Like Butter on a Summer Day Pt. 02

"Well," Steve said, a smile creasing his face, "I had no idea I was getting a greeting like that. It's a good thing Claire isn't here."

Just then, I spotted Judy and Virginia coming in. I noticed that they had dressed up for the occasion. I said, "Steve, the greetings aren't over yet. I'd like to introduce you to two women who have had a big influence on my life."

As I finished, Judy and Virginia came up, and I introduced each of them to Steve. They each hugged Steve, too, making his face a little red in embarrassment. He looked at me and said, "You sure know how to pick them, Alex."

I just smiled. My name was soon called, and we trooped into the restaurant and were seated. Steve sat between Virginia and me with Megan next to me, while Judy sat next to Virginia. We chatted about current events while waiting for our food. We talked about Diana, Princess of Wales' funeral, and the passing of one of my favorite actors, Burgess Meredith.

Once we started eating, the conversations turned toward future plans. Steve gave us more details about his upcoming retirement and wedding, making sure to hand Megan and me our invitations to the wedding. Judy and Virginia congratulated Steve and thanked him for supporting me and accepting all of us as gay without any reservations.

All in all, we had a great time, and we would have stayed for hours, but Steve had to get back to the VOQ so Frank wouldn't worry about him. Steve had a cellular phone, so he could be contacted if anyone needed to talk to him. Luckily, our dinner wasn't interrupted by any calls. When we separated, Steve did call Frank to let him know he was on his way back to the base.

After Steve left, we went to a nearby bar and spent a couple of more hours talking and catching up. Virginia and Judy were leaving first thing in the morning, so we said our goodbyes and promised to keep in touch. As we drove home, Megan told me how much she liked Steve and was glad that I had had his support through the years. I teared up, thinking about how much he had done to help me through the years, mainly by not rejecting who I was because I was a lesbian.

When we got home, we nearly ran to the bedroom, shedding clothing along the way. We made each other scream several times before falling into an exhausted slumber, me the big spoon. As I fell asleep, I thought, "My life is perfect right now."

***

Megan and I were excited as we got off the plane at Dayton International Airport. Megan had never been to the Dayton area, so I had a lot to show her for the short time we'd be here. Steve had made sure we had all of the information needed to attend his retirement ceremony in the morning. We checked into our hotel before heading out. I gave Megan a guided tour of Wright-Patterson AFB, and we ended up going through the Air Force Museum. Megan enjoyed the museum, as I did, and we spent several hours going through the displays. We would have stayed longer, but it was closing up for the day.

We had dinner at Totino's, my favorite Mexican restaurant in the Dayton area. The only downside to our day was that we needed to be careful not to express our feelings for each other. I had explained to Megan that there were military people everywhere in the Dayton area, so we had to be careful. I chaffed at it, vowing that when it got too demanding, I would retire rather than put up with it.

Once we got back to our hotel room, I expressed my feelings about Megan to her delight and satisfaction. Of course, Megan made sure to express her feelings about me until I had to beg her to stop.

In the morning, we got ready for the retirement ceremony. Since it was a military function, I had to wear my Class A's while Megan was dressed in a killer business suit. I had to struggle to keep my hands off of her. Finally, we were ready to go, and we made our way to the civilian gate to Area A. We parked in the parking lot next to AFMC HQ and walked through the gate, checking in with the guard before going on into the building.

As we made our way to the auditorium, I ran into several people that I knew, greeting them and introducing them to Megan as a friend. Megan was okay with it, but again, I chaffed at having to act this way with the woman I loved. I looked for Steve when we got to the auditorium, but he wasn't visible. We entered the hall and found seats near the middle.

When the ceremony started, I could see how happy Steve was. When the PO read the orders that promoted Steve to General in the AF Reserves as part of his retirement, I was so happy for him. Once the ceremony concluded, Megan and I lined up to greet him. When he saw me, his smile got even more expansive, and I congratulated him and shook his hand. He leaned in and said, "I'll introduce you to Claire when I get out there."

