New Beginnings: Bob and Jolynn Ch. 01

"Time to go, big boy."

Without looking up he asked, "And how did you get into my office?"

"That's easy. I have low friends in high places. Now get your jacket and let's go. I'm hungry....and I want dinner too."

Bob groaned but he got up and followed Jolynn out the front door and to the car. He held out his hand for the keys.

"Nope, get in I'm driving."

With a surprise on his face, Bob went to the passenger side and got in. Jolynn put the car in gear and spun the wheels on the gravel parking lot as they left.

"Did you need to do that?"

"Oh yes, I wanted everyone at your work to think that you were eager to take that hot chick you were with somewhere and do bizarre things with her. Your reputation will sky rocket."

She drove three blocks and pulled into a parking lot.

"Why are we stopping?"

"Why do you think, doofus? I haven't had a kiss in almost 8 hours. Get those lips over here."

"Yes ma'am."

"Ooo, I like that in a man."

They each leaned over the center console and sought each other's lips. For several minutes there was a tangle of lips and tongues both of which seemed intent on dominating the other. When they broke, it was a draw and their eyes declared that a rematch would take place.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you out to dinner. Do you need to stop at home?

"Well, I would like a quick shower and change. I had to spend some time in the shop today and probably smell like a goat."

"I thought you smelled very manly myself. I was going to ask if you had new cologne."

"Hydraulic fluid doesn't qualify as cologne."

"Hey, you never know what turns a girl on."

"With a certain girl I know, I thought she stayed in a state of perpetual ON."

"Only when in the presence of certain people."

Jolynn maneuvered through the traffic and arrived at the apartment at 5:30. She led the way and opened the door and ushered him in.

"Go make your smelly body clean."

"Not until I rub some of it off on you."

"You wouldn't dare."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Then he released her.

"Oh you brute, you forced yourself on me and now I'm going to smell like hydraulic fluid all night."

"I love the smell of hydraulic fluid myself. I put it on almost every day."

"Oh OK, that's different. Now go." She turned him toward the hall and swatted his butt. She went to the kitchen.

From the back of the house she heard a muffled "Jolynn, what is this?"

She smiled and poured two glasses of wine and sauntered slowly down the hall.

"What honey?" she asked in her sweetest voice.

"I said, what is this?"

"Oh this, well I think that it is my suitcase. I couldn't find a place to put it."

"That's what I was thinking it was. Do you want to explain why it is here?"

"No, it doesn't need an explanation." She went too him and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"And the bed is made and the dirty laundry is gone. Do you want to explain that?"

"No, it doesn't need one either." She pulled his shirt off and tossed it in the corner.

He took her by the shoulders and held her at arm's length. Then in his softest voice he asked, "What is going on, Ms Cremona?"

Jolynn reached in and began unbuttoning his pants and let them drop. "I think the plan is for you to take a quick shower so I can take you to dinner."

She reached over, grabbed the waist band of his under wear and pulled down until they were on top of his pants. "Step. Step again. Turn. Go take your shower." Bob just shook his head and walked to the bathroom and started the shower. Just as he was about to step in, Jolynn entered.

"You forgot your wine." She placed in on the counter. "And you forgot something else too."

"What was that?"

"A girl likes a kiss once in awhile."

She stepped up to him and pressed her body against his naked one. Her lips sought his and found no resistance on his part. Her hands encircled his waist and rested on his ass cheeks. When they broke the kiss, he looked her in the eyes.

"You could join me in the shower and get that hydraulic fluid off of you."

"No, I don't think so. I already showered and dressed." She kissed his lips again.

"Has it crossed your mind that you are fully dressed and I am stark naked."

"Oh I am very well aware of that. I like it. I may let you sleep naked tonight in fact."

"And you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She kissed him again. "You better get in the shower."

"I would but you seem to have a hold of me."

"That's right; I have to let you go, don't I? Hmm that's a tough decision to make. OK, the shower it is." She patted each cheek of his ass and stepped back. She smiled broadly when she saw Bob in all of his glory.

He just stood there letting her look while his eyes tried to look inside her and read what was going on in her mind.

