A Time of Changes

Pen got the man out of the door and shook his head as he started taking off his tie only to be brought up short by Candice. She was standing in the door of the bedroom with a smile on her face as she looked at him.

"Who said you could get undressed?" She asked with a smirk, still in just her hose and garter belt and jewellery.

He stared and she started walking toward him, her hips swinging a bit more than absolutely necessary and it was clear to him then that they were far from finished that night. She kissed him deeply and ran her hands over him as she pressed against his chest. They had already had sex once and she was still just as eager and needy as she had been then. Her eyes were half-closed in arousal and the scent of her sex was thick and clear in the room as she stepped back a little, looking him over with a smile. She took his hand and drew him into the room and as he stood where she placed him, she unbuckled his belt again, pushed his pants and underwear down then had him seat himself in the comfortable chair, his legs spread a little and his flaccid cock resting between his legs as she picked up the little clutch purse and applied her lipstick again. Her lips were very red and the lipstick was on thick as she knelt down before him and placed a kiss on his inner thigh as she looked up at him.

"What are you..." He started.

"Shush." She said with a wink. "I promised to finish, and that's just what I'm doing."

She placed another kiss on his other thigh then leaned in to lick across his cock. She could taste herself on him, the musky flavour of her nectar and the salty taste of his seed mixed together. It was a unique taste and she licked him again, not sure how she felt about it. She was breathing heavily already, the need in her still strong and the strength of her arousal making her core clench and her wetness leak down her leg as she took him in her hands and kissed and caressed him. He sighed and moaned at the feel and between her slender hands and her eager mouth he was soon fully erect once again, just as hard and as eager for her as he had been before. She was inexperienced at what she was doing, but she was smart and she was willing and eager so she learned quickly. Her mouth was warm and her lips and tongue were soft as she kissed and sucked and licked, the juices on him being lapped away and replaced with her lipstick. She was making a game of it as she giggled and sighed between his legs and when she looked up at him he felt himself swell even more in her hand as her mouth took in his tip, then the head and then began sliding down his length slowly, experimenting with how much of him she could take comfortably. She was enjoying herself immensely and he wasn't about to stop her as she experimented and learned and got better with each passing moment.

And she didn't seem to tire, didn't seem to lose interest in what she was doing as she suckled at him, a hand caressing the length of him that didn't fit her mouth while the other cradled and massaged his sac. He could feel her breasts pressing against him, the soft, yielding flesh contrasted by the harder points of her nipples. She was radiating heat like a furnace and a light sheen of sweat had covered her skin as she moaned around his length and caressed him with her tongue. She was very obviously enjoying what she was doing, the effect she had on him bringing her as much pleasure as her mouth brought to him and after several long minutes of her attention he could feel the rise of his pleasure as she kept right at him and smiled when her mouth wasn't stretched around his cock. He sighed at the slow rise, it was longer in coming for their recent coupling, but she didn't seem to mind at all and when he was very close he gritted his teeth, his hands fisting on the arms of the chair as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm close... I'm about to..." He warned and the eagerness in her eyes was so obvious that he had to smile.

She raised her head up so just the tip was in her mouth and one hand stroked him while the other gave his balls a gentle squeeze and that was all it took for him to groan and spend into her mouth. It wasn't much, not after what they had already done, but she didn't flinch back, didn't hesitate. She took it into her mouth and let it roll across her tongue, silky and smooth, the taste wonderfully unique to her. She swallowed it down and settled back on her haunches, her hands resting on his knees and her face satisfied and smug. She had never done that before and she felt really good now that she had finished. He just looked at her and she looked back as she contemplated what she had just done. She had come to Miami wanting to experiment, wanting to let all of her boundaries go and see just how far she could make herself go. She had confronted her fear of heights with spectacular results and now she had given a man oral, being as playful as she could and even swallowed his spend.

She felt like a new person and as she stretched and shivered in delight he smiled and leaned in to grasp her by the back of the neck and draw her into a kiss. She was startled at first, but she didn't fight him and she let his tongue tangle with hers for a long time before she sighed and rested against him, her head pillowed on his thigh as he sat back. She felt him adjusting and glanced up to see him taking his tie off. She watched as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off and when he stood up she just knelt there and looked at him until he took her hands and pulled her to her feet. He undressed her next, helping her out of her stockings and jewellery and setting them aside before they went into the washroom together and got the big shower going. Once they were in the water, they started cleaning each other, washing and touching and kissing and petting.

When they had finished they went into the bedroom and curled into the sheets together. But Candice was insatiable and he had barely drifted off before she was rubbing against him and moaning until he woke and gave in to what she wanted. Again they loved, and then slept still joined together. In the early hours of the morning she woke him again and they wordlessly coupled, her riding atop him, her hips grinding around and feeling him move within her until his climax then she kissed him until he slept again before she moved to the washroom, a hand cupped over her sex until she reached the shower and then she washed. When she was done there she went to dress, collecting the silk stocking she had discarded the night before when she had showered with Pen. They were stained and ruined but she had no intention of throwing them out, they held too many memories.

