Falling for the Girl Next Door

I am one of those people who decided on success over relationships. I studied rigorously through my College years and ended up with a Master's Degree in Business. My last real girlfriend broke up with me while I was still in college; she matter of fact told me I am not boyfriend material. She explained in detail my focus was admirable, but girlfriends need much more attention than I was providing her.

It stung for quite sometime, but I had to hand it to her for being so honest, and I must admit she was right. A few years after that I thought maybe I had met the right lady, but that also ended, rather abruptly after I discovered there was a third party in our relationship! She had been seeing an older married man on the side for several years and seemed to enjoy the lifestyle of being a Sugar Baby.

Sometimes in relationships you just over think things and become blind to the obvious. That is where I am today. It all began when I decided to completely uproot my simple life in the Midwest and take a flier with an upstart Import/Export Company in sunny Southern California.

The temptation of never having to worry about shoving snow or wearing multiple layers of clothing seemed very appealing! Little did I know getting tangled up in a relationship with a young lady 20 years my junior would ever be a concern.

So here I am six years after moving to the dreamland lying in bed on a warm summer Sunday morning; feeling the soft smooth skin of a beautiful 18-year-old lady as she cuddles comfortably next to me. To Karen and I, making love together for our first time had nothing to do with our ages. We simply grew together over time never really knowing for sure what life was going to bring us.

Chapter One -- Getting Settled in

Before I accepted my new job opportunity, I flew out to California and went house shopping. I quickly discovered why I was being offered so much money; the prices were nowhere near reality. But adjusting the compensation with the environment settled my nerves.

Once I arrived, the other thing I had to adjust to is that neighborhood living in sunny California is not like that in the Midwest. Most of my new neighbors live their lives totally removed from the others right next-door or even a few houses away. Fortunately the kids are still just like kids from anywhere; they enjoy being able to roam around pretty much at will. My neighborhood had a posse of about 9 or 10 kids ranging in ages from about 11 or 12 up to 14, Karen was one of those kids.

The first time I actually saw Karen she was 12 years old. The posse was playing hide and seek after the dinner hour and enjoying the playtime without a concern in the world. I had forgotten to collect the mail when I got home so I started to walk down my driveway to cross the street to get my mail.

Karen had taken up a hiding spot behind a large tree next to my driveway. I quickly put my finger up to my mouth indicating I would stay very quiet and not give away the secret about her hiding spot. She looked nervously at me but then quickly put her hand to her mouth hiding her very sweet giggle.

After I returned to the house, I could hear the shrieks and shrills of children having fun for another hour or so. That was all I saw of Karen for many months. My work took me overseas often and I had a caretaker do most of the outside yard work and maintenance.

Back when this all started about the only time I saw neighbors was on a Sunday afternoon when it became habit for us to wash our cars. One afternoon I was washing my car when Karen happened to walk by on her way to her friend's house. She glanced over and waved my way, we exchanged very kind smiles and all seemed well.

That chance encounter became more normal over the next months until one Sunday she stopped in my driveway and started some chitchat about how beautiful the weather had been that summer. Soon our Sunday conversations became more involved. She wanted to know more about this neighbor who would disappear for weeks at a time and be so comfortable living all alone.

Chapter Two -- Getting to Know Each Other

After Karen's 14th Birthday, she started to blossom into a beautiful young lady. Long wavy blond hair down to the small of her back, beautiful green eyes and an air of maturity that was very impressive. Now our conversations started to evolve around boys! I tried to tell her some of what she wanted to talk about was something she should be discussing with her Mother! She would just laugh politely and carry on without hesitation not heeding a word I said.

After I got over my inhibitions regarding her choice of conversations I began to feel more like a parent to Karen. Our relationship seemed to grow deeper as well. For her 16th Birthday I was invited over to her parents house where they had gathered I bet around 50 friends and family to a pool party in Karen's honor.

