Unbundling Tamara

"What's that?"

"Egan West."

"He's retiring, I heard."

"And somebody will be replacing him, probably you or me."

"Uh oh. You mean we're competing?"

"Sort of, I guess."

"Doesn't really matter since, either way, it's kind of under the same roof."

I couldn't believe she'd said that. I stopped walking, turned her toward me, and kissed her.

Back at the house, I made a difficult decision, wondering once again how she'd respond.

"I'm feeling fine now, so I can drive you home if you'd like." I wasn't sure I could make myself sound sincere saying that.

She looked at me, a pout on her face. "It's late. You don't need to."

"You sure?" I knew Tammy was still a little fragile, and I didn't want to push things faster than she could handle them.

A big smile.

"I have two bedrooms," I said tentatively.

"Don't be silly," she said. If you have something that I can wear for pajamas, we can keep each other warm." She lowered her head and raised her eyebrows as she said that.

That look said more than any words she could have spoken.

I found one of those light-weight breathable T-shirts and a pair of old nylon running shorts, feeling a mite guilty for choosing those, but not enough to change my mind. I picked similar wear for myself and changed into them while Tammy was in the bathroom, changing and possibly using the new toothbrush I'd given her.

She came into the bedroom smiling and shaking her head. I'd known she had breasts, but the shirt confirmed it. The very prominent bumps on the front suggested there were erect nipples underneath as well. And the shorts, a little large, of course, highlighted the legs that were usually much more hidden.

We climbed into the bed, and I prayed I wasn't dreaming. I've mentioned before that Tammy wasn't a beauty queen or a supermodel, but I'd never felt this way about anyone or anything in my life. When I felt the mattress move as she climbed in beside me, I could barely breathe. I wasn't sure I could trust myself, so I lay with my back toward Tammy, allowing her to cuddle against me if she chose to.

She did.

"Good night," she whispered.

"Love you."

"Love you right back."

When my heart rate slowed, and drowsiness overtook me, I wondered how she'd be dressed when I'd next see her at work. Then I was asleep.

When I opened my eyes, it was dark, but the warmth I could feel beside me reassured me that it wasn't a dream. I rolled over to face her and gently put my arm across her warm and bare skin. I moved my arm and felt the same thing. She was bare.

"Take your shirt off," she said softly.

"Tammy, are--"

Her hand covered my mouth. "Take your shirt off, and if you're going to use that mouth, use it for something else."

My shirt came off, and I pulled her against me, her breasts crushed against my chest. This was not a part of my plan, and I somehow had to leave things up to her.

"Just hold me," she said and kissed my chest.

That was something I could do. This was so much different than Anna.

The next time I opened my eyes, the sun was streaming through the bedroom windows, and a still-asleep Tammy was cuddled in my arms. Her auburn hair was spread across the white sheet, her pale skin, and enticing freckles causing me to smile. I wanted to lift the covers and peek at the mystery hidden there but didn't as it seemed that would betray her trust, so I simply watched her breathing until her eyes opened.

"Hi," she said sleepily, rubbing her eyes, which uncovered her just a bit. "Oops," she added but didn't rearrange the covers.

"Good morning," I said brightly, hoping to change things slightly as my body was reacting to her partial nakedness. It wasn't working, and I could tell she was aware of it.

Tammy smiled. "It's going to happen sometime," she said as she tossed the covers aside and sat up, her breasts just a foot from my face. "They're nothing special."

I wasn't going to argue, but they looked plenty good to me, not large but shapely and very squeezable, which I was yearning to do.

"I'm going to stand up now, and you're going to pull the covers off so I can see you. Fair enough?"

I nodded, anxious to see and happy she was willing to show.

She swung her legs off the edge of the bed and stood up, her squishy and delicious-looking buns right in front of me. She turned to face me, a look of doubt filling her face. I saw more auburn hair and the rest of those shapely legs.

"You're adorable," I said, looking at her from head to toe.

"I've never been called that before," she said, her look changing to a smile. Then, "Really?"

"Definitely."

I threw the covers back, and she didn't hesitate to look, first at the erection, then my eyes, and back to the erection, all the while biting her lower lip. I didn't miss the fact that her nipples were very extended.

