Literotica

Yet when he opened the JPEG file, what he saw not only blew his stereotype right of the proverbial water—it shocked him. Kayla was beautiful—not stunningly gorgeous but a very attractive woman. He immediately fell in love with her beautiful blue eyes and perfect smile and he also really liked the way she styled her shoulder-length brunette hair and the fact that she wore a minimal amount of makeup. She had the girl-next-door thing going on in a big way, and for the first time since Connie's death, he found himself not thinking of his late wife for several minutes in a row.

When it hit him he'd gotten lost in the beauty of this woman he'd never met for even that short amount of time, he almost felt guilty. It was as though by acknowledging his attraction to another woman, he was somehow being unfaithful to his wife. It was silly in the extreme, but he couldn't help but feel that way. Fortunately, the feeling quickly passed as his rational mind reminded him that his beloved Connie was gone and that she'd told him several times that last year how much she wanted him to find someone else to love. He always played it off because he kept hoping for some kind of miracle; a miracle that never came, but he knew she was right. Living alone was awful.

He knew he wasn't in love with this attractive younger woman from Orlando, but she had broken the spell of grief for a few moments and that was something no other woman had yet been able to do. He spent the next several hours finishing and editing his latest story, then attached it to another email along with the best pic he could find of himself.

"Hi Kayla!

I can only say you won't be lonely long once you start looking again. You are a very attractive woman and if I lived a little closer... Oh, and were I a few years younger...

I'm 42 by the way and the pic I'm attaching was taken about six months ago. My sister caught me in a rare moment when I was smiling and snapped the pic. What you see is what you get and now it's my turn to say that once you see it you probably won't be emailing me anymore. :-(

I've also attached my latest story. This one is my first attempt at a May-December romance. I swear I had it nearly finished before I 'met' you via email. I say that because the male character is 40 and the woman is 30. I wasn't hinting or implying anything—honest! :-)

As to my job, I work at the Pentagon in DC. It's interesting to me but would be about as exciting as watching paint to dry to most people. It pays the bills and I don't hate it, so what more can I ask for when it comes to a job, right?

I wanted to say I'm really sorry for the way your ex-husband treated you. I never once even raised my voice to Connie let along put her down. She was not only my wife, lover, and best friend, she was an equal partner in our marriage. You deserve much better and I hope you'll find it.

Love and romance are important, necessary parts of life and while I'm only now even able to think about women beyond my writing, I wanted to thank you and your kind words. They've served as a kind of catalyst for a renewed interest in those things. Oh, and seeing your pic didn't hurt, either. :-)

Still wishing you luck and success in your own search for love and romance.

Scott—Henderson"

The following day, work didn't drag on quite as badly as the last few, and Henderson found himself anxiously looking forward to checking his emails. He could have done it on the train ride home, but he wanted to be able to read anything Kayla might have sent in the quiet sanctuary of his study.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw her reply. He opened it with some trepidation fearing his pic may have scared her off. He wasn't a bad looking guy. In fact, a lot of women had told him he was cute or attractive over the years. But there were a lot of years between them, so he kept his expectations low as he began reading.

"Hi Scott!

Wow! I LOVED your story even though it made me cry again. As with your other stories, the tears were worth it when I got to the sex scenes. Even that was so sweet and romantic! Oh, I did find a typo so maybe you've found the editor you so desperately need! :-)

I must say I had a very different image of you in mind than the handsome man in the attached photo. I guess I just assumed you'd be balding, wear glasses, and button your shirts to the top button. Isn't that awful? But you're a very nice looking guy. I love your smile and your eyes and I'm a sucker for thick, dark hair. If you did live closer to Orlando, the age wouldn't matter at all. If I could ever be lucky enough to find a man who loved me dearly, who made me feel safe, and who respected me, a few years wouldn't make any difference. As I said, the few guys my age I've met since my divorce have made me feel like giving up. And then I 'met' you. :-)

Hey, maybe you should come and see Disney World...and me! Just kidding. Don't freak out and stop emailing me, okay?

