Getting It Right

I was toweling my hair and walking to my dresser when I heard something behind me. I turned and came face to face with Daphne. She was standing in the doorway of my bedroom and was completely nude.

I was immediately impacted by her naked form. Her large breasts lay heavily on her chest. Her long, slender body was very similar to Hannah's, but different enough to be exotic, alluring. Her vulva was covered in a neatly trimmed narrow patch of thick, brown pubic hair. Her hip bones were more prominent than Hannah's, and her overall figure was slightly more slender, more elongated. She was stunning. I froze, and stared. She closed the distance between us.

"Trevor, I want you, and I know you want me," she stated in a low, husky voice as she approached.

I broke my reverie and stuttered out, "I can't...Hannah..."

She wrapped me up in her long arms, pressing her body against me, "Darling, I don't want to come between you and Hannah. I just want to fuck you...a little recreational sex. I want to feel you inside me. Make love to me."

With that she planted her lips on mine and snaked her tongue in my mouth. A hand searched out my growing erection and started fondling it, slowly stroking it. My body flushed with heat, and my erection hardened in her warm, firm grasp. I found my arms returning her embrace, wrapping her up. I ran my hands down and grasped her buttocks. They were not as full, and not as firm as Hannah's, but were lovely, nonetheless. But that's when I realized what I was doing. My blood went cold and I started to shake. I released Daphne and grabbed her shoulders, prying us apart.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," I exclaimed, shaking my head. "I can't do this. I can't," I continued, as I attempted to break her grip on my cock.

"I want you; I need you; I know you want me," she countered, and tried to kiss me again.

I turned my head and put up my hand, blocking her. She slowly released me and relented.

"Are you rejecting me?" she asked in a surprised voice, "I thought..."

"Daphne, whoa. I'm not...rejecting you. I'm rejecting this...I just can't do this. I'm not available for 'recreational' sex, or any other kind. I'm devoted, committed..."

"I appreciate that, but I still want you," she pressed, as she tried again to wrap me up.

"Daphne, please. Time out," I exclaimed, and more forcefully grasped her arms and held her at bay.

"Trevor. Are you sure? No one will know. I promise..."

"I'm sure. I'm positive," I responded.

"Well, great! You're a stalwart of moral restraint. My luck," she snapped.

"I'm sorry, Daphne..."

"Don't you desire me, want me?"

"You're kidding, right?" I countered.

"Then take me, fuck me, now!"

"Daphne, stop! Please. I can't make love to you."

She spun on her heal and marched out of my room.

Well, shit!

I got dressed and went out. Daphne was just finishing getting dressed.

"Daphne, I'm sorry..."

"Let's forget it. Lunch is on the table," she interrupted.

We ate in silence. I thought, "Now what? Is she going to sabotage this job, what?"

After we ate and had cleared the table, Daphne headed to the front door, "I need some fresh air."

She went and sat in a rocker, and I followed, taking the chair next to her. I sat and petted Kody, who had come up to me. I think he sensed the tension, that something was amiss.

"Daphne..."

"Give me a minute, Trevor."

I nodded, and sat silently, wondering where the hell we go from here. Was this whole thing going to blow up in my face? Would Daphne tell her husband she didn't like my designs? What?

I felt Daphne's hand on mine.

"I'm sorry, Daphne..." I started.

"No, It is I who has to apologize, Trevor. I misjudged you. I assumed that you were more...amenable to...well, intimacy with me...Trevor, I'm pretty accustomed to getting what I want...I guess that makes me sound like a diva, and I guess to an extent, I am. Anyway, I'm not used to getting rejected, especially not by men. And yes, I have my dalliances. I'm cautious. Charles doesn't know. And he won't know about this," she turned and captured me with a look.

"No, absolutely not."

"You must think ill of me, but..."

"Daphne, I don't judge you. It's not my place..."

"Well, I would still like to explain something...Charles isn't impotent, but he has performance problems, and I'm at my sexual peek...and I know, that's just an excuse, but it's also a reason. Well...never mind, I just hope we can continue to accomplish what we have started out to."

"Absolutely...And Daphne, I'm no choir boy. I cheated on my ex-wife. Our relationship wasn't the best, and I went looking for happiness elsewhere...Thing is, I made decisions that I regretted, and I paid a price for those decisions - a price I'm no longer willing to pay. Daphne, I would love to sleep with you, but I'm not willing to suffer the consequences..."

"What if there were no consequences?" she quickly interjected.

"There would be. I would know. I would know and I would feel terribly guilty. Please understand that."

"I do. I'll relent. I won't...persist. Sorry."

I squeezed her hand, "Thank you."

After a while, we went in and reviewed the plans. Things were a bit stilted at first; there was a tension, but by the time we finished the review, I felt things were better.