"Marc, if you have a condom and can be patient, I'm willing to try."

My eyes widened. "Tammy, you don't have to."

"Everything has changed today. Almost everything. Maybe we can change that too."

Of course I had condoms--they were in the drawer just a few feet from us. But I'd never been in a situation like this. It was the opposite of Anna, for sure. I started to climb out of the bed, but she stopped me.

"Stay right there," she said. "I see somewhere I can start."

Tammy climbed onto the bed, and I could see where she was headed. Her hand closed around my cock--the impossible was happening. At first, she just held it, squeezing gently, but soon it was moving, and she was smiling as my breathing became shallower and more rapid. She released me and...

"Tammy," I gasped as her hand grabbed mine and her lips closed on the purple head. It was a new feeling. But her delectable buns were right there, begging for a touch, I thought. So I caressed the one closest to me as she rolled her tongue around the head. There was something else close to that hand, and it moved without my willing it, to a very warm and wet place. I moved my fingers back and forth, sliding easily on the slippery labia. I felt my cock filling her mouth, and her head was bobbing up and down.

"Tammy," I gasped, "I can't... well... just come here."

She climbed into my arms, and we kissed, tongues probing and dancing to our mingled moans and groans. My hand found a breast, caressing and squeezing its perfect softness, the nearly rock-hard nipple pressed against my palm.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I want you. A corner of my mind is saying,' no,' but my body is screaming, 'YES, YES,' so whenever," she finished, pressing her body against mine. "I do want you, and I hope you want me."

I cut off her words with a kiss. If she was saying yes, then so was I. I twisted my body until I could reach the all-important drawer. I ripped the packet open and sheathed myself as quickly but carefully as I could.

More than ready, I rolled onto my back, pulling her on top of me. She kissed me one more time and took hold of my erection, understanding exactly what I wanted to happen. I vowed to myself that if I felt even a hint of a tremble, we'd try again some other time. But looking at her face, I knew we wouldn't need another try.

It was happening. I felt myself being pressed against her now swollen labia, then between them, and finally, I was surrounded by that warm and snug place where I'd wanted to be since that very first date. Her eyes held mine again as she slowly lowered herself until she was tight against me. Her tightness was gripping me, and when she lifted her hips, then lowered them again, the feeling was so intense I was sure my entire body was about to burst into flame. The third and fourth time, my hips began to move in time with hers. Her hands were on my chest to support herself as her movements became more impassioned, her gorgeous breasts swinging and bouncing just above my face.

I was about to implode or explode or orgasm like I never had before. Today was just somehow different than any other day or than any other sex I'd ever had. Tammy's fingers dug into my chest as her hips moved up and down relentlessly until my hands went to her butt cheeks, holding her in place as I jerked and spasmed over and over, filling the condom as she collapsed on top of me.

Breathing hard, Tammy said, "I love you."

"I love you too, and I'm going to love you even more right now." I'd just had a toe-curling orgasm, and I wanted her to have one too. I rolled her onto her back and moved between her legs, listening carefully for any sign of protest. One look at Tammy told me she wasn't going to protest. Instead, her chest was heaving as I spread her legs, the auburn muff glistening with moisture. I slid one finger up and down her cleft, then pushed between her labia and easily inside. As I turned and twisted my finger, her body turned and twisted with it.

I used both hands to separate her, exposing a bright pink nub that I longed to touch and more. I lowered my head, allowing my tongue to caress her labia, then slide up until it touched the nub. The tiny squeal from Tammy made my heart pound, and I longed to hear it again if she was ready to provide it again. Another flick of my tongue, another squeal, and a lifting of her hips, an unconscious act of her body begging for more stimulation. It was simple to accommodate her and me, with my tongue flicking back and forth, the squeals morphing into staccato moans, her hips pressing upward against my face.

That nub was begging for even more attention, so I closed my lips on it, sucking hard while my tongue slid across it. Now her moan was continuous except the times she gasped my name, but it was my turn to be relentless. As her spasms began, I felt her hands grasping my hair, pulling my head from side to side in rhythm with the movement of her body. As her movements slowed, so did I, and I lifted my head when she released my hair.

