Nina and Mikey

"I thought it would be a nice surprise," she said.

"It sure is," I said. "Let's all go to lunch." We got to Ma&Pa's diner and order the greasiest stuff on the menu. Nina and I talked, and the kids talked; it was almost like old times. Until...

"I hear you were dancing at the Moonlight," she said.

"Yeah. I went with Mary. She's very good, you know," I said.

"No, I didn't know she was into the scene, but I am glad for you, Mikey, you deserve to have a life. I mean a social life," she said. I could tell she was being sincere. Then, I had to ask.

"Do you dance anymore," I asked.

"No. Malcom isn't in to it," she said. I should have felt guilty about what I was thinking right then, but I didn't: a big dick isn't everything for damn sure.

"Oh, too bad," I said. "You're good. I mean you were last I knew." I knew I'd made her feel bad, so I tried to make it right. "You should come with us sometime. I'm sure Mary wouldn't mind. Bring Malcom too if you want." After I'd said it I knew I'd touched a nerve, a raw nerve. Well, the best laid plans of mice and men, or so the saying goes.

"No, I don't think so, Mikey, but thanks for asking," she said. I had the feeling that she was about to cry, but I brushed it aside.

I kissed the kids goodbye. I told them that I would see them next week. They left with their mother; they were staying over for the weekend.

Back at the store I had another surprise. Malcom was there, and he was talking to Harlan. I interrupted.

"Got a problem, anyone," I said coming up to them.

"No, I'm making something clear to our employee here," said Malcom.

"May I speak to you for a moment," I said, steering him away from Harlan, who looked nervous as hell.

"Look, Malcom. I thought we had an agreement. You're accounting; I'm operations. Now, is that so or is it not. Tell me now," I said, not blinking.

"Listen, Mikey, I own the place, me and Nina. We let you bring that rumor monger back, but don't push it, okay?"

"Rumor monger? Are you serious! You listen. Stay away from Harlan. You're only gripe with him is the fact that he outted you and Nina fucking around behind my back. That's ancient history now, and what is, is. So leave the man alone; I need his expertise, his and Sam's. Got it."

"You just remember who pays the bills here and signs the checks," he said, and he turned and left.

I was furious. But, I was in a bad position. I couldn't be running to momma every time his highness came around. I had figured there'd be some of this, but I was hoping I'd be given some room at least at the beginning. But, as it happened, I didn't need to run to momma. Nina knew before her husband's footprints were cold on the store's floor. And, I soon knew why. ****** "Got a few bucks to buy a girl a dinner," asked Mary as I was coming out of the back store room.

I started, but recovered nicely. "Sure bet," I said. "Got my first check yesterday. You caught me flush," I said.

She smiled, "I know," she said, "I'm the bookkeeper."

"Yeah, I forgot," I said.

Dinner was good. Italian at Gino's. "We gotta practice more if we want to move up," I said, talking about our dancing. We'd been getting together maybe twice a week for the past few weeks, just working the kinks out, but top competitors worked out five times a week, and often more.

"Yeah, I'm game. But until you finally move up here and get an apartment... I mean it's a thirty mile drive from down there. The gas alone is gonna kill yuh," she said.

"yeah, tell me about it," I said. "But, I just got my first check, and I'm here to tell yuh, I just ain't quite got the money to front for a place yet," I said.

She stirred her manhattan seeming to find interest in the cherry at the bottom of the glass. "Mikey, move in with me," she said. "It'd be economical for both of us. We could split the rent, and you wouldn't have to come up with the first and last and utilities and all of that. Hell, if we have to wait for you to get enough for all of that we'll never have any time to practice."

I was stunned by her offer. "But, your place has only one bed—bedroom. I mean..."

"And your problem is?" she said. "Mikey, we've already slept together once." She giggled at that. "I didn't bite and we both survived the scandal." She was being funny now, or trying to be.

"Mary—I'm a man—I don't know—I mean..."

"You mean you might come on to me! Oh my god no, not that!" she was making fun of me now. "Well, pardner, you won't be the first cowboy to try that stuff. And, I guarantee you, you will not be gettin' into my pants unless I want you in 'em. So stop being so—junior highish—and move in with me. We're consenting adults for chrissakes!"

