Life in a Small New Hampshire Town Pt. 02

Author's note: For readers too young to remember, it's "You are so Beautiful" performed by Joe Cocker.

She knew the one I meant and smiled. I did kiss her. Very carefully. Shiloh was right there with her camera, clicking away. I was glad we had her documenting our wedding. 'Our wedding' sounded so good to me.

"Excuse me a minute." I approached the DJ. "Please make an announcement that we're going to hold the dinner until we have a status update from the fire department. In the meantime, let the dancing commence. And, please, start with a slow one."

He made the announcement, which triggered a wave of applause from the rest of the guests. Everyone appreciates our volunteers. The DJ cued up "When a Man Loves a Woman".

"Olivia, may I have this dance?"

"You need to ask?" she commented with a beautiful smile.

After the song finished, Phil came over.

"John called. It was just a small grass fire. They'll wrap it up quickly."

I passed the word on to the DJ, who relayed it to the crowd. Dancing continued.

Tom

I was getting a beer when Samantha joined me and ordered a beer for Brian and a glass of red wine for herself.

"Tom, I haven't seen you for a while. How's life? How's Portland?"

"Actually, I just accepted a job offer in Greensboro. I'm moving at the end of the month. Right now, I need to find a place to live."

"Would you consider Appleton."

"Sure, but not with mom. As much as I love her, I'm old enough to want more privacy than my childhood bedroom offers."

She laughed.

"Brian and I moved out of the apartment above the store a couple of years ago. If people ran out of something they 'needed' after the store closed, and saw the apartment lights on, they'd come knocking. Once the word got around that we'd answer the door, the frequency of knocking got out of hand. We moved a mile out of town. Much better for us. Our tenant just advised us he has taken a job in Massachusetts and the apartment will be available on the first."

"I have to be back to work in Portland Monday. Any chance I could see it tomorrow morning?"

"I don't see a problem. I'll talk with them in the morning and give you a call with a time."

We exchanged numbers and Samantha left. I stayed near the end of the bar sipping my beer.

Chris

I had been keeping my eye on Shiloh, who was constantly taking photos. I walked over and asked, "How are you doing?"

"Surprisingly well. You were right, I blend into the background, just one of the support staff."

"Great! I'll be close by if you need anything."

With that, I headed for the bar and ordered a beer. While waiting for it, I noticed the good-looking guy, about my age, standing near the bar. I approached him and said, "Hi, I'm Chris."

"Tom. Olivia's son."

"Derrick's employee." No ring on his left hand. "You seem to be here alone."

"I am. Recently out of a long-term relationship. I've Just accepted a position in Greensboro and I'm moving back to the area at the end of the month. Are you here alone?"

"Sort of."

"That's rather vague."

"I came with Shiloh, the photographer. I also work for her, part-time, when not working for Derrick. Also, I live at her house. We drove over here together, but are not 'together' otherwise. Since we're both unattached, and there's not many others our age, would you like to share a table with me. Shiloh may or may not join us.'

"I'd like that."

The firefighters began trickling back and the DJ kept the tunes flowing.

"Care to dance, at least until the meal service starts?"

"Yes. It's been a while for me."

"It's like riding a bike. It doesn't take long to get back in the groove."

We tipped our chairs to save the table, including one for Shiloh if she wanted to join us. A fast song was just finishing as we hit the dancefloor. Elvis's "Can't help falling in love" started. Very slow, very romantic song. Tom held me tightly as we danced. We were very compatible dancers. When it ended, I couldn't believe how good I felt. How excited. The DJ announced that dinner was being served. We returned to our table as the servers were bringing out food. I caught Shiloh's eye and nodded towards the seat we saved. She shook her head 'no'. I gave her a thumbs-up which she returned.

"What was that all about?"

"Shiloh's real business is an organic farm she owns. That's where I work part-time. She's just getting back into photography and this is her first gig. I asked if she was going to eat. 'Not now'. Was everything going okay? 'Yes.'"

Tom seemed satisfied with my answers. Sometimes you can be truthful while also while also being discrete. Our conversation returned to what newly made acquaintances cover when they are learning about each other. When dinner was over, the cake was served. In keeping with their desire for informality, there were no speeches. Weddings would be so much more palatable if others followed suit.

