Helper

Summary: When Cupid's arrows go astray, new help is needed for love.

Author's Note:

This romance is my entry for the 2021 Valentine's Day Contest. Thanks for reading, for any feedback, and for your votes.

There are several erotic scenes as the story progresses, but if lots of graphic sex is what you're seeking, please look elsewhere.

Thanks for reading and for your feedback.

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Prologue

She approached the front desk as the receptionist answered the phone with the firm name and a business-like "How may I direct your call?'

The seated woman listened intently on the line for a moment and then replied, "Hold one moment, please." She touched some additional icons on the phone's screen and then looked up, smiling broadly when she recognized the visitor. Standing up, she said, "Hi! Welcome back! You haven't been by in ages!"

The visitor returned the greeting and they both leaned in for a hug. "Yes, it's been a while, a long while. You know how it is." After a few words between old friends, she asked, "Is Dad in?"

"Isn't he always? Yes, go right on in. I'd buzz him to let him know but I think he could use the surprise." The receptionist was grinning as she reached for the buzzing phone once more.

The visitor entered the oversized office to see a bank of screens on one wall giving the status of the firm's operations in real time while an elderly gentleman poured over paperwork on the large marble table that had served as his desk for so many years. In fact, it really had been a number of years since she'd seen him; while the screens were new, the man still looked the same, having aged little if any in that time. He was still very handsome and distinguished despite his years. When he didn't notice her presence, she cleared her throat and smiled in his direction.

He looked up and took her in before a smile graced his own face.

"Daughter! This is a most pleasant surprise! Welcome!"

"Hello, Father. It's so good to see you again!" She stepped around his desk to share a big hug and receive a kiss on both cheeks and her forehead before she gave him a kiss in return.

"My dear, sweet girl, what brings you for a visit? It's quite a trek for you, so you don't come here lightly, I'm sure."

She looked down, her face showing sadness. "Yes, Father, I...I have a problem and I don't know how to fix it. I could use your advice."

He waved for her to be seated and then followed her around the desk so he could take the adjacent seat. "Now, dear, tell me." He listened carefully when she gave the details and was nodding ever-so-slightly when she finished.

The silence lingered as he thought before he finally spoke. "Dear, true love isn't guaranteed to anyone, and even when we're lucky enough to find it, it's never guaranteed to last. When it fails...well, sometimes it's best to throw in the towel and walk away."

"But Father—"

He held up a hand and continued. "On the other hand, sometimes it's best to give it one more chance to be sure. Then, you'll know you did your best and if it doesn't work out, you'll know it wasn't meant to be."

***

Chapter 1

Traffic was bad and Terry Foster was late. He'd left work early to avoid a situation like this, but it seemed as if everyone in the city wanted to get somewhere to someone special for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, far too many of them were on the same roads he was traversing. .

Terry was a big fan of Valentine's Day, a day of new chances for love for those seeking it and for renewal and strengthening of relationships for those blessed to be in one. The latter, he hoped, would be his lot that afternoon and evening. He and his wife, Lacey, had been having trouble in recent months, with Lacey trying to work through issues she didn't seem to understand and couldn't adequately explain.

"What is it you need, Lacey? We can work on finding it together," Terry had said, not wanting to throw away their love and everything they'd built together over the years. "We're stronger together and can come up with a way to find it or build it or whatever we need to do to get it. We'll do it together. You just need to tell me what."

"That's the problem Terry. I've tried to figure it out for months and I just don't know!" she said, her voice rising in frustration at her own inability to understand what she was feeling despite all of her efforts. "If I did, do you think I'd be doing this to you, to us? I love you, but...but it's not enough anymore. I...I just need to find what's missing in my life," she said as her tears flowed. "Something...just something more."

They'd had a great marriage for nearly 25 years at the time, so they agreed to go into counseling to see if they could solve the issues and renew the spark that had always burned so brightly in their hearts for each other. Terry had sensed things improving in recent weeks as Mrs. Carmichael, their counselor, bore in on some issues.

