Liliane

When they saw each other they both started speaking at once.

"One at a time, please," Mr Barnes said. "I'll be next door." He went outside and made his way back to Janet.

"Oh, oh, oh, these youngsters," he said and shook his head.

Janet looked at him inquiringly.

"I suppose they'll be alright. Something's troubling Lillian, and she projects her troubles on to Jim, I think. I tried to tell her she'd better not."

He had a fairly accurate idea of those troubles, but he kept them to himself.

At Mr Barnes words the two of them shut up simultaneously. They looked at each other and opened their mouths to speak again, and then Lillian who'd felt like crying all the time started to laugh and cry all at once, and instead of talking Jim put his arms around her and hugged her. Then he told her how he felt about her, happy that she didn't look at him so she couldn't see him blush.

She could hear him hawk and stammer, though, and it felt reassuring that he apparently was none too self-assured either. Her tears subsided and she sniffed to clear her nose. She looked at him with the ghost of a smile, and related what she'd thought and felt and how Mr Barnes had tried to make her understand something about herself.

"I'm afraid I will make a spectacle of myself now and then," she said. "But I do try not to."

Jim nodded. "I know. Marguerite, the woman you saw me with, berated me for not telling you that I wanted you. But I thought - well, I was afraid you would think I was just like your old crew, and after all the to-do I was afraid I'd open up old wounds."

"Mr Barnes said you shouldn't try and feel for others."

"Er - I think he's right. Oh, I see what you mean. Yes, I think I did the same. I thought you'd feel what I would have done. I was afraid to hurt your feelings and to have my own hurt."

He let go of her and looked at her. Her face was wet but she smiled at him again. She tried to formulate her thoughts and then said, "When you had come to take me away from my home to get the painter off my chest I promised myself I would never have sex again. But I liked it when you held me that afternoon, and I think I would like you to make love to me. But I don't want sex for sex' sake ever again. At least - well, you know."

He nodded. "I think I do. Look, if you like we could just get together and find out what you can stomach. You should tell me immediately whenever something's not right for you. Er -"

"I would like to try," she said, and she wiped her face with her hands.

"We can take our time. I just like to be with you - haven't you got a couple of walls left?"

She grinned. "I'll have a look," she said, and kissed him quickly.

"I'd better wash my face," she said. "Come."

They went to the ladies. Jim waited outside. Lillian was some time getting presentable again. Then she took Jims arm; they went back to find the party almost over.

They went to Jim's uncle and Lillian thanked him for his help.

"Feeling a little better?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "We are going to try and see."

"Good. Please tell me when you know." He smiled at his nephew and Lillian. "Off you go then."

They took their leave of Janet and walked out of the building arm in arm under Lillian's umbrella.

They looked at each other and smiled.

"Your place or mine?" she said.

They took Jim's car to Lillian's place. In the car she kept looking at him. Now and then he quickly smiled sideways at her, and every time met her eyes looking into his.

When they arrived at her place Lillian almost ran up the steps in her haste to open the door.

"I'm going to put on something else," she said. "You just stay here - I won't be long!"

Lillian took of the clothes she'd been in all day. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She carefully perfumed her breasts and loins, and then she put on a very thin, white, satin combination of shift and underwire bra in one, panties and sheer nylon stockings with elastic tops - very chaste and girlish. At least, so it would have been if it wasn't for the material being extremely diaphanous. Over all this she draped a thin black dress with a closely fitting bodice and a very wide, flowing skirt, that buttoned down all the way in front and she put on black high-heeled shoes. She rolled her hair into a kind of untidy bun and put it up, which, she knew, suited her very much - and then she came down.

Jim had made some coffee and rummaging in the CD-collection he'd come across some Bessie Smith. Lillian smiled at his choice of music. Her brother had introduced her to old blues. She picked up a cup of coffee and sat down across the carpet from where Jim was sitting.

She smiled. "So," she said. "I've got myself a new job. Your uncle must have given a very good testimony; they were very enthusiastic. And my CV is accounted for now."

She thought about it for a moment. "My pictures will remain hanging around in cyberspace. But if I can keep working here it doesn't really matter; and in ten years or so they will not recognise me any more."