That day was the most fun I had ever had in my new life. I don't' recall any alcohol being there, it was just family fun with the kids now all around 16. Needless to say it was great entertainment for the adults to watch the kids in the pool as they were flirting and teasing each other. As the day came to a close, I looked over to the pool one last time and my eyes suddenly came to a halt. Staring directly at me was Karen. The world seemed to stop spinning on its axis for that moment.

As I turned to leave I developed this feeling, this unexplainable feeling. I walked to the gate and felt compelled to look back one more time. Sure enough Karen had not moved an inch. Her eyes were still staring directly at me. My eyes were again drawn to hers and face opened up to expose a smile that felt warmer than any I had seen or felt in my life. I never even thought what to do; I just put my hand to my mouth, gave it a kiss and blew it her way!

Being a Saturday night I decided to go my backyard and turn on my fire pit. I have a very private back yard. Like many developments in Southern California ours is built on sloping terrain over looking valleys crisscrossed by Freeways. I do not look into the back neighbor's yard, that house is sunk down and all I could see is the tip of the roof. The house to my left is also sunk down, while the house to the right is elevated about 15 feet above mine. The previous owner had planted a beautiful growth of scrubs, so my back yard is my sanctuary.

As the enjoyment from the party started to settle down; a windless clear nightfall spread throughout the valley. I quietly sipped on my glass of wine somewhat memorized by the flickering of the flames in the fire pit. I was content, my mind went blank, and I was at peace with my surroundings and myself.

I must have been in quite a trance. I never hard a soul open the gate to my backyard, nor any soft footsteps approaching my solitude. I looked up from the flames and there was Karen once again staring into my eyes from behind the fire pit.

She had replaced her tiny bikini with a pretty short white skirt and tank top featuring spaghetti string straps riding over her shoulders. The cute sandals with slight heals made her appear convincingly innocent.

"How come you left so early Mr. Stevens?"

"Well Karen, you seemed to be having so much fun with your posse I just thought it was my time to move on. Oh and by the way, we have decided I am now David, not Mr. Stevens."

Her sweet giggle set both of us at ease as she made her way around the fire pit and sat next to me in the chair by my side.

"I'm glad I found you out here David, I really needed one of our Father/Daughter talks."

"Is this about boys again dear?"

I was a bit shocked, not by the statements we made to each other, but that Karen had reached for my glass of wine sitting on the table between us. She slowly as if she had much experience with sipping wine placed the glass to her lips and took in a tiny amount of wine.

"Yes I'm having boy problems again. Ted has been flirting with me for months. We have been great friends for years. I'm not interested in anything deeper than that and he does not take my comments to look elsewhere seriously."

"Sounds to me like you have been handling the situation as well as anyone could be expected to Karen. I'm very proud of the way you are dealing with it."

"Ted, like all of the boys in my posse have always been friends, we get along great and I want to keep it that way. Once anyone starts to couple up it always ends bad for the rest of us."

"Karen you are mature beyond your years. But soon other boys are going to be asking out and your posse is just going to have understand that."

We settled into our Father/Daughter mode for the rest of the evening. Karen made it known she was going to wait until she meets the perfect gentleman before she starting dating. At 16 she was not ready to even ponder the thought.

When it was time for Karen to retire back to her house, we both stood up at the same moment. In the still of the night something new happened. We both reached across with our hands and held our hands together for the first time. That moment was special; we caressed each other in total silence for several minutes.

Karen's eyes were almost misty; her lips were glossy and full. My mouth went dry not knowing how I should handle such an encountered. Not true, I knew how to handle this situation. I started to walk Karen over to the gate, hand in hand. I could not let her walk home in the dark alone, so we walked together to her front door.

Once there, I could feel a kiss on both our lips, but I was 36 and she was 16. A small tear ran down her cheek as we both clearly understood, a kiss was not ours to share that evening.

Chapter Three -- Growing Together

The next two years were wonderful. I did not have to wait for a call or text from Karen. We stayed in contact daily. Sometimes she would call me late at night when she knew I would be settling in just to say goodnight. Sometimes she would playfully add "Daddy" with her unmistakable giggle.

