No Visible Means of Support

Want to have dinner with me at the Falls Inn Saturday?

Yes. $$$?

My treat

You sure?

Y

OK, I drive. Leave when?

4pm, plan on staying late

K. Emma?

Sleepover Then she put in a little devil emoji.

-----

Geena brought a large purse with her when Larry picked her up. She had slipped in a bra, change of panties, a lightweight pair of slacks which went with the blouse she had on and a supply of condoms. Larry picked her up at four and drove her to the inn. It was located near a nice set of falls on the river and featured a nice restaurant, small jazz club and rooms for spending the night. They were a bit early for their reservation and chose to sit in the jazz club for a pre-dinner drink. She had a nice white wine while he went for a local brewhouse ale.

The band wasn't playing yet and they were able to sit side by side and enjoy being together.

"This is what I needed," she sighed. "A time to completely get away and relax."

"Yeah, me too. I decided I'd pass on any writing this weekend."

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to take you away from it."

"No, it's OK. I needed the break like you. By the way, how are your classes going?"

"Still in business systems for the big class and intro to accounting is OK. I think knowing the basics about it will help me in the future."

"Sure, I guess. I figure that anything beyond balancing the checkbook is wasted effort. And I'm even skipping that more and more. I mean, I've not seen an error with the bank records for quite some time. Their computers seem to get it right."

"Yeah, you're right, but I still want to learn more about it."

What Geena didn't know was how Larry had been concerned about her finances for quite some time: How was she supporting herself? He was worried her money might be tainted. Afterall, it was clear she had a rough time earlier in Emma's life and seemed to be doing a lot better now. She wasn't throwing money away but that evening's dinner was an example of how she seemed to have more money than one would expect. And was her interest in accounting due to some pile of money somewhere? He did his best to squelch the worry and changed the subject.

"How's Emma liking first grade?"

"She loves it and is doing so well. I think she's a little sponge soaking up all that she can. She can read a surprising amount. She does well with her math and is an artist. You should see some of her drawings."

"Sounds like you're very proud of her."

"I am. She's my family, all of it, and I glad she's doing great."

By this time their table was ready and they went in to dine. They had a tasty meal topped off by a sweet dessert. Once she signed the receipt, she led him back to the jazz club where slow dance music was performed by a talented trio.

"Dance?" she asked.

"Yeah, but not very well."

"Doesn't matter. Keep time with the music and hold me close," she smiled.

She melted in his arms as they moved slowly around the small dance floor. After the first song she snuggled up closer to him and laid her head on his chest. Not long after she could feel the promising pressure below his waist. He seemed to try and pull back but she grabbed him tightly and pulled herself closer still.

Once the band announced a little break, she reached up and whispered in his ear, "Nice dancing. Here, follow me."

She broke away grabbing his hand and headed out the door where she took a left to the elevator. Once the 'up' button was punched she snuggled back to him. He leaned over to her ear and asked, "Uh, where are we going, anyway?"

"Upstairs," she answered coyly. "I hear the view is better from there."

On the top floor they exited and went up to the last room of the hall. She pulled out her smart phone, tapped a few keys and the door opened. The suite was nicely done with a small anteroom and a larger bedroom featuring a king-sized bed which had already been turned down. A half bottle of champagne was in an ice bucket and there were two truffles on the pillows.

"Like it?"

"Wow, yeah. Are we, uh, are we spending the night?"

"Unless you want to drive back now, yeah, I guess we are. Hey, look over at the falls." A series of lights shone over the water creating multiple, tiny rainbows in the dark. "Beautiful."

"Umm, not half as beautiful as you," he whispered.

She turned to him and reached up to kiss. "Thank you, now you get your gift," she giggled as their lips touched. For several minutes their lips caressed, their tongues darted and probed and their sighs became deeper and lustier. She gently nudged him back to the bed and once his legs hit the edge, she pushed his chest slightly and he plopped down, looking up at her.

"Wait there, I've got something I want to show you," she said hoarsely as she slowly began to sway, emphasizing her braless breasts and feminine hips. Larry sat there in awe as he realized this evening would be the beginning of their sexual lives together.

