Challenge Accepted Ch. 05

As I slowly gain consciousness, the faint aroma of salt fills my nostrils. The air is damp and cool, and dim light invades the room as the sun rises. Off in the distance, seagulls squawk like an alarm clock. Waves crash against the sand, swoosh, and hiss as the tide ebbs. It's peaceful. It's relaxing. It's calming. It's wonderful. I pull the duvet under my chin, not to hide my naked body, but to trap the warmth between the sheets.

On his side, asleep, breathing slowly and steadily, Josh stirs. He's facing away from me, and I'm drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I'm not used to waking up with someone in bed next to me. I like it. No, I love it. I love having Josh be the first thing I see in the morning. See and feel. Turning onto my side, I scooch over to spoon him. My groin nestles into his perfect ass as I near him. He's warm, really warm, like a heater. Draping my arm over him, I run my fingers through his chest hairs and over the curves of his pecs. I can't help it...my hand glides down his torso to his pubic hair. He's limp.

Holding Josh's soft cock is a thrill, an unexpected thrill, but a thrill nonetheless. There's a twinge between my legs. A twinge? No, it's a tingle. No, it's both. I want Josh...I want him inside me. I want him to fill me up...I'm empty when he's not inside me. Now my clit tingles, and there's a slight ache...that incredible ache. I'm getting wet, and even though my breasts are pressed into his back, my nipples harden. Yes, I want him, and he's soft.

Gently pulling and squeezing, my prize awakens. It doesn't take much to get my man hard. My man. Yes, Josh is my man, and I am his woman. I haven't told him yet, but I am his. I belong to him, and I want him. I want him inside me...now.

Josh moans and stirs. Is he awake now? He presses into me as he tries to turn onto his back. I give way, but not by much. My skin doesn't leave his. There's a rasp as his hands rub his morning stubble. His scratchy stubble; he needs a shave, but that will happen later. Right now, I want him inside me.

Coming fully awake, Josh turns his head and looks at me. "Hey, Beautiful. Good morning."

Josh turns to face me, his hard cock pinned between us. That's not where I want it.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," I answer. "How about a morning treat?"

"Mmmmm...yes, please."

Josh rolls over on top of me. I love having him on top of me. My pussy reminds me that it's waiting to be pleasured. That ache...that tremendous ache.

Josh lifts his hips, and I guide his stiff cock into me. Yes! Finally! He slides into me slowly. Oh God, how I love it when he slides his cock in and out of me.

"Faster! Deeper!" I moan.

Pressing my feet into the mattress, I lift my hips to give him a better angle. He speeds up and drives his cock into me, his balls slapping against my ass. Then, changing tactics, I wrap my legs around his ass and pull myself up. It's almost like I'm pulling him inside me when I do this.

Gasping for air, I manage to blurt out what I'm thinking, "Right there! OH GOD, YES, Right there!" Warmth encapsulates me. My pussy tightens as my climax gets closer. "OH FUCK, Yes! Don't stop, don't stop!"

Then it hits me. The rush. The warmth. The release. The euphoria. My legs quiver and I can't breathe. I involuntarily collapse. When I finally come to my senses, I look up, and Josh is hovering over me, his nose inches from mine. Sweat beads on his forehead, and he's breathing hard. He's still inside me, and his cock is pulsing. Josh is coming. Thank God! He's coming. I'm suddenly aware of thick warm fluid dripping out of me and down my ass. My ass...the time Josh licked and kissed my ass...I want that again...we're going to have to talk about that.

"Thank you, sweetheart. That has to be the best way ever to wake up," Josh says to me with a huge grin.

"Thank you, my love. It was wonderful."

"Are you hungry? Do you want some breakfast?"

Food? Now? Fuck...I need to recover first. I'm exhausted. "Hmmm...how about a shower first?"

"Of course."

Josh slips out of me as he rolls away, and I immediately feel empty. I want him back. I want him back inside me...No...not right now; it's too sensitive down there. Crap! I don't know what I want.

Climbing out of bed, Josh walks out onto the balcony and leans over as he watches the surf. He's the perfect specimen of a man. His broad shoulders and muscular back. His biceps bulge as he leans forward, looking off in the distance. His ass...his perfect fuzzy ass. His thighs...his strong thighs. I can't stay away, so I climb out of bed and stand behind him, wrapping my arms around his chest.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask.

