Silver Arrow Ch. 23-24

"I'm not Superman, Rose. I'm just a guy. But, I'll do the best I can. I won't let you down if I can help it."

"If what you just did was an example, I can be very satisfied with that."

"Only satisfied?" I asked, giving her a fake scowl.

"Well, we can work on some variations on the theme as we get to know each other better," she grinned.

The tears were long gone. I could see the smile and look of happiness on her face. I pulled her into my arms and held her close. I could feel my erection returning and so could Rose. It was time to take a chance. I rolled her on top of me and using my hands, spread her legs and moved her up on me until the tip of my cock was touching her pussy. I saw the grin on her face as she wiggled her butt and gradually impaled herself.

"I'm not fragile, Doug. I want you to be more forceful this time. I know this is all new to you, but I want you to fuck me. Do it anyway you can ... but fuck me."

Rose knew her body better than I did and I took for granted that when she wanted something "more forceful" that she wanted me to dominate her. We started off with her on top, extending her arms and propping herself up almost into a "cowboy" position. It wasn't the best situation for a power fuck, so after a few starting strokes, I grabbed her and flipped her onto her back, rising above her and pulling her legs up over my shoulders.

I saw the glint in her eyes and the wicked smile on her face and knew this was exactly what she wanted. I began to drive into her with single long hard strokes, withdrawing almost out before pounding my way back inside her.

"Yeah ... yeah ... that's it. Fuck me, Doug. Pound ... that ... pussy," she grunted between strokes.

I watched her ride two orgasms as I continued relentlessly, happy that I was in as good a physical condition as I was. She was breathing heavily after a while and her eyes were closed while her head moved from side to side. There was no doubt this was exactly what she wanted.

When it finally ended, I slid back down with my head on her rock-hard abdomen, her legs still over my shoulders, and both of us gasping for breath. I had never done anything quite like that before and I wasn't sure Rose had either. No matter. Although no words were spoken, I could feel her hands in my hair, stroking me, and I knew we had both made it.

When I regained my strength, I crawled up beside her and held her. I got a nice, warm kiss as a reward and then she fell asleep. I wasn't long following her.

I hadn't intended to stay the whole night, but when I awoke sometime in the early morning, she held onto me.

"Stay. I want you to stay," she said sleepily.

I sank back onto the bed and pulled the covers up once more. I would deal with Debbie and the fallout of my behavior in the morning.

Chapter 24 Where do we go from here?

When I awoke Sunday morning, Rose was curled up against me ... or at least as much as she was able to curl. She reminded me just how nice it was to wake up that way with a beautiful woman wrapped around me, her naked body pressed against mine. What also got my attention was her hand wrapped around my morning erection. I was quite content to lie there and enjoy the feeling and the closeness until the call of nature became more urgent.

I made a move to get up and head for the ensuite, but Rose tightened her grip on me.

"No ... stay," she mumbled into her pillow.

"Gotta use the bathroom, Rose," I whispered. That was enough have her release her hold on me. "I'll be right back," I promised.

I wasn't very long getting back into bed with Rose. I didn't hear any noises coming from the other parts of the house, so I assumed that no one else was up yet. The clock said six-forty-five. I would have liked to have been able to brush my teeth, but no such luck. Maybe next time. I was fairly confident there would be a next time.

I crawled under the covers once more and Rose immediately moved her hand back to my now flaccid penis. It didn't stay that way for long, however. She was gently stroking it and I could feel her breasts pushing into my back while her hips were pressing into my butt. I let Rose do what she wanted for a while, trying to decide whether to take this to the next step when she made the decision for me.

She pulled me onto my back and crawled on top of me, a sleepy-eyed smile evident as she kissed me. At that moment, I didn't really care what either of us tasted like, I just acted on instinct. I pulled her legs to the side and felt for her vagina, hoping she wanted what I wanted. The wetness I encountered was evidence enough. I centered my cock at her target and began to push into her. For her part, she pushed back, making it easy for me. Within a few seconds, I was moving inside her and hearing appreciative groans and whimpers in response.