Megan and I went out and got some punch and cake, milling around until Steve came out of the auditorium. When I saw the woman he had next to him, I understood why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. When Steve and Claire came up to us, Steve introduced us to Claire. I shook her hand and said how much I appreciated Steve's support through the years. Claire smiled and thanked me for my kind words.

As soon as it was polite to do so, Megan and I made our excuses and left. We headed back to our hotel room to change and spent the rest of the day sightseeing around the area. We checked out the next morning and caught our flight to Boston. We separated and headed back to our own places, planning to get together next weekend.

November 1997

Megan and I attended Steve's wedding. It was a small affair, and I was glad that we had been invited to attend. It was a lovely ceremony. Claire looked so beautiful in her wedding gown. Of course, Steve looked so handsome in his tuxedo. He seemed so happy, and I was so happy for him. I teared up when I hugged him afterward when I told him I was so happy for him. He hugged me back, not having to worry about the impropriety anymore, and said that he wished I could get married as he had. I vowed to myself that if same-sex marriage was ever legalized, I'd be first in line to do it.

Steve and Claire were going on honeymoon in Barbados and were looking forward to doing a lot of traveling. Even though he was now retired, Steve had to be careful where he went because of what Steve knew and did while on active duty. His promotion to General in the reserves meant that he was still on-call if an emergency came up. Despite that, they were intent on enjoying his retirement as much as possible.

February 1998

The next three months went quickly. Megan and I spent time at each other's place. We enjoyed spending Thanksgiving together at her place, fixing ourselves a traditional Thanksgiving meal. We spent Christmas together at her parents' home in Kentucky. They were pleased to meet me and knew that Megan was a lesbian and was okay with it.

As I came into the office this morning, Shirley handed me a letter. I opened it and saw that it was time for my security clearance review. I had dreaded this coming, and I sat there, my mind spinning. Did I want to risk my retirement by being found out to be a lesbian? I really, really, didn't want to feel like a second-class citizen anymore, just because I loved Megan.

I made it through the day, thinking hard about what I wanted to do. I have done everything I've ever wanted to do with my career, having given up my private life for so long. By the time I left to go home, I had made up my mind to retire. I needed to talk it over with Megan first before I committed to my decision.

When I got home, I changed and called Megan. When she answered the phone, I asked if I could come over to see her tonight, even though it was in the middle of the week. Megan twigged to the fact that I had something on my mind and told me to come on over. In case I decided to stay the night, I quickly packed an overnight bag.

While I drove, I thought about my future. If I retire, I'm sure I can get a job at any of the defense contractors that I've worked with through the years. They would have to be in the local area because I wouldn't take Megan away from her teaching job at MIT. By the time I got to Megan's apartment, I had a plan, and I would present it to her.

When Megan opened her door, I teared up when I saw the look of concern on her face. She took me in her arms, and our lips met as I walked her into the foyer and shut the door behind me. By the time we broke, I had my emotions back under control. Our eyes locked, and I lost myself in those beautiful green pools. I sighed, and Megan chuckled. "What?" I queried.

"I love how you sigh when you look at me like that," Megan said before our lips met again.

I lost myself in the feel of her lips on mine. At that moment, I knew that I was going to retire. I did not want to give this up. When we broke, I said, "Megan, I've decided I'm going to retire."

"What brought you to make this decision?" Megan asked. I loved that she didn't immediately try to talk me out of it. She was always willing to let me talk things out, and I loved her even more for that.

"I got a notification today. The Office of Special Investigations (OSI) is preparing to do a full-up security review for my Top Secret clearance," I said.

"So, you're concerned about them finding out about us?" she asked.

"Only because I'm an active lesbian, not because of you," I averred, looking her in the eye so she could see the truth of my statement. "I don't want to give you up or hide the fact that I love you anymore."

"As long as it is what you want," Megan said.

I never loved Megan more than I did at that moment. I leaned in and kissed Megan again, losing myself in the love we had for each other. "God, I've never wanted anything more," I said.

"Then, it's settled," Megan said, pulling me in for another kiss.

