. The words escaped her month without her realizing it.

"I thought you wanted to do that inside the restaurant, Joanne."

She leaned over and kissed him, deeply, for however long it was. Her heart melted. Totally. If he asked her to undress and make love right there and then, she would.

**********

Up in her apartment, they sat down quietly on the futon. Joanne put on the Sibelius piece. About five minutes later, they were kissing passionately. Dennis knelt in front of Joanne, licking her fingers, kissing the back of her hands, nibbling all the way up her arms, to her bare shoulders. She was so aware of her hardened nipples. She wrapped her legs around Dennis's waist, pulling him in, her fingers running through his greying hair. His tongue trailed down her neck, to her collar bone and down to her cleavage.

The rich and mellow woodwind section of the orchestra accompanied the shrieking violin, and Joanne's arousal soared with the high notes.

He lightly kissed her stomach, and moved down to her thighs. He took in her perfume, Cashmere Jasmine Vanilla. His hands reached behind her buttocks, pulling her pelvis closer to his face. He was so excited to have her pussy merely an inch in front of his face. His nose nuzzled here and there. It was driving her crazy.

With both hands, he pulled down the shoulder straps of her dress half way, exposing the top portion of her full fleshy breasts. He touched between the two mounds of beauty, and leaned in to inhale the sweet fragrance of a woman in heat. One at a time, he lowered the bra cups, first the left one, then the right. Wasting no time, he sucked the erect nipples that were the size of grapes.

She let out a moan, fingers grabbing his shoulders and the back of his head, pressing him hard against her breasts. She didn't want to give herself any chance to have regrets. She pulled him in by his tie, rough and passionate, the erotic fire in her eyes hot enough to melt any man. She giggled at her clumsy and unsuccessful attempts to unbutton his shirt.

Dennis stood up in front of the seated Joanne, smiling, taking off his shirt, revealing a clean hairless chest. The sight of this man excited her so much. If he had been a stranger, Joanne could have walked past him in the street a hundred times, not paying him any attention. But knowing him, she was now attracted to his personality; he was so kind, engaging and so handsome.

Shedding all shame, Joanne stood up, with her dress pulled down to her midsection, facing Dennis. Both of them naked from the waist up, she put her hands on his chest, kneading his muscle all over.

Dennis returned the favor. He reached his right hand behind her back, steadying her, while massaging her tits with his left hand. He pulled her closer and kissed her, his fingers never missing a beat on her nipples.

She knew full well that her pussy was flooding; she could literally feel juices oozing down her love canal. It was not the same kind of arousal with a vibrator. She was wet with anticipation. She knew this man would fuck her tonight, and his cock would be hundred times better than her sex toy. And he would do it at his pace.

She grabbed his hand, stood up and slowly walked into her bedroom, the violinist playing the cadenza at the end of the first movement.

Once inside, she turned on her bedside lamp, nodded to him, and began to undress herself. Taking the prompt, he did the same, almost matching her step by step. She hooked her thumbs to push her dress past her hips and wiggled out of it, letting it drop to the carpeted floor. He unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants and let them drop to his ankles. His erection pointed at her under his boxer shorts. She rolled down her pantyhose, standing in front of him only in her red panties.

She almost had the urge to cover her mouth with her hands, trying to conceal her embarrassment and excitement.

"You look heavenly." He was amazed at the beauty in front of him. Such a well proportioned lady, almost twenty years of his junior.

She sat down on the edge of her bed. He took off his socks, and slowly removed his underwear. Her eyes were locked hungrily onto his cock, which was staring at her in all its nakedness. Such vitality. Apparently he had not lost any of his stiffness even at the age of 60. His balls hung tightly behind his manhood.

