The Chance at Willow Manor

Soola set her drink down, and leaned towards me, "I know you loved her very, very, much. I can feel it and see it when you think of her. She was a lucky woman to have you."

Now I couldn't hold Soola's gaze, as my eyes welled up. So, I turned to look towards the sun, which was just starting to drop behind the line of trees around the lake. With a small sniff, I shrugged, "Always thought I was the lucky one...to have Jill." Drawing my fingers under my eyes, I let out a muddled chuckle, "Not exactly the best topic for a first date!"

Soola reached over and took my damp hand, "I think it's the perfect topic! We could flirt all evening, joke, or even end up in bed. And I still wouldn't have known, if it weren't for this moment, just what a really sincere, caring...and just genuine man you are! You're a very impressive man, Teddy."

Her use of "Teddy" brought Jill to mind, and that just heightened the conflict of what I was feeling for Soola. I kind of gurgled through a chuckle, as I tried to keep my emotions in check, when I responded, "I'm pretty impressed with you, too."

Soola let her hand slip away, while she smiled, as our salads had arrived. Carla cranked the pepper grinder, until I finally waved her off. Soola took two twists of pepper and then signaled for Carla to stop. We went to work on the salads, both of us crunching a crouton at the same time, and then smiling. Too soon, our meal arrived, as we had barely eaten half of our salads. Soola scooted her salad aside, while I decided to continue with mine.

"You were right," Soola smiled, "This brisket is wonderful."

Carla then arrived with the Perriet-Jouet, and properly tilted the flutes to fill them. I raised my flute, and Soola quickly swallowed and raised her glass. "Here's to fainting on someone's doorstep!" I toasted. She let out one of her wonderful, rich laughs, and then nodded as she tapped the glasses together.

"It was the end of your driveway, you know?" she chuckled.

"You drove all the way from Chicago, and you want to quibble over the last 300 feet? I want to remember it as my doorstep!"

"Doorstep, it is," she said, still chuckling as she bit into one of the steak fries.

As she chewed, the sparkle in her eyes wavered and her face tensed. "I suppose I should tell you about Jack," she said.

"Jack and Jill," I joked, wanting to brighten her face.

With one tired chuckle, she nodded, "My Jack, your Jill. He's my ex," she sighed, "Three years now. I was married to him for 14 years. The only man I have ever loved, but that love stopped 4 years ago."

Her story continued around our pauses for eating. "I always thought he loved me for who I was, not just for my looks. I still don't know when it started. But, he just found himself a young, slinky twit. He also started to secretly divert money from our joint accounts. Once I found out, I had to file for divorce, just for financial protection. Biggest problem is that he was my business partner in the interior design business."

"That has to hurt. And you never found out why?" I asked.

"Not really," she said, shaking her curls strongly, "However, and forgive me the language, but his little twit bitch was so stupid as to march up to our front door when he was out of town on business. She proclaimed to me the Jack was hers now, and that the house & business would be hers, too, 'because her Jackie said so!' And I should just clear out, now, before he threw me out, since I couldn't give him any children. I've never so badly wanted to wipe a smirk off of anyone's face as I did hers that day. I resisted, though, and slammed the damn door in that bitch's smug face."

"And that is how you found out about his cheating?" I asked.

"Nice, huh?"

"My Jill couldn't have children, either," I added, "But I knew it when I married her. Childhood injury."

Soola looked into my eyes for the first time since the "Jack" dissertation had begun, "And not having children never bothered you?"

"Not really," I replied, "I mean, I think I would have been a good father. But, I didn't feel that strong need to 'leave a legacy of family behind me' or to live my life through my children. It was a joy to be able focus just on the women I loved, and share my life with her, without all the distractions and interruptions that children entail. I'm happy to leave populating the world to others, like my older brother and his clan of six kids...I'm sorry, Soola. I didn't think about your feelings. I hope my thoughts on children didn't offend you?"

"No!" she almost barked, "Not at all." It was a delight to see a modest smile return to her face.

"Good," I sighed, "And how was the dinner"?

"Just like you said, perfectly prepared," she replied. She picked up the champagne bottle and examined it. "And I had never had this champagne before. I'll have to remember it. I have been, and still am, enjoying it, a lot. Of course, I am enjoying the company even more!"

I liked the sound of that, and asked, "Need I ply you with anything more?"

