Promises, Promises Pt. 02

This is a prequel to, and assumes you've read Promises, Promises pt. 1. My thanks to Bad Hobbit for his insightful comments on the original draft.

*****

She was perfect, and I hadn't expected that. I was looking for something specific: a straightforward explanation of how enzymes use quantum tunneling to transfer electrons. I wasn't expecting to meet the love of my life.

I'm a science writer. Not physics, math, or chemistry, but science in general. And though I'm pretty smart, I am not clever enough to understand all branches of science. Especially not smart enough to explain them in simple language to my readers. I searched out someone who could explain quantum tunneling and was directed to Penny Smith, who was doing a post-doc on that very issue.

I was smitten the moment I met her. When she took off her lab coat, revealing her abbreviated denim shorts, white blouse unbuttoned at the top and tied at the waist, I was ready to drop to my knees and propose. She was about five foot three, blond hair going half-way down her back, stacked, with an incredible ass and sparkling eyes.

No, I'm not that shallow. Remember, she was doing a post-doc in quantum biology. You have to be dedicated to do that. You have to be brilliant. Looks, brains; that was enough for me. I'd worry about her personality later.

And that seemed to be surprisingly modest and pleasant, considering all she had going for herself. She sat with her hands on her lap for our entire discussion, one hand holding a notebook over the other. She spoke softly, barely making eye contact, radiating wholesomeness as she spoke.

I had to make her mine, and felt I was worthy. I'm a solid six foot three, large enough to intimidate, but not so large that I'd be mocked as another fatso on a Harley. When I rode with my club, I commanded respect, not mockery. I'm decent looking; no Reggie Bush, but I've never had any complaints. I'm intelligent enough to know that my attraction to Dr. Smith wasn't mere animal lust.

After a couple of hours reviewing a variety of issues in quantum biology, I invited Penny for a ride on my bike. She looked down at her lap, and shyly shook her head.

"Well, perhaps we could get together again? I really enjoyed talking to you. Maybe meet for coffee?"

"I don't know if that's possible."

"Can I call you again? I might need you to clarify some points after I've written the article."

This time she looked up at me and smiled. "I'd like that."

I stood and reached out my hand to shake hers, but she didn't get up or let go of the notebook. "You can call," she softly said.

I felt my heart trembling as I left. She was sweet, gorgeous, brilliant, demure... I was on a mission.

I called her a few days later; she told me she was busy with a grant application for the next couple of weeks. I waited two weeks and then called again. I needed clarification, I explained, on the problem of hydrogen transfer. She agreed to give me a few hours of her time on Thursday morning, so I got daring, and suggested a stroll in Forest Park, one of the country's largest urban forest reserves. It was quite close to the university, and the weather was supposed to be beautiful.

We were in the middle of a trail, reviewing hetero-conjugated hydrogen bonds with large proton polarizability (I understood little of what she was talking about) when the weather stopped being beautiful. We hadn't noticed the dark clouds rolling in, as we were in the shade of the tall Douglas-fir trees. Thick pounding drops of water were the first clue that it was raining, and we took off running, looking for shelter.

Penny was dressed in the same abbreviated denim shorts, blouse unbuttoned at the top and tied at the waist as at our first meeting; I was wearing a grey Rough Men t-shirt and cargo shorts. My top remained opaque despite its wetness. Hers didn't. Not even her bra. I couldn't help staring.

"We may as well stop running now," she said. "There's no shelter near us, and we're soaked through and through anyways." She tilted her head at me and smirked. "You don't mind, do you?"

I shook my head, wondering what she thought I could possibly object to. The rain squall moved on a couple of minutes later. She faced me as she unbuttoned and removed her blouse. I froze. What was happening here? She turned her back to me and fumbled to undo her bra clasp. After a few seconds she said "Give me a hand here." I stared.

Dr. Smith turned her head and gave me a lascivious smile, not the demure type I had come to expect from her. "Problem?"

I fumbled her bra as she covered her flawless breasts with her hands. Letting go, she then wrung out her bra and asked "Would you mind wiping the water off my back?"

I didn't mind. I didn't mind either when she said "Mmm... that feels nice. Would you do it to the front?" I was determined to be thorough. I guess she wasn't so prim after all.

