Not IN Love Ch. 01

Lucy said, "No, I'll think I'll watch," as she sat on one of the many chairs lined up against the walls.

"Suit yourself," said Joe. He then closed his eyes, squatted with his feet shoulder width apart and let his arms gently rise. They formed almost a complete circle and when his hands were shoulder height he stood there unmoving.

Lucy looked around. The pergola was huge. The double cafe style blinds were raised but the fly screens kept out any annoying insects. The cafe blinds would keep the room insulated in winter when down. This room was perfect for parties. There was plenty of parking out the back, it was close to the kitchen for catering and it could be easily heated or cooled.

After about five minutes, Lucy thought that this was the slowest Tai Chi that she'd ever seen. She was bored so she stealthily sneaked up to Joe, squatted and tried to rise up between Joe's arms. She started to lean in and give him a kiss when Joe opened his eyes expressionless.

"I thought you were asking for a hug?" asked Lucy coyly.

"No," answered Joe and then with a smile he said, "I was meditating."

"Oh," said Lucy. She then pecked him on the lips, squatted again and stepped away. She smiled as she walked away from Joe. When she was seated she said pompously as she waived her hand, "Continue."

Joe lowered his arms and then practised his Tai Chi routine. When he finished he slowly scooped the air with his arms and pressed down towards his belly as he brought his legs together and stood up.

"What does that last move do?" asked Lucy.

"It draws in the energy that I've generated," answered Joe.

"Oh really?" asked Lucy skeptically.

Joe smiled and walked over to Lucy. Lucy stood up. He gently held her wrist. His hand was warm and then Lucy felt that warmth run up her arm and into her mind. She almost collapsed but then she felt enlivened. She said, "So that's how you turn on the girls?"

Joe laughed as he let go of Lucy and then asked, "I suppose you're here early to get stoned?"

"If you insist," said Lucy and then, "but I also thought that I'd beat the crap out of you."

Joe laughed and asked, "Dressed like that?"

Lucy stepped towards Joe, lifted her leg in a high kick and rested it on his shoulder as she said smiling, "There's plenty of room to move in these."

"I'm impressed," said Joe.

Lucy seductively said as she ran her fingers along her leg, "With my sexy legs?"

"With your flexibility," answered Joe smiling.

"Oh," replied Lucy as she lowered her leg, "I guess they need stockings to be sexy," Joe looked confused so she said, "That evening in the taxi, on the way to the restaurant, to celebrate my birthday, I saw you inconspicuously admiring my legs when my dress rode up. I think someone has a stocking fetish."

"Do you?" asked Joe ambiguously.

Lucy wasn't sure if she should press the matter so she said, "Shall we spar?"

Joe laughed and said, "Why not, at least I'M dressed for it and I'm definitely warmed up but first things first."

Lucy said, "You're more than warm, you're hot," Joe smiled as he went to get his stash of cannabis.

They imbibed some dope, washed it down with water and returned to the pergola. Lucy did some warm up exercises and Joe admired the show. Lucy was well aware of Joe watching her so she threw in a few provocative manoeuvres, "Ready?" she asked when she was warmed up.

Joe put his right fist into his left palm and bowed. Lucy did the same. Joe said, "Dachi!" and then stepped back into a basic fighting stance.

Lucy stepped back into a more elaborate stance and asked, "Why that basic stance?"

"It doesn't reveal my level of capability and it serves me well," answered Joe. He then said, "Hajime!"

Lucy immediately stepped forward and kicked at Joe's waist. Joe blocked the kick, stepped forward and punched at Lucy's face saying, "di!" He stopped his fist an inch from her nose. Lucy looked shocked so Joe asked, "Are you okay?"

"Ah... yes," answered Lucy, "I felt the breeze from your punch? That would have hurt."

