The Muse

"I was shocked and a little hurt that you could sleep through all that, so instead of heading to the bathroom to clean myself, I climbed up your body until my pussy was directly over your mouth. I held your nose until you opened your mouth to breathe and then basically force fed you your own cum, mixed with my juices as well. When the flow finally stopped I basically got myself off again by rubbing myself all over your face.

"That's when I got off your face and went to the bathroom.

Jim just laid there with a look of abject horror on his face.

"You would really do something like that to me? How could you disrespect me like that?"

"Relax, it never happened," she said laughing. "I'm not some kind of sexual pervert. I just wanted to get back at you a bit for last night. I tried everything short of hitting you with a two-by-four to wake you up. All you did was murmur something unintelligible and turn your head away from me. So I had fun without you."

She was still laughing as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

______ ____________

"Dad, Dad, we're going up to get ready. I'll make sure everyone uses one of the rooms to get dressed so you don't have to worry about catching us out in the open when you come in. Don't stay out here too much longer, you're looking a little pinkish; maybe you'd better turn over."

Shortly after she left, Jim got up and made a headlong dash to the water. He was a good twenty yards into the surf and had just dove in when the shock of the fifty-five-degree water first reached his brain. Just as quickly he stood and raced back to the shore and his towel.

After drying off he spent about twenty minutes with his back towards the sun.

'There are five girls and only one shower, they'll take forever to get ready; I'd better get up there."

When he got back to the room, he found four of the girls sitting in front of the TV watching a movie.

"Kristin, why don't you girls use my bathroom as well? I'll be relaxing out on the balcony; just let me know when you're done so I can shower and get ready to take you guys later."

"That's great Dad; Tiffany and I will use your shower while Rose and Faith use mine. Jenny should be out any minute."

Jim spent about an hour on the balcony in his lounge chair nursing a scotch on the rocks when he heard a knock on the sliding door behind him. Kristin, wrapped in a bath towel, was letting him know the bathroom was free.

Looking at the pile of towels in his bathroom, he knew what he was going to be doing this evening. He only hoped everyone else in the building didn't have the same idea.

It was close to six o'clock when everyone was finally ready. They all piled into the elevator and then into the Explorer. The drive to their usual drop-off point took about twenty minutes due to the traffic and the numerous traffic lights. Before she got out of the car, Kristin leaned over the console and gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll call you when we're ready to leave. Don't fall asleep," she said with a giggle, "or we'll have to walk home."

"Then don't wait too late to call me," he countered.

On the way back home, he stopped at the Pink Cadillac Diner and had a bacon cheeseburger, an order of onion rings, and a chocolate shake. He didn't often eat like this, not with his daughter around picking up the mantle of his dead wife, watching over everything he ate; even though he had the metabolism of a race horse and ran nearly ten miles every day.

When he got home, he checked out the laundry on his floor. He was in luck; no one was currently using either of the washers or the dryers. He started in his bathroom, picked up the towels and wash cloths, then went into the other bathroom and picked up the towels and wash cloths from there. His last stop was the basket with the beach towels. Since they were large machines he only needed one for his wash load. With the machine started, he went back to the condo and watched a little TV.

Because he was used to doing the laundry, he knew almost to the minute how long it would take. He got there just as the machine stopped. Deciding that two smaller loads would be faster than one large one he used both dryers, alternately checking on each until the loads were dry. Just as he was leaving, a young woman with two young kids came in.

"Oh thank goodness, I've stopped at each floor; these are the only machines available."

The phone call came at ten minutes to eleven. As promised Jim was still up and dressed, and fifteen minutes later he arrived at their designated pickup point. The girls climbed in and were relatively quiet on the ride back. When they got home, Jim said goodnight to everyone and retreated to his side of the condo. He began his nightly ritual: undressed, put on his robe, poured himself an evening drink, and went out onto the balcony.

He leaned against the railing looking out at the lights of the fishing boats moving slowly against the darkness of the Atlantic and then glanced northward. The lights of the boardwalk were still illuminating the night sky. 'It was good to be here'. He had always enjoyed the Jersey shore; he just wished Erika was still here to enjoy it with him.