She beckoned me with her hand since her labored breathing made speaking impossible, and I responded to her call, crawling up beside her to receive an enthusiastic kiss and be squeezed so hard I could barely breathe. When she released me, I raised up on one elbow and looked at her from head to toe.

"I could never imagine this happening to me," she said, "and when suddenly it looked like it was happening, I was terrified that I'd disappoint you, but my body took over and..."

"Tammy, you've just given me the most wonderful moments of my life, and that body was and is fantastic. Bless its heart for what it's just done."

"Every time I doubt myself, you wipe away those doubts."

I thought I noticed a re-reddening of her cheeks and neck, the color from the sex we'd had having faded.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, smiling at the rather meek look coming my way.

"If...if you, well, have another, um..."

"I have half-a-box, but there's always the pharmacy."

If Tammy could have disappeared at that moment, I think she'd have done it.

"It's just so, well, you know, different," she stammered, "but I'll try to get used to it," she assured me, recovering from her obvious embarrassment.

It was still nearly impossible to relate work Tam to the naked Tammy lying here beside me.

"So, what about Tam now?"

She smiled. "Tam will stay Tam for now, until something else happens."

Something else happened right after she finished saying that, but I don't think it was what she was referring to.

***

I think it was the first time Tammy said "no" to me.

When we woke up the morning after the wonderful sex cuddled against each other, that gorgeous auburn hair spread across my chest, I asked her to move in with me.

I guess she didn't really say "no," I think it was, "not yet." It was a "no" with an attachment that made me want to ask, "when?"

But I didn't.

At work, we still interacted, and when Tam would come to my office in the bulky sweater and pants and the tight bun, my brain pictured a naked Tammy astride me, her breasts bouncing in front of my face, and, of course, I'd react. If she'd see it, she'd burst out laughing and leave the office for five minutes, giving me time to regain control. It got better as time passed but never left completely.

We spent a lot of our time out at Rocky's since it was "safe" there. People from work didn't go to Rocky's, so the other side of Tam wouldn't be revealed.

We started meeting Andre and Anna there; the four of us got along famously, despite the rather bizarre circumstances that neither Andre nor Tammy knew of yet. Anna and I had spoken of it and decided we should wait to spring that onto our significant others.

Andre was a bowler, and I'd bowled some, so he talked me into joining their bowling team on Wednesday nights. That left Anna and Tammy free to get together and do whatever. I prayed that Anna didn't have too horrible an influence on my innocent, well, not as innocent as she was, lover. We talked a lot at bowling and, before long, had concocted a scheme that would dumbfound the two ladies--and perhaps a bit more.

It had been three months since that special night at my place, and, anxious as I was for it to happen, I'd managed to keep quiet about her moving in with me. What we did was working well, though, as Tammy never drove home late at night but just stayed with me. We always kidded that it was simply a matter of trying to stay warm, and cuddling together through the night took care of that.

Andre and I finalized our plans--the special surprise was set for Rocky's the next Friday night. I hadn't said anything to Tammy other than we were going to Rocky's, but she surprised me by wearing a skirt and blouse rather than the usual slacks or jeans and some kind of a T-shirt.

When we got there, Anna grumbled that Tammy was trying to show her up as Anna had on the normal Friday night attire.

"Freakin' place is crowded," Anna said as we went through the front door.

"It's Friday," Andre said, looking around. "It's always busier on Friday."

"Hope there's a table."

I spotted Rocky and waved, sending him a questioning look. He smiled and pointed, and I directed the other three in that direction. Sure enough, there was an empty table with a hand-lettered "Reserved" sign plunked down right in the middle. Tammy gave me a quizzical look.

"Last time we were here, I told Rocky we'd be here tonight, and he told me he'd save us a table if it got crowded."

"That's never happened before," Anne said as she pulled out a chair.

"Lots of things happen for the first time, right, Tammy."

She looked away from me, face bright red, while Andre and Anna chuckled at her expense.

"You're cruel," Anna said.

"I'll make it up to her later."

"Don't say that to her. It'll just embarrass her again."

Before we had a chance to order, Rocky's new server brought us a pitcher of beer and four glasses.

"Coors Light, right?" she asked, smiling at each of us in turn.

We all nodded, and Andre and I watched carefully as the server walked away.