It's funny but I find myself checking my email several times a day now hoping to see one from you. You seem really nice and again, I loved your story!

Kayla"

He hadn't realized it while he was reading her email, but Henderson noticed it as soon as he finished. He was hard. Hard in a way he hadn't been since Connie was well. No porn had ever done that to him. He had a sudden, overpowering urge to lay down and take care of business. Just as he'd had feelings of somehow betraying Connie, he felt a twinge of guilt when he sat his laptop on his chest and looked at her pic in bed. Henderson almost laughed when the thought hit him that were she so prudish that she'd be upset by that, there could never be anything between them beyond a pleasant exchange of emails.

Other thoughts...of her...filled his mind as he took things into his own hands.

That night, Kayla lay awake in her bed wondering what life with him would be like. She thought about him asking for her opinion on important decisions and sometimes even agreeing with her point of view. She smiled when she imagined getting to work and finding a note in a plastic baggy inside her salad that read, "Just to let you know I'm always thinking about you. Love, S."

She was now very wet as she pictured herself planning a weekend getaway for them with her making the reservations and for the motel, dinner, and other entertainment. Her fingers found her sex as she thought of him kissing her and telling her how much he loved everything about the trip—and her. The circular speed and pressure increased as she dreamed of him telling her how beautiful and important she was to him and when she could actually feel that he meant every word, her body tensed and shook leaving her in a calm, dreamy state allowing to fall into a very deep sleep without a care in the world.

Henderson was up early the next morning so he could send Kayla a response.

"Good morning, beautiful!

Thank you for reading my story and for becoming the editor I so desperately need. Maybe the pointer-outers will give me a break this time!

I have a confession to make. I hope it doesn't sound too weird, but I actually fell asleep thinking about you last night." Of course, he didn't mention exactly how she helped him fall asleep. "As to visiting Disney World, a woman as attractive as you should never tease a man my age about something like that. We're foolish enough to think you might be serious! Well, at least until we look in the mirror anyway. In fact, we might even find ourselves imagining driving down to Florida. Hey, a guy can always dream, right? Isn't that what these stories are all about? Dreams? Everyone has needs and not all of them are the same. But getting our needs met—whatever they may be—seems, to me at least, to be what love is all about. When we tell someone, 'I love you' aren't we really saying, 'I believe you have the ability to meet my innermost needs'? We're both admitted hopeless romantics, right? So who knows? :-)

I must also confess I really enjoy our emails so I was just wondering and again, no pressure here, but would you consider maybe talking to me on Facetime or Skype? If I'm weirding you out or anything, please tell me and I'll back off. I'm beyond new to all this so if I'm doing something wrong, please um...point it out. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I have one more confession to make. I will be thinking about you today while I'm at work and will he hoping to see a reply when I get home.

I hope you have a great day, Kayla.

Scott"

Kayla had already checked her email that morning and found herself having to fight off a strong sense of disappointment when she didn't see a reply. She'd since showered and gotten dressed for work and decided to check one last time before leaving the house and there it was! Another email from RomanticGuy05.

Her heart was racing as she quickly read through his reply. She had to leave immediately and couldn't respond, but the things he wrote put her in the best mood she'd been in for many, many months. She even found herself singing in the car on the way to work which in turn, made her smile. Maybe nothing would come of these emails but they'd given her hope that there were decent guys out there and maybe, just maybe, she would one day find one.

Both of them had trouble concentrating at work and Scott found himself behind on an important project for the first time in months. His boss had been very understanding for the first half year after Connie's death, but at some point he'd had to start demanding something close to perfection again. Kayla was supposed to be working on annual inventory and the manager was extremely unhappy when she learned how little Kayla had gotten accomplished the first half of the day. Both of them assured their respective supervisors they'd get their act together, but neither of them could stop thinking about the other.

Kayla spent two extra hours at work to catch up and couldn't wait to get home. She had so many things she wanted to say and every time she thought about him, her tummy fluttered the way it had in high school when a cute boy flirted with her.