She looked up at him and said, "Don't try so hard. I'm not crazy and besides it doesn't look like you are objecting too hard. Or maybe you aren't objecting but you are still hard." She reached her hand out and gently ran her hand along his entire length. "Shower!" And she walked out.

Once back in the bedroom, she started shaking. Nikki had been able to find out an awfully lot about Bob except a few things. She had now answered two out of the three unknowns and she eagerly looked forward to finding out about the third. She said a quick prayer of thanks for bringing this man into her life and that he was even better than she had hoped he would be. She also prayed for patience so she didn't screw up a good thing.

After she left, Bob stood there and stared at the door. Something like this had never happened to him before; it even made most of his fantasies seem pale in comparison. She had taken control of his life in a matter of days. And the thing that surprised him was that he didn't care. Actually he did care very much but he was happy to go for the ride to see where it would lead. He had even surprised himself that he let her strip him naked without resistance and kiss him and hold him and touch him when he had only glimpsed parts of her and only touched her over her clothing. There was no doubt that they wanted to devour each other, but she seemed to be walking a thin line and he was willing to give her space even if 90% of his body demanded that he attack. But he also realized that he needed to step up a little and take some initiative. That is what he resolved to do as he finally stepped into the shower.

Twenty minutes later, he walked into the living room wearing one of his new shirts. He found her sitting on the couch also wearing one of her new blouses and the new skirt. They looked like they were a matched set.

"I noticed that there are some clothes hanging in my closet that weren't there this morning and I don't think they will fit me."

"I didn't think you would mind. I didn't want to be stuck in that damn hotel and based on last night, I didn't think you wanted me there either. So I sort of checked out and brought my stuff over her. And I guess you are stuck with me until Sunday. Are you OK with that?" She had started out boldly but as she spoke, she became less and less bold until the last phrase came out rather sheepishly.

"Well let's see. Stand. Turn. Here. " He put his arms around her. "Kiss. So let me see if I have this straight. You decided to just move in here knowing full well that we would be sleeping together, dressing together, eating together, sharing a car, sharing morning breath, and dirty clothes." She nodded with a coy smile at each statement. "You decided this without consulting with me because you assumed that I was OK with it." She nodded but with less coy and more apprehension. "And you expect me to accept this without question, without regard to a certain growing hunger that might erupt at any time, and without knowing what your expectations are or what the consequences might be. Is that correct?"

She nodded but with a very timid look and a weak "Yes."

He paused for several seconds with a thoughtful look on his brow. She sat still suddenly fearful that she had pushed too fast and too far. A sense of impending doom started to build within her. Finally he began.

"Now that that is clear between us, I agree that this is far more desirable than any other alternative. This is now our place." She started to jump to her feet and run to him, but he said "Stop." She sat back down.

"I have several other things to say. They will be hard for me to admit and they may embarrass you, so if you don't want to hear them, tell me now." She remained silent.

"Since you didn't say stop, here I go. First, I may be the luckiest man on earth and for the life on me I don't know what I have done to deserve it. Some men find true love once and have it for their entire life. Some men never find it. Many men find it and are so terrified of it that they run. I was one of the lucky ones. I found it and I knew it. Ellen wasn't a part of my life; she was my life. She had me for her entire life. Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky. A part of me died with her. I felt like I had had my one and only and that that would be enough for the rest of my life even if I was alone. But something happened; you walked into my life- full of energy, full of life, full of everything I had and felt with Ellen. I am almost afraid to admit it even to myself, but I think that I may be one of those rare men who find it twice in their life. Last week I would have denied the possibility; today I hope against hope that I am right. I will not compare you to Ellen but you are very similar in many ways and very different is many others. I am just asking you to realize that you hold a very fragile heart in your hands. Play with me as you do but recognize that trifling with me could destroy me." She started to speak but he held up his hand.

"Second, you seem to know so much about me but I don't know what you know so here is something that may be new. I have only had sex with two women in my life. One was a very forgettable one in high school. The second was as you might guess almost too unbelievable for words. My third will take place soon I think, no I hope. The thought of this both excites me beyond words but it also intimidates me beyond words. I am telling you this because I will probably need patience from you but when we do, I can promise that you will have everything I have to give."

