The Wedding Ch. 05

Eldon Parkhurst stood in front of the full-length mirror on his bedroom door, examining the outfit he'd chosen to wear on his first date since the death of his wife. He thought he looked pretty good in the charcoal pinstripe suit, pink Oxford cloth shirt, and pink and gray rep stripe tie. He'd bought the suit several years earlier, hadn't worn it in ages, and was pleased it still fit.

Selecting the right outfit took Eldon quite a while. Adding to that the time it had taken to shower and dress, and he used up most of the afternoon. Before he knew it, it was time for him to leave to meet his date. He took his tan trench coat out of the closet and slipped it on.

Eldon drove toward his date's home, more nervous than he had been in years. What would tonight be like? He was out of touch with the modern dating scene. He knew he was driving very slowly, mainly because part of him wanted to go on this date, and part of him didn't because he was afraid he'd do something wrong.

His date was Joan Dean, one of his colleagues on the faculty of the local high school. Joan taught secretarial courses and Eldon taught history. They'd been close friends for years and, during a time Joan was going through the marital difficulties which eventually led to her divorce, they had a brief, but very intense affair. Eldon's late wife never knew about the affair.

In the years after his wife's death, Eldon had thought about asking Joan out on more than one occasion, but he had put off doing it until recently. Now, as he neared her house, he wondered what it would be like to go out with her now that his wife was no longer in the picture.

He arrived at the house where Joan lived, parked in the driveway, got out of his car, and walked up onto the back porch.

His colleague opened the door when he came up on the porch and smiled at him. "Hi, Eldon," she said softly.

"Hi, Joan," Eldon replied. He knew his throat felt tight and wondered if his voice sounded as funny to her as it did to him.

Joan had an attractive, fascinating face and captivating smile. Her dark hair was done up in a simple, but pretty, style. She had Native American ancestors and inherited a dark skin coloration from them which gave her what looked like a year-round tan.

This evening she had on a gray man-tailored blouse and white cardigan vest with gray highlights that matched her shirt. Her well-formed lower half, the part that attracted Eldon to her in the first place, was clad in loose pleated pants the same color as her blouse. Her generous breasts pressed the shirt out.

As Eldon looked at Joan, he felt warmth rising inside him. She still had that effect on him! Of course, the fact that he hadn't had sex since his wife died might have had something to do with how he was responding to her, too, but...

"I didn't know you were going to dress up," Joan said and blushed. "Maybe I should change."

Eldon shook his head. "You...you look lovely," he told her.

His date gave him a shy, embarrassed look and backed up so he could enter her house. "I...I was glad when you called," she said. "I've been thinking about you a lot. I...I guess I should have invited you over for dinner or something."

"It was up to me. I finally came to the conclusion I had to do something," Eldon explained. "I realized I needed to start getting on with my life."

"I'll get my coat," Joan said. She disappeared down the hallway, then reappeared wearing an attractive gray herringbone tweed pant coat. "Where are we going?"

"The Townline Restaurant," Eldon said. "Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather to go."

"I love the Townline," Joan told him. "I can't afford to go there that often, but I have gone a few times and it was always excellent."

They walked outside, Eldon held the door so Joan could slip into his car, then he got in behind the wheel, started the engine, and pulled away from the curb.

"How are you doing, really?" she asked once they were rolling down the highway.

"I guess I'm doing all right," Eldon replied. "I just try to take things one day at a time."

"I...I didn't know what to do when I heard about Jean," Joan said. "I wanted to call, but..."

"I put you in a tough position," Eldon said. "I'm sorry for that."

"You didn't make me do anything I didn't want to do," Joan said. She laid her hand on his arm. "What we had was special and remains very important to me. I'm not sure I could have made it through my divorce without you."

Eldon wasn't sure how to respond. Their relationship had been special to him, too. The thing was, when his wife took ill, he went through a period of tremendous guilt over what he and Joan and had done. Jean never knew about them, he was sure of that, but the fact he'd cheated on his wife continued to bother him for a long time, even after her death.