Her logic was irrefutable, so I stopped trying to refute her. "Okay. It sure as hell would be better for the both of us. When?" I said.

"Tonight. We'll make a trip down to your place with both cars and load 'em up.

"Uh—you don't have any furniture do you?" she said.

"No, none. The place came furnished," I said.

"Good, I don't have room for much of that. You can call and cancel your lease tomorrow."

The good news was that Mary's hall closet only had her suit case in it. So, I had a place to hang my meager wardrobe. My few other possessions took up almost no room; she seemed pleased with my poverty.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed still dressed but working on getting out of my shoes when she came in out of the shower.

She had a towel wrapped around her, and it barely covered her treasures. She'd evidently dried her hair in the bathroom. Well why not, she had a blow dryer.

"You staring at me, boy?" she said.

"Uh—no—I mean..."

"Well why the hell not. Am I not good looking enough for you?" She dropped the towel, and I dropped my jaw. Her pubs were bare as a baby's. her tits were babyesque. Her hips flared as a woman's should. And her ass, as I soon discovered as she slowly turned to give me a mini-show, was the kind of thing that three thousand years before had launched a thousand ships and laid waste Troy town.

I fell to my knees behind her and nuzzled her butt, forcing my nose and mouth between her cheeks. She giggled as I licked and suckled like a starving man. I in fact was starved. Starved for affection and sex and a woman. It had been eight years since I had had anything like this. She turned around and I worshipped her slit. I stood. I pulled her close and we kissed softly at first, then more passionately. I pushed her back onto the bed. She situated herself and spread her legs wide.

"Mikey, I need this, fuck me please. Do it now."

I'm not sure which was faster at that moment, light or my haste to follow her instructions. I dove into her groin and licked and sucked her clit until she shuddered. My five-inch tool pushed into her and she grimaced for the slightest of seconds. Then, she smiled as I began pushing and pulling in and out of her. I lay on top of her possessing her, needing her. God, did I need her!

I came and she came for a second time. I flipped her over and took her doggy style.

"Hmm," she said. "I love it this way. I love it when my man takes me."

The only thing I am sure of is that she didn't love it near as much as I did. It took me longer this second time and she stiffened in a prolonged orgasm, her third, before I finally unloaded again.

Half dead from my efforts, I rolled to my left and lay satisfied.

"Oh no, big boy, you are not even done. She swung a leg over me and put us in a classic sixty-nine position. I was staring at her pussy with my cum dripping copiously out of her. Suck it clean, big boy; it's time to do your duty.

She had my cock in a death grip, and I felt her mouth slide over the glans and engulf me as I leaned up to follow her orders. I'd never eaten my cum before, but Nina had many times. I figured if it hadn't killed her, and it wouldn't kill me. I went after it. Jesus, I was hot—still—she was hot. She bucked against my face as I licked her; her juices squirted out of her painting my face with woman smell.

She had me hard again, painfully hard, after some minutes. I had to strain to come again as she rode me like the cowgirl she was.

Finally we collapsed into each other's arms and slept.

Mary and I had become an item, after that night, and that fact had become known to one and all at the store; but not to Nina and Malcom. We were living together, but since we had both been burned once we were playing it slow and sure. No promises had been made, no demands put forth. We danced occasionally, we ate out, we ate each other, we took long walks in the park; and we held hands on the little balcony in the evening sometimes, when the stars were out, and we were feeling mellow.

After eight years of misery and self-pity; I was coming out of my shell and living again. The penultimate act had yet to be played out, but that was about to change.

Things were going pretty good for me. I had a woman, a first class real woman, I was seeing my kids almost weekly—that was the best—and the business was beginning to boom. Yes, things were good, almost. ******

I had just poured myself a cup of coffee, and had gotten myself comfortable and ready to go over the week's sales reports, when he came storming in.

I pinned him with an amused look. A man who is at his wits end is always in a bad place to make war.

"I hear you refer to me as asshole," he said by way of greeting. So this was it. We were about to have it out. Good. It was time, and I was in a much better place to do it than I had been in the beginning.

"I won't deny it," I said. "You will forgive me."

"Fuck you!" he said.

"You call me shrimp and little dick, or so I've heard. Not true?" I queried.

"You are a little dicked shrimp," he said.