Scott had checked his private email at work in the morning, again during lunch, and once more on the ride home. He had that empty feeling in the pit of his stomach and it grew each time he didn't see a reply from Kayla. When there still wasn't a reply an hour later when he got home, he started beating himself up for acting like a child. No...a fool. An old fool who thought some hot, younger woman would actually be interested in him.

For the first time in many weeks, he poured himself a double and sat down to watch TV. He didn't care what was on as long as it wasn't the Lifetime Movie Channel or some romantic comedy. He settled on CNN and zoned out as one reporter after the other droned on about current events. At around 7:30, he decided he'd have to have something to eat but before going into the kitchen, he let himself check one more time.

Hallelujah! There it was. He clicked on it and sat down ignoring the rumbling in his empty stomach.

"Dearest Scott,

I don't even know where to start! Forgive me if I ramble. I tend to be all over the map when I'm excited or can't think straight and today I'm experiencing both of those things.

I can't think straight because the things you said in your last email caused the other problem. I felt excited for the first time in a really long while. I had the worst possible day at work because I couldn't concentrate and the manager not only noticed, she let me have it. I'm blaming you for that, Scott. lol.

My ex-husband never called me beautiful. When we first met, he'd say I was 'hot' but he never said I was pretty let alone beautiful. I'm sure you were just being nice, but that made me feel so wonderful. So no matter how you meant it, thank you for saying it.

As to Skyping or whatever, I'd love to try that! I have a Mac computer so I can Facetime if that's better for you. Just let me know when because I don't want you to see me unless I'm looking my best so please give me some advanced notice, okay?

As to Disney World, I wasn't totally kidding. I would actually like to meet you and maybe Facetime is the first step to doing that.

Lastly, I was thinking about you too, last night when I fell asleep. Is that some kind of sign or something? :-)

I have a million other things I want to say but unlike you writing isn't my strong suit. I tend to do better when I can actually talk face to face. Or face to...Facetime. :-)

So I will look forward to our first conversation whenever it works out for you.

Kayla

PS. I think I really like you. :-) "

Henderson exhaled slowly as he realized he'd been holding his breath the entire time he was reading. It had only taken him a minute or so to get through it, but he'd been so afraid it was bad news he'd forgotten to breathe.

He felt shaky as he started typing and couldn't be sure if was nervousness, hunger, or both.

"Dearest Kayla,

You are beautiful. For the record, I had a pretty bad day, too. I had this beautiful young woman who lives in Orlando on my mind all day and my boss had words with me over my not-so-stellar performance today, as well. Maybe it is a sign!

As to Facetime, I would love to talk with you tonight. I haven't eaten anything since lunch so how does 8:30 sound? If that doesn't work, please let me know what does and I will be here no matter when that is.

I haven't been to Disney World in ten years so another trip is long overdue. Know any tour guides in the Orlando area who could um...point things out? :-)

And for the record, I think I really like you, too. Here's my phone number for Facetime or whatever. Please call me anytime. (xxx) xxx-xxxx.

Scott"

Kayla's heart was pounding out of her chest as she finished reading his reply. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God! What am I going to wear? Should I put on some makeup? I wonder if these earrings are okay? Maybe I should wear the gold ones instead."

She forced herself to take several long, slow breaths. Her mind was swirling with thoughts and her scatterbrained day now looked like one with laser-like focus. She went to her bedroom and started looking through her closet. She wasn't about to wear the white blouse with Target and her name on it. She wanted something with color and preferably in the earth-tone range which went best with her skin tone. She settled on a light green knit top with short sleeves before realizing it was very low cut. She was tempted to wear it for obvious reasons, but she didn't want to send the wrong signals during a first conversation. She put it back and finally chose another knit top that was a light gray. It was sleeveless and had a more modest neckline. She swapped out her gold studs for a pair of longer silver earrings and added a simple matching necklace.