He pulled into the parking lot at 3:58 PM and arrived at Mrs. Carmichael's office at 4:04.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said to the elderly councilor. "Traffic was bad, Valentine's Day and all, I guess."

She nodded and replied with the decided British accent she still had after having spent almost all of her adult life in the States. "Terrance, I'm actually a bit surprised that you'd agree to schedule a counseling session at 4 PM on Valentine's Day. Tell me, why would you do that?"

He sighed. "Because it's important. Because it needs to be done. Because it's the only way I see things getting better between Lacey and me...and because that—things getting better—is what I want most, more than anything in the world."

"Very good, because if you were only doing it out of a sense of obligation or because you promised you would, then I'd probably have told you that today's session would have been a waste of time and that you'd be better off spending time at home trying to get to know your wife better. Since not, come in and let's see if we can get closer to solving this kerfuffle in your marriage."

They had a seat in her office in chairs on opposite sides of a low table with a glass top. Terry suspected that Mrs. Carmichael watched body language closely, including the nervous movements of feet or legs that would ordinarily have been hidden below a more traditional hardwood table.

"Terrance, let's start with your assignment from our last one-on-one session. Tell me in a nutshell, why do you think your marriage was successful until this problem came up?

"We've loved each other and really cared for each other, as people and as partners, with each other and with our children. We've worked together to make our marriage work and to raise our kids, too. Lacey and I have fun together and laugh together, but we can also step apart at times to enjoy things that the other doesn't really get. And, finally, our sex life has been...well, it's been great, caring for each other and each other's needs. At least that's the way I see it, and I think Lacey's always seemed to think so, too."

Mrs. Carmichael nodded, not mentioning his failure to heed the fifty word limit she'd assigned. Since she was bound by the rules of their counseling to keep responses confidential until their group sessions, Terry didn't know that Lacey had told her the same thing. So far she'd come up empty so she decided to dig a little deeper into a few topics they'd discussed before.

"Terrance, tell me more about your work? We've talked about the job itself, but how does it mesh with hers? Are there any, well, conflicts between them? Do you cross paths in your jobs? Are there problems with your respective hours? Responsibilities? Anything like that?"

Terry shook his head, wishing that he could point to something but finding nothing. "We both have great jobs with responsibilities and we're both paid well for our efforts. With me being in corporate finance and with Lacey being a nurse practitioner, there aren't any issues between them. We work similar hours and get to eat dinner together almost every night. I travel once or twice a month, but almost always for only one night; any longer, and we usually arrange it where Lacey can come with me. We've always enjoyed our time together, as a family and our, ah, alone time."

She smiled. "That's very important. Lack of that togetherness causes problems in many relationships, so thank you for that input. So, what about your personal finances? Have you given that any more thought since our last session? I know your income and Lacinda Jane's are relatively similar, but have you thought of anything on that front that could be an issue?"

"Mrs. Carmichael, the only person who's ever called Lacey that was her mother when she was mad at her," Terry had replied, suppressing a chuckle. "Ardella's been gone for almost eight years, and Lacey's adjusted to it, though I know she still misses her sometimes. I thought that might have something to do with it, but..." He shook his head again, not knowing how to continue.

"Thank you for the lead," said the counselor, as comfortingly as she could, but knowing that she'd already covered the situation with Lacey's father, a corporate executive nearing retirement, and her late mother in an earlier session. "Now, the finances?"

He'd actually given that topic a great deal of thought over the last week, but it didn't seem like an issue to him. "You've seen our questionnaires. We have a nice house and nice vehicles, but we don't spend lavishly, putting as much as we can toward the future. You know, savings and retirement. Oh, we treat ourselves sometimes, and we save a lot for trips—that's one of our shared passions—but it's mostly for our future...at least that's what we've always told ourselves. We've always had plans and we've always worked together..."

The session went on for a while, with questions and responses but no answers that allowed them to reach the root of the problem. As it was winding down, the counselor jotted down a quick summary, but when she looked up, she saw Terry looking at her with a look of disappointment and frustration.

