The Convertible - Time of My Life

And just FYI, if I had ice between my legs, maybe it's because you had no clue how to thaw it, you inconsiderate bastard! You couldn't recognize romantic if it kicked you in the balls, which is what I'm going to do if you don't get the fuck out of here! I don't want to see you again, EVER!" Alejandro stood there, stunned for a minute by my venomous tirade.

Then, in a low angry voice he blurted out, "So that's how it is, huh? Well, just so you know, when I told you I couldn't come with you because the baseball season was starting, I fucking lied! It was because I was going away for a 3-day weekend in Atlantic City with Terri, that super-hot evidence technician from Homicide; let me tell you, Araceli, unlike you she didn't make me wait, not at all! It only took three drinks and a kiss to get her into bed!"

Getting back in his car, he slammed the door and hit the gas, rocks flying as the tires grasped for traction in the gravel lot as he sped away.

Watching him go back down the road, my rage receded, and my adrenaline had stopped pumping. Suddenly I felt completely drained. I felt like every bone in my body had turned to rubber. I plopped my butt down on the grass and started to cry. I wasn't sorry to see Alejandro go, but I was sorry that the relationship had crashed and burned so miserably. I felt someone sit down next to me and an arm over my shoulders. Jeremy.

"Hey, Araceli, I'm so sorry," he whispered, "that had to be tough."

"Yeah," I sniffed, "when your boyfriend calls you a whore, it stings a little. I mean criminals like Raoul Moran can maybe get away with that shit, but not my own boyfriend. Or should I say my ex-boyfriend. No, make that ex-boyfriend/current all-star douchebag."

Jeremy's arm hugged me, and I leaned into him. "Araceli Ochoa, you're smart, you're pretty, and one of the kindest people I've ever met," he said, "you were a great parole officer, believing in people like me when nobody else would. You deserve to be happy."

"Thanks," I whispered, "but it sure doesn't feel like it." Suddenly, Jeremy's lips were on mine. Soft, gentle, and caring. I didn't pull away. If Alejandro's kisses were a grade 'B-', Jeremy's were definitely 'A+'.

When it finally ended, I said, "Jeremy, don't take this the wrong way, but I think I need to be alone right now. I need to do some thinking."

"Sure," he said, "I'll be around if you need anything." He patted me once on the back, got up and walked away.

I walked back to the cabin, not sure what I was feeling. As I got closer, though, I heard sounds that I hadn't heard since I'd been a teenager staying at Uncle Arthur and Tia's house. It sounded as if Maria Regina got her groove back.

As the soundproofing of our cabin was pretty much nonexistent and I had no desire to eavesdrop, to give my Tia her privacy I abruptly turned and headed to a nearby path for a little nature walk. When I got back to the cabin two hours later, I heard the two of them speaking in normal voices, so I sat down in one of the Adirondack chairs on the front porch and waited.

Pretty soon Nicholas opened the front door, his clothing in a state of dishevelment as if he'd dressed in a hurry. He saw me and his face immediately flushed. "Oh, hello Araceli, I was just, um, having a chat with Maria Regina. She's a wonderful woman. I have a class to teach so I have to be going..."

"Oh, Nicholas, aren't you forgetting something?" I heard Maria Regina's voice, in that slightly seductive tone I'd heard her use with Uncle Arthur signaling him that she was going to bed, but she wasn't at all sleepy.

Tia appeared at the door barefoot, her perfect hair looking dishevelled and wrapped in a sexy silk robe; the top was slightly open to display a tantalizing view of her cleavage. She held up her hand, a sock dangling from it. "We can't have you getting a blister on your toe, now can we?"

He took a step closer; as he reached for the sock she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss. When she released him, there was a noticeable bulge in his trousers, and he looked thunderstruck.

"Yes, thank you Maria Regina," he murmured, then, remembering I was sitting there, he leaned forward and took the sock. He then gave her a chaste kiss on the lips; if he was trying to cover up the fact that he'd been hit by Hurricane Tia, he failed.

I chuckled, "Goodbye, Nicholas," amazed that he could even walk with that erection.

Nicholas flushed bright red again, hurriedly throwing me a "See you in class Araceli," before stumbling down the cabin steps. I was thinking Nicholas's next dance class would cover the two-step, where bodies don't come in contact. If he tried to teach something sensuous like the bachata, I'm sure the poor man would have collapsed and required CPR and rehydration since Maria Regina had finished with him.