"Maybe, but you are definitely an asshole. And, a cuckolding cheater as well. When you figure out which is worse, I mean what you are or what I am, you let me know," I said.

I was surprised to see him seem to slump. He was still standing, but he definitely sagged. The question was why? I waited.

"You and I—you and I—you and I..." he couldn't get it out. I was intrigued, but wary.

"You and I what?" I said.

"You and I need to talk. We need to get a few things straightened out," he said. I was pretty sure I knew what he was going to want to talk about, but I wanted him to say it.

"I'm married to Nina, not you," he said. Maybe I didn't know what he was going to talk about.

"Yes?" I said.

"She's married to me..."

"Yes, I know. And your point is?" I said.

"You have to stop hitting on her, and I mean now," he said.

I was surprised. "Huh? What are you talking about?" I said, now really not having a clue.

"You have to stop trying to influence her. She loves me not you. Are you getting this?" he said.

"Uh—no," I said. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Then came the gushing out of all of his concerns and worries...

"She had lunch with you, dinners with you, you made a deal to let that asshole Harlan back on the job, you offered to take her dancing. Am I getting close? Is it becoming clearer to you now?" he said.

It was, but I wasn't sure I was catching all of his innuendo. Taken together, I could see how he might infer something was going on that wasn't. I had to set him straight, or it would affect the business—badly.

"I offered to take you dancing too," I said, with us that is. That seemed to surprise him.

"Yes, we had dinner a couple of times, and lunch with the kids," I said.

"Ah hah!" he said.

"It was all about business. Working for my ex and the guy she cuckolded me with was a non-happening at first," I said. "I had to work through it. As for Harlan, you should never have fired him. One, you were guilty of what he said. And two, he knew his job like nobody else, except Sam of course."

He actually snickered, "That's the one place that I have to agree with you," said Malcom. "Before he outted us, I had no hope of ever getting Nina to marry me; she'd told me as much. It was only after you finding out and essentially forcing the divorce that she would agree to anything more than the occasional fuck session. Frankly, needle dick, she needed my equipment!" he said. "You just didn't have what it took."

I looked at his smug expression. He'd pissed me of at first, but then I thought back to my recent session with Mary; it gave me confidence.

"So you say," I said. "Obviously your equipment isn't getting the job done, or you wouldn't be here all worried and pushy."

He sagged again. "We had a fight. She loves me; I know that. But—there's a piece of her heart that you still own, and I don't like it," he said.

He saw the smugness on my face now. His smugness was gone—interesting.

"Really?" I said, in a patently smartass tone.

"Yeah, well don't get your hopes up, she doesn't love you like she once did. It's more like she feels empathy for your situation and how she screwed you around; and, okay yeah, me too. We both did you in, and we're both sorry.

"And now that we need you to make the business go, it looks self-serving as hell Nina meeting you for lunch and stuff, but that's only the half of it. I'm telling you straight," he said. I had mixed feelings about his words.

It was like he was trying to connect with me, but there was something else. Maybe, I was suspicious of his motivations. "So whaddya want, Malcom? Why are you here, really? You're pissed off. I can see it. So again, whaddya want?" I said.

"Like I said, we had a fight. I mean a real fight. She slapped me a dozen times before I could get it together enough to stop her."

He took of the sunglasses he was wearing.

"Jesus!" I said. "Did she do that!?" His right eye was blackened and it looked like there was a cut just under his eyebrow on the same side; it looked like it had bled like hell. "Is that a cut?"

"Yeah, her ring nicked me, when she backhanded me.

"I walked out after the last blow. I didn't trust myself, and I sure as hell couldn't trust her not to blow up again. Anyway, you asked, that's why I'm here," he said.

"I don't get it. Whaddya want from me? I don't have any influence with Nina," I said. "And I'm not sure I give a fuck that she tore your ass up anyway."

"Yeah, well maybe. But, I love her, same as you did once. She needs me, and I need her..."

"Wait," I said. "What was the fight about?" It had just occurred to me that I might be involved at least indirectly. If not, then why was he here?

"Our little go 'round over Harlan the other day," he said.

"Huh?"

"I told her about it. Told her I wanted either Harlan or you gone. She seemed to think for a moment. Then, she started to cry. Then, she stood up from the dining room table where she had been sitting and began to lay into me. She didn't scream or yell or say anything. She just unloaded."