The DJ started up again, some couples hit the dancefloor while a few approached the newlyweds to offer their congratulations and made their departure. Tom and I danced several numbers until we needed to rest. I had periodically kept my eye out for Shiloh, who was currently approaching the head table.

Shiloh

'You've gotten through today. You can do this.' she thought.

"Olivia, Derrick, congratulations. This was a lovely wedding. It seemed to go well, other than having that fire interrupting it. At least that happened after your vows." They both laughed. "I'll have a PowerPoint slide show organized for you to look through after you return from Hawaii. You can pick and choose whatever you want printed and I'll do that."

"Thank you, Shiloh. We look forward to seeing them." This from Olivia.

Olivia

An older couple approached our table.

"Jack, Mary, I'm so glad you came. I wasn't sure how you'd feel."

"Olivia, you deserve a little joy in your life. Earlier tonight, we caught up with both Beth and Tom. They've turned out to be remarkable young folk. You should be so proud of what you did for them."

"Derrick, these are Jack and Mary Tyndall, Greg's parents."

"Pleased to meet you."

"So, how are you two?"

"Slowing down. We're thinking about selling the farm. When we started farming, there were a couple of dozen active dairy farms in the area. Now there's just two of us left. Not much profit in farming now-a-days. Used to be, all you needed was a strong back and a good work ethic to farm. Now, you practically need a college education to fill out the paperwork and decide which advice will do you the least harm."

"Now, Jack. It's not that bad. You've always loved it. My brother's heart attack was a bit of a wake-up call for us. We need to slow down, enjoy our golden years."

"Uncle Sam? I'd lost track of him. Is he...?"

"Okay. Retired now. Actually, Derrick, you know him. Sam Davidson. You bought his lawn care business. Small world, isn't it.

"Small indeed."

After some more catching up, they moved on.

"Derrick, I hadn't thought about Uncle Sam in years. I never made the connection."

Shiloh

I turned and left. Many more guests were leaving. I could see the caterers picking up. I went over and retrieved the meal I had asked them to save for me. I packed my equipment in Chris's car. Near me, the DJ was also packing up. He approached me. 'Don't panic. Deep breaths. He's not going to hurt you.'

"Hi! I'm Erik Dexter. I do a lot of weddings and other events where the client often desires a photographer. My best and most reliable one just moved to Boston. Greener pastures and all that. You moved through the crowd well, discretely positioning yourself for good shots. Would you be interested in possibly working with me?"

'Not what I was expecting.' I relaxed, but only a little. 'Be brave. Respond.'

"I'm just an amateur. I have a full-time job. This was a one off, just a favor for Olivia and Derrick." I surprised myself. Not so bad. Interacting at the farmers markets helped. I used to be able to do this.

"That was a hell of a favor. You had me fooled that you weren't a professional. May I give you my card, in case you change your mind?"

"Sure."

He dug one out and handed it to me, finished packing his equipment in his van, and left, giving me a wave as he passed by.

Chris

I saw Shiloh packing her equipment in my car, saw the DJ approach her and engage in a conversation. I was ready to run over if necessary. That didn't seem to be the case.

"I see Shiloh is all packed. She worked the whole time and hasn't eaten yet. I should probably get going."

"Can we exchange numbers?"

"I'd like that. Maybe we can get together after you get settled here."

We did, I walked over to my car and we headed home.

"I saw you talking with the DJ. He didn't seem threatening, so I kept my distance."

"He wasn't. He asked if I was interested in working gigs with him. I told him I had a full-time job. He did give me his card, so the door is still open. A little."

'What progress she is making.'

Derrick

Evidently both Tom and Beth had booked rooms at the same motel. Whether a conscious decision on their part, or not, it gave us privacy as the only occupants of the house tonight. Olivia and I headed inside.

"I need to use the bathroom. I didn't want to use the port-a-potty in this dress."

"Can you hold it for another minute? I'd like to get a couple of photos with my phone."

"I'll be right back. I'll keep the dress on for you."

While she was in the bathroom, I saw Phil, Sherry and crew depart, the last to leave. I turned off the outside lights, including all the temporary ones. Olivia returned with a smile on her face.

"Much more comfortable. Where do you want to do this?"