I got out of the chair and followed Tia inside. The smell of sex, mingled with the scent of her perfume permeated the cabin. "I believe I'll take a shower," she announced off-handedly, "come in and sit on the toilet if you want to talk to me." I could tell by her tone this was more of a request than a suggestion.

I followed her in, put the toilet seat lid down and sat. She pulled back the curtain, turned on the shower, and dropped her robe as the water warmed up. I'd not seen Tia completely naked since I was a girl, and was impressed at what great shape she was still in.

Her B-cup breasts were firm, the brown areolas and pert nipples could be those of a woman in her 20s. I couldn't help but notice a few love bites Nicholas had left on them. As she turned to enter the shower, I saw a few love bites on her small ass cheeks as well. Apparently, my sweet Tia had been quite the naughty girl!

Maria Regina closed the shower curtain so the water wouldn't splash, and steam rolled up over the top of the curtain rod. She called out, "I'm sure you have questions, Araceli, go ahead."

I laughed, "I'm happy for you Tia, but what happened to a man tending the vineyard before tasting the wine? From the looks of it, he didn't just taste the wine, he drained the winery!"

She chuckled, "Ah, mi querida sobrina, let's just say for us older vintages, the vineyard doesn't require nearly as much tending," she said as she patted her stomach, "plus, at my age there's no danger of him planting new grapes. Besides, I'd say I was the one who drained HIM! He wasn't on a par with Arthur, of course, but this was only his first time with me. I think with a little training he might be able to keep up."

I marveled at Tia. Smart as a whip, gorgeous, and passionate, even at 52 she was still a role model for me. "How exactly did you two get together?"

"While you've been getting to know your Jeremy better, Nicholas and I have also been spending more time together. When he first asked me out for coffee, I viewed him as a pleasant distraction. But as we talked, I was struck by how genuine he was. We started meeting up on more coffee dates, then progressed to dinners and walks by the lake. I think it's safe to say we've become quite fond of each other.

He's nearly 40 you know, I wouldn't have guessed that, and a single father to boot. I've found him to be an extremely sweet man, his heart broken by an immature young wife; she deserted him and their son Eric two years ago, when the boy was 3.

Nicholas is a good father; while he's giving dance lessons, Eric stays with the guest's children in the Mountain Lake Lodge childcare center so he's never far from his father."

She pulled back the shower curtain. "Hand me two towels, love," she said, and I grabbed two off the pile on the counter. Wrapping her tight body in one, then wrapped her hair in a turban style with the other and stepped out.

I followed her as she walked into her bedroom and began pulling fresh clothes out of the closet. A light breeze was blowing in the bedroom window, so the smell of sex was dissipating, thank heavens. The bed was totally wrecked; pillows had been thrown around the room, and even the fitted bottom sheet was balled up, exposing the bare mattress.

I made a mental note to put an extra tip on the dresser for the housekeeping staff, then turned back; Maria Regina was now dressed in skinny jeans and a bra. She pulled on a white t-shirt with red sequined letters that read, 'THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE', and I thought to myself 'Ain't that the truth!'.

Tai continued on, "Sure enough, Nicholas was a charming and mature conversationalist; he'd ask just enough questions about me to find out what I was like, but not enough to be intrusive. He's still under the impression I'm a practically penniless widow, yet he was sensitive and respectful, treating me as if I was the Queen of England.

I knew from our discussions it had been a couple of years since he'd had any physical affection, so I decided to give him some. I booked him for a private dance lesson in our cabin, and you just saw the results."

She closed her eyes and smiled, as if savoring the last bite of a delicious meal. "Mmmmm, that poor man definitely had a lot of love stored up. I don't want to embarrass you, but with that dancer's body he was an amazing lover."

I laughed at that comment. "I'm not a teenager anymore, Tia; we're way past me being embarrassed; I'm just in awe of you."

She smiled and patted me lovingly on the cheek, then looked out the window. Her voice took a serious tone. "The thing of it is, Araceli, I had given up on that sort of thing after your Uncle Arthur died. As far as love and sex was concerned, I closed and locked the door and was done.