I spent the night and fell into an exhausted sleep after making Megan scream my name several times. Of course, Megan had returned the favor, and I'm sure I smiled all night in my sleep, spooned up against the woman that I loved and planned to be with the rest of my life.

April 1998

I know a lot of my peers were shocked when I had unexpectedly applied for retirement. I had received many calls from them asking why. I just told them that I was ready for a change in my life. At least when Steve called, he was very supportive of my decision. I teared up when Steve said that he was very happy for me. Steve told me that if he had realized how much he had missed over the years, he would have retired sooner.

Thankfully, once I had put in for my retirement, the OSI rescinded their security review. That made me very happy because I wouldn't have to worry about them interfering with my retirement. Finding my replacement turned out to be the most challenging part of preparing for retirement. Frank would have done a great job as my replacement, but there were officers with more time in rank interested in the position.

I was thrilled when Lieutenant Colonel Lucie Robillard showed interest in the position. I had previously worked with her when I managed the annual Software Technology Conferences while I was at HQ AFMC. I had been impressed with Lucie's knowledge of software process improvement and the Capability Maturity Model (CMM). I pressed hard with everyone I knew in HQ and was thrilled when it was announced that Lucie would be taking command when I retired.

When Lucie showed up a week before taking command, I made sure to include her in all of my meetings and introduced her to everyone. I made sure that Frank took the lead to bring Lucie up to speed with all of the current projects, confident that they would work well together. By the day of the Change of Command ceremony, I was sure that Lucie would do a great job and that Frank was okay working with her.

The last act I performed was one that I was glad to do. Maureen had contacted me and said she was working on getting an assignment to Hill AFB in Utah. Since I knew several people there, I had called around and called in one last favor to get her request pushed through. Maureen had just called me this morning to let me know that she had received her orders and thanked me for my help. She also congratulated me on my retirement, saying that I deserved happiness.

I wished Maureen good luck and encouraged her to get her Associate's degree and apply for the Airman's Education and Commissioning Program. If she was accepted, she'd be sent to college to get a Bachelor's degree. Then she'd go to Officer Training School to get commissioned into the Air Force as I had twenty years earlier.

I made sure Megan was going to attend both ceremonies today. The Change of Command Ceremony would be in the morning, and my retirement ceremony would be in the afternoon. I was so thrilled when I handed the guidon over to Lucie, and we exchanged salutes. Megan was in the audience, and I couldn't help but notice that her smile was just as wide as mine was.

Once the Change of Command ceremony was finished, I went over to AFPC to sign the final papers for my retirement. I had lunch with Megan before we went back to the office to perform the retirement ceremony. When the orders were read, I felt a momentary pang of regret when I was formally no longer an Air Force officer. However, when I looked out into the audience and saw Megan sitting there looking so lovely and smiling so widely, I put that aside. It was time to put the Air Force behind me and live the rest of my life.

When Megan and I got back to my place, I took off my uniform for the last time. I teared up a bit when I hung it up. I had given the Air Force the best 20+ years of my life. Megan twigged to my mood and pulled me in for a hug, reminding me that my best years were now going to be in front of me. I hugged her back, so thankful that I had her. "No regrets, Alex," I thought to myself, "No regrets."

May 1998

Today I was packing up the last of my belongings before turning in the keys to my rental. I was moving in with Megan for now until we could find a nice place a little larger. Once I had everything unloaded and put in the closet, Megan pulled me in for a hug and kissed me, welcoming me home. I was so happy I teared up. Megan and I were now together for the rest of our lives. I teared up, thinking about how lucky I was to have found Megan.

I had received several offers of employment from the nearby defense contractors. I went with Lincoln Laboratories since they worked closely with the Air Force's Software Process Improvement program. I was basically doing the same job I had been doing except for not being in a uniform. It was a good fit, and I really enjoyed working with the people there. Also, I would be collecting my retirement pay so I wasn't hurting. Of course, I now had to pay Massachusetts state tax on my salary and retirement pay.

