When Ordinary Isn't Ch. 02

"What do you mean?"

"I was just... curious. What got my blood moving was... was your willingness to share something so personal with me. Same thing when you..." he stopped.

She chuckled at his hesitance. "When I peed?"

"Yeah," he said, meekly. "It kinda makes me think you trust me, too."

"I do trust you. Thank you for your honesty. I can't tell you how refreshing pure honesty is to me. And I know you probably think I'm weird because I let you watch."

"Weird? No. Not at all."

"Kinky?" She laughed.

"Yeah. Maybe." He smiled broadly. "It's something I've never in my life seen, and again, you... you let me see things from your point of view, kind of."

He watched her body language and her expressions, seeking any clue he'd crossed a line.

"You know what? I don't care. I don't!" She paused. "Wait, that doesn't sound right. I do care. But... the way I figure it, I'll never see you again, so what the hell. I let a little kinkiness sneak by," she said with a cheeky grin.

"I'm really, really having a lot of fun being with you, in case I haven't said it recently." Eric smiled.

"Me, too. And please don't think I'm what any other ordinary man would think I am after the things we've done in the last eighteen hours."

"That hurts," he groaned dramatically. "You're more than what any ordinary man would think you are. You're far more."

He popped open the microwave and sat her plate of steaming food on the table along with a fork. He fetched the napkins and the packets of soy sauce, chili, and hot mustard, placed them on the table, then began nuking his own. He noticed she didn't touch a thing until his was warmed and he'd sat down with her, but as soon as he sat, she grabbed two packets each of the mustard and chili. It would have been unremarkable except he always used the same combination.

Oh, shit , he thought to himself because "compatibility" was a word he would usually use only to describe hardware and software.

"You know what would make this meal even better?" he asked.

"A very slightly chilled bottle of Merlot?"

Oh, shit , he repeated to himself for the same reason.

"No, I was thinking a Bud Light," he lied as a playful test.

"You're out of your mind," she said and grinned. "Beer and burgers, yeah. Maybe even pizza. But with spicy Asian food, a good Merlot rules."

He chuckled at her perfect assessment.

"Hey! Can I... uh, never mind," she aborted her words.

"What?" he asked.

"Uh, I kinda want to have some of yours, too," she said with a sheepish grin.

"So right!" he said, offering his plate to her, from which she scooped several small portions. Without him asking, she placed some of her own on his dish. As they had with their desserts the night before, he was delighted she wanted to share with him.

Peggy saw the two ladies staring at her.

"What!" she demanded.

"Wow," Stephanie whispered, while Nina said nothing. "That's so sweet."

"Told ya," Peggy said before she took a big bite of her sandwich and started chewing. The other two had long-since finished their meals, but Peggy's had barely been touched because she'd been too busy talking.

"Is that it? The end?"

"No," Peggy answered with her napkin covering her full mouth.

"Come on , Peg. You have to show me a picture," Nina finally spoke.

Peggy wordlessly brought her phone from the tabletop, opened the photo app, and handed it to Nina. Stephanie scooted her chair closer to Nina so she could see as well.

"Oh my god ," Nina mewled. "He's beautiful ."

"Beautiful? What are you, eight?" Stephanie said in a chuckle. He's like completely--"

"Perfect," Peggy said, having swallowed her food.

"Yeah," both the other ladies swooned in unison.

Nina swiped the screen and her smile widened. "Aw, what a sweet kiss-pic. You two look so happy."

Peggy snatched her phone back from her.

"I recognize that place. Did that come later?" Nina asked.

"Yeah. Later that night."

"Come on, finish your lunch. We're due back in like fifteen minutes," Stephanie urged.

"I'll take the rest of mine to go. Nina, it's your turn to pick up the check," Peggy reminded her.

Peggy ate a few more hurried bites before the waiter came with a take-away box and the tab.

"So," Peggy continued after she'd transferred the remaining contents of her plate to the box, "we went to ICON Park later that evening and goofed around there. Ordinarily, it's not a place I'd hang out because it's so touristy. But considering Eric was a tourist, I thought he might enjoy it."

"Did he?"

"Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure he did," Peggy answered. "I'll tell you more on the way back."

The trio left the bistro for their walk to the hospital.

The line for The Wheel wasn't long at all. Peggy and Eric were escorted into a cabin mere minutes after the tickets were purchased.

"Wow. You can see for miles up here," Eric said.

He saw no horizon in the darkness through the panoramic windows as the cabin on the 400-foot-tall wheel reached its apex.

"Nice, isn't it?" Peggy said, holding his hand. "On a really bright, clear day, you can see the Atlantic."

"Seriously?" he playfully squinted with his hand above his brow.

She laughed at his display. "What are you expecting to see way out there? It's too dark!"

He pulled her close to him. The cabin's air conditioning was working well, and it was a bit chilly inside. The warmth shared between them was welcome.