Settling back onto his lounge chair, he took a sip of his drink and watched the boats through the railing. At that moment he heard the sliding door from the other side of the concrete partition open and close. When he had originally bought the two units he had asked if the partition could be removed.

'No,' they had told him. 'Those are structural support for all of the balconies and the roof above. That partition runs from the roof right down to the foundation.'

He didn't know who was outside and was just about to make some noise to let whoever was there know that he was just on the other side of the wall, when the girls began to speak.

"I didn't want to say this in front of Kristin, but I think her father is so hot."

"Tiff, he's old enough to... well, to be your father."

"Faith, what difference does that make, he's still hot."

"He's got to be at least twenty years older than you."

"My father is almost 25 years older than my mother. Mom always said the women in our family are attracted to older men."

"So?"

"So, I'm just saying I wouldn't mind losing my virginity to Jim."

"Eeew, that's gross."

"What do you mean 'gross'? When I make love with a man for the first time, I don't want it to be with some pimply faced kid who's probably a virgin and doesn't have a clue how to satisfy a woman. In fact, maybe this weekend, I might try to seduce him if I can get him alone for a while."

"Tiff, you wouldn't, would you? That's Kristin's father."

"Yeah, but he's a good looking guy who's been alone for almost eight months. He's ripe for the picking, and if anyone is going to pick that fruit it's going to be me. We'd better get back inside."

Jim couldn't believe what he had just heard. Tiffany, his daughter's best friend, had the hots for him. What was he going to do? He couldn't let anything happen between them. Sure, she was a beautiful young woman, the key word being young. He wasn't ready for anything like this. He would just have to avoid being alone with her, or any of them, for the rest of the weekend. Just to be safe, when he re-entered the condo, he locked the passage door before retreating back to his bedroom.

Jim spent a very restless night. His dreams weren't erotic, but they were sensual. In every one of them, Tiffany was chasing him. Each time she cornered him, he heard Erika's voice say, 'Not yet; it's not time yet,' and he would wake up. He'd fall back to sleep only to have the dream start again, only this time she would be wearing less than before. The third time she was naked and so was he. She had trapped him in his bedroom and pushed him backwards onto the bed. As she climbed between his legs, he closed his eyes and heard Erika's voice loud and clear: "She's not ready yet." When he opened his eyes he was alone in his bed, sunlight shining in. Looking at the clock on his night stand he was shocked to discover it was nearly nine o'clock.

The rest of the weekend, and the rest of the school year, were uneventful. He attended Kristin's graduation. He was as proud as a father could be of her accomplishments and the woman she had become. There were tears of joy and tears of sadness as the graduates, especially the 'we five' realized that they may not see each other ever again. All were going away to different schools. Tiffany was going to Princeton, Rose to Harvard, Jenny to M.I.T., and Faith to Wellesley College.

The 'we five' would get together one last time, on the first weekend in August; after three days of sun, laughter and nights on the boardwalk, they wished each other good luck and farewell and went their separate ways with the promise that they would keep in touch.

Jim dreaded the last week in August and the doom it foretold. Soon Kristin would be off to Florida, Labor Day week-end would mark the unofficial end of summer at the Jersey Shore, and for the first time in his life he would be entirely alone.

Chapter 4:

There was nothing for him to do. Sure, he could go for a run, which he did almost every morning. He ran the nearly five miles of beach to its end in North Wildwood and turned around and ran back to the Coast Guard Station and then back to the condo. When it was needed, which wasn't very often, he cleaned the condo. There was no mail to speak of; his publishing company had all but written him off as a burned out author. He had used the last of his inventory of unpublished works over a year ago. They had sent him a new contract to sign requiring him to write one novel a year for the next three years; it was still on his office desk, unsigned.

