The Morning After

"Just got it today," Sam said. "By the way where is your car?"

"It's Carmen's car now. That's what she and I were doing while you entertained the doctors Craig."

"Did she get a good deal?"

"She thinks so."

"How about you? Did you get a good deal?"
"I'm happy."

"Good." Sam was glad he didn't get between the two women in that transaction but he wondered what kind of arrangement they made and how Carmen was going to pay for a late model Prius. "Okay then," Sam said, turning to his new travelling companion, "what do you say to an early supper at the Red Mill in Leesburg?"

"Sounds great. I've heard good things about it."

They lingered over their meal until Sam thought the worst of the rush hour traffic had died down, then continued on Interstate 66 to Gainesville where they picked up I-15/VA211 toward Warrenton. Driving west and southwest, they were facing a fierce sun as it settled on the Blueridge Mountains. Sam pulled into a Pilot gas and service center to top off their fuel supply and to get relief from the sun in his eyes. Mary sat sideways in her seat, smiling warmly at her companion. Her skirt rose a couple of inches above her knee. She had smooth shapely legs and she wasn't wearing hose.

'Want a soft drink, tea or a cup of coffee? I'd like to keep going for another couple of hours."

"I'm good, thanks for asking."

"You sure?"

"Yes. You go ahead and get something."

"A friend called me this morning to tell me there has been a cancellation at The Inn at Little Washington. I reserved a suite there for four days. Is that okay?"

5-star inn and restaurant? That Inn?"

"The very same."

"Oh, I guess we can put up with it."

Sam called the inn and confirmed the reservation and gave their estimated arrival time.

"Are we a little under-dressed for such auspicious accommodations?"

"I've never been here. But at their prices, nothing will surprise me. Actually I think you look quite sophisticated. If anyone says anything, you can tell them I'm your manservant."

They need not have worried. The reception, when they arrived at the inn was warm and courteous to the point of obsequious. The suite was fit for royalty. A bottle of Dom Perignon and two crystal flutes were waiting for them on an elegant side table in the living room.

When the bellman left, Mary said, "Wow."

Not a word had been spoken about what was expected of her. How was she supposed to earn her share of this extravaganza? Was she here to provide sexual favors? She had always been quiet, shy little Mary. Although she was no longer a virgin, she was not in the habit of paying for anything with her body. She completely surprised herself by taking Sam Foster up on his preposterous dare. For his part, Sam acted the perfect gentle since the moment they left Great Falls. He made no attempt to kiss her, or even touch her. They were in the same suite but there were two king beds, each in its own bed room. She was totally committed, no turning back now, but she was still amazed that she acted so far out of character. Even if she didn't consider the sexual implications, It was not in her nature to drop everything, put her life on pause and take off for nowhere in particular with a man she met just a week ago. Insane, that's what it was. The danger in her situation made her giddy. Sam was a big man, perhaps six-two, two hundred pounds. He could easily overpower her. But she was not afraid of him in a physical sense. She felt sure he would not force her against her will. It was what she would want him to do that caused her worries. With just his presence he had lured her into his truck. What more would she want to give him?

And here he was pouring champagne in the most relaxed and casual manner.

"To happy wandering," he said and handed Mary a flute.

"To happy wandering," Mary said and downed half the flute in one gulp.

"Shall we see what's on the telly or order a movie? What kind of shows do you like?"

"Just anything and everything. I'm not too much into late night TV."

"Gosh, it is late, isn't it?" Sam poured each of them a new drink.

"Time flies when you're having fun."

"Are you having fun?" Sam said, "You seemed kind of pensive there for a minute. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"Truthfully, yes. I was thinking how much unlike me this is. I am not usually impetuous by nature and here I am, just dropped everything and took off with the first tall dark handsome man that asked me."

"And you were wondering if I was going to demand sexual favors as a form of paying your share. Weren't you?"

Mary could feel her cheeks getting red. Was she that obvious? "Yes."

"Let's finish this fine champagne and talk about that. Or would you rather go down to one of the bars where there will be witnesses in case I try to get physical with you?"

"Here's fine."

Sam poured the last of the champagne and leaned back in the easy chair.

