Susan's Awakening

The inner voice returned, "Susan!" but she paid no heed.

Eventually, Luke turned to face the house then reached down to draw up his pants. For a moment, just before it was obscured by the underwear, Susan glimpsed Luke's genitals. She gasped audibly while continuing to watch as Luke pulled up his jeans, fastened his belt and set to with the long handled rake.

"SUSAN! - It's your friend's son for heaven's sake. Afford him some privacy."

This time Susan acknowledged the inner voice and let go of the blind but rather than feeling in any way chastised, she smiled again though this smile was born of a feeling she'd not known for two long years. Two very long years, during which not a sexual thought had occurred to her. Like an explosion in extremely slow motion, feelings that some days she thought might be gone forever, started to flood back. For a while her mind was filled both with brief flashbacks to experiences past interspersed with imagined events in the now and with no feeling of shame that the latter, on this hot summer's day, involved her young gardener. Susan let her mind run free and eventually it began to return to a more settled state.

Susan felt hotter and, despite the recent drink, was aware that her mouth was suddenly dry. She fetched a glass, opened the tap and waited for the water to run as cold as possible given the season. She drained the glass in one go. Though the drink was cooling, Susan still felt flushed and noted that her breathing was a little quick. She kicked off her sandals and walked across the ceramic tiled floor to the small kitchen table which for so many years had been the real 'heart' of the home. The tiles felt wonderfully cool under her feet and, had she been alone, she may have also taken off her jade, halter-neck sundress and black pants. Susan wasn't into nudity to the same extent as Grace and Martin, Luke's father, though her private home and grounds, meant that she could garden and sunbathe with as little clothing on as she wished, insects and the rose thorns notwithstanding. As with other habits though, such free-form activities had been absent these past months and years. Today though, such images came to Susan's mind though were somewhat crowded out by thoughts of an altogether more carnal nature.

She sat for a while but the feelings of being 'high', as if she'd had excess caffeine, refused to fade. Something in her wanted to hold onto this moment and the feelings. It felt like, finally, she was letting go ... moving on ... awakening.

After a while Susan thought it was time to offer Luke another drink. "You never know," she thought shamelessly, "he may need to pee again."

"Susan!" that voice again, though quieter this time.

As she rose, she felt the underside of her dress cling slightly to the chair's surface. Reaching around, she was able to pull enough of the dress fabric to the side such that she could make out a round darker patch of material the size of a tangerine. 'Oops' Susan said to herself thinking she'd missed a drink spill from earlier but, on closer inspection, this was no tea or coffee stain. There was a silvery, viscous quality to the fluid where it had passed right through the material, qualities that were, to Susan, unmistakeable. Needing a quick change before attending to Luke, she headed upstairs and, once in her bedroom peeled off the sundress in one smooth action. She tentatively lowered her right hand to the lower front of her pants to find them soaking wet. Susan had almost forgotten that her body could produce such secretions; it had been so long. Once the dress was sponged down and hung up to dry, Susan discarded her pants and washed and dried her vulva and inner thighs, the very act of doing so bringing back a wave of nostalgic, erotic thoughts.

Having redressed in fresh pants, dark navy blue shorts and a grey T-shirt, Susan headed back downstairs and retrieved her sandals before opening the back door and walking down the garden to where Luke was working.

"Hi Luke. You're doing a great job. Are you ready for a refill yet?"

"Thanks Mrs Mapleton. Yes it's coming on isn't it?" Luke replied. "A top up would be great thanks - just plain water please," he said, passing the sports drink bottle to Susan. "Am I taking enough off?" he asked.

"That'll be the perfect length once mown" Susan smiled thinking that Luke hadn't spotted the, unintended, double entendres. Taking the bottle from Luke, she turned and walked slowly back to the house unaware that the eyes that had just been discreetly examining Susan's breasts, were now trained on her well-toned buttocks. Having had so much fun with women around his own age over the past two years, Luke's fantasies were beginning to diversify and women of a certain age, Susan's age or thereabouts to be specific were starting to pique his interest. Thus far, it hadn't come to anything though he'd masturbated while fantasising over one of his more senior lecturers and similarly over the pharmacist, Joyce, from the next village who was a few years older than Susan. Luke was able to conjure up the most realistic fantasies involving such women and his relief came quickly, sometimes very quickly. He wondered when, if ever, he'd get the opportunity to sample such delights though, despite his attraction, Susan would never be a candidate. Far too close to home he thought and, indeed, a good friend of his own mother.