He stepped back and bowed, "I won't hurt you. We are sparring," replied Joe, "but one does have to hit hard to break another's nose,"

Lucy also bowed and said, "Dachi!" Again Joe stepped back into a basic stance and Lucy adopted a different, more elaborate stance. She nodded to Joe.

Joe said, "Hajime!" Lucy stepped forward and punched at Joe's face. Joe blocked with his left hand, grasped Lucy's attacking wrist, pulled her forward and did a knife hand strike with his right hand at her jaw saying "di!". Again he stopped an inch from her face.

Lucy froze then asked, "Broken jaw?"

Joe answered, "Yes," and stepped back to bow.

Lucy also bowed and asked, "Do you intend to break everything all the way down my body?"

"Tempting," answered Joe with a smile.

Lucy laughed then said, "Dachi!" and stepped into a different fighting stance.

Joe stepped into the same basic stance then said, "Hajime!"

Lucy feigned a right side kick followed by a left and right combination punch. Joe blocked the kick with his leg and the punches with his arms. Lucy's body was open to attack so Joe used and open hand punch to the right of her sternum saying "di!" again stopping inches from her chest. Lucy looked down and saw that it was a winning blow to the heart. She smiled and moved her body so that her left breast rested in Joe's hand and she wiggled her chest so that her breast rubbed in Joe's palm and fingers. Joe laughed and stepped back into a bow.

Lucy also stepped back into a bow smiling.

Joe said, "May I make a suggestion?"

"You may," answered Lucy.

Joe stepped into the standard wide stance and said, "When you punch, you correctly punch from the waist and shoulders through to your arms, but then you lean forward. That brings your centre of gravity forward and you are left off balance," Joe demonstrated what he was saying, "You're then committed to step or fall, which gives your opponent an opening."

Lucy countered with, "but leaning gives me more reach?"

"True," said Joe, "but less options. You can't step back. However, if you maintain your balance you can continue punching," Joe then slowly punched alternatively with his left and right fists, gradually getting faster until his punches were a blur.

Lucy pursed her lips, bowed and said, "Dachi!" and stepped back into a basic fighting stance. Joe stepped back into his usual basic fighting stance.

Lucy shouted, "Hajime!" and kicked at Joe's head. Joe stepped to his right and blocked her kick with his left arm. He kicked with his right foot and said, "di!"

Lucy looked down to see the instep of Joe's foot inches from her crotch. She smiled and said, "No balls. That wouldn't have hurt that much and maybe I'd enjoy it?"

Joe laughed and they continued sparring...

"Hajime!" shouted Lucy and punched at Joe's chest. Joe stepped back, grabbed Lucy's wrist and pulled her forward and down. Lucy fell to the floor, rolled and stood up again ready to fight. Joe was in his basic stance without any expression on his face.

Lucy feigned a kick and punched. Again Joe grabbed her wrist and threw her to the floor. Lucy stood up and feigned a left punch and struck at Joe with her right fist. Joe grabbed her wrist and threw her to the floor again but this time he twisted her so that she landed belly up and he punched down towards her exposed abdomen. He stopped an inch from her belly and said, "di!"

Lucy looked at her belly and said, "Now that would have hurt," They both got up, bowed and Lucy said, "You have no expression on your face. No anger, no threat, nothing?"

Joe answered, "It takes energy to be angry and that energy is taken away from one's fighting. Besides, I don't want my opponent to know what I'm feeling."

They continued sparring and Lucy kept being thrown to the floor. Now and again Joe would say, "di!" and almost inflicted a winning blow.

After being thrown to the floor, yet again, Lucy rolled away from Joe, took three quick steps towards him and committed into a flying kick. Joe stepped sideways, knocked her right arm up with his left and was going to punch Lucy in the lower abdomen with his right fist.

"This is going to hurt," thought Lucy as she was still in the air but then Joe pulled his punch. Lucy was thankful but still in the air and realised that she was now going to land awkwardly. She would at least have a skin burn from sliding on the wooden floor, if not a leg or foot folded underneath. She then felt Joe's hands grab her upper arms and gently lower her to the floor. He then pushed her off balance so that her legs were off the floor and spun her around on her bottom. He again retreated. Lucy stood up, bowed and said, "That would have hurt, Dom Arigato."