"Okay, darling, I'm going to go; leave you to work on the changes. I think we're about ready to show Charles what we have."

"I can have a presentation ready by Friday."

"When you do, we'll call and arrange a meeting," she replied, grabbed her satchel, and turned to leave the office.

I followed her to her car, and she turned and kissed me on the cheek, "Hannah's a lucky woman."

She got in and left. I went and grabbed a beer and went to the rear deck and sat watching the creek, mulling things over. The big question - do I tell Hannah or not. I had to think about that.

XI. THE CONFESSION

I put in long hours over the next couple of days to get a prelim package ready for Charles. Daphne and I met at her house on Friday and went over everything. She met me at the door with her usual hug, but didn't linger.

"Morning, Trevor. You look tired. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Emma, breakfast for two, the usual, and a large pot of coffee," she ordered over her shoulder.

Emma answered from the kitchen, "Yes ma'am."

"Bring the coffee, two cups, to the office as soon as it's ready."

"Yes ma'am."

"So, let's see what you have, darling."

We reviewed everything over coffee, taking a break when breakfast was ready.

"Darling, I think this is looking fabulous. I can't see where we've missed anything. In fact, after we're done reviewing everything, I'll call Charles and tell him I'm coming up with what we have so far. And I'm going to suggest that you don't need to come this trip, that I don't think there are any issues that will require it. You can take a break and spend time with your family."

"That's thoughtful of you, Daphne."

"I may be a diva, but I'm not an ogre," she grinned.

By early afternoon, we wrapped up and she called Charles. He agreed that if there was anything he and I needed to discuss, we could video conference. I called Hannah and let her know that after I met with Tom to give him a copy of my prelim package, I would be home and that I had a few days off.

"What would you like to do?" Hannah asked.

"Sleep...and um, catch up on some 'after hours' activities," I replied.

"We can make both happen, honey. What would you like for dinner? I hadn't planned anything specific. I didn't know if you would be working."

"Sorry, I wasn't sure, either. I didn't know if I was going to be making a trip to New York or not, but Daphne has confidence that Charles will have no issues with the proposal, so she's going to present it herself, so I can have a few days off."

"Wonderful. So, what about dinner."

"Why don't we all go out to dinner, tonight; have a mini-celebration."

"I'll let the girls know. Where do you want to go?"

"Pizza!" I exclaimed. "Oh, are you busy now?"

"No, why?"

"Well, if I have to go get the dogs, I'll be a bit later..."

"I'll go pick them up," she volunteered.

"Thanks, then I should be able to get home by five."

"I'll see you when you get here. We'll be ready and waiting."

"Love you, bye," I signed off.

I met with Tom and went over the package. He had seen updates, but not a completed package. He was impressed.

"If Charles signs off on this, it's all but ready for the architect. Great job, Trevor. You've outdone yourself."

"Thanks, Tom. Yeah, if there aren't too many revisions, I can have this ready for the architect before the end of next week, and ahead of schedule."

"Well, terrific job. Enjoy a few days off."

I headed home, and the incident with Daphne bubbled to the surface. I guess there never was any doubt that I would tell Hannah what happened. I reasoned that if I didn't, I would feel guilty for keeping it a secret, and if it ever slipped out at a later date, I would look like I had intentionally hid the event from Hannah, making me look guilty. So, I decided to tell her tonight, after dinner.

We went to our favorite pizza place in downtown Gainesville (locals will know which one), and had a terrific and relaxed meal. The girls had started school and had a lot to talk about. I'd had little time with them over the last few weeks, and it was good to catch up with them. When we got home, Hannah and I retired to the patio with a couple of glasses of wine, and the girls gave us our privacy.

"So the project is going well?"

"Very well. If Charles signs off on what we have, we'll be ready for the architect next week."

"So things have gone well with Daphne, I take it."

"Mm hmm...mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Yeah, we had one issue."

"Issue?"

"Yes. I need to tell you about something that happened; not a big deal, but something I want you to know about."

"I'm listening," Hannah said, setting her glass down.

"Daphne hit on me."

"I'm listening."

"Earlier this week, Daphne surprised me - she kissed me..."

"What?"

"Yes. I was standing at my drafting table and she said something to me. I turned and she kissed me. I opened my mouth to protest, and she stuck her tongue in..."

"I hope you bit it off!"

"No," I chuckled, "I didn't bite it off...Actually, I was really caught off guard, and I sorta kissed her back..."

"What? You kissed her back!"

"Wait, listen..."

"Trevor, I can't believe..."

"Hannah, please let me finish. I was really caught off guard, off balance. It really was like kissing you. But I immediately broke it off and separated her from me."

"Okay, and?"

"And she explained she wanted to have sex with me and thought I was amenable..."

"Why the hell did she think that?"

"I don't know. But that's not the end of it."

"I'm listening."