He said, "Mrs. Carmichael....I, ah, I honestly thought it was working and that we'd be together forever. What could have gone wrong?"

The elderly lady shook her head, feeling for the man but unable to give him what he needed. "Terrance, it's important to remember that there's no guarantee that you won't be together 'forever,' just as there's no guarantee that you will. As for your question, I've been doing this for a long time. Most of the time there are some clues, but every now and then, there's just no answer to that.

"We'll continue next week, so for now, it's Valentine's Day. Go home, spend time with Lacinda Ja—Lacey, and show her you love her. Sometimes, things work out on their own and we counselors get to smile, thump our chests in pride, and proclaim how much we helped." She laughed. "We live for those miracles, and I'm hoping for the two of you that this will be one of them. Now, here's your assignment sheet for our next session."

***

Terry pulled into the garage at 5:25 and was met by Lacey at the door. She'd been distant recently, but this time, there was a smile, a hug, and a kiss that made him wonder if Mrs. Carmichael's miracle had happened after all.

When the kiss ended, Lacey's breath was fast and shallow as she looked into Terry's eyes. "Happy Valentine's Day, Honey. I...I love you so much, and I'm so...so very sorry about our problems. Can we put them out of our minds for tonight and celebrate Valentine's Day like we used to?"

"Anything for you, Lacey. Anything, my love."

Their reservation at Juan Carlo's was for 6:15, in a booth near the back. Seated across from each other, they placed their orders with the server and then Lacey reached across and took Terry's hand as she smiled, another thing that had been missing all too often from their relationship in recent months.

"Honey, the flowers came to my office this afternoon. They were so pretty Maria was almost green with envy. She said Alex wouldn't do that for her, even on Valentine's Day, in a hundred years, and most of the other women agreed. That made me feel so good. Thank you."

"You know I always want to do nice things for you, Sweetie, but especially today. I think we've both always gone out of our way to make the other feel special on Valentine's, and I didn't want this one to be any different."

"But it was, Terry. It was even more special than usual. You always make me feel loved, Honey, but today, you made me feel....good, good for the first time in so long, and I really appreciate that." She pulled his hand up to her cheek and held it there until he felt a warm wetness.

"Lacey! You're crying," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Better than in far too long," she replied, turning her head a little so she could place several little kisses on his index finger, his knuckle, and on the back of his hand. "Thank you for being so good to me for so long, even when I don't seem to appreciate it the way I should. I love you, Terry, and want you to know that you're the most special man in the world, the only man I'll ever love."

"I love you, too, Lacey, always and forever," he replied. Choked up with emotions and thinking of what Lacey had said and what it meant to him, he had trouble saying more but the arrival of their dinner gave him precious seconds to come up with something suitably romantic.

"Lacey, I—"

"Shhhhh. Dinner's here. Eat now, lovey stuff later."

After dinner, Lacey wanted to go for a walk, so they went around the block, arm-in-arm, window shopping, looking at the lights, and really enjoying spending time together without their troubles hanging over them for the first time in far too long.

"Oh how cute!' she exclaimed on seeing several black cut-out Cupids with little bows each aiming an arrow out at passersby as if attempting to capture paramours for the mannequins in the window. Terry liked the black and red velvet corset, but his eyes were also drawn in particular to the red and black lace baby doll and a black lace teddy with little red ribbons.

"If those were real women dressed in those outfits with those poses, I seriously doubt that they'd need Cupid's help," Terry replied.

Lacey hugged Terry's arm as she stepped in close, giving him a kiss on the cheek before whispering in his ear, "Keep that in mind, Honey."

Terry gave her a questioning look, but Lacey only grinned and pulled him along, at a faster pace than they'd gone so far. He felt like there was a sense of urgency as she led the way back to their SUV.

"Honey, let's get home!"

She leaned toward him as he drove, running her hand up and down his arm at times, his leg at others, straying to his crotch occasionally, tracing his resulting hardness. She shushed him again when he started to object, adding only, "Drive faster."

