Regaining My Life Ch. 02

I smiled and said, "Aye aye, ma'am."

"That's a good sailor." She started to leave. "I'll even bring a nice lunch. Anything you are allergic to?"

"Mayonnaise."

Zoë said, "No mayo."

She jumped back into the car and started pulling out. "See you tomorrow," she called and waved.

I waved back. It sounded like Chris was following through on her promise to get me out seeing people again.

_ _ _ _ _

The next morning, I woke earlier than usual and made myself a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, and coffee. About quarter to nine, there was a knock at the kitchen door. I looked around the corner and saw Zoë. I waved her in.

"I'm just cleaning up from breakfast. Can I get you anything?"

Zoë came in and said, "Got any coffee?"

Before I could respond, she had moved to the pot, grabbed a mug from the cupboard, and was pouring.

"Milk is in the fridge and there's sugar on the table."

Walking from the fridge to the table she came up behind me and gave me a hug. I could feel her breasts on my back. I put my hand up to hold her arms in place, savoring the contact; my cock stirred slightly.

Zoë said, "We're going to have a blast. We're going up in the state forest. It's an easy hike, and the late summer wildflowers will be out in the high meadows. I have a nice lunch packed. No mayo."

I gave her a smile, "You're being very kind to an old man."

"Quinn, you are not old. You look like you're in great shape."

"Looks can be deceiving." I finished the frying pan and placed it in the drying rack. "Can I get you anything to eat?"

"No, all set. Good coffee, though. That must be a Navy habit, cleaning up like that."

"That's me. Shipshape and squared away."

"I don't know too many guys who do that."

"You just don't know the right guys. I have some 'to go' cups if you would like to take your coffee with you."

"Yes, please."

I broke out the cups, poured her coffee in, and then handed it back. I poured a cup for myself, then quickly rinsed out our mugs and placed them on the drying rack. "You may want to top that off."

"Good idea," Zoë said as she moved to the pot. "Ready?"

I turned off the coffee machine. "As ready as I will ever be. Let's get going before I change my mind."

_ _ _ _ _

Zoë drove us to the state forest, about a 45-minute drive. She talked the entire time about several things, but never mentioned Chris. I just listened and nodded a lot. As we pulled into the parking lot, she asked, "What's the temperature?"

She pushed a button on the wheel and reported, "Sixty-six. A little chilly to start. I don't think we need jackets, should we bring them in the knapsacks?"

I said, "I don't think so. It's only going to get warmer. The weather lady on channel seven said mid-eighties."

"Right. It is August after all."

As we stood before the trunk of her car, Zoë ran through a mental checklist, "We've got lunch. Some snacks. Water. First aid kit. Plenty of sunscreen for the pale blonde and redhead. Picnic quilt. Looks like we're good to go." She stripped off her running sweats to reveal some short, loose-fitting cut-offs that showed most of her shapely legs. She took off her jacket and shivered a little. Underneath she was wearing a yellow college t-shirt underneath. I could see a white string bikini tied at the back of her neck. Her erect nipples could be detected through the fabric. She donned a Cystic Fibrosis Walkathon baseball cap.

I was wearing knee length shorts and a long sleeved sports shirt. I put my foot up on her bumper and put sunscreen on my calves.

Zoë said, "Good idea." I held out the tube of SPF 50 to her. We finished the application.

"Aren't you going to be hot in long sleeves?" V She asked

"This shirt is actually really light and designed to keep you cool. Feel."

She felt he fabric, "Like those really flimsy bikinis"

"Oh, I didn't know that. Plus, I have to keep the dermatologist at bay."

"Oh, that's right. You've had how many melanomas?"

"Three."

I put on my broad brimmed hat and tossed my windbreaker into the trunk. "Want me to carry the knapsack?"

"We have two. You take this one. It has our picnic quilt and extra water," Zoë said, handing me a second knapsack. It was fairly light.

"Picnic quilt? You sound like a professional hiker and picnicker."

"Only the best for us."

"Very well. Then lead on my dear colleague because I haven't a clue where I'm going."

"Wait, first a selfie for Facebook. You can be an honorary Wood Nymph." She held out her phone and snapped a picture of the two of us. "OK, let's go."