We found a suitable neutral background and I fired off several shots.

"Thanks. You look spectacularly elegant. The image is seared on my brain., but I wanted something on my phone. When I'm eating lunch, I can pull them up and be reminded at how truly lucky I am to have met you."

"I'm not ready for bed yet. How would you like to change into something more comfortable and unwind a bit?"

We headed into the bedroom.

"Would you unzip me please?"

We both undressed. Olivia let her hair down. She hadn't worn a bra under her dress. Her panties were the same shade of green as her dress, but much more provocative than she normally wore. We hung up our clothes, pulled on sweatpants and tees and returned to the living room, sitting on the couch.

Because the first leg of our flights left Manchester airport at 6:00 AM, we booked it for Monday, giving us all day Sunday to recover, drive to Manchester and stay at the airport hotel. Thus, we could stretch out this evening with no ill effects. Neither of us had had much to drink at the reception.

"I happen to know there's a bottle of Champagne chilling in the refrigerator. Are you interested in sharing some bubbly?"

"That sounds perfect."

I grabbed two glasses and the bottle, popped the cork and poured the Champagne.

"Can we toast ourselves? Here's to us, Mrs. Powers."

"To us, Mr. Powers."

We each sipped some, placed the glasses on the coffee table and moved together for a kiss. Or two. Make that three. We started reminiscing about our day.

"Who would have predicted a fire interrupting our wedding? That's what everybody is going to remember about today."

"They're going to remember you in that dress. I sure am."

"Fortunately, it was just a grass fire. Life in Appleton."

"I noticed Tom spent most of the evening with Chris."

"Yes, they were inseparable. It's going to be nice having him living closer."

"Did you know that the photographer was going to be Shiloh?"

"No. Chris described her as a friend. I've seen her as a frequent visitor to Dr. Kate."

"Today, she was an entirely different person from the first time I met her."

We engaged in some more small talk and finished our glasses of champagne.

"I expect we may have breakfast guests. Probably we should head to bed."

We both attended to the nighttime bathroom necessities, Olivia first. When I returned, she was lying on the bed, in just her panties. Several candles provided the right romantic atmosphere. Following her lead, I removed my sweats and tee, but left my boxers on and got in beside her.

We rolled on to our sides, facing each other, inching together until we had maximum contact from chest to toes. I traced my fingers around her face, softly caressing her cheeks, her upper lip, her chin, her neck. I moved my fingers to her hair, gently massaging her scalp. I moved up a bit, showering her forehead with kisses, nibbled on her exposed earlobe, kissed the exposed side of her neck below her ear. Moving inward and upward, my mouth approached hers. I caressed her lips with the tip of my tongue, just barely touching them. I lowered myself to give her a full-on kiss, holding it for several seconds. Gradually my tongue teased her lips apart, engaging in that time honored tradition of tongues dancing with each other. By this time, she couldn't miss my erection pressing against her. She pressed back. I backed off so we could breathe, then moved in again. More teasing, followed by a second round of French kissing, equally as intense as the first. Then a third.

We had been together long enough for Olivia to know what to expect next. She rolled onto her back, while I moved into the missionary position. Now, I know that some people are always looking for something 'new', always looking for that perfect 'something'. I would argue the counterpoint: if you found something that works for you, and works well, it's worth repeating, refining, enjoying. Everyone is a product of their own experience. This is Olivia's and mine. It works for us. Very well, I might add.

I started kissing Olivia's neck, slowly moving down, covering her upper chest with kisses. I nibbled around her left breast with lip-covered teeth, avoiding touching her nipples. I lowered my open mouth to just above her nipple, exhaling a long, warm breath. Backing off, I traced around her areola with my finger, avoiding her prominently engorged nipples, but lightly touching the bumps on it. Moving on, I flattened my palm and teased the very tip of her nipple by slowly circling it with my palm, barely touching it. Olivia was beginning to squirm.

Repositioning myself, I teased her nipple with the tip of my tongue. After a bit, I again covered my teeth with my lips and trapped the base of her nipple as I squeezed it fairly hard, while simultaneously alternating sucking on the nipple and teasing it with my tongue. While I was concentrating on her nipple, I was also circling my belly against her vulva. All of this stimulation nearly always produces a small orgasm for Olivia, as it did tonight. I moved off to her side to let her recover. After a suitable time, I continued lying off to her right, giving her right breast similar attention, while squeezing her lips, her clitoral hood, and gently massaging her mons. Orgasm number two, slightly more powerful.