Our Sundays were the highlight of the week. Her Dad had gotten her a used car for her 17th birthday and that gave us more time to chat away; as she would bring it over where we washed both our cars. Our conversations were about everything imaginable. Boys started to become less apart of our talks, which relieved me greatly.

Earlier, I spoke about my Sanctuary and how much I loved being there. What I didn't mention was off my Master Suite I have a 4-person hot tub hidden behind a 6-foot wooden wall. Complete privacy so I could get home, strip down to nothing, and jump in to unwind. I especially did that when coming home from far away places.

One Sunday Karen showed up in her normal jean shorts (not to short, but still short) and rather than a tank-top she had on a bikini top. Our routine was in place so she jumped out of her car, grabbed the hose and a wash bucket without saying a word.

I think my eyes must have made an impression on her. When she smiled and stared back I broke off the stare and looked directly at the finish on my car.

"Busted! Thought I might be able to grab your attention David."

"Alright Karen I did take note in the change of your Sunday outfit!"

"So what do you really think?"

"You are not that cute little 12 year girl I found hiding behind the tree years ago!"

"Well I'm going to be 18 in a few months, I'll ask again when you are not so uptight!"

"God Karen you always make me laugh with all the things you come up with."

That was not the end of the surprises for me that day. When we finished our cars spit clean and dry, Karen explained to me the reason for her outfit was that she wanted to jump into the hot tub afterwards. This was not the first time I had seen her in her bikini, since I had been to a few more parties at her parent's house over the past few years. So I agreed and we walked through the house to my Suite and out into the enclosure.

I stepped back into my bathroom to change while Karen rather casually slid her shorts off to reveal what I had seen before, but this time it felt very different. By the time I got on my swimsuit, Karen was already laying back in comfort enjoying the bliss of the aroma I used in the tub as well as the jets gently pulsating on her back.

I climbed in and took position opposite of her and sank into the same delightful trance she was enjoying. Those first 10 minutes were completely void of chatter of any kind; we just relaxed. Somehow our relationship had developed over so many years it just seemed natural to share this experience without any worries. That feeling was built on trust and knowledge we had gained over many conversations.

Once we were totally water logged we got out together and dried off. After Karen wrapped her towel around her body, she leaned over and gave me a familiar kiss on my cheek. I responded in kind and we both gave each other a rather unusual laugh back to one another. We then lounged in the backyard with just our swimsuits on for another couple hours. Once again Karen surprised me when she asked if she could have her own very small glass of wine.

Our afternoon together was peaceful, gentle, and as relaxing as I will ever probably enjoy. Our chats were very deep, even to the point where Karen wanted to discuss our relationship. I was so at ease I had no problem opening up to her for the first time about the feelings I had developed for her.

"Are you truly ready to hear the words I want to express Karen?"

"Yes David, it seems to me like we have been growing up together."

"I must admit I was once told I am not Boyfriend material. But right now for the first time in my life I understand that is something I would cherish."

"As soon as you get over our age thing, I will be available to you David."

"How about a compromise Karen; let's keep this thought moving forward, you turn 18 in just a few months. I'm sure if we broach the subject with your parents, they will understand."

"I already have them convinced we are going to start dating on my 18th Birthday!"

"Never under estimate the will of my soon to be girlfriend!"

When it was time for Karen to go home, she stood up and slid on her jean shorts over her bikini bottoms that were now dry and together we walked, hand in hand back to her awaiting car.

Chapter 4 - Karen's 18th Birthday Party.

For whatever reason, I still do not know why, Karen's parents asked me if they could use my backyard for Karen's 18th Birthday Party. They wanted to do something very different and the pool had just outlasted its novelty. I never imagined what it was going to look like until I came home the day before from an overseas trip! Let's just say over the top with all the decorations, and games. The whole event was also going to be catered beautifully; all I had to do was to show up!

