The Bucket List

When we reached the end she said, "John, you did really well for a beginner. Do you see the chart on the wall? I'll write all your weights under each machine, this way you'll be able to start each exercise on your own. Now go upstairs, take a shower and be down for breakfast at eight. I think Mr. Taylor will be joining you."

"Aren't you going to be eating with us?"

"No I've got some more work to do down here."

Disappointed I headed up to my room. I had momentarily forgotten about Uncle Joe and his proposal.

After this morning, I knew what my answer was going to be.

Chapter 4

"That's wonderful, I'm so pleased that you have accepted my proposal. I'll have the paperwork drawn up immediately".

"Uncle Joe, I'm going to go back home. I have to give my boss at least two weeks notice."

"Ah, that would be the normal procedure; very commendable in fact, if I wasn't the sole stockholder of the company. I'll call the company president and let him know that you will be working directly for me; that should take care of that problem."

"What about my apartment, my things, the mail; I have to go back to take care of everything?"

"I'll have everything taken care of from here. Your personal effects will be moved here; you'll have no need for your furniture. We can forward all your mail here. Anything else?"

I couldn't think of anything.

"Great, then it's settled. I understand that you met MaryAnn. What do you think of her?"

"She's amazing; beautiful, unbelievably strong, and very nice."

"Good, I'm glad you approve, you and she will be seeing quite a lot of one another in the next twelve months. Since, technically you are on vacation this week, I'll give you this week off as well. You'll start Monday morning. In the meantime, I would like you, if you don't mind, to work out with us every morning. A strong body is just as important today as an intelligent mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of. Please stay and finish your breakfast."

He rose from the table and left the room. My head was still spinning. 'What have I gotten myself into?'

I finished my breakfast, thanked James, stuck my head into the kitchen and thanked Betty, and went outside. I looked out over the beach. There were people jogging, walking their dogs, or just standing admiring the view. I decided that since I was on vacation, I'd join them.

I walked to the back of the property, slipped off my sneakers, descended the stairs to the beach, and strolled directly to the water's edge. The surf was calm and there was a light breeze. 'This must be paradise,' I thought, turning back toward the house, making note of what it looked like. I began walking the shoreline, greeting people as they passed me by from the other direction. I walked north for what seemed like an hour and then turned and headed back towards the house. During my walk the same thought kept going through my head,

'I wonder what Uncle Joe is going to have on his list?'

When I got back to the house, I found MaryAnn sitting in a lounge chair by the pool. Her bathing suit was practically non-existent, her body a testament to all the hard work she obviously put in at the gym.

From behind her dark sunglasses, she greeted me as I approached.

"Hi John, you're just in time. Would you mind putting some sunscreen on my back?"

Without waiting for my response, she flipped over onto her belly, reached around, and unfastened the clasp of her top. From the nape of her neck to the tip of her toes, the only piece of material covering that magnificent body was a string around her waist attached to one that seemed to disappear between her butt cheeks.

My hands were shaking as I sat on the edge of the chair, reached down to retrieve the bottle of sunscreen, and squirted some on her back. She squealed as the cool lotion hit her hot skin.

"Make sure you spread it all over; I don't want to burn."

Starting from her shoulders, I ran my hands over her entire back, carefully spreading the lotion. When I got down to her side, I hesitated, her breast, peaked out from the pressure of the laying on her stomach.

"That's it, get my sides as well."

My cock was rock hard by now, causing me a lot of discomfort and embarrassment. As my fingers grazed the side of her breast I realized that this was the first naked breast that I had ever touched. Quickly, I switched to the other side and repeated the process.

"OK, now do my legs please."

I turned, now facing her feet and poured a thin line of lotion up one leg and down the other. I marveled at the muscle tone of each of her legs as I spread the lotion and massaged it in. The sweat was beginning to bead up on my forehead as I put the bottle down and began to rise from the chair.

"John, wait you're not finished yet; you missed the most important part. I don't want my butt to get burned. Don't be embarrassed; just think of it as a part of my leg."

'Yeah right', I thought, 'you're not seeing what I'm seeing.' With trembling hands I poured a thin line on each cheek. As I began to spread it around, she flexed her glutes; her butt was solid, two perfect handfuls of skin and muscle.