She checked the clock as she went into the bathroom and put on a small amount of mascara and the smallest bit of eyeshadow to give her eyes a bit of understated glamor. She touched up her lips with some clear gloss and realized it was now only seven minutes later than it was when she panicked. "Relax. He's a nice guy. He's not going to care what you wear." Kayla tried convincing herself that was true, but there was no way she was buying it. She wanted to make a good first impression and how she looked mattered because it mattered to her.

She wasn't much of a drinker, but she really wanted a glass of wine to help her calm down. She poured herself a full glass of merlot, look a long first sip followed by a shorter second, then sat down and tried to relax—and not watch the clock.

Scott threw a turkey sandwich together and grabbed a handful of chips and sat down to eat. He had to consciously force himself not to wolf everything down as though doing so would somehow make the time pass more quickly. Even so, he finished in less than fifteen minutes, then went to the bathroom to floss and brush his teeth. He laughed when he thought about using mouthwash—just in case.

He tossed back the rest of his drink and waited. At 8:29, he heard the familiar sound of Facetime calling him. He checked for food stuck in his teeth one last time, then ran to the computer. He stopped, took a deep breath, then sat down.

He almost couldn't click on the right button once he saw her. The pretty girl in the photo he'd seen had been replaced by a stunningly beautiful sister or other family member. She was wearing a very cute gray top, silver jewelry, and her face was to-die-for beautiful.

He clicked to accept her call and said, "Kayla? Hi! How are you?"

She smiled in a way that made him feel weak in the knees and in a couple of other places, as well. "Hi, Scott! I'm doing great. It's so good to finally talk to you!"

He smiled back and said, "I thought you looked great in your pic, but I have to say, you are just...gorgeous!"

Her smiled widened even further as she said, "Thank you so much! You look really good, too. I love your sweater, by the way. It's really cold up there, isn't it?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, it's January and we get snow pretty much every year. It's about 35 out there today. What's it like in Orlando?" he asked her.

"It's cold here, too. It only got up to 65." She didn't smile indicating that she actually thought that was cold. Henderson didn't laugh, but he did smile.

"I think we'd kill to have a high temperature like that," he said jokingly.

It was after 1am when they finally signed off and neither one wanted to quit talking. It was only the fear of an even worse day followed by another scolding at work that forced them to take a break. They promised to 'meet' on Facetime again the following evening but to start at 7pm instead.

Henderson lay there thinking how easy Kayla was to talk to. After a short amount of time spent feeling one another out (but not up), he felt comfortable opening up to her on virtually any subject. So he did. They talked about love, romance, and even sex. They touched on politics and religion just to make sure there were no land mines there then moved on to family, friends, where they grew up, their marriages, her divorce, Connie's illness, and their mutual grief. Kayla admitted hers couldn't be anywhere as deep as Scott's, but he assured her what she was feeling was every bit as real.

The thing that intrigued him most was something she mentioned twice. She'd told him she'd gladly give up great sex for love, security, and respect. Not sex. She made it clear she really enjoyed lovemaking. But she'd happily settle for okay sex with a man who gave her all those other things rather than have amazing sex with a guy like her ex-husband. Henderson had had all that with Connie and great sex so her comments had given him cause for concern until he realized what she was really saying. She didn't want to settle for anything. She was simply being honest about her priorities, and once he understood her perspective, it made perfect sense.

As Kayla found sleep elusive, too, she reflected on their very long first conversation. Scott was as kind and thoughtful 'in person' as he was in his writing. She could tell the kind of man he was just by the way he smiled or how he waited for her to finish speaking. He'd never once interrupted her the way her ex-husband had constantly done. He told her when he agreed with her and the few times he hadn't, he was very respectful of her opinion. She also had to admit she really loved his smile and that hair of his was a very nice bonus. She'd had some concern about the age difference, but it faded about fifteen minutes into their conversation. The only thing that still concerned her was the thought of jumping into a serious relationship so soon after the divorce. Her friends and her parents all advised her to take it slow and date a lot of guys before settling down again. The flip side to that argument was the possibility of missing an ideal guy because of some arbitrary need to spend some undetermined amount of time dating.