I always did love morning sex. It put me in such a great mood for the rest of the day that no matter how unpleasant things became, I was able to survive it. Rose was purring like a kitten between the other sounds she produced. She was content and we kept the languid pace of our joining steady. There was no urgency, and we were, in effect, coasting. All good things must come to an end, however. I could feel it approaching and almost apologized to my partner, but she stopped me by locking her lips to mine and moaning her contentment as I released into her.

We stayed together for a while with Rose on top of me, quietly enjoying the afterglow. At length, she slipped off me and lay on her side, her eyes fixed on my face and a smile fixed on her lips.

"That was beautiful, Doug. I could feel the love and that's something new for me."

"For a first time, it was beautiful," I agreed in a whisper. "It's hard to imagine it could get better than this."

"But we will try, won't we?" I saw her eyebrows arch and knew it was a serious question.

"Yes. We might have to try a number of times to get it right, but I think we should at least try," I teased.

Sooner or later we had to face the music. It was past nine o'clock, and even though Margaret and Harlan knew where we were and what we were up to, Debbie didn't. I had no change of clothes, but I took advantage of the shower and cleaned myself up. I could shave later. Rose had a special chair in the large shower enclosure and I helped her onto it, although she was quite capable of doing that herself.

"The next time, we'll shower together," she grinned, "and I'll show you what else we can do together."

"I'll look forward to it," I said, kissing her shoulder as I dried her off.

She was sitting on a stool she used when washing and drying herself. I wrapped the big, fluffy towel around her and held her close to me. It had been a long time since I'd felt as close to someone as I did Rose. While Christie and I had an intimate relationship, only with Diane did I have that feeling of oneness that I was beginning to sense with Rose deSilva.

"Good morning," Margaret said brightly as we entered the kitchen. Harlan echoed her.

"Good morning. Looks like we slept in," I said, noting it was almost ten o'clock.

"I've got to get up to the house and let Debbie, Bill and Sandy know I'm still alive."

"No need, Doug," Margaret said. I called her this morning and let her know where you were."

"Oh! Did she say anything?" I asked, wondering what my eldest daughter's reaction would be.

"Well ... she laughed a little ... then she said something like 'it's about time.'"

"Oh," was about all I could say, wondering how I should react. In the meantime, Rose was poking me in the ribs and laughing quietly herself.

I was grateful that neither Margaret nor Harlan asked any embarrassing questions about last night ... or this morning for that matter. But Rose was having a hard time concealing her giggles at my discomfort. I went to help Rose up onto one of the tall island seats and as I did, she wrapped her arms around my neck. Once I had her properly seated, I got a very passionate kiss as a thank-you. There was nothing subtle about it and when she saw the look on my face, she burst out laughing.

"You really don't know how to handle this, do you?" she said, her arms still wrapped around my neck.

"Uhhm ... I guess not," I admitted.

"I think it's wonderful, you two," Margaret said, beaming. I was wondering if she thought she had been the instigator of our relationship.

I saw Harlan nodding in the background. He may not have been a man of many words at that moment, but his approval meant a lot. Two of his employees were involved and that might have an effect on his business if it all went sour.

Margaret had made waffles and bacon and they were in a warm oven waiting for us. Suddenly both Rose and I were hungry and we devoured the food. Two cups of coffee later and I knew it was time for me to head home.

"I'm coming with you," Rose announced. "I need to talk to Debbie ... maybe Bill and Sandy too."

There wasn't a hint of negotiating room in her voice, so I did what was expected of me and agreed.

As we entered the house, I was immediately reminded of that special day when Diane and I reunited in Louisville. My three young children were sitting side-by-side on the sofa and I recalled my thinking they were like three little birds on a branch. Here they were again, years later, all three on the sofa and although they were much bigger "birds" I smiled at the image.

They weren't surprised to see Rose and it finally dawned on me that Margaret had phoned Debbie to let her know we were on the way.

I looked at my children and felt an enormous sense of pride. For all the bad things and upset that they had endured in their short lives, they had turned out as well as any parent had a right to expect. I could feel a tear forming in my eye and for a moment, I thought I might break down. Whether Rose sensed it or not, she took my hand and squeezed it.