"Thank you, John; I really appreciate it. I don't get out here much and when I do I have to be real careful to avoid burning."

'Not half as much as I appreciated it,' I thought.

"You're very welcome." I picked up her towel and dried my hands on one corner.

"I have to go, will I see you at lunch?"

"No, I have to run a couple errands for your Uncle. I'll see you tonight at dinner."

I practically ran through the house, up to my room, and closed and locked the door. I ran to the window and peaked out. There she was, still on the lounge; from up here she looked naked. I ran into the bathroom, stripped, and poured some hand lotion into my right hand. Grabbing a washcloth, I headed back to the window. I began to rub the lotion over my already painfully erect cock. I'm not saying that I'm porn star-sized; but I am a little larger than average at about seven inches. I stroked my cock as I gazed down at MaryAnn, fantasizing, wishing that I had the nerve to ask her out, to have her be my girlfriend, to feel and see that magnificent body naked against mine. In my already hyper-excited state it didn't take me long before I reached the point of no return. With a moan I began to cum, spurt after spurt of cum filled the washcloth.

"Oh MaryAnn!"

Chapter 5

Dinner that night was the first time that the three of us ate together. The conversation was interesting. MaryAnn looked spectacular dressed in slacks and a lace-trimmed blouse; just enough skin was showing to hold your gaze. I still wasn't clear as to her relationship with Uncle Joe. At times she seemed to be more than just an employee; but I guess that comes with the fact that she lived under his roof for the last several years and sees him practically every morning in the gym. I wondered if she knew about his health problems. If she didn't know now, she would later as his health started to deteriorate.

That subject was never to be spoken about; Uncle Joe had given me strict instructions.

"So, John, Did you see anything that interested you, today?"

I almost chocked on the food in my mouth. I saw MaryAnn smile for a second.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Joe."

"On your walk on the beach this morning; I saw you go down there just as I was getting ready to leave this morning."

"Oh, the beach. Nothing really stood out, everything was just so beautiful."

"MaryAnn, how did your day go today? Did you get everything done that I asked you to take care of?"

"The morning was great, very enjoyable," she said as she glanced over at me. "I got all of the information that you requested and made some inquiries on the other business matters. The information is in the report on your desk."

"Splendid. Splendid. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of reading to do this evening. I'll see you tomorrow in the gym?"

"Yes, I'll be there," rubbing my sore muscles.

"See you then. Good night. Oh, one more thing: John, please from now on just call me Joe"

When he left the room, I looked over at MaryAnn and asked,

"Is he always like this? He never seems to relax; he's always on the go."

"Pretty much. He's been like this ever since I've known him. Driven is the best way to describe him."

For the rest of the evening, we talked about our tastes in music, films, and sports. We found we had a lot in common. The only area that we seemed to be at odds was our favorite baseball teams. She was a Dodger fan, while I rooted for the Yankees. We kidded each other as to which team would end up in the World Series.

She was so easy to talk to; I never wanted the evening to end.

"I think I'm going to turn in. Tomorrow we'll give your arms a chance to heal; we'll concentrate on your legs and your stamina. Good night, John. Sweet dreams."

"The same to you."

That night I had very sweet dreams indeed, they all starred MaryAnn and her beautiful body.

Chapter 6

I couldn't wait to get down to the gym the next morning. Joe was already running on one of the treadmills as I came through the door.

"Hello, Sleepyhead. MaryAnn already has your machine set up for you. Just press the green button."

I looked around, "Where is she?"

"She went for a run on the beach; she'll be back before you finish your cardio work."

When he was finished, Joe went over to the circuit machines; he was doing curls when she returned.

"Good, I see you're both hard at work. How are you feeling, John?"

"I little winded, but I'll make it to the end of the program."

MaryAnn was dressed in shorts and a tank top, which was soaked with sweat. She stood there in bare feet with her hands on her hips surveying her two pupils.

"Come on, Joe; two more, you can do it... that's it, yes. Well done."

Joe let the weight down and slumped over the machine, smiling.

"Alright, John here comes your cool down."