"No, I'm so full I can't even think about desert!" she exclaimed.

"Want to go when we finish the champagne?" I asked.

"That sounds great,"

"Okay," and I waved at Carla for the check.

When we left, Soola got another round of rapt attention, with Rod even coming out to wave goodbye. As we passed him, he caught my arm, "Are we going to see more of her, Ted?"

"Which parts of her were you hoping to see more of...eh, Rod?" I grinned.

Rod blushed, "I meant...well, just don't let her get away, Rod. There's something special about her, and it's more than her looks!" He let go of my arm.

I saw Soola waiting at the door, smiling broadly. "Agreed!" I said to Rod, and hurried to catch up with her.

Back at Willow Manor, I put her car in the garage next to my Escalade, after moving my side-by-side UTV outside. Inside the house, she took my hand as we walked to the front of the house. Holding her hand felt so familiar and comfortable, and the strength of those feelings were so oddly out of proportion to this simple moment.

"Now that I have plied you with food and liquor, what would you like to do? Talk some more? Turn in early? You're welcome to read any of my books. Or would..."

She stopped me there, "I've had a pretty long day, but I'm not ready to go to sleep, yet. And, since I'm not the kind of woman that faints on your doorstep and then jumps in your bed on the first date..." She waited for my laughs to subside. "...What I'd like is to watch TV...with you.

"Sure" I said, "The family room okay?"

She nodded, "I have one more special request."

"Which is?"

"I'd like to curl up with you on the couch," she said, with a hopeful smile.

"I really like that idea," I hummed, for it used to be one of Jill' favorite things, too. That memory combined with this lovely woman was so very appealing.

"How about we change into more comfortable clothes and meet back here in 10 to 15 minutes?" she asked.

I was in the family room in a light track suit when she came in, wearing a knee length night shirt in a green that picked up on her eye color. She sat right next to me on the couch. Then she brushed my hair back and looked into my eyes. "I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable, Teddy. Even though we have only known each other for half a day, there is something in me that finds you so satisfyingly comfortable."

"I can agree with that," I happily smiled, as I took my turn to brush some of her curls aside, "There is a surprising satisfaction in being around you, and not just because you are wonderful to look at. It's...well...rather like we've done this before."

"Exactly!" she said, with a big smile. Then she got a mischievous look on her face, and pushed me onto my side. She stood, lifted my legs up, putting them against the back cushions, and sat down. Soola got on her side, positioned herself to spoon against me, and then snuggled in with a happy purr. "Pick something for us to watch," she requested, as she moved some of her long curls out of my way.

"What do you like to watch?" I asked, loving her warm body against me.

"What would you think I think I like? Let's test this familiarity thing," and she snuggled to fit me a little closer, "Come on. Guess, Teddy!"

I sighed, liking the way that I was pressed against her back, "Well, I doubt you like shows with too much graphic violence. And probably don't like shows that are F'n this and F'n that."

"Correct, so far," she said, "Keep going," and now I could feel her body vibrate as she spoke.

"Alright, you probably like an intelligent, clever romance, so not ones where every word is virtually predictable. You'll like humor, but not slapstick. So, some of my hunches, in older favorites, would be, Downton Abbey, nearly any Pixar, the Harry Potter series, maybe even Lords of the Rings. And You've Got Mail, plus...ummm..."

"That was very good," she said, "So what's on right now?"

I turned on the TV and brought up the guide, "Ah! There's The Incredibles 2!"

"Perfect," she hummed into me, "I love the baby, Jack-Jack!"

We both laughed at the movie, and it felt so good to feel her laugh while snuggled up against me. Then I started to get an erection. So, I gently tried to shift to move it away from her.

"Ted?"

"Yes?"

"Stop moving away, and put it back against me. I like it!" And then she snuggled her butt closer to emphasize her preference. Feeling a bit awkward, I did as she asked, and she moved her butt around, almost seeming to encourage my erection. I was just starting to smile to myself at the delight of her, when she grabbed my wrist, and wrapped my arm over her breasts, placing my palm squarely on her breast.

"Comfortable, now?" she asked.

"I certainly am!" I chimed.

"Good. This is the best way to watch a movie," she said.

She'd get no argument from me. It turned into one of those magical times when you're with someone, and having clearly erotic contact, and yet you don't want it to escalate to sex, because it would just disturb the special comfort you were so fully enjoying.