"I always love seeing the city lights at night," Peggy commented. "I've been to the Eye in London, too, but it was so gloomy that day I could barely even see The Gherkin."

"What took you to England?"

"My parents and I vacationed there right before I graduated from med school. I thought San Francisco was crowded until I went to London. Couldn't stand the place."

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah? I'm not crazy about it, either. If you want crowded, you should try Bangalore."

"Hah! No, thanks." She laughed. "So, to what other places have you been?"

To tell her he'd been all over the world, to almost every continent, was a risk he didn't feel worth taking. "Australia, or maybe South Africa was the farthest," he answered vaguely but honestly.

He silently watched the city move through the panoramic windows.

"I wish it wasn't so crowded in this cabin," he whispered into her ear.

"Why? So something like this," she smooched him chastely, "could be a bit more?"

"Yeah." He smiled in the dim ambient light.

"Well, then thank heavens we're the only ones in here," she said and sighed against his playfully sardonic observation. She pulled him toward her and kissed him slowly, softly.

With her current position in the cabin and the direction she was facing, he knew it was safe to give her bottom a gentle caress and soft squeeze without being observed. He turned her to face the window and he stood behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and put his hands on her warm, flat tummy.

She felt his hand begin to trace up her torso. "Easy there, buddy, did you notice the camera on the ceiling?" she cautioned.

"Yeah, I know," he whispered. "But it can't see through my body."

The Wheel had almost completed its rotation. Its hub was behind the couple. He knew neither the fish-eye camera nor people in any other cabins could observe what he was doing. He placed a hand gently on her right breast and the other in her crotch, feeling her warmth. He held her, feeling her widen her stance ever so slightly, hearing her sigh as he gently caressed her between her legs.

She felt his penis hardening against her butt and slipped a hand behind her to give it a little attention, massaging it, feeling it lengthen with her touch.

"Damn, Peggy, you're dangerous, too."

"You think? Let's see. Don't move," she said, "stay just like that."

She brought her phone up in front of their faces with her free hand. He smiled naturally as she framed the shot on the screen. Of course, the headshots cropped out everything below their shoulders, which made the photo all the more entertaining to her. She knew every time she'd look at the completely benign pictures in the future, only he and she would know they were seriously feeling each other up when the shutter clicked.

She took a half dozen similar shots, then one with them kissing gently.

They released their mutually intimate grasps before the adjacent cabins came into positions where their occupants could see inside. A little while later, the interior lights brightened in preparation for their return to the loading platform.

They walked together, hand in hand, toward the parking structure. She stopped walking and stared at the passing tourists for a few moments.

"Eric, I want to ask you something." Her nerves and anxiety were evident in her body language.

"What is it?" he asked, seeing it.

"Can I... Do you... um, I'm sorry. This is so completely unlike me."

"Just say it," he encouraged.

"I want you. I know you're leaving in the morning, and I don't want to be anywhere else. I know what that sounds like... and, I'm not that kind of person. I just want to be with you."

"Peggy, do you know who I am?"

"No, and... what does it matter? You don't know much about me, either. Well, yeah, you know more about me than I do about you, but--"

"Stop," Eric interrupted. "Just... hush."

He studied her eyes and saw no hints she was being untruthful. He smiled at her, pulled her close, and kissed her passionately in the shadows of the parking structure.

"Come on, let's go back," he said. "I can always sleep on the plane."

She laughed her endearing laugh before climbing into the passenger seat of the R8. The echoing roar of its engine turned heads as they departed.

He drove Peggy to the McDonald's and deposited her at her car so she could have it available to her the next morning. That time, he followed her to ensure they weren't separated as had happened the prior evening. The two enjoyed each other's company until exhaustion forced sleep on them in warm, easy embraces.

"One more time," Peggy said with a satisfied sigh, stretching her totally naked body against his totally naked body when they awakened.

"I don't know if I can manage it," he groaned with a smile as she kissed him.

"Are you sure?" she cooed, caressing his penis in her hand, palpating it, awakening it. He thought he'd be spent and was surprised his body responded.

"Well, maybe." He grinned.

"I need a shower first," she said.

He smiled. "Only if I can come with you."

She rose from the bed and pulled him along with her to the bathroom.

"You're not going to need that," she said when he removed the last condom from the box.

"I thought--" he began to argue, confused.

"Yeah, but no. Not for what I'm about to do. She tapped her lips and grinned widely. He smiled when his brain caught up.

"Alright then, but turnabout is fair play," he said, wagging his eyebrows at her.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea." Her face showed caution.

"Let me put it this way. I'm not letting you leave this place until I've had the... Shit, Peggy! I've gotta be out of here in less than two hours, and I'm dying to taste your pussy."