"I wouldn't wonder if they didn't do so now. When I first met you, you looked different. Sharper, more calculation or something. I was a little bit afraid of you!"

Lillian blushed. "I'd rather forget about all that," she said. "It's very embarrassing. I hate to remember all the nonsense I said. It was the sort of thing that was expected from you. I'm so glad I've broken away."

"Yes," he said. "I expect it's a little like Jekyll and Hyde; you could get stuck in the end. When are you going to start your new job?"

"In a week's time," she said. "That will be alright, won't it? It will give me some time to adapt and forget Barnes's."

Jim sat quietly looking at her for some time. She felt his eyes on her and started to feel rather uncomfortable under his gaze.

"If we get on together well," he said eventually, "you can't forget that altogether. I often go there; uncle Brendan was a second father for me. Now I'm old enough to do without one..." He thought about what had happened that afternoon and added, "Most of the time, at least."

"I do like him. He said his marriage hadn't been a bed of roses."

"No. There was a time when they quarrelled a lot. But they got over it, and it has been very good since. He likes you a lot."

"Honestly?" Lillian said. "Oh, I hope so."

"Oh yes. I've known him long enough. If he had disliked you he would never have hired you, and the way he tried to put you at ease today... Yes, he really likes you alright."

Lillian beamed. "Good. I'm very happy he should."

Then they both fell silent. Neither of them knew exactly how to proceed, without being too obvious or giving offence; old habits die hard, and theirs were no exception.

Eventually Lillian broke the silence. "Do you like this dress?" she said, a little uncertain of her choice.

Jim smiled at her. "Lovely," he said. "I like all those buttons! But you would look gorgeous in an old pair of gardening-trousers, I suppose."

"Why do you like the buttons?" she asked in genuine surprise.

"Because they would mean a long and pleasantly exciting process of undoing them all - if you'd allow me to do so, of course. Besides, they just look nice. I could just sit here feeling happy looking at you all night."

They smiled at each other.

"Come, let's sit on the couch together and talk about us, and I can feel you in the crook of my arm, and look at you from close by," he said.

She walked over to the couch, a little anxious still. She sat down next to him and he put his arm round her shoulder. She cuddled close against his side and trying to disappear entirely in the hollow of his arm.

"I love you," he replied. "I thought you rather daunting at first, there in that lift and I highly prefer you like this - though I love the way you fucked, too. But I could really just sit all night and look at you and hope the night will never stop again."

He smiled at her, stroked her hair, and buried his nose into it. "You don't know how happy I am."

On an impulse she raised her head and offered him her lips. The conversation stopped for some considerable time. Then she said, "I really thought I'd never want any sex any more. I'd got so fed up with it all... When I saw you and Marguerite I thought you'd chosen her, and I had thought you'd want me." She shook her head. "Then I realised I did want to make love with you. I don't simply want to fuck. I don't want to allow others to use me ever again. I want the emotions out of it and I want them with you." She looked at him, and she felt it hard not to start crying.

He kissed her again. Then he said, "Maybe this afternoon wasn't too bad after all. It certainly cleared away a lot of false thinking."

She nodded. "If your uncle hadn't been there I'd be sitting here feeling very sorry for myself," she said.

"Have you anything to drink left? I feel like celebrating," he said and smiled at her.

Lillian got up and poured two stiff whiskies. She handed him a glass and looked at him earnestly. "Here's to your uncle," she said.

He returned the compliment. "And here's to us," he added.

"Yes!" she said.

Then she put a hand on his arm. "What about it?" she asked. "Unbuttoning this dress, I mean."

He had to clear his throat. "Can I?" he asked. She nodded. He heaved a deep sigh, and with trembling hands he slowly undid all the tiny shining black buttons, slowly, slowly - he wanted this perfect joy to last and last. There were fifty buttons - or so Lillian thought; she had not kept count - and it really took quite some time. When he had undone them all she rose and settled down in his lap, still wearing her dress - it had a slight tendency to fall open at the skirt, and Jim softly stroked her knees.

"Is this ok with you?" he asked, nudging her head with his nose. She inclined her head against his shoulder and sighed happily. "Wonderful," she said.

