For My 50th Birthday

"Oh sweetheart," I wailed on her shoulder; tears spilling out of my eyes. "God, I've missed you so much."

"Not as much as I've missed you," Ashley sobbed on my shoulder.

We held each other there on the side of the road for what seemed like hours, both of us weeping piteously. Finally, we collected ourselves and separated. Still holding on to each other though, we just stood and studied one another in silence for a long moment.

"I just can't believe it," I said at last. "You're here. I'm hearing you, touching you and seeing you. And just look at you! While I can see the beautiful, young girl I once knew, I'm just so completely overwhelmed by the gorgeous, mature woman standing before me now."

"You look just like I remember you," Ashley replied softly. "Only more beautiful."

"Oh baby, you still do have the sweetest mouth on you."

We both chuckled.

"I can't believe it," she whispered. "You came. You actually came."

"You mean the pact you made in your letter," I offered. "I read it again just before I left the house tonight."

Ashley seemed taken aback as she placed her hand on her chest.

"You still have it," she choked.

"Oh sweetheart, of course I do..." I said as I stepped to her and caressed her cheek. "It was the most beautiful love letter I ever received. I would never part with it."

"I know people make pacts like that all the time," Ashley began. "But almost none of them are ever upheld. Certainly not ones that span years like that. But I always hoped that ours would be different. All these years, I prayed for it. But after the year we've had so far with the pandemic and all the rioting in the streets and the hatred toward the uniform -- I'd given up on it. But something today told me to go. So, I was heading there when this car came racing by. And I made the decision to just let it go on by, because I didn't want to be late. But something told me to pull you over, even though I'm already off duty. And just look who I found."

"Baby, where do you think I was going in such a hurry?" I pressed my body up against Ashley and our foreheads came together. "Come on. Why don't we go there now together?"

"It doesn't matter," Ashley sniffed. "The place is closed."

"What," I replied, then remarked: "Well, I kind of figured it would be due to the pandemic restrictions."

"No," Ashley retorted. "It's permanently closed. Out of business."

"Oh no," I groaned and thought for a moment. "You know what...Who cares if it's closed. It's still our place. Let's go by anyway."

"Okay," Ashley sniffed again and wiped her eyes, fully regaining her composure. "Follow me then."

Five minutes later, we pulled up and parked in front of what had once been our CiCi's Pizza, occupying the corner suite of a strip center. Ashley and I exited our individual vehicles and strode up to the glass front entrance.

"Damn," I snapped. "This is really depressing."

"Tell me about it," Ashley replied.

"They just couldn't survive on takeout and delivery, huh?"

"Not a chance! Between Dominos, Pizza Hutt, and Papa John's, CiCi's didn't have a prayer. Because let's face it: With an all you could eat buffet, you really didn't notice how much the pizza sucked!"

"Very true my dear," I replied, and we both giggled.

Ashley then spoke very somberly: "Still.... If it wasn't for this place..."

"I know," I replied softly and took her hand. "Hey look, there's the bench you were sitting on waiting for me."

We walked over to it hand in hand.

"Yup, I stormed out that door because you had me so twisted up in the head but so hot in the twat that I could barely breathe."

"What did you tell your friends that night? Whitney and Heather, right?"

"Yup! And I just told them to get lost! They pretty much obeyed me like dogs. I was kind of a bitch to them most of the time."

"I got that impression."

"But they were really good friends. I miss them. Haven't seen or heard from either one of them in years. Not even on social media."

"Okay, enough of this place," I declared. "Too depressing! Let's get out of here. And why don't we move on to the second phase of Ashley's seduction by going where it took place."

"You mean, your house? Really?"

"Of course."

"Well, I need to go by the station to check out and change my clothes first."

"Let's go then. I'll wait for you."

Half an hour later, I sat in a surprisingly comfortable chair in the lobby of the police station, playing Words with Friends on my phone as I waited for Ashley. Reaching a lull in the game, I glanced up and happen to catch sight of a display case on the far wall and it looked like a picture of Ashley was inside it.

Curious, I got up and walked over to it.