Erections came & went, and my dick would occasionally bounce against her, which she'd answer with a quick wiggle. My hand was surrounding her unexpectedly full breast, and her nipple would harden for a while, when one of us shifted. Sometimes, she seemed to unconsciously stroke the top of my foot with her toes. Other times, she slid her fingers between mine and pressed my hand more firmly onto her breast. Then she'd sigh at the resulting firmer contact.

We didn't talk, except for comments about the movie. She had been quiet for a while towards the end of the movie, and when the credits came on, I heard and felt a small snort.

"I'm falling asleep," Soola mumbled, "Thank you, Teddy. I think I'm going to bed now." She sat up, and all her thick curls shuffled into a new equilibrium.

I clicked the TV off, replying, "Me, too. I'll walk you up." All I could think of, as I followed her up the stairs, was that I wanted to take her to my bed, and just listen to her sleep. Just to see that mass of dark curls on the pillow beside me. I wanted to watch the morning light slowly illuminate the lovely gold tones of her skin. To see those emerald green eyes awake from a sound sleep. To hear her inevitable morning yawn and stretch.

But, I just said, "Sleep as long as you want." She gave me a groggy, "Nite" and a clumsy, brief hug.

In my room, I looked out through the sheer curtains, as the moonlight lit Jill's willow tree. The room was quiet for too long. So, my mind asked Jill, "What do you think of her, dear? Special, right? Dramatic looking, for sure. Why does she seem so familiar, though? Is she the one you would have wanted me to be with? But, why is she here? Why would she come from Chicago to this place...to me? And, will she go back to Chicago?" I wished Jill could help, while never having thought that she really could. It took me over an hour to get my brain to shut out Soola, and let me sleep.

= = = = = = =

"Teddy?

"mmmm...yeah?"

"Can I come in?" she asked, in a low voice.

"Uh...sure"

"Can I sit?" were her cautious words.

"Of course...uh...what time is it?" I said, as I felt the bed sag slightly.

"3:41...sorry,"

I could just see the outline of her and that hair against the faint light through the window. "What is it, beautiful?" I asked, trying to get my eyes and brain to work.

Even with so little light, I could see the big smile, though it didn't last long. "This is so unlike me!" she said, in a higher pitched voice than I had heard before, and she sounded frustrated.

"What is?" I asked, covering a yawn.

"To have...impulses this strong...To feel so compelled...to need like this," she said, and her voice sounded shy, and rather sultry.

"Maybe I sound a bit naïve, Soola, but I have to ask you, to be clear...what is it you need?" I said, waiting for the desire for sex I thought would be coming.

In the dark of the room, I heard her sniff. Then she spoke, and her voice was rather choked, "I'm not the kind of woman who just jumps into bed with a man I just met..."

"I sensed that, Soola," I interjected, softly.

Then she suddenly blurted, and her words came fast, "I'm great in bed, Teddy! I love sex, and I can stay in bed all day, doing all kind of things to my man. Sweat 'til we drop, shower, and then do it all again. I can play the mouse or the tiger! Since my divorce, I have gone wild, and now I have men who beg me for another night!"

"Okay, you have my attention!" I exclaimed, startled, and now much more awake, as I looked up at her slumped shadow.

"But..." she said, before a pause.

"Just talk to me, Soola. Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be okay."

I heard her deep sigh, "It was always Soola that was in control in those relationships. Jack, that asshole, really hurt me, and I wasn't going to let myself get sucker punched like that again. If I didn't see one man again, no problem. I could get another."

"This all sounds a bit strange," I said, "As the Soola I met, and have already grown quite fond of, doesn't seem like that person." Then, I chuckled, "Well, maybe she is great at sex, but I haven't seen that side of her, so I can't agree or disagree."

She gave me a punch in the leg. "Ted, you jerk. You aren't one of those men I'm talking about. You're the problem...suddenly, my defenses are failing me. I don't feel in control. Out of nowhere, I'm feeling contentment like when I was still happy in my marriage. Like what we have between us was here before, and will be here tomorrow, too."

"I like the sound of that Soola...a tomorrow with you in it. Is that a problem for you? I still don't know why you'd drive from Chicago to specifically come here?"