"And, then you ran out?"

"Like I said, I had to get out of there. It was an actually dangerous situation. I went to the Crossroads. Had a few drinks. Talked to the barkeep. Believe it or not he knows you," said Malcom.

"Henry?"

"Yeah, that's his name," he said.

"Yeah, I know him. We used to bowl together when I was much younger. I stop in there every once in a while even now," I said.

"Yeah, well, he suggested that I get over my—well, he thought I should talk to you. I couldn't think of anything else to do about it all. So here I am," he said.

"I see," I said. I still didn't really know what he wanted. Maybe for me to intercede with Nina for him. Turned out that was not the case.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, shrimp, this is it. To answer your question as to why I'm here. "I wanna end my problem with you. I don't expect us to ever be friends. But, you're the elephant in the room, and I want you the hell out of it. So, I am here to apologize for taking your wife away from you. For being on your case about Harlan. And for anything else I've done real or imagined that caused you problems or harm."

Now, I was stunned. Without thinking, I stood, extended my hand—kinda slowly—and said okay. He looked a little surprised. I had to ask. "Okay, you got it, my forgiveness. I can't think of a reason to hold a grudge any longer either. It sure as hell ain't makin' my life any easier. So, okay, Like I said. I don't know how it's going to help your case with Nina, but okay."

"It'll help. I am going back. I'm going to tell her that we've buried the hatchet and that we're cool with each other, and that I apologized to you."

"Yeah? Well, what would you have done if I had told you to go to hell?" I said, really wondering. "And, just so you'll, I almost did."

"I would go back and tell her I tried, but that you weren't having any. She would have checked with you and you would have told her the truth. Or, even if you'd lied, she would have been able to tell; you know her as well as I do. You never would have been able to fool her," he said.

I nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. And you don't have to worry about me trying to get back with Nina, either. She and I are over. In fact, I have a new squeeze that at some point we might want to make permanent." He looked surprised.

We talked for a few more minutes and he left for the field of domestic battle. I actually wished him well. ******

Mary was sitting in the back booth at Denny's when I arrived. It was the day after my little sit down with Malcom.

"Hi, honey girl," I said sliding in next to her. We'd plan to have lunch because we'd be in crunch time that night getting ready for another contest at the Moonlight Ballroom. We had just finished arguing about her dress, when a shadow fell over the table emanating from behind me.

"Hello Mikey, Mary," said Nina. Nina, with Malcom a step behind her, asked if they could have a few words with me.

"I'll go sit at the bar while you talk," said Mary.

"No,no, Mary," I said. "You stay. I'm sure Nina and Mal won't mind. Will you?" I asked Nina, looking straight at her.

"No, that's fine," she said. Mal nodded his agreement. Mary settled back down in her seat beside me.

The booth was semicircular. Mary and I slid to my right allowing the new couple the room to sit across from us.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything," said Nina. "I—we didn't know you'd have company."

"No problem," I said. "Mary and I had some things to discuss. Not job related," I added.

"Oh," said Nina, realizing for certain that Mary and I were not merely fellow employees. Malcom had clearly mentioned what I'd said about a new squeeze. "Okay, then I'll get right to the point of our being here." She indicated Malcom beside her.

I nodded and gestured for her to go on.

"Mikey, Malcom told me about you talking with each other yesterday. Is what he told me true?" she said.

"I don't know what he told you, obviously," I said, "but we did clear the air, I guess you could say." I don't know why I said it, but I added, "I haven't even told Mary about it yet."

Nina looked askance at me. "Okay," she said, slowly, in a questioning tone.

I decided right then was a good time to let Nina in on a few things. "We're an item," I said. "We are living together."

The look on Nina's face, not to mention Malcom's, was priceless. "We've been together for some little time now," I said. "We're getting married."

Of course I hadn't asked Mary yet, and the look she gave me would have turned some men—but not me—to stone. Nina sensed that my remarks were a surprise. But, she decided to let it lay for the moment and plunge on.

"Congratulations," she offered. Mary just smiled at her and nodded sweetly.

"Well, I guess that what I say will be a good thing for both of you then," said Nina. Malcom spoke up.

"Mikey, we, Nina and I, want to do right by you. You working for us and us payin' you thirty grand annual is unacceptable," he said.