"I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice that my wife left me some months ago. I haven't been with anyone since a year before she left. So it's been a pretty long drought. On that basis alone one could say you are right to be worried about me. On the other hand, I'm sure you did at least some due diligence on me before agreeing to be my realtor. And therefore you know I am not prone to push myself on people. It was not my overactive sex drive that my wife found unbearable. I asked you along for companionship. I don't promise a purely platonic experience for us. You are a beautiful young woman and I find you very attractive. I hope you will develop feelings for me before the trip is done. We are not always going to share five-star accommodations and may wind up thrown together more than you like. I will never ask anything of you that you do not freely offer. But 'm not likely to turn down even small favors."

"So we don't have to share a bed tonight?"

"Not tonight, But it looks like we share the bathroom. Do you want to shower first, second, or in the morning?"

"I'll go first if you don't mind."

"Apres vous"

Sam found some Johnny Walker Black Label in the mini bar and fixed himself a drink. He wondered what Mary was thinking now and how she would have reacted if he had demanded his pound of flesh. He was glad he took the opportunity to set her mind at ease. He drank his scotch and soda and let the events of the past few months ply through his mind like a carousel of slides. Angela, the software team, the new app, the sale of the company, the lease of the house, the...

"Sam, Sam." Mary shook him gently "It's all yours now." She leaned over him with her right hand on his left shoulder.

Sam awoke to find the most gorgeous breasts waving inches from his face behind a thin silky night shirt. They were perfectly conical with silver dollar- areolas and hard nipples the size of a fingertip. Was Mary aware that Sam could see her tits? If she did, she did not react but stood in her leaning position as Sam appreciated the beauty of her breasts and the finely toned belly beneath her ribcage.

"Thank you, I must have fallen asleep."

"No problem. You've had a few hard days lately."

"Few hard weeks more likely."

"Okay be right out." Sam stood and was mortified to see a tent in the front of his dockers. He walked briskly to the bathroom hoping Mary had not seen it.

The shower was perfect and relaxed all but one part of his body. That part took a little more effort but, thanks to Mary's little show and his racing imagination, Sam brought that also under control. He expected Mary to be in bed so he came out of the bathroom wearing a new pair of boxer shorts.

"Oops. Sorry Mary. I thought you would already be in bed."

It's okay. Turnabout's fair play. You saw me. I should get to see you."

"I got by far the better end of that bargain."

"Oh yeah?" How so?"

"You are so much more beautiful to look at and there's so much more of you to see."

Mary had never before seen a man in just his shorts, and Sam was certainly a fine specimen. He had massive arms and shoulders and chest muscles that looked like breasts that were flattened and stretched tightly above bulging abdominals that appeared to ripple even when Sam stood still as he stood now. Mary had the greatest urge to go wrap her arms around his waist and push her face into that muscled belly. Although he obviously did not have an erection, Mary could see clearly how his member rested against his leg. She wondered if he would get hard if she let him see her breasts again. These thoughts sent twinges from her vagina to the tips of her nipples.

Finally, Sam turned toward the rear bed room. "I guess I'll take this bed. Call me if you need anything."

"I'll be fine, Have a goodnight."

"You, too. Goodnight."

Mary crawled between the sheets and felt as if someone was caressing her all over. The sheets were satin and smelled of lavender. A person could definitely get used to this. She rubbed a pillow against her chest and torso and imagined it was Sam's body pressing hard against her. In the shower, Mary had stopped herself from inserting her finger into her sensitive slit. Now she realized that stopping had been a mistake. Now she was hungering for something to ease the yearning emptiness. She pressed her forefinger between her outer lips. She was totally wet. She added her middle finger and pushed in and out in a hailing motion. A tingling sensation crept in synch with her fingers toward a spot deep in her womb. Mary was not totally new to masturbation but the orgasms she normally achieved were fleeting tremors that left her far from satisfaction. Tonight she was feeling something different, much more intense. The harder and faster she applied pressure, the more intense the sensation grew. Several times she had to bite the pillow to keep from screaming. "Oh,Yes, harder. Hit me harder. Oh God. I'm coming." She was squirming and rocking through a different kind of orgasm. And then realized that she had dropped the pillow. Oh my God. What if Sam is still awake and heard me? How am I going to face him in the morning? I wonder what would happen if I were to go right now and get into bed with him.

She lay flat on her back, her right hand still in her panties, and fell asleep.

Sam was awake through Mary's private escapade and tried to imagine what she looked like at each stage. He might have been more tempted to go give her the relief she obviously needed if he had not so recently released his own tension. Tomorrow promised to be an interesting day.