Sure enough, it was Ashley's official police portrait with her full name scribed at the bottom. Then all around her portrait, there were numerous other photos, bronzed plaques, and newspaper headline clippings, along with a detailed list of commendations, citations and honors she'd received.

But the one that caught my attention immediately was the photo mounted on a large plaque in the center. Ashley was in full dress uniform, standing with the Governor of Texas as he was presenting her with the Medal of Honor. I then read the article engraved below the photo:

"Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy Ashley Christina Sloane was presented the prestigious Medal of Honor; the highest honor awarded to law enforcement officers in the state of Texas by the Texas governor at the state capitol building in Austin today. Deputy Sloane and her partner, Deputy Ross Conner were in high-speed pursuit of two armed and dangerous suspects in the early evening hours of Sunday, January 8, 2017. Exchanging gunfire along a mostly deserted and rural stretch of Highway 36 north, the deputies brought the suspect's vehicle to a stop in an open pasture. The two suspects then jumped from their vehicle and opened fire. Dispatching both suspects, the deputies were in the process of assessing the scene when a previously undetected third suspect emerged from the vehicle, opening fire with a 12-gauge shotgun. Deputy Sloane sustained a gunshot wound in the back while Deputy Conner had his mobile radio destroyed when struck by a bullet on his shoulder. Despite the severity of her wound, Deputy Sloane dispatched the third assailant with her sidearm. As Deputy Conner returned to their cruiser to call for additional assistance and report an officer down, Deputy Sloane heard the cries of an infant from inside the suspect's vehicle, which was now on fire. Despite her injury, as well as the accompanying weakness from the loss of blood and the severe pain, and with total disregard for her own safety and her life, Deputy Sloane drug herself over to and up inside the burning vehicle, freed the infant from his car seat and pulled him to safety. Dragging herself and the infant away just as the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames and exploded, Deputy Sloane then shielded the infant with her body. In addition to the Medal of Honor for this remarkable testament and feat of humanity, courage, selflessness and heroism, Deputy Sloane also received the Medal of Valor, the Life Saving Award and the Purple Heart."

Cupping my hand over my mouth as tears spilled out of my eyes and down my face, my heart was pounding as it never had before. Just then I heard Ashley's voice calling out behind me:

"See you all Monday."

Somehow, I managed to quickly pull myself together, wiping my eyes as I spun around and hurried back to the chair that I'd been sitting in just in time to see Ashley emerging through a door marked "Authorized Personnel Only".

With an athletic bag slung over her shoulder, my eyes devoured her from top to bottom. In so many ways, I was seeing her for the first time all over again. Though she was still my Ashley; the timid, fragile, and inept young girl I had seduced ten years ago was long gone. This was an intrepid, vigorous, and accomplished mature woman that was actively seducing me right now. And she was more mesmerizing and stimulating to me than anyone ever in my life.

The adorable angel had blossomed into a seductive goddess.

Dressed in a white, long-sleeve pullover, skin-tight black spandex pants and a pair of white athletic shoes on her feet, I felt every fiber of my mortal being tingling with a desire I'd never known before. The bottom hem of her shirt fell just below her breasts, giving me an unobstructed view of her lean, slender torso all the way to her slim, sexy waist. Her skin was still the breathtaking shade of mahogany tan that I remembered and instead of a ring dangling from her bellybutton piercing, there was now a single, silver stud.

My eyes irrevocably fastened on her abdomen, for it was the most masterfully sculpted, rippled six-pack I'd ever beheld. So ruggedly clad but with such wonderfully feminine definition and perfect symmetry while the black spandex pants superbly accentuated her hips, thighs, ass, and legs. Ashley's lower body was beyond perfect ten years ago and I remember thinking then that it could never improve.

Well, it had!

Never underestimate the power of the Creator. Or the looking through the eyes of love. And lust! So splendidly curvaceous and regally statuesque. The mold for very hourglass in the world should be this woman's flawless body.

Her stunning coal black hair was shorter now than it was ten years ago; draping mystically down now and just brushing the tops of her shoulders, which while every bit as sexy were now broader, more defined, and alluringly powerful. Her neck was still as long, sleek, and sexy as it had been while her face, which I have already described -- her cheeks, her chin, her eyes, her lips, and her nose -- where all those now of a confident, courageous, and captivating mature woman.