______ ____________

Kristin's returns home were the only bright spot in his life of darkness. It had been four years since she first went away to school. She had done exceptionally well. Now she was starting her Master's program and had already completed some graduate courses. She had also met a young man and they were already making plans for their future lives together. Jim was both happy for her and more deeply depressed than ever; he was losing his little girl.

"Dad, I'm worried about you. It's been nearly five years since Mom died. You have to find someone to share your life with; you're too young to be alone for the rest of your life."

"I know; but it's hard to let go. She was everything to me"

"And what about your writing? Have you written anything since Mom is gone?"

"I've started several books since you've been gone, but I just can't seem to finish them. I could always turn to your mother when I was stuck. She would be my sounding-board, my guide; she'd keep me on the right path. She was my muse."

"Then you need to find someone to fill that void. Maybe you could advertise for an editor, someone to come here and work with you. You know, I could help you with that. I'll send out some inquiries on-line, review resumes, and set up interviews."

"I don't know..."

"I've already got one interview scheduled for next Friday, with a woman named Ann Edwards. I'm sorry I can't be here, but I have to get back to school. She's got her BA degree in English from Princeton and she's currently employed at Simon & Schuster in New York. She'll be here at noon; she'll meet you in the coffee shop downstairs."

______ ____________

Jim was seated in one of the booths; he had an unobstructed view of the front door. It was, by his watch 11:59, when a tall, good looking, brunette walked through the door. She looked around and, seeing him, turned and walked his way. As she approached, Jim stood and extended his hand. He almost withdrew his hand when he realized who she was.

"Hello, Mr. Stafford; it's good to see you again. I'm sorry for the deception. It was Kristin's idea; she felt you'd never agree to see me if you knew it was me."

"Hello Tiffany; I almost didn't recognize you. You've changed your look; much more mature and business-like. Dialed back a notch; I like it. How have you been? How are your parents; are they well?"

"My mother is doing well; she said to give you her best regards. We lost my Dad about a year ago; I guess Kristin never told you."

"I'm so sorry to hear that; my belated sympathies to both of you."

"Thank you."

"Would you like coffee, or something else to drink? I'm afraid this being the middle of winter, they have a very limited menu."

"Just coffee, thanks."

Jim got up, grabbed two mugs, and poured a cup for each of them. The locals knew it was faster than waiting for the owner.

After accepting the coffee and pouring in a little milk, she began to speak.

"Mr. Stafford..."

"Please, call me Jim."

"Jim, I want to thank you for seeing me. I didn't bring a copy of my resume because truthfully, there's not much on it that you don't already know. I graduated with honors from Princeton with a major in English Lit. After graduation, I started work with Simon and Schuster in New York City. I'm a junior editor, which means I'm one of many who get the first look at unsolicited manuscripts. I enjoy the work, and I've learned a lot, but the commute is killing me. Two hours each way by train, if everything goes well, which almost never happens. I could move to the City, but I don't want to, that's not me. I grew up on what was once a horse farm. We have ten acres of rolling hills and white fences."

"Should I call you, Tiffany or Ann," he asked?

"Which ever you feel comfortable with; I use Ann at work because it sounds more professional; it's my middle name."

"I knew you as Tiffany for almost five years, so I'll stick with that. Tiffany, do you think you could feel comfortable working here with me? The job would involve editing my work, making suggestions and changes to story-lines and when needed, research. I'm afraid there may be a lot of down time, because right now I'm in the midst of a rather long dry spell. The other thing is that there is not much room for advancement."

"That won't be a problem. I'm sure I'll love working with you."

"Well, we still haven't talked about compensation.

"Compensation won't be a problem, either. You see my Dad did very well for himself when he worked on Wall Street. When he died my Mother was well taken care of, and he also set up a large trust fund for me, to which I now have access. Mom's talking about selling the house and moving out west."

"And what are you going to do then?"

"Mist... I mean Jim; I have a proposal for you. What if, instead of compensation, you just gave me room and board? I could stay in the guest room. You won't have to pay me any spending money; I have plenty of that. This way I could always be available to do anything you needed to be done."

"Tiffany, I'm not sure how appropriate that would be. What would people think? What would Kristin think? What would your mother think?""