After dancing and arousing him slowly, she teased off her top and her skirt, leaving her in a tiny thong and high heels. As he stared at her with desire in his eyes, she felt so powerful and in control. She reached down, unbuttoned his shirt to allow him to remove it. Next were his belt buckle and zipper. She pulled the cuffs until his pants and shoes slid to the floor allowing his swollen penis to poke through the slit in his boxers.

"Nice," she whispered as she gently stroked it. "But there's still something wrong here."

"Umm, what?"

"We've both still got clothes on. Let me take care of that little problem, OK?"

With a tiny flick of her wrist the thong dropped to the floor and she stepped from her pumps. A few seconds later he found himself flat on his back as she tugged his boxers to his feet. "Problem solved," she smiled.

"Time for a station break," she went on. "I'm clean, but fertile. I've brought condoms. Anything you need to tell me?"

"Uh, no. Clean also."

"Good. Let's have a toast to us and then we can get down to business," she giggled as she handed him his glass. Once she had poured the champagne, they toasted silently to each other. Their glasses were put down and they drew themselves closer as their lips neared.

-----

The next morning the light shone brightly through the open curtains. She peeked out through half-closed eyes to look at her lover. He was fairly buff and didn't seem to have any flab at his waist. His chest was bare but there was the promising dart of hair starting below his navel leading to what she had learned was a very handsome penis. She realized she was smiling as she watched him sleep.

"Maybe this is what sex is truly about," she thought to herself. Sex with her first boyfriend, Emma's sperm donor, as she thought of him now, was obviously a feeble attempt to bring closeness to her life after her parents had died. And sex with Matt was clearly transactional. She traded sex for a roof over Emma's and her head, much like a sex worker. Early on she occasionally enjoyed sex with Matt, meaning she had orgasms, but the events the night before with Larry showed her how powerful a close, sexual relationship can be. She found trickling through her consciousness the word 'Love' and wondered whether this could be the beginning for her. With that warm thought in her mind, she snuck out of bed and went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth and combed her hair before crawling back in bed.

"Wake up, Sleepyhead. Rise and shine."

"Mmmph, too early," came the mumbling from under the pillow.

"Nope, not too early. Check out is at noon and I'm hungry. Hungry for food and I'm hungry for another round with that fellow you so expertly used last night." Once breakfast had been delivered to their room, they sat casually in their robes silently eating and enjoying each other's company. After the meal was done, she crawled on his lap, pushed him over and leaned over him.

"OK, enough dawdling. Now, how about I ride on top this morning. Huh?"

An hour later they took their showers and dressed. Not wanting a walk of shame, she put on her slacks and wore her bra under the same blouse as the night before. They left the room hand-in-hand, went to his car and drove home. They were both fairly quiet, seemingly enjoying their closeness. He pulled over a mile or so away from Maria's house and turned to Geena.

"Geena, that was a fabulous night. I've dreamed about us, you know, together like that, but the dreams were nothing like the real deal. I'll never forget it."

"Me neither. It was so nice not to have to worry about little ears or late-night deadlines. And I've wanted you for quite some time now."

"Yeah, me too. I, uh, I'd like to do this again. Maybe not so fancy or expensive, but let's figure out something with Maria."

"I know she and Ricardo would like a little privacy now and then, so maybe we can set up alternating weekends."

"Yeah, that'd be great. But somehow, I want to figure out some time with you more often. Think about it, OK?"

"Sure, I'll put on my thinking cap. I want to spend more private time with you, too," she smiled before giving him a quick, sensuous kiss.

_____

That evening after she had tucked Emma into bed, she had a glass of wine and thought about the weekend. Larry was actually an accomplished lover who took time to make sure she was pleasured before allowing himself release. And, she was pleased to know, he wasn't shy about eating down at the Y, her favorite term for oral sex. He had brought her to multiple orgasms with his tongue and fingers yet once he began to slide himself into her, she realized how much stronger her emotional connection with him developed. Yes, she could see herself falling for him, the first truly nice guy she had ever slept with. She only hoped he felt the same way.