We lay side by side until her breathing returned to normal. I started moving down to expose the charms those sexy new panties were hiding.

Olivia

"Not now, big guy. My turn. Why don't you prop yourself up against the headboard."

He moved up into position. Like, I suppose, most guys, Derrick enjoys a good blowjob. Sometimes, he closes his eyes and seems to delight in the stimulation I'm giving, not knowing what's coming next. Other times, he watches intently. I make sure to make lots of eye contact during those times.

I had no experience with oral sex before I met Derrick. Now I enjoy giving blowjobs as much as he enjoys receiving them. The thing about Derrick is that he's an incredibly un-selfish person and lover. He'll take his time to make sure I'm satisfied without any expectations of my returning the favor. Of course, with a guy like that, that's all the motivation in the world I need to make him feel as good as he makes me feel. It's a mutual satisfaction relationship.

Tonight, I slide his boxers off, lay down between his legs, his erection hard and pointing at the ceiling, right in front of me, and look directly at his eyes as I lower my head towards his little one. I close my lips and gently suck in all of his pre-come. I swirl my tongue around his glans, maintaining a slight sucking action. I open my mouth a little and let some accumulated saliva slide down his shaft, followed by closing my left hand around his base, using the saliva as lube while gliding my hand up and down him, incorporating a gentle twisting motion. Meanwhile, my tongue has continued swirling around his glans, moving from corona to the tip and back. While still making eye contact, I lower my mouth and start bobbing my head with increasing speed, adding more suction, moving my right hand to cup and message his balls. I pick up the pace of everything until...

"I'm almost there."

Derrick always warns me when he's close, always gives me the option of how to finish. Another thing to love about him. I think, like many women, I don't particularly like the taste of semen. On the other hand, he always tries to satisfy me, succeeding virtually every time. A couple of seconds of semen in the mouth is not a big deal.

I cupped his balls, feeling them begin to retract towards his body. I increased my hand action on his shaft, taking as much of his penis into my mouth as I'm comfortable with, and felt the throbbing start. Several pulses later, he began to soften and I let him fall out of my mouth. We never lost eye contact.

He started moving down the bed., while I moved up towards him. We rolled onto our sides and embraced. We kissed. Derrick never had any qualms about kissing me after I give him a blowjob. Another trait I love about him.

"I really want to make love on our wedding night. If you do that, I'll probably fall asleep. I'm pretty sure Beth, Michael and Tom will be over in the morning, just not sure what time they'll get here. I'd much rather be showered and dressed when they arrive."

"Well, we have two problems. You still have your sexy panties on and I need to recover."

"You take care of the panties and I'll take care of you. You're still young and I know for a fact that you have a quick recovery capability, especially with a little help from me. In case you were wondering, I left them on because I thought my new husband might like to remove them."

I could feel they were wet, sticking to me. Derrick slowly moved them down, exposing me. I heard him inhale deeply, followed by a couple of quick licks from bottom to top. He moved back up and lay down beside me.

"You were too tempting. I couldn't resist your enticing scent."

I snickered as I moved down the bed and took his penis back into my mouth, sucking fairly hard. Mimicking him, I licked his penis from base to tip. He began to respond, I kept at it and soon he was pointing to the ceiling. Again. I smiled at him.

"Told you so."

Swinging one leg over him and lowering myself until his glans was touching my lips, I rubbed him along them until they parted and he slipped in. Pushing down, I fully engulfed him. We slowly started the age-old dance that millions of lovers have engaged in. He cupped and massaged my breasts, tweaking my nipples as I moved up and down. Our pace increased. Derrick was thrusting up more. I felt myself approaching release.

"I'm getting close. How about you?"

"Right with you."

I reached down, scooped up some of my moisture, and fingered my clitoris, accelerating my rush to the finish. My vagina began its rhythmic contractions. I could feel Derrick's throbbing pulses as he orgasmed. I continued for what felt like a full minute after he stopped. Talk about experiencing The Big 'O'.