She went to the bags of what she had bought and took out a set of purple silk lingerie that she had bought at the same time and she smiled as she pulled it on. The panties felt wonderful against her bare labia, especially as tender and sensitive as she was after the frequent lovemaking. She shivered in delight as she felt the silk caress her skin. Next was a matching shelf bra that took her small breasts and magically created cleavage where there was none to be had. She smiled as she remembered what the girl had said. The bra created 'Mountains out of Molehills' and it looked like it worked as advertised. Candice next pulled on some nylons and then a skirt that showed her legs off nicely, a slit in the one side showing just enough thigh to be tantalizing but not enough to be scandalous and then a matching blouse that she had picked specifically for the plunging neckline. It showed just a hint of purple at the bottom of her cleavage and she smiled at the total effect. She put on some jewellery and she was just stepping into her heels when Pen woke up. Smiling she walked over and leaned down to kiss him.

"Get some more sleep; I know I kept you up last night." She said softly and he smirked and his hand slipped up her leg and under her skirt. "Oh! Not right now. You can have all you want later, after your appointment. I'll call you in a little while and we can get lunch together. But for now I have errands to run, so get some rest. You'll need it." She said with a smirk and he grinned at her and gave her backside a firm squeeze.

She turned back to the other room and gathered up the gifts she had bought for her family and friends before she headed for the door, feeling more confident than she had in a long time.

————26————

Pen dressed in comfortable slacks and a pressed shirt to meet with her for lunch. She was happy and chatting, carrying a few small bags and enjoying the day. She was very different from the woman he had first seen coming out to the island, and very different from the woman he had found drunk and passed out in her bungalow a few weeks before. He wondered if this was the real Candice as they ate a light meal and she smiled more than he had ever seen. When they were done, they walked along the street, past several shops and art galleries before they stopped at a high end mens clothing store. He looked up at the sign and then at the clearly expensive suits and shirts in the window and laughed a little nervously.

"Candice, you don't have to buy me anything." He said with a smile. "I make enough money, and I don't really need gifts."

"I know, but think of it as a Christmas gift for the both of us. I love the look of a man in a suit. And I'll have real fun unwrapping you later." She was smiling and he gave in, letting her lead him inside and standing for a fitting. The suit wasn't quite tailor made, but it was an expensive name brand and it was sized to him carefully, fitted perfectly and he had to admit as he looked at the finished product that it looked good.

They made their way around the city a little, looking at a few things here and there before they went back to the hotel to freshen up. Candice had booked a limousine for that evening and they had dinner at a five star restaurant that looked out over the sea. The ride back to the hotel was a slow one and they kissed and touched in the back of the car until they got there, and she took him right upstairs, barely making it to the elevator before she started undressing him. She was eager and playful and clearly enjoying herself and he didn't even question why. They had sex three times that night and the next morning she called out for breakfast from room service and she answered the door in just her skin, making the delivery man nearly swallow his tongue as she accepted the cart. She was laughing to herself all through the meal and the two of them didn't leave the room that day at all. They slept well that night and when they woke early in the morning they packed quickly and got ready to return to the island.

Miami was a lively city and she had had fun, but already she was eager to return to the relative solitude of the resort. They arrived at the port and he got to work getting the plane ready to fly as she sat in the lounge and flipped through the books she had bought while she was on the mainland. There were enough of them to tide her over for a few months at least. She glanced up as three couples came into the lounge and stood by the windows looking out at the Maria. They were all new guests on their way to the island. Their baggage was loaded on board and when Pen had the plane ready they all boarded for the flight out to the island.

The flight back was smooth and uneventful and Candice read a little on the way, but spent some time looking out the window at the islands they passed. She felt the familiar tension in her abdomen as she looked down from the window, but there was none of the trepidation she had become used to. She had made peace with her fear, conquered it in a way and she felt like she had grown at that realization, like a part of her had matured. The new guests had asked for the scenic flight, so Pen spent much of the time at around five hundred feet and the view of many of the islands was spectacular. They flew a longer route and it took almost six hours to get back to Calabri and she was glad to finally land and get back to her bungalow. Pen joined her a little later and they relaxed and had a light dinner together before sleep claimed them.

The next day Pen and Stephan flew the 'Special Guests' into Rio de Janeiro for the end of their trip. He was gone three days and she spent much of the time in her bungalow reading, or in a beach chair soaking in the sun on her bare skin. Most of the new guests took full advantage of the clothing optional beach so she was hardly the only naked person there and she felt completely relaxed. She was in a good place mentally and it showed. She kept waiting for the lawyers Gavin had hired to call her back again, or to have a miracle happen and her be contacted by Gavin himself, but she must have scared them off, because they left her in peace.

On Christmas she called her mother and talked, then her aunt before she finished and went to the special Christmas dinner that the resort had put on. Pen was there and she spent her time with him as the other guests all mingled and chatted. They drew a few comments, but she ignored them all not caring what her 'Peers' had to say about their relationship. But a few of their comments still annoyed her. The going rumour was that Pen was her fling, her boy-toy, just something to do while she was on the island. She had also heard that they thought she was his conquest; that she was a wealthy woman he had seduced and when she was gone he would move on to someone else. A few of the women laughingly volunteered to be seduced after seeing him in his new suit.