One very enchanting addition to her face was a pair of thin-framed, Clark Kent style glasses. Not only did they bring an enticing look of sophistication to her face, but they were also utterly adorable on her. Not to mention, they marvelously accentuated her dazzling eyes. As she approached me; her face glowing with that celestial smile, I had an image flash through my mind's eye:

Superwoman!

For a brief few seconds, Ashley donned the long, red cape with the short, red skirt, the red high-heeled boots, and the dark blue, skin-tight suit with the symbol of the House of El emblazoned over her breasts. She was descending out of the sky to sweep me up into her arms and carry me off up into the stars. Of course, after what I had just learned about her, she truly was Superwoman; only far more extraordinary.

A tiny orgasm rattled quietly through me and snapped me back to reality as Ashley was now standing directly in front of me. I sniffed hints of baby powder and sweet vanilla. Then suddenly, a stunning revelation:

She'd gotten taller.

It may have been only my imagination, and I hadn't initially noticed it back out on the side of the road, but I swear on the lives of my sons that Ashley had grown at least two or three inches since that long ago night. Ashley studied my face with a slight look of concern.

"Are you all right," she asked.

"Yeah," I chirped. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just still emotional about all this. Still can't believe it's happening."

"Tell me about it," she fired back.

"Baby, have you gotten taller," I asked, needing to shift the subject.

"I don't think so."

"Well, maybe I've just gotten shorter. Tends to happen as we get older. We settle a bit."

"The only thing you've done is get more beautiful," Ashley cooed.

Leaning in and kissing me softly again, she caressed my cheek.

"Come on. Let's go home," I whispered as I took her by the hand.

"I want to drive this time though," Ashley abruptly whipped.

"Oh, you mean -- take your car?"

"No, I want to drive yours."

"You drive my car? Oh, I don't think so my dear."

"I can still write you that speeding ticket you know," Ashley stated firmly.

"She's all yours," I complied and dropped the key fob into her hand.

We held hands and made very casual chit-chat along the way; one of the subjects was wondering if we'd ever searched for each other on social media. Ashley reminded me that she never knew my last name and I confessed that I had Cody do a search for her one time for I lied and said I wasn't exactly a technologically inclined person.

We let it go at that. In the end, it made no difference for we were together now.

Picking up a pizza at the Domino's around the corner from my house, we pulled into my driveway a little before nine. As we came through the backyard gate, Ashley stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the swimming pool; luminously illuminated by the underwater lights.

"I don't remember you having a pool," Ashley quipped.

"That's because I didn't," I replied. "My father passed away early last year, and I used my part of the inheritance to do some home renovations. And this was one of them. I love swimming. I try to swim at least forty laps every morning."

"It certainly shows," Ashley said with a wink. "You look amazing."

Once we got inside, I opened a bottle of wine, grabbed two glasses and then the two of us sat down on the sofa in the living room. Over the next hour or so, we nibbled on pizza and sipped our wine as I brought Ashley up to speed on everything that had happened in my life over the past ten years. When I told her the story of Leona and Seth, she roared:

"That bitch!"

"Amen to that, sister."

"What a twisted, evil fucking cunt!"

By the time we finished the pizza, we had also finished the bottle of wine. I cleared away the pizza box and took it out to the trash can in the garage. Coming back through the kitchen, I retrieved a second bottle of wine. As I returned to the living room, I found the new double bay doors I'd had installed during the renovations had been opened and Ashley was standing out on the back patio, looking at the pool. Picking up our wine glasses off the coffee table, I followed her outside. I refilled each of our glasses then carried them over to her.

"Here you go," I whispered from behind her and handed her glass to her.

"Thank you," she replied as she took it.

Snuggling up against her back, I slid my arms around her waist.

"Okay," I said as I nuzzled her neck. "Enough about me. Your turn."

Ashley took a sip of wine.

"Maybe we should sit down," she said.

Abruptly, Ashley kicked off her shoes and then sat down on the edge of the pool where she dangled her bare feet and lower legs in the water.