"You look sad," Joan commented, bringing him back to the present.

"Just thinking about things," he said.

"Did...did Jean know ever...know?" Joan asked, "About us, I mean?"

Eldon shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm sure she never did."

"I'm glad," Joan said. "I'd hate to think she..." She stopped abruptly and stared straight ahead.

Eldon sensed her discomfort and realized she might be thinking that talking about his late wife might be upsetting to him. "It's all right to talk about it," he told her. "Jean died. It's a fact of life I've had to get used to and learn to accept these last four years. We...we had a wonderful life together. I miss her terribly, and I'd have given anything if it had been me who had to suffer, but that wasn't the way it was."

"You did love her very much, didn't you?" Joan asked softly.

Eldon nodded. "Yes, I did," he said. "In spite of the fact that I did things that might make some people question how much I loved her."

"You know..." Joan said, "all the times we were together, I knew that. It's funny. I sometimes feel guilty about what we did, but I'm not sorry we did it."

"I'm not sorry, either," Eldon admitted. "There was a time I'd have said it was impossible to love someone and sleep with someone else, but I think that's a fallacy. I loved Jean, but what you and I had was something apart from that." He glanced over at her and smiled. "Something very special."

"So what have you been doing with yourself?" Joan asked.

Her hand remained on his arm, and Eldon liked having it there. It had been too long since he'd felt a woman's touch. "Not much," he told her. "Mostly moping around the house and feeling sorry for myself when I'm not in school."

"I guess it's good you had teaching, then," Joan said. "It gave you something you had to do."

"You're right," Eldon said. "Although I never really thought about it in that light. It helped me a lot to have something I had to focus on, that made me keep going."

"How is Samantha doing?" Joan asked, referring to Eldon's daughter.

"She's coping. How's Annette doing?" Eldon asked. Annette was Joan's daughter, an attractive young woman who graduated from the high school where they both taught a few years earlier.

"She's doing well," Joan replied. "She has a good job with an insurance company in Capitol City."

They arrived at the restaurant and Eldon pulled into the parking lot and turned off the car. Inside the restaurant, they were quickly seated and a waiter came and took their orders. Eldon ordered Filet Mignon for both of them. He knew the restaurant was famous for their filet mignon. After the waiter left, Joan and Eldon got up and went to the salad bar.

Back at the table, Eldon noticed Joan was picking at her salad. "Is something wrong with your food?" he asked.

Joan shook her head. "I...I'm just not used to dating," she said.

"I'm surprised," he said. "I'd have thought a woman as attractive as you are would be deluged with invitations to go out. Actually, I was surprised you said you were free when I called."

Joan smiled. "It isn't easy for a woman my age," she said. "Lots of guys want to take me out, but not many of them want a relationship."

Eldon shook his head and frowned. "Sometimes I'm ashamed of my gender," he said. "Men can be such dim bulbs."

Joan nodded her agreement. "I don't know what it is," she said. "A lot of men seem to think that because I'm a divorcee I'm an easy lay or something."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Eldon said. "You, of all people, deserve better."

She looked at him for a long time, then took a deep breath. "I...when you called and asked me to go out with you," she murmured, "I was...excited, but I was scared, too."

Eldon was surprised. "Scared?" he said. "Of me?"

She nodded. "Things between us were always pretty overwhelming," she said softly. "I...I wasn't sure I could handle that again."

"But you're here," Eldon said.

Joan nodded again. "I couldn't refuse you," she said. "And part of me wasn't scared."

The waiter brought their food and they ate in silence. Eldon wasn't sure what to make of his companion's comment, and she didn't expand on it. They took a long time eating, then had dessert and dallied over that. Finally they were done. They looked at each other.

"I...I guess we ought to leave," Eldon said.

"I...I guess so," Joan agreed.

Eldon laid money for the check and tip on the table and they went out to his car. "Want to do anything else?" he asked as they walked across the parking lot.

"I don't care," Joan replied. She seemed skittish, as if she were afraid of what might happen when they got back to her house.