"She's kind of young, dickhead," Anna said, and Tammy laughed.

"No comment for me," I said, smiling.

"I mispronounced that last word. It should have been 'dickheads'."

We poured the beer, took turns teasing Tammy, who was so much easier to tease than the Tam I worked with daily. She was getting comfortable enough with the two "A's" that she was "giving back as good as she got. That was part of an old saying my parents often used.

"So," Anna said, winking at me, "when are you going to move in with your co-worker here and save some gasoline money?"

I had avoided the subject since that first time it had come up, but Anna wasn't in on all of our secrets. Still, I was certainly curious about what Tammy would say. She eyed me, but I shrugged, innocent this time.

"He asked about that already...and...it will happen when the time's right."

"Which is?"

I think Anna was trying to help me, but I wasn't at all sure she was. Tam morphing into Tammy was moving along smoothly, and I was happy with the progress. And, with what was planned for tonight...

Actually, with what had just happened, the timing might be perfect. I caught Andre's eye and nodded. He nodded back, and we both moved, as casually as possible, which was difficult in the crowded space. But, the crowded space was there for a reason. I stepped around my chair and beside Tammy's, aware that Andre was doing the same with Anna, both of us getting surprised looks. We'd flipped a coin, and I'd won.

In unison, we dropped to one knee beside our ladies and saw four wide-open eyes and two open mouths. I was first, and the bar was suddenly very quiet.

"Tammy, I never dreamed, even in my wildest fantasies, that I'd find someone like you, and the last few months have been the happiest of my life. I love you more than I can ever tell you or show you." Looking into those green eyes, her glasses already wet with her tears, I said, "Will you marry me?"

A deep, sobbing breath. "Yes, yes, of course." Her arms went around my neck, accompanied by loud applause and cheering. Her kiss was warm and carried more love with it than I probably deserved since our first date had been the result of a dare from Anna, who was, at this very moment, staring at Andre, knowing now what was in store for her. I slipped the ring on Tammy's finger and watched as she couldn't seem to stop looking at it.

The bar got quiet once more, and Andre's proposal was similar to mine, but Anna's response was different than Tammy's, as I had expected. No tears, a simple "Yes, I will," and a kiss for Andre that had the crowd shouting, "Whoa," and, "Get a room." That was Anna, and I was sure she was keeping Andre entertained after dark.

Lots of congratulations from everyone, and lots of free beer and wine, more than we needed, so that the new server volunteered to drive us home. That worked since Tammy's car was at my house. The others were on their own.

Feeling emotionally high and a little drunk as well, our driver got a twenty-dollar tip from me, putting the pressure on Andre, who I learned gave her thirty so she'd end up with an even fifty.

Once through the door and inside, she jumped into my arms, legs around my waist, her tongue working to reach my tonsils. We finally collapsed on the couch, Tammy staring at her engagement ring again. To my wide-eyed amazement, she pulled it off and handed it to me.

"Get that stupid look off your face, and put it on my finger again, slowly this time."

I did as requested, and Tammy spoke as I did.

"As you have asked, and I have agreed to marry you, I promise to move in with you as soon as possible, tomorrow if we can figure it out."

"Tam," I said, unconsciously using the wrong name, "i--"

"--Ah," she interrupted, a big smile on her face. "I'm Tam or Tammy, but there's only one of us now. You'll have to help me at work on Monday since I'm sure there'll be lots of questions based on the different way I'll be dressed." She held up her left hand. "I'm sure this will help," she said, the look on her face causing my heart to pound once more.

I had to laugh at that. Nobody was going to recognize her on Monday. I might even suggest she not wear her glasses to further flummox things. I knew several guys that were going to wish they'd been the one to ask her for the date.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, probably noting the far-away look on my face.

"Monday, and how jealous some of the guys are going to be."

"You really think so?"

"Tammy, once we got you unbundled, look what's appeared."

"Actually, you weren't the first to ask me for a date."

There was something I hadn't expected. She was smiling at me, one step up.

"You're dying for me to ask who, so I will. Who was it?"

"Not a very appealing guy. He worked down in shipping, and I was down there one day, poking around and--"

"--Safety issue?" I interrupted. I got an affectionate glare if there is such a thing.