Zoë struck out at a leisurely pace, and I didn't have trouble keeping up on the flat terrain. I also didn't mind the view of her legs. I kept up for about 30 minutes, but as the trail began to slope upward, I started sucking wind and fell behind a couple of dozen yards at least. The trail leveled off and came out in a broad meadow. The temperature had climbed significantly. Sweat was pouring down my face and my shirt was stuck to my chest. Zoë had stopped at a park bench under some shade trees at the edge of the meadow, and had set down her knapsack. As I approached, she held out an energy bar.

"Time for a break and refueling. Serious hiking takes serious refueling."

"Sounds good, Captain."

Since we were in the shade I peeled off my shirt and laid it out on the bench to dry.

Zoë said, "Oh. That's nice. I love a hairy chest."

A light breeze felt really good, cooling my skin. I sat down on the bench, stretching my arms out on top of the bench. "Serious hiking? I thought you were going to take it easy on me."

"I am, but we need to get you up to speed."

Zoë sat down next to me as I caught my breath, our legs touching. Her bare arm against the side of my sweaty torso. Her shoulder tucking in below my armpit. What a nice feeling.

She dug in the knapsack, "Here's some ibuprofen. Drink some water. You have to stay hydrated. Drink a lot of water."

"Just like survival school." I dutifully downed the pills, drank some water, and took a bite of energy bar.

"When did you have to go to survival school?" She asked.

"When I went through flight school. Learned what bugs to eat, how to stay warm and dry. That sort of stuff."

The meadow had bloomed in an assortment of wildflowers and some distant hills made an impressive picture. "This is lovely," I said.

"That's one reason why we like hiking," said Zoë smiling. "Plus, I like having good company." She patted my thigh.

I smiled at her, "You are wonderful company."

We sat in companionable silence for a minute or two, enjoying the cool breeze. I felt her looking at me and turned my head.

"Quinn?"

"Yes, my dear."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away."

"Do you think you will ever get married again?"

"Actually, I haven't given it much thought. Why? Do you want to apply for the position?" Zoë blushed a deep red. I immediately felt bad for her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

She touched my thigh again. "That's OK. It was a silly question."

"No, it wasn't. It came from a place of caring, and I was a smart ass. Let me rephrase that." I thought for a moment. "Zoë, I don't know. For me, being married is all in. It is a sacred commitment that you only take with the absolute right person."

"So how did you know when you found that person?"

"Sometimes that's just as hard. The first time for me was not the right person. The second time was. For some people they know right away. For others, they kind of settle. I think that's what I did the first time -- settle."

"Thanks for that." She leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek, "It's just something that I have been thinking about for a long time. Haven't found the right person and I never want to settle."

"Never a good idea. You must have had someone you were serious with over the years."

"Never the right one. So I guess what I meant to ask was: are you going to look for someone, or are you happy just being a widower? I don't think that came out right either."

"Zoë, you're fine." This time I did the touching, patting her shoulder. Her skin was silky smooth. "I don't know. I can tell you that it is very lonely in that big house. My dog kept me company while I had her, but I had to put her down back in the spring. We, humans, are social creatures. We need to be around people. Last night I was dreading the idea of a hike, but I am so happy I came with you."

She put her opposite arm around the front of me and gave me a partial hug, her breast pressed into my side. Having my arm behind her made it easy to reciprocate, and I pulled her close. More bodily contact. My cock was stirring. Psychologists will tell you that touching is an important part of flirting. Our flirting just moved up a notch.

"Shall we get going?" Zoë said as she stood and pulled her t-shirt over her head. The string bikini that had I seen the top of was very small. It was damp with sweat, and the material clung to her breasts; her areolas visible through the material.

My jaw had dropped at the sight of that beautiful body. "Quinn, you surprise me. You look like you've never seen a woman in a bikini before," Zoë said as she handed me the sunscreen.

"I must admit it has been a while. You are beautiful."

She looked surprised, "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Zoë, you are drop dead gorgeous."

She placed her hand on my cheek. "That's sweet." She held her hand there looking into my eyes, smiling. "Could I trouble you to put some sunscreen on my back?"

She turned around. I squeezed some sunscreen into my hand and began rubbing it on her back.

"Ooh! That's cold. You've got me nipped out," she said turning around so I could see her nipples standing at attention inside her bikini.

After admiring her for a few seconds, I looked into her eyes and said, "Yes I have. It must be this flimsy material."