"Last, as I said you know a lot about me and I barely know your name. Starting tonight I want to start knowing you and I want to get it from the source. You can't tell me everything in one night or even in a month. But I want to hear everything- the good, the bad, the ugly. Take your time and tell me what I need to know when you are ready for me to know it; but please don't hold back. I am not judgmental; I just want to know you. There, I have said what I wanted to say. You may be ready to pack your bags and leave. If so, I will let you go with a heavy heart, but I will let you go. If you stay, we may stumble some, but I am OK with that as long as you are."

He fell silent and stood still. Jolynn sat and stared at him in wonder. She could not believe that she had heard what she had just heard. She had never heard of man who could or would open himself like that, but she had just experienced it. Finally she stood up and walked up to him and put her arms around his neck.

"Robert Collins, a week ago I sat in St. Louis with a notebook of information about you and thought that you were the most unique man I had ever heard of. I told myself that I loved you. Saturday night, I met you for the first time in person but I was fully prepared to run and hide if you rejected me. But you didn't reject me. You let me into your life. I expected it to take weeks or maybe months, but it only took hours. By the time I went back to my room that night, I knew I loved you. And just now you have handed me your heart and I was like you, elated beyond all common sense and also terrified of what I might do to you if I screw up. And now I am completely and undeniably in love with you. Yes, I have a lot to tell you about me. Most of it is just news updates. But there are a couple of things that will be hard to say and perhaps even harder for you to hear. But I committed to myself that you would hear them when the time came. I couldn't go on with you without you knowing them whether you accept them or not. We will start tonight and we will start with whatever you want to know first." She melted into his arms and kissed him like it was their first kiss.

When the kiss broke, they looked at each other. Finally Bob said, "I don't know about you but right now I feel both exhausted but also energized. But I am also hungry as hell. Someone stole my car and I couldn't go to lunch today. And some one promised to take me to dinner tonight but she is dawdling around."

"Dawdling? Here I am sitting, listening to this man pour out his soul while all he really is thinking of is his stomach. And I am dawdling? Get your ass, and a very cute ass it is I now know for a fact, get your ass out the door now. I will start teaching you to appreciate Italian food tonight. That is mandatory training for all non-Italians."

"But I love Italian food!"

"You have never had Italian food. You have had pizza and some wilted pasta with catsup all over it and thought that that was the real deal. Tonight, you will have an Italian meal, so get ready for the experience of your life."

"It will rank a poor second to the experience I am really looking forward to, I am sure."

"Don't count on it lover boy. You can't enjoy the Italian girl without the food first."

Jolynn drove quickly and efficiently and before Bob realized it they were parked in shopping area and heading to a small restaurant nestled between two real estate offices. They were soon seated with a glass of red wine in front of them.

"Now lover boy, your first lesson. An Italian meal isn't like an American one. We will be here for at least three hours if we rush. First, will be the antipasta which you would call the appetizers. We talk, eat an appetizer, we drink wine. We are winding down from the day talking about day-to-day things. About an hour more or less from now we will have soup and salad. Thirty minutes later we have the pasta. Thirty minutes after that we have the main course which tonight will be chicken. Then we will have coffee and dessert. After the salad we can talk about more serious issues if there are any to discuss. When pasta comes we give thanks for all of the blessings we have. The main course, which is much smaller than you are used to, is time to be light and playful. Dessert is time to talk about tomorrow. It varies some from family to family or from region to region. But that is the essential Italian meal. No rush, plenty of food but spread out over the evening. Lots of talk and sharing and yes arguing. And finally a slow down and then bed time."

"Wow. I had heard about long Italian meals but that is the first time I had heard about it all. How did you find a restaurant that doesn't want to feed you and kick you out in thirty minutes or less?"

"Actually, that's pretty easy especially in larger towns. Every Italian knows the secret. You go to the yellow pages to restaurants. You cross out everyone that says pizza, delivery, or some of those buzz words. They are there for Americans. Then you call the ones that are left and ask what their house wines are. If they are well-known or American, you keep going. There are certain Italian wines that aren't well known to most but are well-known to Italians families. They aren't necessarily expensive, but they can be hard to find in most liquor stores. That was why I was so thrilled at the deli last night. The wine I bought was Italian and most of the other things are part of every Italian home. I already had decided that we would need them at home."