"Mmm... you have strong hands." I lifted my fingers off her nipple and looked at her. "I didn't say to stop," she said. I went with fingers and lips to the other breast.

"Now you're getting me wet somewhere else. Good thing my pants got soaked in the rain, so it doesn't show."

I pulled my lips away from her chest and applied them to her mouth. Her tongue came out and attacked mine. I wrapped my arms around her back, then slid my hands onto her ass. The sun had come out and was directly overhead, but I think it was the heat generated from our passion that dried us off.

I heard twigs snapping in the distance. I disengaged and handed her the clothes she had hung on a low branch. She quickly put on her blouse, doing only two of the buttons.

"My bra is still wet." She reached over and stuffed it in my pocket, using the opportunity to grope my swollen manhood. "Do you think you have a handle on hydrogen bonds?"

The sudden change of topic left me short of breath. The footsteps on the trail were coming closer She squeezed me again.

"I want to get a better handle on this, and I think you need to learn more about quantum biology. When's our next lesson?" She turned and started walking back towards where we had both parked.

"How about Saturday evening?"

"Oh, no," Penny said. "Not on weekends. Tomorrow, ten o'clock, at the lab?"

I really wanted to wine, dine and win her with a romantic evening rather than a lab rendezvous, but I didn't want to turn her down for anything. Unfortunately... "I have a meeting of my motorcycle club at ten, and I have to be there. It's not far from here. How about noon? We'll go out for lunch.

She pointed at my t-shirt. "The Rough Men?

I nodded.

"Ten is the only time I have tomorrow," she said.

"Does Sunday work?"

"That's still the weekend. How about Monday morning, come to my lab for nine-thirty?"

"I may need a lot of help with quantum tunneling, Dr. Smith."

"I can give you an hour at the lab. We'll see how it goes from there."

We got to her Corolla; she gave me a peck on the cheek and I gallantly closed her door. I stared at her chest through the open window as she put her car in gear and drove off. I walked over to my pickup truck and reached into my pocket for the keys. I pulled out a wet bra instead. I reached into another pocket, pulled out my phone and called Penny.

"Hi Ken. Miss me already?"

" I have your bra to remind me of you."

"Oh, shit."

So much for my first picture of her as wholesome and sweet. "Do you want me to drop it off on the way to my club meeting?"

"It's not really necessary. I have others."

"Tell you what: if I can get out early enough, I'll drop it off. If not, I'll give it to you Monday."

"That's fine. Put it in a bag, though. I don't want anyone to see what you're giving me."

A water-main break near my house kept me from getting out on time. I was stuck in traffic for over half an hour. I called Penny to explain.

"Where's your meeting? Maybe I can pick it up."

"At the clubhouse." I gave her the address. " I can bring it to you any other time, wherever you want."

"Maybe I'll see you soon."

And soon she did. Our clubhouse consisted of a yard, a large garage area and a large room with no vestibule. Penny walked in and stood by the door. All conversation stopped.

"Sorry to interrupt," she announced. "Ken has my bra; I've come to pick it up."

So much for demure; aggressive would be a better description. I turned red as she walked towards me; it was clear to everyone in the room that she wasn't wearing a bra under her white, partially buttoned blouse.

"It's in my pickup. Excuse me a minute, everyone."

I unlocked the truck and handed her the bag. She pulled my face to hers, gave me a slobbery kiss and returned to her Corolla. "See you Monday," she said.

My legs brought my body into the meeting, but it took several minutes till I could get my mind back into it. We needed to discuss a protocol for responding to disturbances, to minimize unnecessary violence. We talked about a training program for members, so that we would be able to handle it when things got rough. A few of the guys, including myself were veterans. It was the others, especially the few women we were concerned about.

Monday morning I stood on the welcome mat at the door to her lab at five to ten. The door was locked, and there was no answer when I knocked. It was still locked at ten after ten. I tried phoning her, no answer. I knocked, I pushed at the door. I turned around and scanned the campus, looking for her. No sign of...

Something was wrong: my feet were still on the mat, but I was moving. The door was still closed, but the mat was going under... no, through it. What the hell! It was carrying me through the still-closed door. Impossible!