She turned around again, and I rubbed the sunscreen onto her shoulders and back.

"Make sure you get under my waistline. Otherwise I'll burn."

I slipped my fingers ever so slightly under the edge of her shorts applying the sunscreen. When I got to the horizontal string of her bikini, I worked on either side of it.

"You need to get under the strings. I could use some help with my sides as well." Zoë reached back and released the knot on the lower string on her top. The halter still draped over her breasts. I slowly rubbed in the sunscreen on her back and then started on the sides of her torso. When my hand was at the side of her breast, she turned suddenly, and my hand was on her breast. Zoë looked back smiling.

"Make sure you get the other one too," she whispered, then pulled the top string and the halter dropped completely away. She turned to face me. "Here, you need some on your face. Maybe on your neck too," as she put both arms around my neck and started rubbing sunscreen.

I was tempted to look down at her breasts, but maintained eye contact. My hands roamed freely over her torso, her erect nipples getting their share of attention. I looked down and admired her. Even though she was 40-ish, Zoë had the pert breasts of a 20-year-old. She was a B cup or slightly larger by my tactile estimation. Her fair complexion led to fair breasts. Her nipples and the surrounding areolas were pink; the nipples were slightly turned upward.

Just then, we heard voices coming up the trail. Zoë reached down and grabbed her top and turned around.

"Here tie the bottom." I did as ordered while she tied the top.

A quartet of hikers came out of the woods, three women and a guy.

Zoë sat back down. "Let's see which direction they go."

I put my shirt back on. I put my foot on the bench and reapplied sunscreen to my legs. As the four approached, I sat back down beside Zoe and put my arm on the bench behind her. I looked out over the meadows as Zoë watched them. They saw us and walked over; the young man must have got an eyeful when he saw Zoë's nipped bikini. He stopped and stared. His companions laughed, said hi, and pulled him along in the direction we were going.

I said, "That was an interesting reaction."

"He saw me as a possibility. The girls saw me as competition." Zoë looked over at me. "Do you think I'm a possibility?"

"Asks the woman who just had me apply sunscreen to her bare breasts."

She smiled, "I hope they don't take our picnic spot. We'll have to give them a head start. If they take the one I want, I know another one."

"It didn't look like they carried a lunch. Here stand up and let me finish your back." I finished putting on the sunscreen, but she left the bikini on. The quartet was nearly across the meadow now.

Zoë said, "That's enough time. Come on. There are some beautiful places you need to see."

_ _ _ _ _

We moved across the meadow, then into the trees. The shade was a relief as the temperature dropped a few degrees. Again, the pitch of the trail increased, but I kept up with Zoë a bit better this time. Perhaps she was going easy on me.

My interaction with Zoë had my mind racing. She was obviously coming on to me, dropping her top like that. What beautiful breasts! What if Zoë took this flirtation further, would that be cool? I kind of felt a commitment to Chris, but she really wants me to date other women, she encouraged me to have sex with Zoë. She talked about Zoë being a friend with benefits. My mind was going in countless directions.

As we crested one hill, Zoe indicated a rock outcrop where we could sit. "Drink some more water." I sat down next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"This was a timely break. This water's great." She stood in front of me, inspecting my condition. "Am I alright?"

"Just checking. You are a little flushed, but you're doing fine. Just drink the water. I don't want you to have some kind of heat sickness." She sat down next to me and again managed to have our legs touching.

"Quinn?"

"Yes, ma'am." She hesitated. I thought that she was going to ask me another personal question. "It's OK Zoë. Ask me anything you want. You're my friend, remember?"

She took a breath and looked at me, "Do you really think I'm pretty? You weren't just saying that to be nice?"

"Zoë, I wasn't being nice. I was being truthful. I think you are beautiful."

She stood up in front of me, her nipples prominent in her bikini. "I am 39 years old. Do you know that no one has ever told me that?"

"No one? I'm sorry. I can't believe that. Someone should have been telling you that you were beautiful every day of your life."

"Well my mom and dad did, but they're my mom and dad. Of course they tell me. You can't believe them. People tell me I cute, but cute is not pretty."

"No one else?"

"Well, I was seeing this guy Jared for about a year. It seemed the only time he told me I was pretty was when he wanted to get in my pants. He never seemed to be very sincere."

"Did you let him get in your pants?"