"The next day, I had the plans ready for review, and Daphne was going to be at my place at 12:30 to go over them. Before she arrived, I went for a run, then took a shower. Daphne showed up early and let herself in while I was in the shower. When I got out of the shower, she was waiting for me...in my bedroom..."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's not the bad part. When I came into the bedroom to get some clothes, she was standing there naked..."

"What?"

"Mm hmm, and that's still not the bad part..."

"I'm listening."

"She immediately wrapped me up and started kissing me..."

"Trevor, let me get this straight, you were both naked?"

"Yes."

"What did you do?"

"Well...I was caught off guard, again...completely surprised...um..."

"You kissed her back...again!" she exclaimed, incredulously.

"Okay, for a moment I was caught up in it...Like I said, it was like kissing you, she looks like you, and..."

"You were naked and kissed her back?"

"Yes, briefly, but I..."

"I don't believe this. She saw you naked. You saw her naked! You made out with her, naked. Trevor..."

"Hannah, please let me finish. I broke it off..."

"After you were done kissing her!" she snapped, folding her arms across her chest.

"Hannah, you're missing the point. I stopped it. I pulled her off me."

"And?"

"And that's all. We had words; she got bent out of shape..."

"I don't believe this. I don't believe her...I don't believe you..."

"I'm telling the truth..."

"That's not what I mean. I mean I can't believe you kissed her like that!"

"Honey, I'm sorry. Listen, you have to understand, please...she looks like you; she kisses like you; it absolutely caught me off guard."

"But you liked kissing her, her naked body pressed against you, her big boobs..."

"Hannah, that's not fair...No, let me finish," I exclaimed, getting a little upset and defensive. "Look, you have to try and understand...You're a beautiful woman. I am attracted to you, partially because of how beautiful you are. Daphne looks like you...She is beautiful, too, and...I was attracted to her. I didn't 'want' to be attracted to her, but I was. You have to understand that. It wasn't about desire. It was about reaction...Don't look at me like that. I stopped it, okay? I rejected her..."

"Okay, okay, no more; I got it. Just tell me what happened."

"I pried her loose, and she told me she wanted to have sex; no one would know, and she didn't want to come between us; it would just be recreational sex..."

"Recreational sex," she remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Yes. I told her I wasn't available for sex, recreational or otherwise, and that I would know. She pressed, I refused. She was surprised I rejected her, and got upset. Then she got over it and we moved on."

"Well, I guess I'm not surprised, now that I think about it."

"Right. She explained that she has her affairs, that her husband doesn't know, that he has performance problems, and she has her needs. She said I'm the first man that has rejected her, and that you're a lucky woman. I hope you still feel that way."

She reached and took my hand, "I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted a little. But when you said you kissed her back, that you were both naked...I mean, good grief! Well, it just hit me hard..."

"I understand. But honey, I could have chosen not to tell you about this at all, and I certainly could have left out some of the details."

"Why did you tell me?"

"Because I love you, and I didn't want any secrets between us. Okay?"

"Okay. I'm sorry. Thank you...So she kissed like me?"

"Yes, she kissed like you; she looks like you...it was disconcerting..."

"She has bigger tits," Hannah remarked.

"I noticed."

"You bastard!" she exclaimed and came out of her chair.

I grabbed her and pulled her into my lap, bearhugging her.

"Let go of me, you...you boob gazer!"

"Not until you kiss me."

"What, so you can compare?" she playfully sniped.

"I love you, Hannah, heart and soul."

"I love you, baby. Thank you for...for not, you know, doing anything with her."

"Hannah, trust me in this. You are the only woman for me, period. The only woman I want in my life, ever."

"Trevor, are you saying..."

"Baby, I should have already asked you, and this is not the best time...or the best circumstance, but I want you to be my wife."

"Oh baby...I've been waiting, wondering..."

"I was going to ask you after my part in this job was wrapped up, and I'd had a chance to get a ring, do things right, but I guess that plan's out the window."

"I don't care, honey. I'm just...Yes, my answer is, yes. I want to be your wife, for you to be my husband, and a father to my daughters."

We kissed and I felt tears on my cheeks. Then I realized some of them were mine.

EPILOGUE

Hannah and I are getting married in the spring. The girls are ecstatic; they've already started calling me 'Daddy'. I couldn't be happier, never been happier. We're keeping both houses until the girls finish high school, then we're planning on selling Hannah's place and making mine our permanent home.

Daphne and Hannah had a long talk. They are friends now and we have her over occasionally. When Charles is in town, we all get together with my boss and his wife for dinner and such.

I ran into Mara, recently, and she is dating a nice guy. She forgave me for dumping her.

So, though it wasn't easy, and I was tested, I did the right thing, made the right choices, and my life couldn't be better. It pays to get it right.

THE END