Geena did worry about how Larry might view her financial situation. Although he never was negative about her money like Nolan had been, she sensed Larry was curious about it. The weekend hadn't been horribly expensive for her but it might have seemed that way to Larry, particularly since she didn't work. Sure, she was busy with Emma, volunteering and with the JC classes but she knew he had to be wondering where the money came from. Maybe he thought she was putting it all on credit cards. Maybe he was thinking she'd gotten it from illegal activities like drugs or prostitution. Or maybe stripping or web-cam activities. She feared unless she told him, he might think all those things. But she couldn't tell him! And she knew the issue could be a problem in their relationship.

-----

Over the next month the two of them managed to sneak away several times. Sex was proving to be better each time, so much so she arranged to go on the pill and dispense with condoms. The first time she took him bare was a wonderful event, one they both enjoyed. They continued to spend time with Emma doing fun things on weekends. He also took to spending time teaching her things from his second-grade class even though she was still in first grade. He privately told Geena Emma was easily nearly a year ahead of her peers and he expected her to continue to do well in school.

On their third or fourth private night, as they called them, they stayed at her place while Emma was with Sofia. Geena made a nice salad and side dish while Larry grilled up some chicken. Their evening was casual once the dishes were done. They had a movie on the TV but didn't pay it much attention. The chatted with each other and she asked him how the novel was coming. He told her he had written a lot recently and was editing and cleaning up the chapters. He anticipated wrapping things up within a week or two was getting excited. He surprised her by offering to let her read it before he submitted the manuscript. Geena didn't want to be the first critic and declined saying he should work with professionals and not a woman who knew so little about spiritualism.

"Are you saying you don't want to read it?"

"No! I do. But what if it's not my cup of tea? Or I don't like it? Wouldn't that kinda hurt? You know, deflate your ego or something."

"Yeah, I could see that happening. OK, I'll give you my first copy and sign it. OK?"

"Sure, that'd be wonderful."

-----

Two weeks later he invited her out for a nice dinner. He was celebrating having submitted his manuscript and was enthusiastic about his chances for success. He took her to a nice steak house in the next town where they had a wonderful meal. When she tried to pay the tip, he nudged her hand away indicating he "had this." She realized it was important to him to treat her and she let it go. Somehow that little act seemed to bring his mood down some and he became a tiny bit more withdrawn. Back at his place he seemed distracted and their lovemaking, while physically satisfying, didn't seem to bring them together as in the past. She had to pick up Emma and when she left, he gave her a quick kiss, quicker than one would expect after just having had sex. She drove over to pick up Emma with a bit of worry in her heart. She was concerned the issue of money might be a major problem for him yet she wasn't ready to tell him the truth about her wealth.

The following weekend she invited him over for dinner. He seemed more relaxed and played with Emma before eating and helped Geena with the clean-up afterwards. Emma was dragging fairly early so Geena took her in to go to bed. After she was in bed, Emma asked for Larry to tuck her in, surprising Geena.

"You want Larry to tuck you in?"

"Yeah, please, Mommy. I like him."

"I do too. He's nice. I'll go get him."

He was gone for several minutes and returned smiling. "She's a sweet kid, you know?"

"Yeah, she really is. I'm so fortunate to have her."

"Want some gossip about her?"

"What? Gossip?"

"Yeah, you know, what her teacher says about her."

"Oh, sure."

"Mrs. Wilson, well, Diane, was talking the other day about her. She thinks Emma is a great kid. Smart. Friendly. Honest."

"Really? You have no idea how that makes a mom feel. Thank you."

"Sure. Fun to give good news. Seems we teachers spend ninety percent of our time on the bottom ten percent of the class. Kids like Emma are a joy. I wish we could have more time with kids like her."

"Neat. Makes me happy."

He paused a few seconds before he went on using his nickname for her, "Uh, Geen, her life earlier was a bit tough, I take it."

Warily Geena answered, "A little, but I did everything within my power to give her a normal childhood. Now that she's in school and doing well, it seems she handled things OK."

"You've never told me much about your life before coming here. I'm interested..." he said as he let his voice tail off.

Geena was panicked. What could she tell him? What should she tell him? She was getting close to him and could even see him being 'the one,' but she wasn't ready to tell him about the money. She paused a tiny bit before slowly talking. "I, uh, we were struggling a little, I'll admit. But things turned around and we've done well here."