Zoë blushed a little, "Sometimes."

"Zoë, hopefully, you won't think I am being inappropriate, but allow me to point out exactly what makes you beautiful. Your blonde hair; your charming green eyes; your beautiful face; these incredible shapely, long legs." I pointed to her legs. "You have a lovely figure. If you don't mind me saying, your breasts took my breath away. They were so lovely." She was blushing bright red. "Plus, you are beautiful on the inside. You have a heart of gold."

Her lower lip trembled slightly. She reached out and took both of my hands in hers. Her eyes welled up. She started to say something, but no sound came forth. She brought my hands up to her lips and kissed them.

"You are going to make me cry." Zoe took a deep breath, and a change came over her. She seemed to glow with some inner happiness, maybe a bit of confidence. "You know, I probably don't need these shorts in this heat either." She undid the button and fly. The shorts dropped and revealed a white thong, bow knots at her hips. A small mons pubis stood out.

"Zoë, I'm not trying to get into your pants, or your thong."

She laughed. "I know. I just feel really comfortable around you Quinn. I feel like you will admire me and not attack me. It is exciting being admired."

"If you don't think I am a dirty old man, I would like to point out why this thong is so hot."

"Oh, please do." She stepped closer and placed her hands behind my neck.

"It's not because it is so small, although that is very hot too. It's this fabric. It's thin like my shirt. May I touch you?"

She nodded.

"When a man undresses you with his eyes, he is looking for any small detail to fill in the rest of his imagination. I can just detect that you have your pubic hair trimmed into a little runway here on top of your mons." I very slightly touched where her pubes were. "See how you can see my chest hairs with this fabric?" She nodded. "I can see your pubes the same way. Your mons is perfect. It brings just enough attention to your pussy. And then there is the hint of labia." I touched her there and she quivered ever so slightly. "I can just make out where your labia part. Just a tiny little valley. It's the same effect up here at your nipples." I traced my finger around the edge of her areola. "Yes, your nipples are erect, but I can see the tiny little ducts on the edge of your areola. Your bikini is truly erection inducing stuff."

A tear rolled down her cheek and I wiped it away with my thumb. Zoë spoke very softly, "Your description is wetness inducing." She just looked into my eyes. I was getting the same feeling I got when I looked into Chris' eyes. "I feel treasured." She threw herself on me, her arms around my neck, and squeezed me tight. I returned the pressure, holding her. After a few moments, she leaned back and cupped my cheek. "OK." She broke the gaze and took a tube of sunscreen out of her knapsack. Zoë looked into my eyes again, "Would you mind terribly? Of course, I need sunscreen on my exposed areas."

"Would I mind applying sunscreen to a beautiful, nearly naked woman? I'd be an idiot to say 'yes, I'd mind'."

Zoë smiled, handed me the SPF 50, and then placed her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes.

"Chris told me once that you have gorgeous blue eyes. I never noticed before. She's right."

"Do you and Chris share everything?" I started spreading sunscreen.

"No. Not everything. We do share a lot though. We talk about common interests -- school, hiking, and our friends. She talks about you a lot."

"Chris talks about me?"

"Chris has talked about you for years. I think Chris absolutely loves you. Sunscreen." I must have stopped. I squirted some more on my hand.

She said, "I hope this doesn't make you angry, but she told me about Friday evening."

"Yes. She came over and told me."

"She didn't share details. She just told me that you made love and that you were an amazing lover." I started applying sunscreen on her stomach and then on her sides. "You know she's staying with me, and she has Jackie there. Oh, wait. We're supposed to call him John now."

"Yes, she told me."

She interlaced her fingers behind my neck. "Chris didn't say anything to me until Sunday morning. I think she was feeling guilty, and she told me about Jack's betrayal. Then she told me that she went to ask you to go to Tina's party. By the way, that was a fun time. Then she told me that she had made love to you. I told her I thought she was justified in making love to you." I had stopped applying sunscreen and was just looking into her eyes and listening. "She wants the Wood Nymphs to take care of you."

"Take care of me?"

"Well, not necessarily sexually like she did, although I think that could be arranged. She wants us all to help you regain your life back. You'll want to get under the strings."

"Oh, sorry." I started the application again and slipped my hand under the horizontal string of her thong, spreading the sunscreen. I moved to the center and slipped under the small white triangle. I could feel her pubes.