I was happy with all the love that Arthur gave me, it was enough to last a lifetime. But now, with all the time we spent together, that sweet man has accidentally unlocked that door. Araceli, I..." Her voice became choked up,

"God help me, I think I'm falling for him. I'm going to pray tonight that Arthur forgives me. I swore an oath at his funeral that I would never love anyone else, but now..." She burst into tears.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her down to sit on the bed with me, then pulled her in close. "Tia Maria Regina, escuchame! Listen to me and listen well! I saw first-hand how much Uncle Arthur absolutely adored you. Do you honestly believe in your heart that as much as he loved you, Uncle Arthur would ever want to keep you from being happy? I know for a fact he wouldn't dream of it!

Arthur never denied you a single thing when he was here, you think he would deny you now that he's in heaven? I'm sure he's looking down and saying, 'That poor Nicholas guy, now someone else FINALLY knows what it's like', and he'd laugh! He's laughing right now, I bet!" I leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"You don't need to pray for his forgiveness, Tia, Uncle Arthur is up there cheering you on! If you want to love NIcholas, you DO it!" I felt myself beginning to cry too, my own memories of sweet, kind Uncle Arthur making my emotions overflow. Maria Regina and I held each other for a little while, then she whispered, "Thank you, Araceli."

At that moment, I finally realized I had been holding back my feelings for Jeremy, when what I really needed was to let go and love the man; in my mind I could hear Uncle Arthur cheering me on, too.

I told Maria Regina goodbye and ran down to the kitchen to find Jeremy. The cleaning crew told me he'd clocked out and headed to his own cabin, Unit 5-A.

It took me a while wandering around the staff residential cabins to find Unit 5-A, but I finally did. I knocked on the door, and Jeremy opened it. His eyes widened in surprise. I said nothing, but handed him back his piece of yellow paper that I'd clearly marked my response on:

"Do you like me? Check one: _XXX!!_ Yes _____No", and added a hastily-scrawled note: 'YES I LIKE YOU A LOT WILL YOU GO STEADY WITH ME?'

The look of joy on Jeremy's face told me everything I needed to know. Stepping inside, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for the kiss of a lifetime.

When I stepped away, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me to his small bedroom. He took off his shirt, and I was extremely impressed with how muscular he was! Apparently working in a resort kitchen and moving all those meals around kept him in great shape!

He sat on the edge of the bed, and I slid over next to him. I began to unbutton my blouse. After the third button, I took his left hand and seductively rubbed it across my collar bone.

His eyes were wide, "Araceli, I can't believe this is happening," he murmured, "you've always been..." I put a finger to his lips.

"Jeremy," I whispered, "You once told me you tended to follow your feelings," I kissed his forearm and moving his hand lower, into the area directly between my breasts, "now is not the time to stop."

I reached up and pulled his face down to mine, and by morning no doubt remained that I had made the right choice.

++++++++++

Our departure from Mountain Lake Lodge was tearful; Nicholas and Jeremy both helped us load the luggage into the TR2. Jeremy kissed me and murmured, "I'll see you soon, I promise."

I was seated in the car and belted in, so I don't know what final words were said between Tia and Nicholas; in the rearview mirror I could see them standing in each other's arms, holding each other. When Tia got in the car, she was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. Saying nothing, I patted her arm in consolation before shifting into gear and heading back.

Once we returned to New Jersey, it didn't take too long for me to find a job as a loss prevention specialist for a clothing manufacturer in Manhattan's garment district. Jeremy resigned from the resort and moved in with me soon after, getting a job as a line cook at a nearby country club in Jersey City. He's loving it and is working his way up to become a sous-chef.

We wasted no time getting caught up on the lovemaking we missed all those years apart; we were both delighted when I missed my period and an early pregnancy test showed positive. We weren't really trying to have a baby, we were just following our feelings, the way Jeremy liked to do.

Being 33 and with my parents both gone, I didn't care about having a big wedding. We raced down to the courthouse and got married there. I just wanted to marry my sweet man and get a ring on him so no one else would make a run at him; I knew he'd never cheat on me, but he was so damned cute some rich woman at the country club might very well find him irresistible. I wanted every woman in the world to know he was all mine, now and forever.

Under ordinary circumstances, Tia Maria Regina would have wanted to arrange a big wedding for me, but she was otherwise occupied; Nicholas having won her heart in Virginia, when we returned she was on pins and needles to see what he would do next. In the TR2 on the trip back she kept wondering aloud if it had been a mistake giving herself to this man; maybe she'd just been an old fool after all. Her heart ached to know if Nicholas truly loved her, or if she was just a temporary fling to him.