July 1998

Judy and Virginia had offered to fly out to Boston for my retirement, but I asked them not to. Instead, I suggested that we get together somewhere in the middle of the country and spend a week together. Virginia had proposed Gatlinburg, and I remembered how much I had enjoyed staying in a cabin up in the mountains. Megan and I loved the appeal of a place in the woods and readily agreed that that would be fine. Since Judy and I would celebrate our 43rd birthdays in July, we decided to spend a week there to cover both of our birthdays.

Megan and I had celebrated her 45th birthday last month. I made sure to show Megan that turning 45 was not the end of her life. By the time she fell into an exhausted sleep, I had done my best to prove to her that '45' was just a number and not a state of mind.

I had made the reservation for the cabin, working with Smokey Mountain Rentals to find a nice isolated 2 bedroom cabin up in the mountains. Once I had it booked, I sent the details to Virginia and Judy. I was so excited about having a week with the three women I cared for. I know Megan was looking forward to it. We had talked a lot about our relationships with everyone at one time or another during our lives. We agreed that our love for each other was strong enough that we wouldn't be worried if the other wanted to spend some quality time with either Virginia or Judy.

Finally, the day came to travel down to Gatlinburg. We were flying into Knoxville and then driving over to Gatlinburg. We expected to get there first, so we planned to stop by a grocery store and buy enough food to last a week. While we were going to do some shopping and sightseeing while there, I really wanted to just spend some time in the mountains enjoying nature.

As we drove down I-40 toward Asheville, we talked about all of the things we wanted to do while we were here. Megan had picked up some brochures, and she was studying them while I drove, picking out the exciting things to do. I was interested in going over the mountains through the National Park to Cherokee, a beautiful drive in itself. There were several things to do in Cherokee. I especially wanted to visit the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

When I took the exit to Pigeon Forge, the traffic started picking up, especially in the opposite direction. We arrived as most everyone else was leaving, so we didn't have a lot of stop-and-go traffic while driving into Gatlinburg. When we reached the Smokey Mountain Rentals' office on highway 321, we picked up the keys for our cabin and got the directions to it. We continued east on 321 until we got to Glades Road, where there was a grocery store. Since we needed to turn off here anyway, we stopped in and did some grocery shopping.

When we were done, we headed up Glades Road, almost getting lost before we finally wended our way up the side of the hill to the turnoff to our cabin. We pulled up next to the porch and got out. Before we started unloading, we went in to check it out. It was a really nice cabin with an open floor plan. The full kitchen was to our right as we went in. We entered the living area, where a fireplace and a big picture window with a great view were present. There were two bedrooms, one on each side of the living room. Since we got there first, we got our pick of bedrooms. Each one had a fireplace and a king bed. There was a full en-suite bathroom in each bedroom with a shower large enough to comfortably hold more than two people.

We checked out the deck, which had a charcoal grill and a four-person Jacuzzi on it. The instructions for operating the Jacuzzi were prominently displayed. Megan and I shared a look, and we clenched, our lips meeting as we were caught up in the moment. When we broke, gasping, I said, "We'd better get our stuff brought in before anything else happens."

We went out to the car and unloaded the groceries first before we got our luggage. Once we had everything put away, I pulled the bottle of Champagne out of the refrigerator that the rental company had put there for us. Just as I got the cork out with a loud pop, we heard a car pulling up to the cabin. We both widely smiled as we hurried to the door. As we came out onto the porch, we saw Judy and Virginia getting out of their car, broad smiles on their face.

As they walked up to the porch to meet us, I smiled so widely that I thought my face would split. All three women that I have loved were all right here, right now. I looked over at Megan, and I could see that she was smiling as widely as I was. Come, what may, at this moment, I was the happiest woman on earth.

Epilogue

I sat back as I clicked on the last popup to submit my latest story to Literotica. When I did, I felt Megan's arms go around my shoulders as she leaned in and said, "So, you decided to end our story there after all."

I leaned my head back against her, my head pillowed between her breasts. "Yes," I said. "I think my readers can figure out what happened after that. With four beautiful, sexy, confident women alone in a cabin in the woods for a week, I didn't feel the need to go into any more detail."