"Why don't we go down to the Mill Mall and window-shop?" Eldon suggested. "The bookstore down there has some good computer books I've been meaning to get. I've been trying to teach myself more about using the computer. I want to get literate enough so I can, as the kids say, 'surf the net.'"

Joan smiled at him. "I'm barely computer literate. I can turn my computer on and off and use a few of the programs," she said. "Occasionally, I even get it to print." She got in the car while Eldon held the door for her.

Eldon slid in his side of the car and off they went.

They spent quite a while in the mall. Joan loved window shopping and Eldon got some of the computer books he'd been looking for. While they wandered around, enjoying themselves, they relaxed and began to feel more comfortable with each other. They stopped at an ice cream shop and both had large cones.

"This is fun," Joan giggled, "I haven't eaten an ice cream cone in ages."

"I haven't, either," Eldon replied. "Not since..." He was going to say not since before his wife died, but decided not to, because memories of Jean were causing him a little bit of pain.

Eldon looked sadder than he realized he did. Joan put her hand on his arm and gave him an incredibly caring look. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.

"I...I'm fine," Eldon replied.

"Let's go home," she said. "I think I've window-shopped all I need to for tonight."

They were both quiet during the drive back to her house. Eldon wasn't sure how much his almost mentioning his wife's name upset Joan, but it seemed to. She stayed well over on her side of the car, staring straight ahead. He was afraid his slip had spoiled the evening. Until that happened they'd been having a good time, or so it seemed.

Eldon pulled into Joan's driveway and stopped. He turned on the seat, looked at her and saw her looking back at him. "Thank you for going with me tonight," he said softly.

"I had a wonderful time," Joan replied, just as softly. She made no move to get out of the car. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Would...would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?"

Eldon nodded. He was surprised how nervous he was when he got out of the car and followed Joan into her house. He knew what he hoped would happen, but was trembling at the prospect. He wanted their sexual relationship to resume, but he wasn't sure Joan did.

Eldon also had come concerns about what would happen if Joan was willing to have their relationship resume. He hadn't been with a woman in over four years. Grief over his wife's death had kept thoughts of sex from his mind much of that time. Other times, when sexual tension built up, he masturbated. A sudden, terrifying thought hit him. What if he wouldn't be able to perform?

When they were in her kitchen, Joan stood nervously, toying with the buttons of her coat.

Eldon slipped off his trench coat and helped Joan off with her coat. He laid the coats over the back of a chair. "Can I help you with the coffee?" he asked.

"Ah...no," Joan replied. "Why...why don't you go on into the living room and have a seat? I'll bring...the coffee in when...when it's done." She turned and moved to the counter.

Years earlier, Eldon would have taken Joan in his arms and begun making love to her the minute they got in the house. Tonight he didn't. He wasn't sure she wanted him to and then there were those nagging fears about his ability to perform.

Eldon went into the living room and made himself comfortable on the sofa. The remote control for the TV lay on the coffee table in front of him, so he picked it up and switched on the television and watched the news channel while he waited for Joan.

It didn't take long before she appeared, carrying a tray holding the coffee and a plate of cookies. She set the tray on the coffee table and sat down on the sofa a respectable distance from Eldon.

"I...I baked the cookies this afternoon," she said softly. "After you called."

Eldon smiled. "Aha, you planned to lure me in and ply me with cookies, didn't you?" he teased.

"Ah..." Joan said and looked at him. A rosy flush spread under her dusky skin.

Eldon could see uncertainty in her eyes. "This is different, isn't it?" he said. "Our being alone together."

Joan nodded. "It's...I can't explain it, but it is different, almost scary," she replied, her voice a whisper.

"There's the possibility of a real relationship and all that entails now," Eldon said. "I think I may be feeling the same things you are. I don't think either of us knows if we want a permanent relationship."

"I...I've thought a lot about it," Joan said, then she flushed. "I know that sounds shameless, but after Jean died, I...I wondered."

"I don't think it's shameless at all," Eldon said. "I've thought about you, too."

"You...you have?" Joan said, and studied his face.