Lucy realised that Joe was teaching her, or trying to teach her, that she was overreaching and she resented that. She knew Joe wouldn't hurt her so she started punching and kicking in multiple combinations. She tried each and every combination that she knew, each followed rapidly by another. It was even more frustrating that Joe showed absolutely no expression at all and that he blocked everything as he stepped back during each attack. She was tiring but continued to throw kicks and punches hoping that one would get through.

Eventually, Joe blocked her left and then right punch combination, exposing her chest. He stepped forward, which surprised Lucy, and he pushed back and upwards with both hands on her shoulders. Lucy lifted off the floor, landed a few metres away and slid to a stop against the wall. Joe was immediately before her ready to strike. He said, "Yame!" He then smiled and offered his hand to help her get up and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said as she accepted his hand and stood up, "I see now that you deserved your black belt."

"I'm so pleased that you agree with the Shihan and the other Sensei at my old Dojo," Joe said sarcastically but also joking, "However, most of those moves were Tai Chi moves."

Joe bowed and so Lucy also bowed. Joe said, "Domo Arigato."

Lucy said, "Domo Arigato," then relaxed and said jokingly, "Had enough have you?"

"Oh yes indeed," answered Joe, "I don't fight Tasmanian Devils," and smiled.

"Ah ... the largest marsupial carnivore in the world? They'd be able to bite right through your leg, thigh bone and all," asked Lucy.

"I was thinking more of the cartoon one that spins around like a tornado," replied Joe with a smile.

Lucy chuckled and said, "Sorry," and leaned in to kiss Joe.

Joe was convinced that Lucy was no longer angry so he gently kissed her, smiled and said, "I like the kiss and make up bit."

Lucy laughed, put her hands around his neck and gave him a very long French kiss. Their tongues fenced for supremacy and they both became aroused. Joe pulled Lucy against his body and Lucy felt that warmth spread throughout her entire body. She sighed and felt that she was about to falter and give into the passion but she stepped back and said, "Welcome to first base. We'll save second for later."

Joe laughed and said, "Whenever you're ready.

"Cuppa?"

Lucy was a little bit disappointed that Joe wasn't going to press further into a second base situation but realised that Joe was a gentleman. She also realised that she could trust him and said, "Love one thank you," and preceded him into the kitchen.

Lucy said, as they were drinking their cuppas, "You know, officially you've made it to second base."

"Have I?" asked Joe, "I'm sorry but I have to ask, was it eventful?"

Lucy laughed then said, "Yes, just after you punched at my heart when we were sparring."

"Oh, I suppose so," replied Joe followed by, "Well that was a bit... brief."

Lucy laughed and decided that it wouldn't be long before she'd let him get to second base and stay there for a lot longer.

~~~

Joe, Tom, Harry, Dick and Shelly were all stoned and playing console games one Saturday afternoon at Joe's place when the door bell rang. Joe answered the door and let Lucy in. She sat down on the lounge next to Joe. Joe put his arm around her shoulders.

There were a few polite exchanges and Joe started to feel uncomfortable until Lucy said, "You're all stoned aren't you?" there were some uncomfortable looks.

When no one replied Joe said, "It's alright, Lucy's cool. She gets stoned too. Would you like some Lucy?"

"Yes please," answered Lucy and after Lucy imbibed a pinch from Joe's offerings, everyone seemed more relaxed.

Lucy sat next to Joe and let herself mellow out. Joe proffered her his game controller and she accepted his offer.

Lucy played well and Dick didn't like that she kept beating him but Lucy didn't notice or care.

It became a regular thing for Lucy to get stoned and play games with the others at Joe's place on Saturday afternoons.

~~~

To be continued...