Luke watched as Susan returned with his refilled bottle. As she drew close, he could clearly see her nipples through her close-fitting T-shirt and his eyes alighted on the small, darker, perspiration dampened area on her upper chest. The dark blue colour of her shorts, fortunately for Susan, masked another damp patch; her secretions showing little sign of easing. Luke's examinations of Susan's body had increased the flow of blood to his penis. While no means a full blown erection, it had lengthened and stiffened sufficiently for things to become somewhat constricted in the trouser department. Rather self-consciously, Luke glanced downwards in the hope that his somewhat aroused state hadn't become too obvious.

It had.

Susan, as quick minded as ever, was able to glance downwards, assess the situation and look back up in time to meet Luke's returning eyes.

"Don't overdo it Luke," she smiled. "Shout up if you need anything else. I'll be making a sandwich soon; you're welcome to join me."

Luke thanked Susan and brushed away both some real and imaginary debris from his clothes. "I'm used to this weather - can't get enough. I might work through and finish around four if that's ok. The tide's perfect for some boarding this evening. I reckon there's probably just a half day left for tomorrow unless there's anything else you'd like me to look at?"

"Oh God is there?" thought Susan, still in shock at the sudden re-emergence of her libido.

"That's fine Luke. You arrange the time to fit in with your other plans. You can access the garden whether or not I'm here and I can leave you a key in case you need to use the facilities". Susan suppressed a giggle as she recounted what she'd witnessed earlier.

The talk of more practical matters eased Luke's blood flow, his penis slowly returning to its more natural state. It was a good job Mrs Mapleton hadn't noticed his arousal or was it? "What's the worst that could have happened?" Luke pondered, his penis twitching in anticipation. "Better get on!" he thought as he resumed his strimming, raking and weeding.

The afternoon passed quickly for them both. Luke continued to toil away while Susan caught up on some chores before settling down at the kitchen table to check emails and the news sites. She felt happy and rested; happier than in a very long time. She felt alive.

Susan had left the back door ajar as it was now in shade and, just after four, Luke knocked politely and announced that he was all done for the day and would be back to finish off around eight-thirty in the morning if that was ok with Mrs Mapleton.

"That's fine Luke. Have a lovely evening oh, and please, it's Susan. After all, you're a grown man now," Susan smiled teasingly while thinking "a very well grown man indeed."

"Easy Susan!" the inner voice cautioned.

"Ok Mrs Mape ... sorry, Susan. See you in the morning." Luke stuttered cheerfully before turning and heading for home. He was looking forward to the evening ahead catching-up with friends in Dartmouth, some of whom he'd not seen for a while. Josh was picking him up at six-thirty so there was plenty of time to shower and get ready.