"And? Any more than that?"

"Larry, Sweetheart, I really can't tell you any more right now. I'm sorry."

"I gotta ask you this: Did anything illegal happen?"

"No! Definitely not."

"Shady or immoral?"

"No! No, I promise."

"Then why not tell me. Geena, I'm telling you right now I'm serious about you. And I could be a lot more serious if I knew what your secret is, 'cause you've got a secret, don't you?"

She nodded yes.

Holding her hands in his he looked her in the eye and said, "Please, Honey, just tell me. We've got to be honest with each other."

"I'm honest when I tell you I didn't do anything illegal or shady or immoral," she sniffled as tears fell down her face, "I, uh, I can't tell you the whole thing. I'm so sorry, I just can't. Not yet, anyway."

He looked at her with a strained look on his face. After a few seconds, he nodded his head like he had made a decision and spoke slowly. "Geena, this is going to hurt, but I can't get involved any deeper than I am with there being a big secret between us. I have found myself falling for you, but this issue, whatever it is, is keeping us apart, like it or not."

"So, you're....?"

"I'm leaving now and, unless there is some big change between us, I don't think I can come back. Sorry..."

"No! You can't be serious. We are getting along so well and Emma...Oh, God, what will I tell Emma?"

"I don't know Geena, I don't know. But I do know I can't be with you unless we have a full and honest relationship. You know all my skeletons, but I need to know yours. And the biggest question I need an answer to is about the money. You've got no visible means of support and I can't get involved any more without knowing what the hell is going on. I'm sorry. It hurts me probably more than it does you, but I gotta go. Sorry."

Geena launched herself at him, hugging him as she sobbed in misery, begging him to stay. Eventually she cried herself out and he gently pulled her arms away and stood up. She slumped to the sofa as he kissed the top of her head, slowly backed up and let himself out the door.

-----

Geena was in misery. She barely slept for the next few nights while tears poured from her eyes. The hardest part was telling Emma that Larry was not going to be coming by 'so often' though she would probably still see him at school. Geena begged off of her volunteer work for the next few days and tried to keep up with her college work. When she did return to volunteering, she never saw Larry. He seemed to avoid the school office.

Once when she was asked to take an item to his room, she hesitated and asked someone else to do it. That afternoon as she was getting ready to leave, the secretary cornered her and asked, "What's going on with you and Larry? I thought you two were getting close."

"We were, but there's been a little snag, you could say."

"A big snag if you ask me. He refuses to come down here on your days and you won't go to his room. What happened?"

"Oh, I shouldn't say so please don't ask me. If it's so bad for him, then I should probably stop coming here."

"What? No! We love you here. You do great work and, well, honestly I don't know how we'd function without you."

"Yeah, thanks, but I shouldn't get in the way of your paid staff. Let me think about it but I think I'll have to quit."

"Oh, I hope you don't. Please reconsider and let us know next week."

With tears in her eyes Geena turned in her resignation letter the next week. The secretary and the principal both gently tried to change her mind with no success.

She continued to pick up Emma and saw Larry from a distance a few times when he was on driveway duty. One day when she drove up, Emma was standing next to him apparently engaged in conversation. She turned to see Geena's car, grabbed Larry's hand and led him to the car.

"Mommy, look who's on driveway duty today."

"Yes, I see, Honey. Go ahead and hop in."

"No, you talk with him!"

"OK, hop in and Larry and I'll talk" she smiled to her daughter before getting out of the car and approaching Larry. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hey, Geena. How are you doing?"

"I'm miserable, quite frankly."

"Yeah, I'm sorry you quit your volunteer work."

"I couldn't really continue it, you know, with us, with our situation."

"But the kids, they need you."

"But seeing you is so hard."

"That's why I stayed away on your days. It was working out. Please reconsider. The school, the kids need you."

"I'll think about it. Uh, Larry, I miss you so much," she whispered so Emma couldn't hear.

"Yeah, me too. But you're in charge of the situation."

"I know," she gulped as tears dripped down her cheeks, "I gotta go."

Back in the car Emma, who had been quiet for most of the way home, asked her mother, "Don't you like Mr. Larry?"