"You decided did you?"

"Hey you are very fortunate. The kitchen belongs to the woman. A man never cooks in an Italian home. A woman feels like a failure if she can't feed her family well. I will allow you in my kitchen since you like to cook so much."

"Your kitchen? What about our kitchen?"

"That's OK by me when we are here, but when you come to St Louis with me, it is my kitchen at my place or at my parent's house. OK?"

"I can live with that."

"Good. But I ought to tell you that when I did the dishes this morning, I may have rearranged things a little. Just ask if you can't find what you are looking for."

"I get the feeling that I won't even recognize it when we get home."

"I like the sound of that, 'when we get home.' That gives me tingles. And you will be able to recognize it silly. I didn't have enough time to re-paint it."

"That figures. Dear Lord besides the best thing that has happened to me in years, what else do you have in store for me?"

"You are supposed to wait for pasta to say thanks."

"OK, Lord. I get the message."

They laughed and chatted until Jolynn asked, "OK my lord and master, what is the foremost thing you want to know about me?"

"Start at the beginning and stroll through your life and tell me what I need to know but end up on how you found out all of that stuff about me."

"I was afraid that you would want that. But you will find out soon enough, so let's go."

Jolynn told about her childhood in St Louis growing up on the Hill. She talked about her school years and going to SMU and her sorority. She talked about graduating and joining the family business. Finally she started on what he really wanted to find out.

"When I started at the company, I was in the accounting area because of my college experience. Then Papa put me in engineering to learn about the products. I started seeing your name on a lot of the drawings and then I started talking to you on the phone. One night I asked Papa about you. I have never seen him as animated as he was about you. He told me some stuff but said I ought to talk to Uncle Julio about you. As it happens, Uncle Julio was in town the next week so we had lunch and I asked about you. An hour later I knew about Ellen and how you had lost so much. I learned about how you were as an employee and how important you were to the company."

"Excuse me for butting in, but it sounds like your Uncle Julio knows me."

"Oh he does, you just haven't figured it out yet. My Uncle Julio is your boss Jay Crimini."

Bob sat there with his mouth wide open unable to speak. Jolynn let that sink in a moment.

"OK, here is the brief story. Papa and Uncle Julio started Cremona Brothers in St. Louis. Papa was into the design of the machines. Uncle Julio was into the components and parts. Things were going well until Uncle Julio's wife, Gina, became ill. The doctors advised him to move her to some place warm and less humid. Papa and Julio decided that he should move to Dallas and start making the parts here and Papa would build the machine and ship them from St Louis. This was back in the fifties. So that was how Julio got started here. Well he had to get a business license here and as you know his hand writing is somewhere between unintelligible and indecipherable, the clerks couldn't read his writing so the papers were made out in the name Crimini. Papa and Uncle Julio had a good laugh over it and just left it rather than getting it changed."

"It proved to be a lucky choice because a couple of years later, some of Cremona's competitors started coming to Uncle Julio to make parts for them, something they would never do if they had know is was Cremona. So both Crimini and Cremona prospered. By the way I didn't learn about all of this until three years ago."

"Now the story about you and me start coming together. My curiosity about you continued to grow. I really looked forward to you calling. I even called you several times to ask some inane question but all I really wanted to do was talk to you. You helped me to understand a lot of things when I was getting started in engineering. You were patient with me and explained things so I could understand. In any event, I have a friend who lives down here named Nikki, you will meet her soon. I started telling her about you and she accused me of falling for someone who I had never met and didn't know anything about. I denied it of course but Nikki knows me too well. She offered to look you up quietly and find out what she could for me. I was embarrassed to say yes but I agreed. Now Nikki has sources who have sources and she can find out anything about just about anybody. Don't ask me who because I don't know. But about two months later she brought me a package, let's see this was about three months ago now. The package was a notebook, a 3" notebook on you. There were pictures, notes, write-ups, maps, a copy of your high school and college diploma, in short, more than you can imagine." She paused for a moment and sipped her wine.