The treadmill began to level off and slow down; after five minutes it stopped.

"Great job, John. Come here, I've got you set up for leg extensions; this will strengthen your quadriceps, the muscles right here."

She reached over and rubbed the front of my thigh.

"You're not going to use a lot of weight because we don't want to injure your knees, just give me three sets of twelve at this weight."

While I was doing that, she went over to Joe and corrected his form as he did his pull downs. Then she went over to the free weights and set up for my next exercise.

"John, come here. Now we're going to work on your hamstrings and your glutes. It's called a squat. I want you to hold on to this bar and make believe you're going to sit in a chair. Again we're not concerned with the weight. It's more important to keep your back as straight as possible and maintain good form all the way through the movement. Give me three sets of twelve."

When I was done, she had me walk to the center of the room.

"For your final exercise of the day I want you to do twenty-five lunges." She showed me the movement first with one leg then the other.

"That's one, give me twenty-four more, and then hit the shower."

Joe was working with the free weights, and was just finishing up when I completed my exercise.

"Great job, both of you; see you tomorrow."

Joe and I both headed for the door. I glanced back just as MaryAnn began doing military presses. I wanted to stay just to watch her workout, but Joe threw his arm over my shoulder and guided me towards the stairs.

"It's best that you don't get too worked up and involved with her. You're not ready, yet."

Before I could ask him what he meant, he turned and ran up the stairs taking two at a time.

'What did he mean by that?'

I spent much of next five days, exercising in the morning, lounging by the pool or walking on the beach, eating terrific meals with Joe and MaryAnn, and wondering what exactly was going to be required of me. Right after breakfast on Monday morning I got my answer.

Chapter 7

"Well, John, are you ready to start your assignment?"

"Absolutely!"

"That's the spirit. Here's a copy of my list."

"Joe, there's only one thing listed on here."

"Yes, I know. I thought it would be more exciting for you if I surprised you with every item. I want to do them in a particular order, so this is my way of controlling that aspect of this quest."

I looked back down at the paper,

Number 10 - Hot Air Ballooning in Sedona, AZ.

Right off the bat he had picked something that would be a problem for me; I was afraid of heights.

"Joe, when would you like to go?"

"Make arrangements for this weekend. Book a hotel for Friday and Saturday nights; we'll fly in and out in my company plane."

"Yes sir."

"If you have any problems, see MaryAnn. You can use the desk in the study. I'll be back by Thursday."

With that, he stood and walked out of the library.

My first task was to find the study. I had to ask James. He led me towards the front entrance, stopped and opened the door to a relatively small room containing two desks, a couple of chairs and lined with two-drawer filing cabinets with countertops. Each desk had a computer and monitor. There were no windows. This room was designed for work; I felt right at home.

After turning on the computer, I did a search of Hot Air Balloon companies in Sedona, jotting down the names and telephone numbers of several of the most desirable ones. Next I searched on places to stay, again listing several of the higher quality resort hotels.

I was just about ready to start making phone calls, when I realized that I would need a credit card for making reservations. I had to contact MaryAnn. There was an employee list taped to the phone. I dialed her extension; there was no answer. I dialed the gym and waited. On the sixth ring she picked up.

"Hello, this is MaryAnn."

"Hi MaryAnn, this is John."

"Hi John, what can I do for you?"

"I'm supposed to make reservations for this weekend for Joe and me but he didn't leave me his company credit card. I'm assuming he would want everything carded to his company."

"I can help you with that; I'll be right up. Are you in the study?"

"Yes."

She hung up the phone.

A short time later, the door opened and in stepped a very wet MaryAnn.

"Sorry, I was in the middle of my workout."

She went to the other desk, pulled out a set of keys from the middle drawer, walked over to one of the cabinets, unlocked it and took out an envelope. She examined its contents, pulled out a credit card and handed it to me.

"Whenever you have to make arrangements use this card."

As she handed me the card, I noticed the fingerless gloves she was wearing.

She saw my inquisitive expression and said,

"I was working out on the heavy bag when you called. It's a great way to combine cardio and strength training into one activity. It's also the best way that I know to rid the body of stress. You should try it sometime. Is there anything else?"