"It's kind of heavy. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Uhm...yes."

"Hmmm...," he moans. "I'm thinking of how perfect it is to wake up next to you. Being with you fills a longing and emptiness that I didn't even know existed. Without even knowing, I've been searching for you, Jenny...you...are the answer I've been looking for. I not only want you, but I need you, and I never want my life to be without you.

I hold him tighter; a tear falls down my cheek that's buried into his back. I hold him because I want him as well. He bared his soul to me; now it's my turn.

"I want you too, Josh. I'm here, and I'm not leaving." Josh turns around to face me and holds me against him, so I continue, "I'm yours, Josh. I want to be with you too. I'm feeling everything you said, and more. You give me light. Without you, my soul feels empty. I feel empty. I need you too, more than I've let you believe. I love you."

My tears change from trickles to a stream. Why am I crying? I have more joy inside me right now than I've ever felt, and I'm crying. Josh gently wipes the tears from my cheeks and replaces them with gentle kisses. He's strong but gentle. If there was a name for a more powerful feeling than love, that's what I'm feeling now.

Taking Josh's hands, I Iead him to the shower. After getting dressed, we go downstairs to make breakfast. Grocery shopping was among the errands we ran last night. He only had enough food for dinner, and since I asked to spend the night, we needed things for breakfast. He assured me that no uneaten food would be wasted because Alice, his housekeeper, would take it home to her family. His housekeeper...I want to meet Alice. She sounds like a lovely person, and I want to thank her.

"Josh?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"What would you say to having a graduation party here?"

"A party? Here?"

"Yeah...sure, why not?"

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that parking is a nightmare."

"We'll keep it small, a few friends. And...we'll ask them to carpool."

"Okay, fine. But you're planning it, and it has to be small...and no hard liquor. We don't need a bunch of drunks wandering the beach at night."

After finishing breakfast, we drive to the hotel to get our things and go back to school.

**************

Walking out of my afternoon class, I see Esther walking off in the distance.

"Esther," I yell, "wait up!" I jog towards her to catch up.

"Heeeyyyy...Jenny! How was your weekend? That store has the best bikinis, don't they?"

"My weekend was great, thanks...I need to talk with you...I need some advice."

"You need advice from me? Heh...I don't think so. You seem to be doing fine on your own."

"No, really. It's serious."

"OH, okay...uhmm, I'm on my way to class. How about we meet in the library at four?"

"Cool. Thank you. I'll see you at four."

**************

Walking to the Journals section of the library, I find Esther sitting at a corner table. I tell her about my weekend...everything: from being upset; to calming down; to falling deeply in love. I explain how Josh doesn't want anyone at school to know he's rich and how silly I think it is.

"If you think about it, Jenny. It's not silly at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Look...You knew Josh before you went away for the weekend, right?"

"Yeah...sure."

"How did you feel about him?"

"Over the moon! All I could think about was him."

"Right. And how did you feel about him after you found out he was rich?"

"Shit! I was pissed. I thought he was some kind of lying, conniving idiot who used people for his own purposes."

"Were you right?"

"No. I couldn't have been more wrong."

"If you had known Josh was rich when you first met him, would you have wanted to go out with him at all?"

"No...I would have avoided him at all costs."

"Don't you see, Jenny? By not knowing about his money, you got to know the real Josh. No pretenses. If you think about it, it's actually pretty smart for him to wear the façade that he does."

Esther also explains how many people are like leeches around wealthy people and how exhausting it is dealing with them. She has a way of describing how Josh feels that helps me understand and agree entirely with his stance. For a second, I'm tempted to ask Esther if she's rich too, but then I realize that it doesn't matter. She's a good friend and how much money she has in the bank is irrelevant. Once we're on the same page, Esther wants to know more about our weekend.

"So, he has a beach house?" Esther asks. "I knew about his apartment, but I didn't know about his house. What's it like?"

"It's beautiful! The view! It's right there on the beach; I never knew you could have a house on the beach. It's just amazing." I sigh after telling her about the house, and then I remember. "Oh...we're going to throw a graduation party there. It'll be small, but it should be fun."

"A party? You got Josh to agree to a party? Wow! You don't know...I mean...Wow! Josh hosting a party? Wow!"

"Yeah. He said I have to plan it, though. It has to be small, really small. Want to help?"