Terry really wasn't sure which of them was hornier by the time their garage door closed behind them. He jumped out of the SUV and ran around to Lacey's side to open her door, making a minor adjustment for comfort purposes as he did. Though she really didn't need it, he acted as a gentleman, taking her waist to help her down out of the relatively high seat.

He stood in front of her with a smile, leading her to put her arms around his neck, only to be surprised when his smile turned to a grin and he scooped her up, carrying her in the house. Her lips played against his, her tongue slipping inside his mouth suggestively. Her quick withdrawal led to his own, equally quick counterattack before it was her turn again.

Inside the house, Terry started carrying Lacey toward the stairs, but she said, "No, family room."

He went that way as directed and was surprised to see a couple of comforters and some pillows already stashed by the couch, but Lacey went for the gas fireplace, lighting it and spreading the comforters out in front of it, before adjusting the lights down low and turning on some soft music she'd also arranged in advance. As it started to play, she started a slow, almost hypnotizing sway somewhat similar to the hula dance they'd seen in Hawaii. Watching her perform and seeing how natural it was, Terry suspected she'd practiced her dance at length, either watching an on-line video or maybe even taking a class.

The excitement building, Terry reached out for her but she shook her head, gently swatting a hand away, pointing for him to be seated on the comforters. He grinned and sat down in front of her, prepared to enjoy the show as he grew harder and harder.

While Lacey danced, Terry smiled as he watched, almost tingling with excitement. This was Lacey as he hadn't seen her in months, happy, adventurous, even provocative, as she started unbuttoning her dress. Many of her winter dresses had zippers, he knew, but this one was new and was probably especially chosen just for those buttons so she could tease him as she ever-so-slowly worked her way out of it.

She turned away, gyrating her pelvis and slowly pulling the dress up as she peeked over her shoulder at him. An inch, then another, it rose above her knees and soon reached the top of her stockings. These, he saw, were real stockings, not the usual pantyhose, so he smiled and swayed in unison with her, though separated by a few feet.

Just as the dress was about to top the stockings, revealing whether they were stay-ups or suspended from a garter belt, Lacey let the dress plunge by several inches, almost back to her knees before she turned back toward him, showing that the dress was now almost halfway unbuttoned. The hem fell from her hands as she switched to playing with the dress, flashing it open a bit before pulling it back, preventing him from seeing anything but keeping him continuing to want so much more.

The last of the buttons came undone, but Lacey continued to smile as she teased him before letting her eyes drift closed. She turned away from him again, slowly working the hem back up, above her calves, her knees, and then that slow inch-by-inch rise up her thighs. To the top of her stockings it went before Lacey arched her back, thrust her sexy behind toward him, showing they were stay-ups with their broad, elastic band, and then the roundness of the bottoms of her buttocks. A bit of black lace hung just below the bottom of the hem, but Terry's eyes were drawn to her center, where the tip of a black lace g-string barely covered her vulva before changing to a string that went up her crack. His breath caught at the sight.

Maybe that sound was what she was awaiting, for as soon as he made it, Lacey dropped the hem again, turned back toward him and shrugged her shoulders, causing the whole dress to fall off revealing the black baby doll with red accents that he'd seen just a bit earlier in the window of the lingerie shop. It was definitely a sexy, outstanding choice on her.

Lacey continued her swaying, flouncing the nighty's short hem and rocking her breasts as if in a figure eight. She bent toward him, smiling, giving him a good view of those soft mounds barely contained within the lace and the cleft between them. While Lacey was a D-cup, the babydoll was probably a size too small, forcing her up and almost out even before her little gymnastics. As she moved, he saw her slipping, the edges of her pink areolas becoming visible before she smiled primly and straightened up to recapture them with her hands.

Still smiling and swaying, she slowly turned, giving him a view of her from all angles before stopping with her back to him, her butt swaying with only the top of the g-string visible, as she looked over her shoulder at him. The undulations of her hips increased as she slowly bent forward, spreading her legs a tiny bit more at the end of each round. The valley between her legs grew, revealing more and more of the g-string until there was no more and then showing more and more of her soft, waxed flesh that the sexy little lace garment couldn't cover.