He walked up to her, climbed onto the bed and gently straddled her thighs. She lay back and wiggled up to the head of the bed. He followed, all the while looking at her longingly. They hugged and their hands explored every inch of one another's body. His left hand reached her pussy, fingers dancing around the outline of her panties. With a mischievous move it went under the fabric, touching her pussy lips. He dipped his middle finger shallowly into her vagina, brought out a touch of her juice and spread it around her pussy lips. Moving in circular motions around her vulva. She gasped, arching up, offering her clitoris to his probing finger. He playfully avoided her, stroking the outside only. After a few more minutes of foreplay, his left palm pressed against her clit. She felt warmth radiating into her. With a sudden motion, his middle finger probed inside, feeling its way around this hot furnace of a cunt.

Her head shot up with excitement as a bolt of electricity travelled deep into her cervix. She let out a guttural groan. "Fuck me with your finger." She squeezed her thighs closed, trapping his hand. But he had no intention of retreating. First he pumped his hand in and out slowly, gradually quickening its pace. As her arousal was building, he changed the in-and-out movements to a circular motion, swirling his finger inside her cunt. This drove her wild. Her battery toy could never compare to this: a hungry and horny man in bed. His fingers and his hand over her body, and soon his cock would fill every empty space inside her.

When she pleasured herself, she had no problem letting out cries of satisfaction in the lonely company of herself. Originally self-conscious in his presence, she began to lose the nervousness. She didn't care anymore. She let go and cried out as she reached the first orgasm of the night. She knew there would be more.

The fervent bowing on the violin strings brought the concerto to its climax in the third movement. The cellos and the trombones blended with the soprano voice of the high strings, like Dennis and Joanne's bodies fusing into one.

She convulsed violently, soaked in the sweet agony between her legs. Her body was floating in a warm bath, buoyed by waves of passion. She felt dizzy, losing all senses of time and orientation.

He held her tight, breathing in the natural scent of her hair, his finger withdrawn from her pussy but his palm still pressed against her pubes. She let the first waves subside, descending from the heaven of erotic senses. With glassy eyes, she turned to him, "That's terrific. You're good."

"You're delicious. Just watching you cum excites me."

"I love it when professors talk dirty," she said. They let out a hearty laugh. "Let me catch my breath, and then it's my turn to play."

His cock pressed tight against her left thigh, he said, "Ready when you are."

Lying to her left, Dennis rested his cum-stained left hand on Joanne's stomach, as if he was sharing some of her erotic energy through touch. She was staring at the ceiling, replaying the events over the last four days, marveling at how fast things had progressed, yet not feeling a bit rushed. Things seemed so natural with him. e-harmony could not have done a better job.

From the corner of her eyes she noticed that he was looking at her intensely. She turned her head to her left, smiling, asked, "What are you looking at?"

"You."

"Silly."

"I am the luckiest man on earth."

"Stop it." With that, she sat up in bed. "OK, I'll make you feel luckier." She moved down to his abdomen. His cock had softened a little from the waiting. But now that it was face to face with this naked woman, who had just emerged from an intense orgasm, it rose to life again.

Naturally there was a generous amount of pre-cum emitted from his stiff cock already, from his watching her come. She traced her index finger along the entire length of his rod, and gently holding it, pulling back his foreskin to expose more of his tip. This was ripe for kissing and licking.

And she did, savoring every inch of it, tasting his secretion, inhaling his masculinity. Cock sucking had never been better. All her inhibitions were gone. The longer she tasted him, the faster her sucking rhythm had grown. Her techniques were raw, but her passions intense. She bobbed up and down, using her tongue and her lips.

His cock responded, and his hands moved to touch her cheeks while she gave him the oral sex he had not received in a long time. He looked down and saw her, wild-eyed, kissing every surface of his manhood. He shivered and begged for more.

She swung her legs around, straddling his face, offering her pussy to him. With her on top, she sucked his cock while he licked her clit from under. She had no idea where this shameless pursuit came from. But she was enjoying every second of it. He made wet sloppy sounds, sucking her pussy lips and clitoris. She didn't quite know how to deep throat, but she let his rod go as far as her mouth would allow.

This mutual eating went on for what he felt like was an eternity. Then he patted her lightly, and rolled out from under her. He said awkwardly, "I cannot go on like that all night. I have to preserve my energy. Let me inside you now?"