"Do I want to help? You bet! Me plan a party that Josh hosts? I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

We go on talking about when to have it and who to invite. Esther knows all of Josh's friends, and between his friends and mine, we come up with about fifteen names.

Talking with Esther really helped. I'm so glad that she's my friend.

**************

It's Wednesday night, and Josh and I are eating pizza at a local parlor. I remind him about going to his parents' for dinner on Friday night.

"Right. Dinner," he says thoughtfully. "About dinner. When my mom says dinner, she means more of a party than dinner. It'll be semi-formal. If you'd like to go shopping for a new dress or whatever, I'll be more than happy to go with you."

"Shopping? You don't think I have any nice clothes?" I ask guardedly. The look on Josh's face tells me that I'm over-reacting. "C'mon, Josh...I don't need to buy a new dress for everything we do, do I?"

"No! God, No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that...my mom's parties...are well...more than parties...they're kind of...uh...social events."

"Social events? You mean, it won't be just the four of us sitting down to dinner together?"

"I wish! Knowing my mom, there'll be at least thirty people there, and I hate to say this but--"

"Hate to say what?"

"She will want to introduce you to them...each of them."

"God! No! What am I? Some kind of trophy or something?"

"C'mon, Jenny. It's not like that. Shit! Look. To my family, it's a big deal that I have a girlfriend. I've only had a few in my life, and I've never had one they liked...until you. You're not a trophy, damn it! She...she...wants you to be part of the family."

Part of the family? She wants Josh and I to get married? How can she want that after only meeting me once? "You're kidding, right?"

"I wish I was. Look...I don't want you feeling any pressure about this. I just want you to be prepared. If you don't want to get a new dress...then don't. If you do, do. It's up to you, Jenny."

Be prepared? Shit! "Tell you what. I'll have Esther look through my clothes, and if she feels I need something new, she and I will go shopping? Okay?"

"I'm fine with whatever. I love you, please don't forget that. I love you and will do everything in my power to make you happy."

"You do make me happy, Josh. I don't need all that fancy stuff to be happy. I just need you."

Josh gets up, moves over to my side of the table, and sits next to me. Holding me tightly, he whispers in my ear, "Jenny, I need you too...I need you, and I love you. Don't let all this crap get in the way of our love."

"I promise," I tell him sincerely. Despite our pizza breath, we kiss deeply, our souls falling into each other. Then, pulling away, I gaze into his beautiful hazel eyes, and all the tension I'm feeling drifts away. "Let me see if Esther is free tomorrow," I say.

Josh gets up and sits back on the other side of the table while I pull my phone out to text Esther.

J: Hey girl. Do you have any classes tomorrow?

After a couple of minutes, she responds.

E: Nope, what's up?

J: Can you come over to my place at 10am? I have a situation.

E: Situation? Yeah. Sure. See you then.

Josh nods when I show him the conversation on my phone. Then, digging into his back pocket, he removes his wallet.

"Just in case," he says as he pulls out a credit card. "You don't have to use it if you don't want to, but knowing Esther's taste, you'll want to."

"Josh--"

"I know...I know...just in case. Please?"

"Fine," I answer reluctantly.

**************

Esther shows up at ten on the nose. I invite her in and tell her about having dinner with Josh's parents.

"Josh is right. It won't just be dinner. You can bet on it."

"Josh asked if I wanted to get a new dress, and I told him that I was fine, but now I'm not sure."

"Got it. Let's take a look at what you have."

Esther rummages through my dresses and jewelry. I try on a few things, but nothing seems suitable for the occasion. Finally, she tells me about a place that has what I need, but it's kind of far. Since neither of us have classes, so we jump in her car and take a drive. We eventually get to the store, and as we're walking in, Esther asks me to hold on.

"Jenny, the key to this place is to look at the dresses, not the price. If you don't see something you like, then we'll go somewhere else. So just take it slow and don't choose something that you don't absolutely love."

"Don't look at the price? But--"

"Trust me...it's easier that way. Now C'mon, let's get you set up."

I walk into the store before Esther, and the clerk sees me. Her nose turns up slightly when she says, "Hello young lady, can I help you?" That's when Esther steps out from behind me. The clerk immediately changes her tone and smiles. "Ms. Fox! How nice to see you? What can I do for you today?"

"Hello," Esther says. "This is my friend, Ms. Seagle. She would like to see some dresses for a Bearran dinner party."

The clerk looks me up and down, has me turn around, and then says, "Of course, my dear. Ms. Seagle, please follow me."