"Hi kids," was all I could get out.

"Hi Dad," from Debbie and Bill, while Sandy tried unsuccessfully to suppress her giggles.

Rose moved herself over to Debbie and held out her hand. "You owe me a dollar," she said.

"For what?" I asked.

"Rose bet me that she would have to ask you before you would ask her," Debbie replied, and Sandy's giggles become much more animated.

I was just about to blurt out "ask what?" when the light went on and I shut my trap. I don't know why I bothered. All three of them knew what had happened last night and it was apparent by their actions that they approved. That took a big weight off my shoulders.

"I need to get shaved and changed. I'll be back in a couple of minutes," I said, hastily beating a retreat.

When I returned, Rose had squeezed herself onto the sofa with the three of them. They had been talking in hushed tones and obviously keeping an eye out for me. They shut up as I walked into the living room.

"What are you guys cooking up?" I asked, knowing something was afoot.

"Oh, nothing," Debbie said, looking directly at Rose.

I didn't believe that for a moment, but sooner or later, one of them would tell me. Most likely Rose.

The gang of four broke up shortly afterward and headed in different directions. Debbie and Sandy were going horseback riding with Margaret. The ranch next door ... next door being a half mile north ... had saddle horses, unlike our empty barn and corral. I had suggested to the kids that if they wanted to learn to ride, I would foot the bill. Debbie and Sandy were immediately interested, but Bill decided he would rather use the "quad" and roam around the ranch property. There was no grass for him to cut and the pool had its winter cover on, so there was no cleaning to be done.

I knew he was going out with his girlfriend that afternoon. I'd met Lorraine (or Lori as she preferred) a few weeks ago and decided she was a nice young lady. I got a confirmation of that from Debbie, who had continued her role as surrogate parent, looking out for the welfare of both Bill and Sandy. Bill had come to accept it, although not completely enthusiastically. Now with Rose in the picture, perhaps I had reinforcements that would take some of the responsibility off Debbie.

But that meant establishing Rose as a member of the household. And that most probably meant marriage. Was I ready for that? Was Rose even interested in me enough to consider it? I was convinced it was too soon. Our relationship had really just begun. I wanted to know more about her and I'm sure she felt the same about me. I was going to have to bide my time.

~*~

Trying to have a personal relationship that would include some privacy was proving to be difficult. It was something Rose and I had discussed, but hadn't come up with a solution. Of all the people that I thought would give us an unbiased opinion, we at least agreed the person to talk to would be Margaret. We would do it together without the presence of Harlan.

I felt it was up to me to spell out what our concerns were and not leave it to Rose. I wasn't enthusiastic about having the conversation, but I felt it was necessary and I assured Rose that I would take the lead.

Harlan had gone into Sacramento on some errand and that left us with the opportunity to talk to Margaret.

"Margaret," I began hesitantly, "I'm sure this isn't going to come as a surprise to you, but Rose and I are in a relationship and we haven't been able to decide how we can have some privacy and not subject you or the children to our ... activities."

She burst out laughing. It was a hearty laugh and not some cute little giggle.

"Really, Doug. This is the twenty-first century and you are consenting adults. On top of that, your children are well aware of your new relationship. I can understand that you don't want to embarrass your children, or us for that matter, but I think this is something that the two of you have to work out yourselves. If it were me ... for what it's worth ... I would move Rose into your house. But that's just me."

"You don't think it would upset anyone if we did that?" Rose asked.

"No ... not a single person that I care about anyway," Margaret said firmly. "I think you two are good for each other. Maybe it's a little early to decide, but even if it didn't turn out that way, Rose would only be a few yards away. You can always try and see how it works out."

I was nodding. It was good advice. We didn't need to decide on a permanent future right then. We were close enough that we could be together as often as we liked without having to commit to it being permanent.

As Rose and I walked back up to my house, I asked what she thought.