"I can't explain coming here, right now," she said, with frustration returning to her voice, "But, I'm frustrated that my defensive self isn't working. I'm vulnerable because I find myself needing just one man...specifically you! And no offense to your ego, please, but it's not the sex that I'm finding I have this urgent need for. Though I am sure our sex would be great! It's the sharing and the closeness. The talking over dinner was so special, and then curled up with you in front of the TV was wonderful. Much more than my emotions expected. Part of me wants to run back to Chicago to be safe from you."

"And the other part?" I asked, as I tried to convey hope with my voice, and by reaching out and taking her hand.

"The other part says I'd be a fool to leave you and that there is so much more to you that I need to know about. It says I should just let myself enjoy you and that all men are not like Jack. And it says, I should just let myself be held close to this man, in body and heart, plus to believe that trust can last."

"I would never want to hurt you or disappoint you, Soola. But, what can I do for you, right now?"

Soola let out a big sigh, and hesitated, "This is the moment I have to believe my own words...Teddy, please let me into your bed and hold me close, and let me wake there later this morning?"

"With pleasure, anytime" I said. She stood up, and I flipped the covers back. Then she further surprised me by pulling her nightshirt over her head, before she slid into bed and against me, beautifully naked.

She spooned back against my silk pajamas, and then swept her hair under her neck, so that it didn't fill my face. "Where's that wonderful hand I had on my breast earlier?"

"It's busy," I said, and kissed her shoulder. I had too much temptation in my arms to not take at least one tour of her magnificent body. I took the backs of my fingers, and slowly drew them down the side of her sleek body, behind her arm, then over the edge of her buttock, and down her leg, as far as her knees.

"Definitely a busy hand," Soola purred and slowly squirmed to match where I was touching her.

Turning my hand over, and using the pads of my fingers, I drew back up her body. This time, a little farther forward, I traversed her hip bone and came up to her ribs, where I met her arm. Then I just slid up her arm to her shoulder, and lastly up to her neck.

She held her breath as I went up her neck to her ear, and then exhaled "MMMmmm..." as I relocated my hand back to her waist. When I felt her relax again, with my happy erection cradled against her butt, I surprised her by sliding my hand around and onto her taught stomach. Then let it creep downward. She let out a hushed hiss as my fingers covered the small strip of pubic hair that I had found, and her back arched while she stretched her legs out straight.

As she slowly twisted her body against me, I whispered, "Now, go to sleep!"

"What?!" she said, in disbelief, as she added another squirm to reiterate her question.

"Go to sleep!" I confirmed as I kept my fingers on her small, furry patch, "It's nearly 4:15."

"Well...okay...SIR!" she said, and giggled, as she snuggled back into a spooning position, and once again parked her hair under her neck.

With my chin just behind her shoulder, I replayed that "SIR!" and the appended giggle. "Was that just a coincidence!? It had to be!"

= = = = = = =

I woke up at 7:30 and got everything I had wanted when I had walked her upstairs last night. Soola was no longer right against me, but very close. She was sleeping on the pillow next to me, lying on her stomach. The covers were off of her to the point her she was exposed from her tailbone up. Her thick curls of hair were all around her, hiding her face. I could hear the little huffs of breath as she slept. The sunlight was coming in and it highlighted the exquisite curve of her back, as well as covering her in hues of golds and browns.

I need to use the bathroom, and tried to slide away, but she awoke, twisted, yawned, and stretched, and then opened those eyes. It was also my first sighting of her lovely breasts. "Morning" she said, with her second yawn.

"Morning, gorgeous. Sleep well?" I asked, with a smile.

"Oh, Yes!" she said, "I seem to remember drifting off to sleep with someone caressing my skin."

"Is that right? If I find him, I send him back in," I said, as I slid out of the bed.

She gave me that big smile, "Well, when you find him, tell him I'll book him for tonight, too, if he's not already booked up."

I stopped just as I was entering the bathroom, "I think anyone would make room for you in their schedule."

When I came out of the bathroom, she wasn't on the bed. I looked around and found the silhouette of her. She was sitting in Jill's favorite chair on the balcony. Memories of Jill in her last mornings flooded back, but I kept them in check as I went out onto the balcony, through the sliding door.

"This is a wonderful spot to take in the mornings," Soola said, as she sat in her nightshirt with her feet tucked beside her.