"I like the way you think," I replied as I kicked off my flipflops and sat down beside her, dangling my feet and legs in the water too.

"So, where do I begin?"

"At the beginning."

For the sake of time and space, I will briefly summarize Ashley's life journey since our parting ten years earlier.

She awoke before dawn the morning after her nineteenth birthday and carefully slipped out of my bed without causing me to stir. She picked up her clothes and tiptoed out to the kitchen where she dressed and wrote her letter to me. She'd been awake most of the night, composing it in her mind. She then texted her friend, Whitney, who then picked her up at the corner, down the street from my house and drove Ashley home. Not to the apartment they shared, for that was a lie. But rather, to the dingy two-bedroom rental house Ashley shared with her mother.

Finding her mother passed out in bed with yet another strange man that morning; Ashley, for the first time in her life, had the courage and strength to do what she should have done long ago. She packed up bags and went to live with her uncle, her father's older brother, who was a career Army man and stationed in El Paso at Fort Bliss. He had been urging her ever since her father's death to come live with him and his wife for he knew what a terrible person Ashley's mother truly was, even without the alcohol.

When she arrived in El Paso, her uncle, who was not only career Army, but a career MP, encouraged her to enlist in the Army and pursue MP training herself. With his guidance and influence, he knew she would flourish as the police force was in her blood going back four generations.

Then after a few years, she could go to college with the GI Bill and earn a degree in criminal justice. So, Ashley enlisted in the United States Army, for again she now had the courage to do what she had only dared dream about; to become a police officer herself. All because of me, she repeatedly stressed, she now had the strength to endure and survive anything, including the taxing mental training as well as the rigorous and at times, merciless physical training it would take to achieve what she really wanted: To be just like her father and all the brave men and women in her family who preceded him in law enforcement. To protect and serve those who could not protect and serve themselves. To fight for what was right, lawful, decent, and good! To no longer be afraid. To truly be one of the good guys!

And that is exactly what she did. Ashley served five years in the United State Army as a Military Police officer before her honorable discharged a week before her twenty-fourth birthday. She planned to enroll at Arizona State University that fall and pursue a degree in criminal justice on the GI Bill. But a few days before she was discharged, her mother suffered a massive stroke and was left in a persistent vegetative state. Being the only surviving relative as her barfly grandfather had long since passed away, Ashley came back to Conroe, Texas to take responsibility for her mother's affairs and joined the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department as a deputy. Her mother lingered a year and a half before passing away. Immediately, Ashley sold the dive titty bar to a developer who wanted the land it sat on.

She still planned to go to college someday, but for now she loved her job and her life. She loved being a cop.

As for her love life, it was like mine. And though she'd never married, she came very close to it as she briefly got serious with one young man: A fellow deputy. But she soon found that she inherited her mother's bad taste in men as he turned out to be a bonified loser and a dirty cop. Plus, she much preferred women. She found herself favoring older women and while some of her assignations were quite torrid, she viewed them more as educational tutorials for honing and enhancing her sexual skills. Ashley loved sex! But it was nothing to her without love. Love for me, and only me!

Through it all, I sat in silence and completely engrossed with the occasional tears. I asked only a few questions because she told her story so eloquently and thoroughly. But I never asked anything about what I'd seen at the police station. And she never mentioned it! But then again, I knew she wouldn't. For that is the mark of a true hero:

Humility.

As she brought her story to a close, so had we closed the second bottle of wine. Taking the final swig from her glass, Ashley set it aside and laid her head on my shoulder. I finished my last swig and then slid my arm around her, kissed her on top of her head and snuggled her. We sat in silence. The night was clear, warm, and muggy.

Just then, the grandfather clock in the foyer began its chiming chorus.

"That's new too, yes?" She asked.

"Indeed. It came with my inheritance from my father," I replied.

"I love grandfather clocks," she offered.

We fell silent again as we listened to the clock chimed twelve times. It was midnight.

"Well, another of my birthday's has come and gone," I scoffed. "But another one of yours is just beginning."

"It is," Ashley cooed. "Twenty-nine."

"Happy Birthday my darling," I whispered as I cupped her chin, raised her head, and kissed her softly.