"Margaret is right. We don't need to make any big decisions right now. We can take it a day at a time. It's just that ...," she paused and turned to me. "I want to get used to being with you, Doug. I like everything about where we are right now, but neither of us knows all there is to know about the other. Maybe that's what comes next."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. "I've heard it said great minds think alike. I agree. I think we need to get to know each other better. But ... I don't want to give up what we have. I think about making love to you all the time. It's a special feeling I haven't had in a long time and I don't want to give it up."

She smiled at me, kissing me briefly on the lips. "I want that too. It's a special feeling I've never had before. I guess we are in agreement then. We go slow, we learn about each other, but we don't give up the intimacy that we both want."

"Thank you. That's a wonderful gift you've given me. Thank you," I repeated, kissing her passionately.

I know we didn't fool the children and we certainly didn't fool Margaret and Harlan, but we alternated our personal time together between the Cummings home and mine. We were together three or four times each week and it served to give us the time to talk to each other privately as well as to make love. As the weeks went on, I could feel us getting closer and closer, both spiritually and emotionally.

We were lying naked in my bed one night when I asked Rose to tell me about her family and her past.

She sighed ... almost in resignation. "It's not a good story, Doug. I'm not very proud of how I acted as a teenager. I was pretty and smart and so I was accepted into the elite clique at high school almost right away. When I look back on it now, I can't believe how arrogant we were. It was a big high school in Santa Brigit, and our little group was a mix of cheerleaders and few chosen extras. I was a cheerleader from grade eleven onward. We got to pick and choose our boyfriends. They were expected to treat us like queens, of course. If they didn't they were gone," she said, snapping her fingers.

"The guys we hung out with were the athletes, as you'd expect. Football, baseball and basketball players. I lost my virginity when I was sixteen and sex was an expected regular thing with our boyfriends. We didn't think anything about it except to make sure we didn't get pregnant. Most of us were on the pill and used a diaphragm just to be sure. Other than when I was having my period, I don't remember a week going by that I didn't have sex with some guy at least once."

"How did you feel about it at the time? I mean, the sex and being with the special kids?"

"I learned to expect it ... I mean ... being one of the 'chosen.' I was entitled to be with them. I could get away with some outrageous behavior with them too. I could smoke pot and drink and screw any guy I wanted to."

"Did your parents have any idea this was going on?"

"No ... I was getting good grades because school was easy for me. And, I made sure I didn't rub their noses in my activities. Not many boys got to see the inside of our home or meet my parents. I made it sound like I was dating different guys and not getting involved with anyone. That seemed to work for me.

"Then, the grad party changed everything. We'd been drinking and smoking some pot and generally having a great time. Sometime after midnight Cheryl decided that we needed to find another party that one of the girls knew about, so we all jumped into her car and took off. We never made it. When I came to, I was in the hospital and I could tell I was badly injured. My parents were there and they were upset to say the least. They knew what I didn't know ... that three of my friends had died in that crash.

"Anyway, when they told me what had happened to the other girls and then told me about my injuries, I was wishing I'd died with my friends. I mean, what did I have to live for? I was probably going to be a cripple for the rest of my life. I couldn't handle it."

"What changed?" I asked.

"My parents, especially my dad, pulled me out of it. I confessed what had happened and what kind of person I had been. I was so ashamed of myself, I had to tell someone that I should have died in that crash. Dad wouldn't hear any talk like that. Mom was great too, but Dad was relentless in making me accept my handicap and get back to living.

"He enrolled me in college and either he or Mom drove me to and from everyday for four years. They never let up until I had that degree and they felt I could begin to think about making it on my own. I was so dependent on them, but I knew I owed them, too. If they didn't give up on me, I had better not give up on myself."

"That's quite a story. You must be very proud of your parents."

"I am, but I almost had a relapse when Dad died. He had been living with problems and not seeing a doctor. By the time he did, the cancer was too advanced for treatment to be effective. It broke my heart and I know it broke mother's too. What saved me was my mother. She didn't give up. She went on with her life and that gave me the courage to get back to being a useful citizen."

"How did you meet Harlan?"

"I had been working in an accounting firm's office and acting as a general gofer. It was a nothing job leading nowhere. I'd been learning a lot, but I could tell I wasn't about to see any decent opportunity any time in the near future. I decided to look around.