Thankfully, it didn't take long to find out. After an agonizing 6 days, Nicholas showed up at Tia's front door in New Jersey. I happened to be with Tia having coffee when he arrived. Spotting him on the security camera monitor, Tia quickly went into her room to change while I went down the entry staircase to let him in.

Nicholas was stunned at the spaciousness and décor of the big brownstone. "I, uh, wasn't sure if I had the right place, this doesn't look like the home of a poor widow."

I gently explained, "Oh, you've got the correct address. I have to confess I lied, Nicholas, it was entirely my fault. After hearing you say all those bad things about rich widow guests, I told Tia to pretend she was penniless so you wouldn't reject her out of hand."

He laughed, shaking his head, "Araceli, you did me such a favor. I was so cynical and bitter, I would have rejected her, and missed out on..."

"Missed out on what, Nicholas?" Tia asked as she descended the stairs. When she saw Nicholas at the door, she'd quickly changed into a stylish pink two-piece pantsuit. (Always dressed to kill, that was my Tia!)

Nicholas ran to meet her as she reached the bottom step and wrapped his arms around her. His words poured out of him, "Missed out on the love of the best woman I ever met, Maria Regina," he exclaimed, "after you left, I could barely eat or sleep, and every time I had to teach a class without you there, it left me an empty shell. Some of my students even complained to management about me. Even Eric noticed, he got worried and kept asking if Daddy was sick."

He stepped back, holding her hands and looking intently in her eyes. Tia looked as serious as I'd ever seen her, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.

Nicholas dropped to one knee. "Maria Regina Ochoa King, the first time we danced together I realized you were the woman I'd been praying for, the woman I wanted. No other woman will do, it has to be you! I'm asking you to marry me and be my dance partner for life."

Tears flowing down her cheeks now, Tia pulled him to his feet and kissed him passionately. For once, my lovely, strong, independent Tia had no self-assured comeback, no clever retort. Her response was simply a quiet, "Yes, Nicholas. Yes."

Like Jeremy and I, Tia Maria Regina and Nicholas wasted no time in getting married. A quick trip to City Hall and Maria Regina Ochoa King became Maria Regina Ochoa Williams, loving and happy wife to Nicholas and doting stepmother to Eric. Tia and her stepson are two peas in a pod; like her, Eric is a ball of energy and does everything at full volume. It's sweet how he's completely bonded with her; when something goes wrong, it's Momma Maria that Eric runs to for comfort. She is his world, as wonderful a mother to him as she is a wife to Nicholas.

++++++++++

One night after dinner my pregnancy hormones were raging; the insecurities that come with a growing baby took over, and I sat on the couch and started crying. In the kitchen, Jeremy stopped cleaning up the dishes and rushed to my side, throwing his arms around me.

"Mi amor, que pasa?", he whispered. (Jeremy had started learning Spanish for me, concentrating on the romantic words, of course. It had the desired effect; I loved him even more for it, as if I didn't love him enough already.)

I stopped crying for a second, and said though my sniffling, "I love you, Jeremy, you're the perfect husband and I'm going to get fat and hideous and I'm afraid you'll find someone prettier and skinnier," I blurted out, "I don't want you to leave me!" I began crying again, my hormones taking me on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Up to this point in my pregnancy I'd been sensitive, but this was the worst I'd ever felt. Jeremy wrapped his arms around me and lovingly murmured, "Oh, Araceli, Eres la mujer más hermosa del mundo, mi amor! There's no one more beautiful than mi bella esposa!" Taking me by the hand, he turned out the lights in the kitchen and led me to our bedroom. He undressed me slowly, showering my face and body with kisses, taking extra time on my swollen breasts and belly.

"Estoy totalmente dedicado a ti," he whispered, declaring his devotion to me, "and I'll prove it!" At that, he laid me down on the bed, spread my legs and gently entered me; his manhood was rock-hard, and I gasped in pleasure. My vagina was already wet from his attentions so he slid right in, making slow love to me. I climaxed quickly, but he continued; it was after my second climax that he finally released his seed into me, laughing with joy and kissing my face all over. I couldn't help myself, I began crying again, damn those hormones!

Jeremy was nonplussed; "Mi amor, why are you crying now? Did I hurt you? Is the baby all right?"

"Yes," I sobbed, "it's just that I have the most wonderful husband in the world, and I don't deserve you!"