Eldon nodded. "When I decided to begin dating again, you were the first person I thought of," he told her. He had picked Joan partly because he felt she was a safe person to start dating with again. They were nearly the same age and had similar interests. The fact she was quite attractive, and was an excellent lover didn't hurt, either.

"I...I was?" Joan said. She bit her lip and continued looking at him.

Eldon nodded. He reached for her and she slid closer to him. They gazed deeply into each other's eyes, their faces inches apart. Neither of them seemed sure of how to make the first move.

"What...what if it isn't good any more?" Joan whispered.

"It will be," Eldon told her, trying to sound surer of that than he felt. He leaned closer and their lips met. Powerful feelings, suppressed during his four years of celibacy, roared alive in his body as Joan's warm lips moved against his. His arms locked around her and he felt hers lock around him. He slid his tongue over her lips, they parted, and her tongue lashed his. His cock swelled to full erection. It looked as if he might not have to worry about problems with performance after all!

"Oh...God!" Joan gasped after the kiss ended. "I...I've wanted that for so long!"

"Me, too," Eldon choked. "I...I need you." He reached for Joan, but she put her hand on his, stopping him.

She shook her head. "Not...not like that. Let's go up to my bedroom. Where we...we can do it right."

Feelings of fondness for Joan filled Eldon. She was right. They no longer needed to sneak around, concealing their relationship from others. He caressed her face softly. "You're right," he whispered. He stood up, took her hand, and started for the stairs. He could feel her trembling as she accompanied him.

When they reached her bedroom, they again faced an uncomfortable situation. Even though Eldon had made love with Joan before, it had never been in a situation like this and he wasn't quite sure how to proceed. From the uncertain look on her face, he had an inkling she was thinking the same thing.

"How do we do this?" he asked. "Who tears whose clothes off first?"

Joan smiled and came against him. Once again their lips met, and the question became moot as their hands began undoing clothing and their bodies worked against one another.

"Oh, God, I've missed that!" Joan cooed when Eldon's fingers began to tease one of her erect nipples. Her breasts were large and firm, and sagged only slightly. Her nipples were huge, and strained out from the dusky flesh that surrounded them.

Eldon had always loved Joan's nipples and the fact they were hyper-sensitive made it even better. He continued caressing her, hearing her gasps and moans of joy.

Finally they got each other's clothes off and fell naked onto her bed. Eldon's insides were churning, and his rigid cock was pressed against Joan's warm body. He had to have her! He couldn't wait! Impatiently, he rolled on top of her, reached between them, grabbed his erect penis, and with a quick motion of his hips, buried it deep inside her.

"Yessssssss!!!!!! Yesssssssss!!!!" Joan's cries of elated acquiescence echoed in Eldon's ears. She thrust her hips up off the bed and he drove down into her.

God, it felt wonderful to be making love, Eldon thought! How had he gone without this for four years? Straining, he continued skewering into Joan's body, feeling his insides coil and tighten, knowing release wasn't far off.

"Can't...Wait!!! Oh, God, Eldon!!! Tooo long!!! It's been too long!!!" Joan crooned as her hands raked his back. "Oh, God!!! Oh, God!!! I'm....I'm commminnnnggggggg!!!! Yesssssssssssss!!! Oh, yessssssssss!!!! Yessssssss!!! Yessssssssssssssssssssssss!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!"

Joan's hips ground against Eldon's and she writhed under him. Her vagina began convulsing around his erection, and that was all it took. "Joan!!! Oh, God, Joan!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" he cried. Four years of denial ended in a cataclysmic paroxysm of ecstasy and what seemed like gallons of his cream spewed into her.

Afterward, still snuggled against Joan, Eldon looked into her eyes. They were filled with awe. That shook him. He wasn't sure he cared that much for her. "I needed you so badly," he whispered. "You were wonderful!"

"I...I needed you, too. I've missed this so much!" Joan replied softly, then she kissed him. "Do...do you have to go home tonight?"

"Samantha's away, so I don't see why I have to," Eldon said and took her in his arms. Once again, their lips met and their bodies pressed together.