But Candice didn't let them get to her, didn't let their words affect her, though she could tell a few of them were getting to Pen. It would pass, she knew, so she said nothing to defend herself. She merely kept some distance from them and enjoyed herself.

Winter passed in a lazy idyll on the island. She regularly went on catamaran rides with Pen, out to swim with the dolphins, and even once to swim with some tiny, sleek sharks. That sent a chill through her that she couldn't place and yet she loved the way it felt. The air of danger to them, the thought that they might devour her and that she was nothing more than potential prey to them. They often made love in the netting of the boat or on the beach as the waves crashed over them and the stars wheeled above. Once he took her to a tiny little island that was on no charts or maps, an island that vanished with the high tide and they caught crabs and made love on the little sandy shoal most of the day before returning to the resort to have the crabs for dinner that night.

Days turned to weeks and their time was spent more and more together. She felt good and relaxed and he never asked more from her than she wanted to give. But there were little hints, little indications of something that scared her as the weeks passed toward spring and when she would be leaving. He discreetly asked about her ring size and little displays of affection became more common. She said nothing, just accepted them and felt her ease begin to wane as her nervousness grew. When another trip into Miami was scheduled she went with him once more and booked a room at the same hotel. She had a few appointments to attend and at dinner the first night he noticed just how distracted she was.

But she smoothly deflected conversations away from herself and onto little inanities. They went up to the penthouse to make love again and when he was asleep she quietly slipped out of bed and into the shower. She dressed in the dark and left him a note before she left the room and hailed a cab.

————27————

On the plane Candice felt the pressure in her chest start and she fought hard to hide her tears as she watched the city fall away beneath her. She felt terrible leaving this way, she had never wanted to do something like this, but it was time to move on and it was best done quickly, like pulling off a bandage. She let a few tears well up as her hands rested on her abdomen. She felt sick, not saying goodbye like that, but she knew that he had bought a ring that day, a ring for her and she had an idea of what he was going to ask her. And she never wanted to have to answer that question ever again. She couldn't stay when she knew that was coming and so she had run. It felt terrible but she let the pain fly free within her as the plane ascended and turned north, toward Canada and home.

————28————

Pen woke in the night and reached for her. Over the last few months he had gotten used to having her right at his side in the night. Rare were the nights they wouldn't share a bed and on those nights he always slept poorly. So when she wasn't there he kept reaching until it was clear that he was in the bed alone.

"Candice?" He called out as he sat up, but there was no answer.

He got out of bed and found the light switch and as soon as the lights came on he felt a cold sinking into his heart. Her bags were all gone; everything in the room that had marked her presence was absent. He cast around and found the note, it was her handwriting and the folded silk stockings she had left still smelled of her.

Pen...

I'm a coward, so please don't hate me.

It's time for me to move on and I am no good at goodbye. I thank you for making my winter bearable, and for something you probably didn't even know you did. I had planned to kill myself at some point during this winter. I had some pills that would have made it relatively painless. At first I enjoyed my time with you as a distraction before the end, but when you found me and took care of me after my little bender you gave me a reason to keep going. After our trip here to Miami I stayed alive because it had become fun and soon I had every reason to live again. But I can't stay, I can't get attached and so I'm going.

The room is paid up for the rest of the three days that we were supposed to take, so feel free to stay. I'll call Stephan and arrange for my things on the island as soon as I figure out where I want to go next. I wish I could stay, but the hurt is still so fresh that some days I feel panic when my wedding rings aren't there, some days I still look for Gavin and feel the betrayal as if it just happened all over again. I need to go, and I need to get away again to see if I can still be a person.

So please don't hate me, but I won't blame you if you do.

Candice

He stared at the note for a long time, reading it over and over again before he got out of bed and went to the bar in the other room. Three days was enough time to see if he could drink it dry.

————29————

Five Years Later

Pen parked the car in front of his new home and went around to help Jill out. She was huge with seven months of pregnancy and getting into and out of the car was a struggle sometimes. Hell, getting in and out of bed was usually a struggle. But he drew her to her feet and she hugged him with that radiant smile before they turned and walked up the driveway to the house. It wasn't huge, but it was theirs and as they opened the door he scooped her up to carry her across the threshold for the first time. She laughed and clung to his neck as he moved into the house, past the boxes and furniture that had been piled in the living room to set her down again where there was room. She kissed him warmly and rested back against the wall, wiggling her toes against the ache in her feet.

"Well, Mrs. Nielson, here we are in our own home." He said and she blushed prettily and looked around.

"It's perfect, Pen. Just what I wanted." She said.

Her smile made him feel good and they walked around a little bit and she dictated where she thought things would go. They had been looking at houses for months and she had wanted this one so badly. So he had asked Stephan for a loan and some help and his friend quietly arranged for the purchase of the little house for Pen. Jill had been told that it had sold out from under them and he had led her on for a while before he revealed, on their anniversary, that he had bought the house. She had been so happy that she had shrieked and jumped him. Despite her pregnancy they always found time and means for sex.