"Kristin's not a problem; she's the one who suggested it. Besides we're practically sisters anyway, so that would make me almost like your daughter."

She could see that Jim was still on the fence over this.

"I promise to be good. I know you heard us talking on the balcony that night. I knew you were there and I wanted to tease you a little. I thought Faith was going to have heart failure when I told her I was going to seduce you that weekend. It was just a childish prank. But most of what I said was true."

Jim didn't know what to say. He certainly could use the company. Maybe that was what he needed to start writing again. His defenses were crumbling. Finally, he gave in.

"Alright, we'll do this on a trial basis. You'll move into the spare bedroom and I'll treat you like my own daughter. When I need your help I'll ask for it; either to edit what I've written or to just talk out plot lines or character motivations, stuff like that. You can have the weekends free. We'll either go out to dinner or we'll bring food in, I don't expect you to cook or clean; and at night, you will stay on your side and I'll stay on my side of the condo. Do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal."

"When do you want to pick up you clothes and whatever else you need from your house?"

"No need; I have everything I need in the backseat and trunk of my car."

"I guess I never really had much of a choice about this, did I? Wait until I talk to Kristin."

After three trips up and down from her car to the condo and back, they had all of her things in the guest room.

"It's a good thing I cut back on a lot of my clothes and shoes, or we'd still be at it," she said as she started arranging things in the closet. Soon, she was all settled in. Jim didn't know what to do; he thought he should leave her and let her settle in. But that wasn't what he wanted to do. He hadn't realized just how alone he had been; now he craved her company.

"I'll let you relax and get used to being here."

Jim returned to his side, but he didn't close the door. It was nice having her there.

Later that night, after they had returned from dinner, Jim wished her a good night, but this time he closed the door and locked it. He wasn't taking any chances. Then, before he got ready for bed, he called his daughter.

"You fink; you set me up, didn't you?"

"She's just what you need," Kristen said laughing. "Someone to be there with you, interact with you; and maybe someday, who knows what will happen. She's moved in?"

"Yes, she's all moved in. We had a nice dinner and, hopefully tomorrow, I'll be able to give her some work to do."

"That's good, I'm glad to hear that you're so optimistic for a change. Just a word of caution; when she was a freshman she had a little bit of problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"Dad, I'll tell you, but promise me you won't ever tell her I told you. During her first semester, during the fraternity pledge week, one of the better houses on campus had a mixer. She went there with a couple of girls from one of her classes. During the party, she went upstairs in search of a bathroom. As she's walking down the hall, some guy opens the door to one of the bedrooms and pulls her in. Before she knows what's happening, she's on the bed, her blouse ripped open and this guy's on top of her trying to get his pants open. Tiffany doesn't look it, but she's pretty strong. She was able to push him off to the side and land a well-placed knee into his groin. She got out of the room and down the stairs before anyone could stop her. She told one of the brothers what had happened and, when he asked her what room she was in, she told him.

"'That's my room, and I know I locked it before the party started.'

He and three of his brothers ran up the stairs and got to the hallway just as the creep was sneaking out of the room. From what Tiff told me, they beat the crap out of him before they called the campus police. She ran because she didn't want to get involved in a criminal investigation. She found out later that the kid wasn't even a student at the school.

"But, the whole thing scared her enough that she decided to take karate lessons. She found she was really good at it and soon added Taekwondo lessons as well. After four years of study, she holds a black belt in both. So if I were you, I'd be extra cautious if you decide to sneak up on her. She could really hurt you, or worse, before she realized it was you."

"I'll take all that under advisement."

"On a positive note; just think about it, you not only hired an editor, you also hired a bodyguard."

Later that night, after his nightcap, he fell right to sleep. His dreams were vivid, but not sexual. They involved a woman, a martial arts expert, who fought for those who were too weak to fight for themselves. When he woke the next morning, he rushed to his office, turned on the computer and began to type. The dam had broken. The plots and sub-plots rushed into his mind faster than he could type.