On the day of her Birthday, I was standing alone admiring the scene when the first knock on the door came my why. Sure enough it was the Birthday girl and her parents; arriving a bit early to do their final inspection. Her parents quickly moved past the door to the backyard, while Karen and I just stood still captivated by the moment.

Karen was more than beautiful. Her 5'2" frame was boosted up to 5'5" with sand wedge sandals. Her soft blue floral sundress fit tight to her waist and draped perfectly over her finely defined hips. The spaghetti straps ran over her shoulders and the lines created a demur v-line heading towards her more developed breasts than I ever remembered. She spun around to reveal the open back and giggled when she faced me again.

"I like it when I can make you speechless David!"

"Then enjoy the moment Karen."

If you are a hopeless romantic like me, this is why you are reading stories like this. The silence that fell after our words together seemed like it was going to last forever. She was now 18; our hands reached out and we gently held each other's hands while we silently confirmed to each other this is what we both wanted.

Our bodies were drawn in to each other in way that was purposeful, wanting, needing. When our arms reached around each other I felt her young body softly touching mine for the first time. As her breasts pressed against my chest, I certainly could feel they were free from the burden of a bra. Our eyes slowly closed as our lips pressed tightly.

My hands tenderly caressed the skin of her back as her hands wrapped around my neck and she pulled me in tighter and tighter with each kiss. This was our first kiss and we both had been dreaming of this moment for a long time. This kiss was one of pure love, not lust. Neither of us held back our tears. Our bodies pressed together, we wanted to feel everything about this kiss, and we did.

Her parents never came back to the front door while we enjoyed our first kiss, they instinctively stayed and enjoyed the beauty of the backyard. When we finally approached them, we were still trying to clean up our soft tears. They came to us and we enjoyed a brief group hug. That was the assurance I needed that I had their approval to finally allow our relationship to blossom into everything it could be.

As the party started; for the first time I got to see the entire posse dressed up like young adults, very pretty sundresses for the girls and the boys all worn nice shorts and polo shirts. I was duly impressed with them all. This party had an adult feel to it; they had all grown up together so I finally understood why Karen's parents wanted something so totally different.

Once the party wound down, Karen's parents were the last to leave. They bid us farewell and suddenly we were alone for the first time that day. During the party it became obvious to all we indeed intended to be a couple. We slowly walked through the house hand in hand and stopped at the wine bar to grab a soothing glass of Cabernet for each!

It was two years ago when we first sat by my fire pit and gazed silently into the flames. This time we choose to cuddle in one of my larger lounge chairs. As the darkness of the evening settled in, we quietly held each and caressed each other. Gentle kisses between sips of wine were shared. The silence was finally chased away when we broke from a deep kiss.

"I love you Karen, I'm still in a fog that this has come to be, but I want you to know this is exactly what I want."

"I'm glad we waited all this time, I'm not a little girl anymore, I too know this is what I want."

Our kisses and caresses got deeper as the warm evening air surrounded our bodies. Soon it was late, much later than either of us realized. We wanted more from each other, but most importantly we wanted each other, and more was going to have to wait until we were both ready.

Chapter 5 - Starting to Date.

The next few months were filled with happiness and joy as we began the dating ritual. At first, I had to remove myself from the bonds of dating a lady twenty years my junior. Karen never had a problem being my girlfriend. She enjoyed a silly laugh every time her friends asked her what it was like to be dating her father!

It was always fun to rekindle our Father/Daughter conversations, but now the boy talk was about us. Karen took great pleasure calling me Daddy when she really wanted something or just to get my attention. Those were fun moments filled with laughter and tender touches. But then our first real test came.

After three months of dating, I was scheduled to go overseas for a two-week business trip. Even knowing we were only a phone call or text away; it was just too soon for this to happen. While standing together at the curbside when Karen dropped me off at the Airport, we got busted for taking too long to say goodbye! The impatient little bastard in the car behind us would not lay off the horn. That only encouraged me to kiss Karen even deeper.

As Karen finally retreated to her car and drove away; the little bastard just had to snarl at me as he drove past.