Susan leant back in her chair and sighed a happy sigh.

~~~ Titivation ~~~

After he'd left, Susan made a promise to the inner voice that under no circumstances would she attempt to seduce Luke despite them both being unattached. The age difference and the established relationship with his family meant it just didn't feel right although, deep down, Susan felt that sex with Luke would actually feel very right indeed, at least from a purely physical perspective. On the other hand, if Luke were to make the first move on her, how could she possibly refuse his advances without hurting his feelings? After all, it was clear from today's events that he was attracted to her.

With such little time having passed since the cloud over her innermost feelings had been lifted, Susan was amazed at the strength of the urges she now felt. Her mind turned briefly to Tom, a fifty-five year old, early retired widower who often walked with the group and who had been unable to conceal his attraction to Susan. Despite getting on well with him and having a fair amount in common, in particular politics, Susan had levelled with Tom that she just wasn't ready for anything more than friendship so soon after losing Chris. Tom's wife had died four years previously and it was clear to Susan that Tom was further down the road than she was in terms of recovery and that he was more than ready for the physical side of things. He was good looking, intelligent and financially secure. A good catch under different circumstances thought Susan.

With her needs so suddenly to the fore, she revisited her feelings towards Tom and acknowledged that there was indeed a spark that could do with a little fanning, something that hadn't seemed at all likely before the events of that afternoon.

After preparing a salad to eat later and with the heat of the day diminishing, Susan pulled on her trainers and set-off on one of her shorter, fast walking routes. Google maps calculated it to be a shade over four miles and, at a brisk pace, Susan was able to complete the circuit in just under an hour.

Fifty-eight minutes later, Susan opened the back door and re-entered the, now cool, kitchen where she filled and quickly drank a large glass of water. The walk had been a mixture of footpaths and road walking, the latter along the deeply cut local lanes with steep banking either side topped with hedges. Susan knew the route well and was acutely aware of the hazards on some of the blind bends. This was very much a daylight walk; she'd never risk it in darkness. Occasionally she would have to scramble a little way up the bank to make sure she was clear of an approaching car or farming machine. Not today though. The lanes and footpaths were blissfully quiet save for the sound of bird song

Susan was perspiring as she sat cooling down on the kitchen chair. Though the heat of the day had gone, the way she felt had pushed her to slightly greater effort than of late. She felt as if she'd had a proper work-out. Susan felt good.

"Time for a shower," she told herself.

Having made her way to her bedroom, Susan placed T-shirt, shorts and pants in the linen basket before pausing in front of the full height mirror attached to the wall just inside the bedroom where she was illuminated by the early evening sunlight which flooded the adjacent landing. Susan liked her body, not in a vain way, more that she was just comfortable with it. She wouldn't really change a thing. Some might have preferred a slightly larger bust but Susan loved the freedom afforded by her modest breasts which had proved to be more than adequate both for feeding her daughters and as a sexual focus for both Chris and herself. "More than a handful's a waste," Chris would sometimes say in jest and Susan knew he loved them as he loved all of her.

Susan now looked at her body in a way she hadn't for many months. Lifting her right arm revealed, if not quite a forest, then at least a healthy copse of mid-brown pubic hair. Similarly, her lower abdomen and pubic mound also had a generous covering. Susan's preference had always been for smooth underarms and trimmed down below with her labias shaved for special occasions.

"Pits and Bits it is then!" said the inner voice.

Susan trimmed her pubic area but left her labias unshaved. Her armpits had around three month's growth, she estimated, but with just a few strokes of the razor were smooth once more. Susan was happy with her legs which had never been particularly hairy. Her leg hair, being both paler and very fine, was barely visible against her tanned skin.

The shower felt wonderful as Susan soaped and rinsed before backing off the temperature for the last few minutes in order to refresh herself. Having towel dried her hair and body, she slipped on fresh pants, shorts and a T-shirt then pulled her, still damp, hair into a ponytail before heading back downstairs. Her appetite, for food at least, wasn't quite there yet so taking a bottle of white wine from the fridge, she poured herself a generous glass and made her way outside to the garden table nearest to the house which afforded some shade from the still warm sun.

Swifts screeched overhead as the house martins flew laps around the house and garden taking their fill of insects on the wing before gliding smoothly under the eaves to feed their brood before repeating the process.

Susan was still somewhat at a loss at how suddenly her mood and inner feelings had changed. Up until this day, recovery from her loss had been through tiny, incremental steps with, at times, a long stride backwards. This day had been different. It felt like a big switch had suddenly been pulled to the 'on' position. Susan loved how this felt and hoped that this was, truly, the start of a new, positive, chapter in her life. For sure, recent months had been better on the social side and with the supportive friends she could call on but today she acknowledged a gaping hole in her life which would only be plugged when her physical needs were, once again, fulfilled.

"And so they will be," said the inner voice.

~~~ Oh Sandy ~~~

Sandra was a fun-loving girl the same age as Luke to the month. She'd slept with a few guys in their circle but was quite selective and certainly not what you'd call 'promiscuous'. She just liked sex and wanted to give Luke a happy memory to take with him to The Midlands.

Sandra or Sandy, as she preferred, had the house to herself for the weekend as her parents were visiting family in Hampshire and had taken her younger sister, Chloe, with them.