"No," holding up the card, "This is everything that I need right now."

"Ok, I've got to get back to my workout. See you later."

After she left the room, I sat staring at the door. Her scent still lingered in the air. I had seen all the 'Rocky' movies and several shows on TV that showed boxers working out on the heavy bag and although I had never done it myself, I could picture MaryAnn standing in front of that bag, her body glistening with sweat, her strong, muscular body leaning into each punch as the bag swayed from side to side.

'Wow, calm down boy, you have work to do.'

I made the reservations at the resort, booking a suite with two queen-sized beds, with a convertible sofa in the main room. Since this was the first time I booked a hotel for the two of us, I figured that if Joe wanted his own room I would sleep on the sofa bed. He hadn't told me his preference.

I had to call several balloon companies before I could get a reservation for this weekend. I asked about the number of guests in each gondola, and was told that the gondola could hold up to eight. I told him that this was for a special occasion; he hesitated and gave me a price for going up alone. I jumped on that, figuring the ride would be more enjoyable if we were alone.

After I hung up the phone I realized that I was done with my assignment. I typed up an itinerary, printed it, shut down my computer and left the room. I walked over to the library and placed the itinerary on Joe's desk.

It was just about noon, so I went to the kitchen. Betty was making a delicious looking chopped salad with chicken for lunch. I joined MaryAnn out on the patio.

"I have everything booked for this weekend."

"That's great, John."

"I have one question. Do I have to do anything about scheduling for the plane?"

"No, Joe will handle that himself."

We talked over lunch. I asked her how she got into boxing.

"I've always been athletically inclined. I grew up as a tomboy. I enjoyed participation sports more than spectator sports. In high school I played volleyball and softball. In college, I wanted to concentrate on my studies so I gave up team sports and focused instead on training my own body. I met a girl there who was in fantastic shape. When I asked her how she trained, she told me that she took martial arts training and supplemented that with boxing, wrestling and weight training. Being somewhat of a free spirit, I couldn't handle the mental discipline required for martial arts, all the bowing and absolute obedience to the trainer. I could, however, do the physical training required for boxing, wrestling and weightlifting; so that's what I did. She and I would train together, spar occasionally and wrestle one another."

"You used to fight one another?"

"Oh yeah, it was a great way to break up the monotony of our work outs. I was able to beat her pretty regularly at wrestling because I had the advantage in height and weight. She normally would get the better of me in boxing because of her quickness and agility. I remember once, though, when we were boxing, after several rounds I was getting the better of her. I had just landed a short right-hand, which should have put her on the canvas; the next thing I knew I was on my back, looking up at her concerned face. She told me later, after apologizing a hundred times, that I had stunned her with my punch; that she was in real trouble at that moment. Her martial arts training took over and she hit me with a spinning back-hand right on the jaw and down I went. That was the last time that we boxed together. We're still good friends and get together once in a while for drinks."

"That's amazing. You know, I don't think I've ever been in a fight in my whole life."

"Judging from the condition of your body, I'd say that's a good thing. But don't worry, I'll have you in fighting shape in no time."

I felt my cock begin to stir with just the thought of getting into the ring with her.

'Where was that coming from? I was never interested in boxing or wrestling, and certainly never with a woman.'

I continued my daily workouts with MaryAnn. I was beginning to see results. After almost two weeks I had increased my weight by ten pounds on most of the machines. I had increased the time, speed and incline on the treadmill as well. I was feeling pretty good about myself.

Thursday evening, the three of us sat at the dinner table.

"I looked over the itinerary for this weekend, John; everything looks good. I'm really excited about this."

Excited wasn't exactly the emotion I was feeling; apprehensive, nervous and scared were more appropriate.

"I am, too."

"Fantastic, I'll call the pilot tonight. We should leave here about four tomorrow afternoon for the airport."

Chapter 8

Friday morning started out with our normal workout. I tried not to think about what the weekend had in store for me. At 4:00 sharp, Bart brought the limo to the front and Joe and I left for the airport. By 5:30 we were pulling through the gate at the private plane area of the Oxnard City airport. We were greeted by Dave the pilot, who took our overnight bags and led us to the plane.