It came to me quickly. I looked around and spotted the projectors creating the image of the door. I marvelled at the motorized welcome mat: so thin, but still with enough power to get me through the door.

No. The simulation was that it didn't have enough energy! This was Dr. Smith's explanation of quantum tunneling. It's when a subatomic wave/particle, with insufficient energy to overcome a barrier passes through anyway. I didn't have sufficient energy to get through the locked door but got through nonetheless; at least in simulation. There's a lot more to this important phenomenon but look it up yourself. This is an erotic, not a science story.

The real door slammed shut behind me powered by Penny's arm; classical physics, laws of motion. She locked the deadbolt and removed her blouse. "This is a new way to learn science," I said. She must have put a lot of effort into setting up this demonstration. I was impressed, and honored that she made the effort.

"That lesson comes soon. You took my bra off the other day, honey. Your first job is to put it back on me."

Honey? I liked that designation. "I don't know if your boobs need to be supported yet. I have to examine them carefully."

Dr. Penny Smith, a post-doc in quantum biology, considered one of the leading experts in the field, giggled. I did a thorough examination using my lips and fingers; it left both of us panting. When I tried to reach between her legs, she stopped me.

"When you master the tunneling you came to learn about, I'll consider giving you access to that tunnel." She giggled again as I placed her tits in the bra and fastened the clasp. Penny put her blouse back on, followed by a lab coat, buttoned to the top. "Okay, Mr. Sabini, let's talk about wave amplitude..."

It's amazing. In the hour we spend talking, she made wave amplitude as almost as fascinating as her amble breasts. Almost. I wanted more of her and asked her if we could spend some time together on other subjects.

"I'm not doing anything tonight, and I don't have to be at my lab before noon."

That sounded serious. "Tell me where you live, and I'll pick you up. We'll have dinner together"

She thought about it for a moment. "No, let's meet here at seven-thirty. I'll eat supper before."

"I can pick you up at home if you'd like. It's really not a problem."

Dr. Smith shook her head. "There's a dance club around the corner. Don't eat a big meal. I don't want you getting sick on me. I want to see your moves."

Why did Penny assume I could, or even liked to dance? I knew the place she was talking about. It was a gathering place for white urbanites who wished they were black. The music was usually bad, with too many saxophones, intended to give the music some soul. The club owners would be thrilled to have me walk in. It would give them more credibility in the eyes of their clientele.

The music wasn't as bad as I expected. Penny was dressed in a conservative silk skirt, a beige cotton blouse, and comfortable shoes. The dance floor was crowded, and to Penny's disappointment I sat out a lot of the fast numbers. I don't like high-energy bumping. During the first slow dance she pressed herself against me, holding my arm up so that my hand was against her breast. Penny ground herself into me, and when she felt my body responding she gave me a huge grin. I wanted to conquer her heart, and had no problem achieving that by first making her body mine.

She had told me that she didn't have to be at her lab till noon, implying that she could spend the time with me. We walked to her office parking lot. I showed her my motorcycle, and she led me over to her Corolla. She got into the driver's seat, facing me. Penny lifted her heels up so she was seated, but on her toes.

"I want at least a kiss," I said.

"This is a physics lesson. I'm not teaching you about gravity. Apply what you've learned."

Gravity had pulled the hem of her skirt towards her waist. I appreciated her teaching method, especially when I saw she had no panties on. I had come to her about tunneling. She was showing me the entrance to her tunnel. What knowledge was I supposed to apply?

Quantum tunneling was about something with insufficient energy crossing through a barrier. Restraint, it seemed, was key. I leaned against the side of her car, barely moving for about five minutes before she opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in. "You're a quick study, making low energy progress. But I'm going to want a demonstration of thermonuclear power from you. What's your address, hon?"

Please understand me. Penny Smith was easily the most intelligent woman I had ever met. She was also one of the most beautiful I had ever seen. I was smitten the moment I met her, but now my adoration of her had become exponentially deeper. Every fibre of my being was devoted to making her mine, and I suspected I was making rapid progress.

Her car was also making swift progress. She had a lead foot, and the Corolla's engine was churning away. I could understand her car barrelling through to its destination. I could understand (sort of) a low-energy sub-atomic particle getting across the barrier to its destination. What I couldn't grasp was how easily I was winning her over. Was I? Perhaps I should say 'how easily I was getting into her pants.'