Esther and I follow the clerk to a dressing room. Looking over my shoulder, I give Esther an 'are you kidding me?' look, but she gestures for me to be cool, so I straighten up and take this seriously. The clerk brings five dresses for me to try on. The first two, I don't even bother with...they're too stuffy. The third one has potential, but I don't know if it fits my style. I show it to Esther, and she shakes her head. I try the fourth one and love it, but I don't know if it's right. It's plum with long sleeves and is open between my collar bones and the top of my breasts. The bra I have on shows above the line, so I remove it. The dress is snug against me but has some give, so it's easy to walk in it. Strolling out of the dressing room, I show it to Esther to get her opinion. She loves it too.

I tell the clerk that I'll take the dress, desperately trying not to look at the price tag. She asks how I will be paying for it, and I hand her Josh's credit card. She looks at me with wary eyes and then over at Esther, who nods at her. She looks at me again, gives a slight smile, and runs the card through.

After leaving the store, I exhale loudly while saying, "OH MY GOD!"

Esther laughs and says, "I know, right? Sometimes, these people are just too much. Now...let's get some shoes."

"Right. Shoes. Is Josh going to be okay with all of this?"

"Trust me. When Josh sees you, he won't be thinking about money."

After finding the perfect pair of heels, Esther drags me to a jewelry store. "Jewelry, really? I have earrings and necklaces and stuff."

"I know, I saw what you have. Don't take this wrong, but this dress deserves some new jewelry."

Esther has me try on a pair of diamond drop earrings. They're beautiful but way too much for me.

"Esther, diamonds? Really? I don't think diamond jewelry is the right move here."

"Okay...okay...let's see what else they have."

I try on a pair of green topaz, princess cut, drop earrings. They sparkle in greens, blues, and pinks, depending on the way the light hits them. I'm in love with them. Esther asks if they have a matching bracelet, and they do; it's a tennis bracelet that matches perfectly.

Leaving the store, Esther tells me that I need a bra to go with the dress. That I agree with! She takes me to another one of her favorite stores to get what I need.

When we finish shopping, Esther and I go home, and she drops me back at my apartment, where I drop off my new clothes. I then go over to Josh's to return his credit card and apologize.

"What are you sorry for?" he asks.

"For the bill that's coming," I answer.

"I'm sure it'll be worth it," he says as he pulls me in for a tight hug and deep kiss.

I can't resist him and melt into his arms. I'm lost and can't think of anything else as I run my fingers through his curly hair. He lifts me and carries me to the couch, where we sit down with me on his lap.

"About tomorrow," he says.

"Yes?"

"How would you feel if we got dressed at the hotel?"

"Wouldn't it be easier to just leave for dinner from here?"

"Probably, but I don't have any suits here. I have a couple at my house, but most of them are at my apartment."

"Fine. But I'll need a few hours to get ready."

"You can take as long as you wish."

"Okay. I have a class at nine. Can we leave around two?"

"Two? A little earlier than I expected, but that's fine."

"Well...that'll give us time to...well...you know," I say shyly.

"I do know," he says with a chuckle. He then picks me up off his lap and sets me on the couch next to him. Leaning into me, he kisses me hard. Throwing my arms around his neck, I fall backward, and he follows. I love having Josh on top of me. We kiss frantically until he pulls away and gives me a mischievous smile.

"To the bedroom?" he asks.

"To the bedroom!"

We can't get there fast enough, leaving a trail of clothes in our wake. I want to be the aggressor this time, so I push him onto his bed and crawl on top of him. Leaning down into him, I kiss him just as hard as he kissed me earlier. Straddling his waist, I find his hard cock and guide it to my wet opening. I want him so bad that I can't wait to be gentle about it. As soon as his cockhead meets my opening, I thrust down. FUCK! That feels good! Gyrating my hips around, so he hits all the right places, I come sooner than usual. Using his pecs as leverage, I bounce on him to see if I can coax another orgasm. I do. The second one does me in, and I collapse on top of him. Josh rolls us over and continues our carnal dance as his hips rotate, driving his rod into me. I know he's about to come when he goes in all the way and stops. His cock pulses and warmth fills me. I come again. My walls clamp down around him as my legs quiver, and I collapse. Euphoria washes over me, and I can't think of anything else besides how much I love Josh. Tears seep away and down the sides of my face.