Jim sat for a long time looking at Lillian's beaming face, smiling into her eyes and playing with the wisps of hair that escaped from the bun, while she just leant against him, hands in her lap. Then she raised her lips to Jim's. She took one tentative kiss and turned her body a bit. The bodice fell open, and Jim smiled at her admiringly.

"Wow!" he said softly. "Come!" And he slowly pushed the dress off Lillian's shoulders. She lifted her bum off his lap and he extracted the dress from between their bodies, and laid it carefully beside them on the couch.

"Let me take off your shirt, right?" Lillian whispered. Jim nodded, and she unbuttoned his shirt, then lifted it over his shoulders and head, put it on top of her dress and snuggled back against Jim's bare chest. She lay a hand on his shoulder and let it slide down very slowly and lovingly.

"I want to remove your trousers, too", she said. "Not fast and half, like back then, but nice and easy - and I want to have you completely naked and completely mine."

She took his head in her hands and kissed him again, and then got up. Jim stretched himself, and rose, and Lillian undid his pants, and got down on her knees to unlace his shoes and to take off his shoes, socks, trousers and underpants. She rubbed her cheek against his stomach and got up. She put her hands in his, and smiled at him, and waited to be kissed. Jim did so, and, clasping his hands together under her bottom, lifted her up. Sitting down on the couch he deposited her back unto his lap. Then he wrapped her in his arms and held her as if she were the last support on earth, rocking her, entirely taken up by her soft body against his, and her perfume, and the wonderful look in her eyes.

Shyly Lillian extended a hand under her bum, to reach Jim's prick - and the soft, resilient feel of its swollen tissues made her get wet, while they kept kissing, slowly, slowly - tasting each others' lips, cheeks, tongues - and Jim ran his free hand along Lillian's smooth contours. Then he outlined the straps of her bra, the curve of the lacy cups - finally he slowly let his hand travel down her soft, firm belly, down all the way to her panties. He enjoyed touching her underbelly through the satiny material as his fingers made their way to Lillian's cunt, and she opened her legs a little to allow him an easy passage. Finally there, Jim rejoiced in the knowledge that his presence had made her all wet and waiting.

"Come," he said hoarsely. "I want to take this off!"

Lillian rose, and Jim removed her panties, as if they were the wrapper of a Christmas gift.

"Please, won't you sit down on the couch?" he said.

Lillian did, and Jim knelt between her legs. With his index fingers he smoothed out the tiny curls, stroking the soft fur and watching the inner labia get even wetter, lying between the beautiful outer ones like some lush, exotic fruit, smooth, shining, luscious like a ripe mango - until he stopped stroking her mons veneris and softly placed his mouth on her cunt. First he just tasted her, slowly and lengthily - then he started to use his tongue on her. Lillian squirmed. She clasped her legs around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair while she made loving little sounds - inarticulate noises to show Jim how much she loved him, and how he drove her far across the brink - until she had to give up all in full abandon.

"Please, Jim, I want you inside me. I want you now and I want you to lie down on your back - will you, please?"

Jim removed his mouth, slightly reluctantly. "I could go on kissing you this way forever," he said. "But there will be another time!"

He got down on the floor, and stretched himself out, looking up at his lady. She stood over him, wide-legged, smiling down at him blissfully. Then she knelt over his chest and slowly rubbed her cunt against his ribs while fondling his head. "I love you," she said - and then she lifted her bum and reached behind her, between her legs for his tool that was by now almost painfully swollen. She wiggled her bottom a bit, shifting her position a little, and then he felt the tip of his cock embedded in her dripping cunt.

"Ahhhh," she sighed contentedly, as she sank down over his thing until he was inside all the way. "That's wonderful!"

Jim reached up under the diaphanous shift until he could shove his hands under the cups of her bra and he started to fondle her breasts while she rode his prick as though it was very fragile - softly, slowly, enjoying every split second of it. Jim opened his mouth to talk, but she put a finger on his lips. "Shhhh - later!" she whispered, and Jim saw a tear roll down her cheek - but it was a tear of happiness, he knew.

They came together, and Lillian bent down over Jim to kiss him and lying like that they fell asleep, until they woke and, hand in hand, retired to the bathroom to wash each other and have a good night's rest curled up in each other's arms.