He awoke at six, as usual and discovered that several newspapers had been delivered to their suite along with a carafe of coffee and an assortment of fruits and pastries.

He wrapped a heavy terry cloth robe about him, grabbed the Washington Post and a Danish and stepped out to a little veranda hidden among the wisteria.

Mary joined him a few minutes later. Good Morning, Sunshine," Sam greeted her, "Sleep well?"

"Just great, Thank you. What is on the agenda for today?"

"A friend of mine owns a vineyard not far from here. If he's home I'd like to pay him a visit. Would that be okay with you?"

"Of course," Mary said, "This is your trip. You don't need to consult me or make any concessions for my sake. But in any event I would love to visit your friend's vineyard."

"They serve a breakfast buffet that I'm sure is going to be super. Do you want to partake or just eat what the gods have provided and catch the buffet perhaps another day."

"Yeah," Mary said "let's catch the buffet another day. Those rolls look scrumptious."

"Yeah. And so do you."

"Have you been peeking at my boobs again?"

"No. just imagining. But I would like to."

"I'll try to remember that," Mary said, the added, "Too bad we finished the champagne, this orange juice would have made great mimosas."

"Hold that thought," Sam said, and picked up the house phone. "Could you please send us a bottle of Dom Perignon?"

The champagne arrived before Sam and Mary could grab another pastry.

"What does one wear to a winery?"Mary asked.

"I'm not sure it is a winery. It was about forty acres of vinyards about twenty years ago. I don't know if Tomaso has finished the winery. In any case, I'm wearing dress jeans and cowboy boots. You look good in anything. Do you have a red skirt and a white peasant blouse?"

"Not with me, why? Is that what you think I should wear."

"Oh no. I was just remembering an episode from 'I Love Lucy' where she and this other ditzy dame climb into a vat to crush grapes with their bare feet. The girls wore red skirts and white blouses."
"You're funny."

"You think so?"

"I do."

"You think I'll be okay in jeans and a t-shirt?"

"Absolutely."

Sam finished the rest of the mimosas while Mary changed.

She wore skin-tight jeans and a t-shirt cut off right below her breasts

"Wow. You look terrific."

"thank you. You have a way of making me feel terrific even when I really know better."

"I'm just calling them as I see them."

"Are you still talking about my boobs?"

"Yes and no."

"What?"

"Yes I admire your breasts. But I admire the whole package, including your boobs. You are more beautiful than you know."

"Now you sound like you're trying to get into my panties."

"Maybe I am."

"We'd better go or a certain vineyard isn't going to get visited."

Mary brought the crystal flutes inside out of harm's way and noticed the tent in Sam's robe. You're playing with fire, she thought.

The chef put together a picnic for four, including two bottles of fine burgundy and Sam drove about fifteen miles north to Tomaso's vineyard. Tomaso and his wife Carina were picking the last of their cabernet sauvignon and tying back their cabernet franc.

"We brought goodies," Sam said after introductions, "I hope you haven't eaten."

"How about that," Carina said, "We were just fixing to break for lunch."

"Great timing," Mary said and spread a table cloth on the back of a flatbed wagon close by. They had hard salami sandwiches, buffalo mozzarella and dried tomatoes with an assortment of Greek and Italian olives.

After lunch, Mary teamed with Carina in picking grapes while Tomaso and Sam continued where Tomaso had left off tying vines back to the trellis to make way for the tractors to do the heavy harvesting. As they worked they could hear the women occasionally, talking and giggling. It gave Sam a curious feeling between loss and pride. "Sorry to hear about you and Angela," Tomaso said, "must have hit you pretty hard; You were pretty tight."

"Yeah," Sam said, "I'm still sorta reeling."

"You sure got a pretty one this time. Is it serious?"

"Too early to tell, I just met her last week."

They reached the head of the row they were working and Tomaso said, "that should do her. Let's go see how the girls are doing with the cab."

Two long rows of cabernet sauvignon had been picked clean and the grapes piled high in picker boxes in the shade of the vines.

"Mama mia," Tomaso said, "These women did a ton of work.".

"She's a fast learner and a hard worker," Carina said.

"I had a good teacher," Mary replied.

"That's enough fun for one day," Tomaso said and gave Carina a gentle slap across her shapely ass.