"Arr ... bliss," said Sandy as she mixed a strong G&T from her parents supplies before kicking off her sandals and flopping down on the cool leather corner settee. She didn't drink a great deal and this wasn't her usual tipple. A few ciders at the summer beach parties and now she was eighteen, a few in the pub at the weekend was about the sum of it. That night, though, the potent drink had a very specific purpose. Even a small amount of alcohol had two significant effects on Sandy. One immediately noticeable to others; one less so. Firstly her self-confidence grew markedly. She absolutely bloomed after the first half pint, albeit the local scrumpy had quite a fearsome reputation. One of her mates, Coryn, for whom it was also a favourite, christened it "Knicker Dropper Glory". This was something of an 'in joke' between the pair and they both enjoyed seeing James, one of the younger bar staff, blush bright crimson when they asked, as they frequently did, for two halves of "KDG". The other bar staff never twigged on. The other effect of the drink was on Sandy's already healthy libido which the alcohol took to a whole new level; hence this evening's Gin. She wanted to be really horny for Luke by the time he arrived and having had an eye on him for ages, this wouldn't be difficult.

Sandy had bought Luke some of the Mexican beers he liked so much. "He'll have to have it Lime-less," she smiled to herself as she put the bottles in the fridge earlier. Spotting a, somewhat dried out, Lemon in the salad compartment, she wondered if it would do. "Probably not," she grinned, aware of how fussy social drinking had become from holding the bottle correctly to having the latest, on-trend, trinket in your cocktail glass. She found all this to be highly amusing and was pleased that her halves, and occasionally pints, of cider were immune from such frippery.

Living at home with few expenses and having just gained access to the trust fund set-up for her by her deceased grandfather meant that, for someone so young, Sandy's finances were in good order. Her A-levels now out of the way, she was looking forward greatly to the gap year ahead of her, excited by how her life would unfold. As yet, she'd no firm plans, just happy for her future to develop organically whichever route it took. Sandy greatly appreciated the privileged position she was in compared with many of her peers, remaining both rooted and big hearted in equal measures.

Luke had texted to apologise that he was running a bit late as the paddle and body boarding taster session, for which he was one of the volunteer coaches, had overrun due in no small part to the gloriously perfect conditions in that corner of Start Bay. With the light winds and low neap tides, the bay was as smooth as a mill pond. Not Luke's personal preference, he preferred more challenging conditions but absolutely perfect for the young first timers teetering about on the thick training boards.

As a result of the change to the schedule, Sandy had plenty of time in which to prepare herself for the evening ahead. After draining the last of the G&T from her glass, she rose from the settee a little too quickly, the effects of the alcohol already kicking in. "Woo-hoo!" she said with a giggle as she swayed and then steadied herself before, more carefully, making her way upstairs.

~~~ Salt Spray ~~~

"I enjoyed that," said Luke on the way home from the boarding session.

"It was great," Replied Ben as he drove carefully along the winding lanes back to the village. "A bit calm for me but great for the learners. Busy too with all this good weather. You got time for a quick one?"

"Have to be next time I'm afraid mate. I've a hot date tonight," said Luke with a broad grin.

"Oh aye and who's the lucky lass?"

"It's erm ... Sandy as it happens, stuttered Luke. Ben and Sandy had been out together a few times earlier in the year but Ben was now seeing someone else and, as far as Luke knew, Sandy was free and single at the moment.

"Randy Sandy! You little bugger," smiled Ben.

The pair laughed aloud and within a few minutes they were pulling up outside Luke's house.

"Thanks for the lift mate. Catch up over the weekend?"

"Sure thing mate. Probably be down the pub tomorrow night. There's a band on I think. You go steady tonight and don't do anything I wouldn't."

"That don't leave much," laughed Luke.

Luke watched Ben's car pull away before heading indoors.

"Only me," called Luke.

"You ok my love?" his mother replied. "You're out tonight aren't you?"

"Yes, out at a friend's. Might kip over if I have a drink. Don't fancy cycling back under the influence."

"Well have a good time and take your key in case you do get back late."