She nodded, and moved over to open the drawer of her night stand and handed him the condoms.

"Uh, I'm really flattered ... that you're so prepared for me," he smiled.

"Just do it, silly."

Joanne lay in the middle of the bed. Nothing fancy. She just wanted it the old fashioned way. No doggie, no cowgirl. She pulled her legs up to her chest, slightly opened to the side, as she had done numerous times in her bathtub. Except this time she was not waiting for any imaginary intruder. Dennis was here and he would insert his throbbing cock inside her.

When he entered her, she almost had tears in her eyes. She trembled, and held him tight. With rhythmic pounding, he lowered himself onto her, rising and falling. His length and stiffness were incredible, penetrating and filling her pussy.

Dennis did not have to worry about his stamina. He didn't have to pound hard. He could sense her tight vagina squeezing his cock already. She quickly had her second orgasm before he came deep inside her, his cock releasing all that he had. He felt like he had unloaded every ounce of semen he had in his body.

**********

He pulled up the blanket and covered both of them to keep warm, also to make themselves less conscious of their naked bodies in front of one another.

"Do you want a drink of water?" He rose and asked her.

"I should be the one offering you a drink," she giggled.

"No problem. I am very at home here already." He put on his boxer briefs and walked out to the kitchen.

On his way back, with two cups in hand, he walked past a glass jar of stones that she put on the top of her dresser. "What are these?" he inquired out of curiosity.

"What? Those? They are pebbles I collected on one of my field trips a few weeks ago."

"Interesting."

"Why?"

"One of them seems to be ... shiny ... aglow."

She sat up, put on her glasses and looked at the jar from ten feet away. Indeed, the largest, egg shaped one seemed to have some glowing quality. She was mesmerized. She never noticed it before.

She put on a nightie and walked over, standing side by side with him. He passed the cup of water to her, and they both drank while their eyes were glued to the pebble.

"Can I take it out?" he asked.

"Sure."

He reached into the jar and picked his way to get the pebble. It was brownish in color and it now had a slightly orange glow to it. He looked at it closely, turned it upside down, and handed it over to her. It was cool to their touch.

"You picked it up on a field trip? Where?"

"Skylight Pond."

"And where is it?"

"It's up on Bread Loaf Mountain. It is the headwaters of White River."

"The river that has flooded recently?"

She stood with her mouth open, speechless. "Do these stones have anything to do with that?"

"I don't know."

He picked up the pebble again and walked over to the lamp on the nightstand. Under more lighting, he examined it further. "Look at these lines. Do they look like some kind of drawing? Or writing?"

She leaned closer and studied the stone. "I don't know. You mean hieroglyphs?"

"Probably no. Maybe just signs of natural erosion over the years," he said.

"You think this has anything to do with the flooding of White River?"

He pondered the question and shook his head. "This pebble came from the pond. The pond is the starting point of the river ..." His voice trailed off. "Is the flooding still going on?"

"I haven't followed it in the last two days. But I heard my students talk about it a few days ago and they said that the water level is still high, even though the damage is less threatening now."

"This came from the pond, ..." he repeatedly mumbled to himself. "Water is a form of feminine energy. I don't believe in poltergeists and spirits. But I believe in balance of energy. If the pond or the river loses something, then that scale is tipped."

She frowned and felt a chill in the back of her neck. She had goose bumps.

"And you have the pebble here." He went back to examine all the other stones and none of them had this special quality. "So you have an excess of feminine energy here."

Her eyes widened. "What does that mean?"

He looked around her room and mused, "Your room is not flooding." He smiled.

Was the timing of the strange events a coincidence? Her erotic but haunting nightmares? Her attack on Debra?

Joanne hesitated sharing these with Dennis, but she did anyway.

"If the pebble represents an abundant, or excessive, amount of feminine energy, and that has crept into you ..." He scratched his chin after listening to her retelling of the tales.

Then she remembered something that Debra said at Skylight Pond. "Debra, my grad student, jokingly said the other day -- that the pond could be the home of Gaia."