Mary looked at Sam expecting Sam to touch her. Even a slap across the ass would be welcome. But Sam only smiled at her.

There was something in the way Sam smiled at her that disconcerted Mary.

She felt at once that he was proud of her and at the same time there was a sadness in his eyes that Mary knew was a yearning for his lost wife. Was he comparing her to Angela and finding Mary wanting in some quality? She wished they could be alone right now so she could talk to him. She felt a need to approach Sam as she had never felt before for any other human being. She needed him to hold her and to mold her to fit the hole that exists in his life. What the hell, she finally admitted she was horny and it was her hole that needed filling.

"Follow us to the house, Sam, Let's see if we have enough energy left among the four of us to make a decent pot of spaghetti."

"Lead on," Sam said, and headed toward the Silverado. Mary ran to catch Sam and offered her hand for him to hold, fearful beyond reason that he would spurn her. But he held her hand instead and gave her a gentle squeeze. He opened her door for her and put his hand on her ass to give her a little boost up to the seat. The truck was so quiet, Mary was sure Sam could hear her heart beating against her ribcage. "Tired?" he said, and patted her thigh just above the knee.

"A little," Mary said and trapped his hand on her thigh. His touch was electricity that travelled instantly to her heart and to a spot between her legs. She felt the dampness increase between her thighs and wondered if he would get an erection. Mary felt a perverse pride in the knowledge that she could stimulate him just by being near. Of course, what really seemed to get him going was seeing her breasts or even talking about them. What funny creatures men are. Mary caressed Sam's hand. It was softer and smoother than she had imagined. But what did she expect? Sam was an engineer, then a business executive. The hardest thing he did with his hands was swing a golf club. Not that Mary was critical of business execs. Sam certainly succeeded from what little she heard.

"You got awfully quiet again," Sam said, "something bothering you?"

"No, not really."

"But what?"

"I wish we could talk." Mary's heart was racing again. Was she getting to something better left alone?

"What would you like to talk about?"

"You, me, us, everything."

"We're here. Let's take a rain check on the talk, okay?"

"Okay," Mary sighed. It was really better that they could not talk right now. She needed time to think of what to say and what to ask. In her heart she knew she would only get one chance. She wanted most of all to know what had Angela done wrong? What did Sam do wrong? What did the two of them do wrong together? But answers to those questions were not like cherries on the tree, waiting to be picked. One or more of those answers depended on this trip. Her only hope was to survive the trip without becoming part of the problem. And to do that she had to make herself as indispensable as the air around him and just about as intrusive. But the one truth she was already starting to discern was that she will never know the answers to the magic questions until she knows who Sam is and she will not know that until she knows who Mary is.

"Come on in. It's not the Inn at Little Washington, but you are just as welcome," Tomaso held a bottle of red wine and four large goblets .Carina stirred something in a pot over the stove. It smelled delicious.

Mary rinsed her hands under the faucet at the kitchen sink and said, "how can I help?"

"You can make a salad," Carina said, "lettuce, tomatoes and other veggies are in that fridge. Tomaso poured wine for everyone without further consultation.

Mary apportioned the salad into four bowls provided by Carina and the four sat at the table to enjoy the wine and wait for Carina to serve the rest of the meal.

"I read where you sold Foster Concepts. Are you going to be okay with that?'

"I have to, don't I?"

"But are you?"

"Let's say I'm working on it."

"Are you going to join the Bill Gates Club?"

"I'm not in their league."

"The Post said you cleared close to a billion dollars," Carina said, "was that not true?"

"I don't trust the post," Tomaso said, "never have."

"So?" Carina insisted.

"Yeah it's true it was close to a billion, believe it or not, I don' know the exact figure. It's higher than I can count in one lifetime and higher than I ever hope to spend."

Mary worried that these personal questions would irritate Sam. But Sam seemed not to be phased by them. It was as if they were asking about any other large number. She was surprised how little regard Sam seemed to have for his personal wealth. She had sensed in her real estate dealings that he was overly inclined to be generous, but often, generosity is a long range strategy that yields greater rewards than strategies built around short term gains and short term milestones. Sam appears to value things beyond money. But what? Mary noticed that Carina was working with three buttons of her blouse undone and she was obviously not wearing a bra. Sam did not appear to be paying too much attention to Carina's breasts but Tomaso hardly took his eyes off them. Was she getting an object lesson?