She was insatiable once we got past my front door. Eager, demanding... and a little reserved. Somehow I felt as if she was testing, experimenting on me. Her kisses were deep, her blow job phenomenal, and she screamed through one orgasm after the other. There was something though... Some undetectable barrier, which was no obstacle to a night of incredible copulation.

I opened my eyes at ten in the morning, to find Penny gazing into them. I reached over to wrap an arm around her, but she quickly sat up. Lying on my side, I gently scratched her back. She caressed my hip and thigh, stood, and turned around to face me.

"Stand up, Ken."

I stood. I don't know why, but I picked up a pillow and held it over the privates I had just spent the night inserting into her. Penny frowned, took the pillow and threw it on the bed. She put her hands on my shoulders, massaging, occasionally prodding. She worked her way down my chest, testing my skin, feeling my muscles. When she got to my aforementioned privates she dropped to her knees, cupped my balls in her hand, and began to palpate. It was very weird, and very arousing. After spending about five minutes on my balls she repeated the exercise with my dick, putting her face right up to it, so close she could see every vein, every throb. When she sensed that I was ready to ejaculate she lightly took the tip in her mouth and swallowed everything that spurted out of it. Considering how many times we'd done it that night, there wasn't too much left.

"What else do you have for breakfast?"

I extended a hand to help her up. "Cereal, toast... But before that, I want to have some of what you just had."

She looked puzzled. "You want to swallow cum? You're bisexual?"

I laughed. "No, no, no. I want to lick up the juices that come out of you when I put my tongue between your legs."

"Forget it. There's no protein in that."

"It's not the protein I want. It's you."

Dr. Smith wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezing her breasts against my chest. She lifted herself on her toes and whispered "I'm in the mood for..."

I shivered with anticipation.

"...Rice Krispies." She stepped back and looked around the room. "Got a robe I can borrow?"

A low-energy approach had given me a night with the ideal woman. I was still having trouble believing that such a perfect creature existed. I decided not to push, to let Penny set the pace. Rice Krispies it was.

Her pace included an accelerated breakfast. She didn't even finish her coffee before shucking the robe and getting dressed. "I want to leave in fifteen minutes. If you're ready by then I'll bring you back to your motorcycle."

I tried to set up another rendezvous with her, this time for dinner or maybe a concert. By the time we got back to the parking lot with my bike, all I had obtained was a suggestion that I call her Monday morning. I didn't want to wait a week before seeing her gain, but I wanted to be a good student. Remember: low energy gets you through the high energy barrier.

I bided my time, and when I called her a week later, she agreed to dinner that evening with the proviso that we don't discuss science. Afterwards we'd head over to my place to do more "biology research," as she put it. I made reservations at the most expensive restaurant I could afford. The rest of my day was devoted to my quantum tunneling article, concentrating on my notes and thoughts of Penny's amazing body.

I needed her. Not just for the article. Not just for the sex. I needed her to be part of my life. I needed her to be part of me. Thoughts of quantum science faded from my mind as I pondered if, how, and when I should tell her of my feelings. She seemed to have feelings for me. How else could the seemingly demure woman I first met give herself over to me for such a night of scintillating sex?

There were no science demonstrations when I picked her up. It was a twenty-minute walk from her lab to the restaurant. I wanted to take her hand as we walked, but held back. I crooked my arm beside her in the hope she would place her hand on it, but she didn't respond. I decided that I would wait till we had some intimate contact that evening before saying anything about how I felt.

The restaurant was crowded. I hoped Penny was suitably impressed that we were shown immediately to our table. She ordered mandarin broccoli salad, followed by grilled salmon. I opted for leek soup and a rib steak.

Penny looked up at me with a smile. "They have fried chicken. Doesn't that interest you?"

I scowled. "I avoid fried foods." Why did she mention the fried chicken in particular? There were lots of dishes I hadn't ordered. We handed our menus to the waiter.

We had spent most of our previous time together either talking science or having sex. Neither was allowed at the moment. After a brief but awkward silence I quipped "I hope the soup is hot."