His bluntness surprised her. He'd not been so direct with her. As simple as his words were, it was the strongest conveyance of his wants he'd expressed, and she wasn't going to turn him down.

"You're in charge. Do whatever you want," she said to the man with wild desire showing in his eyes.

He guided her under the warm shower, allowing the water to wet her skin. He soaped his hands and gave her entire body a comforting lather which felt to her more like a soothing massage. He covered all the territory from her hairline, under her arms, her breasts and taut stomach, then her back and bottom.

He then moved to her feet, washing each one carefully before moving up each calf to her thighs. He'd wisely unfolded a towel in the floor of the shower to prevent soapy feet from slipping on the smooth finish.

"Did that feel good?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. Very. But... you missed a spot."

He soaped the washcloth once more and attended to the flesh and fur between her legs.

He allowed the shower to rinse her and brought palms-full of water to her underside to rinse her fur, vulva, and the valley between her buttocks. He smiled at her.

"Lean back against the wall." He gently guided her.

He moved the shower head so the water wouldn't spray directly on them, then knelt before her, nipping at her fur, feeling goosebumps rise on both of her thighs. He nuzzled into her mons, extended his tongue into her slit, and tasted her, finding her pea. With one hand, he pushed against the hood of her clitoris, bringing her button out. He teased its glans with the tip of his tongue and felt the muscles of her bottom clench in reflex to the sudden, intense oral stimulation. With digits and tongue alone, he brought her to a climax so intense she almost lost her grip on the bar she was holding.

"Ooh... " She gasped and tensed, then relaxed her legs as her orgasm waned. He supported her weight by bracing her knees and thighs so she couldn't collapse.

He grinned as she looked down at him serenely.

"Good lord... you are so yummy," he praised.

He stood and clutched her body to his. He stroked her back softly with his fingertips.

"Now I want to see your animal side," she cooed, massaging his shaft.

She knelt to her knees on the soft towel and took him into her mouth, stroking his base and cuddling his balls in her other hand. She encouraged him to slowly irrumate her, using her gripping hand to ensure he knew not to go too deeply. Her tongue pressed into his frenulum. She moaned. He could feel the vibration of her guttural sounds, and she could feel his smooth head rubbing against her taste buds. His penis finally offered her a dribble of pre-cum, allowing her to consume his essence the same way he'd consumed hers.

After several minutes of glorious pleasure, he warned her. "Peggy, here it comes. Here it..."

She moved away, allowing him to disgorge his semen across her neck and breasts. "Yeah, let it out. That's it. Let it all out," she cooed at him, smiling upward at his gaze.

"Fuck, Peg !" he yelped in utter bliss at the apex of his climax and began to see stars.

He wobbled unsteadily then allowed his knees to weaken onto the towel with her. He took her mouth against his, kissing her deeply as she finished milking his body with both hands, gently squeezing him to emptiness.

"Ooh," he crooned, leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder. He then extended his legs and drew her onto his lap, clutching her hot, wet body to his, holding her bottom with gentle, light caresses and squeezes as they kissed tenderly.

"Sometimes I hate my life," he said wistfully.

"What?" she said, shocked.

"Poor choice of words. I mean I hate how life is making me leave right now."

"But--"

"Have you enjoyed these few days as much as I have?" he asked.

"Maybe more." She smiled. "Just remember. It wasn't a one-night stand."

The pair finished their shower. They dried together. They dressed together.

After one last delicious, tender, slow parting kiss, and a satisfied smile on her face so wide it made her cheeks hurt, she departed.

"So, yeah. I, Miss Prissy, had a great time," Peggy said.

"Did you sleep with him?" Stephanie asked because Peggy had kept the intimate details to herself.

"None of your business."

"Where'd he say he worked?" Nina asked.

"Something Marlin. Ritter Marlin? Wright Marlin maybe? I don't know. I only remember the Marlin part because it was the dad's name in Finding Nemo."

"What now?" Stephanie prompted.

"What do you mean? He went his way, and I went mine. It's sorta one reason it made it incredible. I guess we were both kind of able to let everything slip away, keep our lives out of it, and all of that. It was just us. Just us . The mystery made it a little risky, which made it that much more exciting."

Stephanie seemed to be the only one paying attention as they continued walking. Nina had her face buried in her phone. Peggy figured Nina would walk into a street sign or straight into traffic someday, but Nina always seemed somehow aware of her surroundings even when she was glued to Instagram or Twitter or whatever she was interested in.

"But you let him get away."

"He wasn't running, Steph, and I wasn't trying to hold on to him. We knew what we were doing."

"But that wasn't any ordinary fling."

"No. It wasn't. And... I actually kind of miss him." Peggy sighed with a downturned face. "He was so sweet and caring--"

"Stop!" Nina barked, grabbing the shoulder of Peggy's scrub shirt.

"Ouch, woman! What!" Peggy turned toward Nina and saw her wide eyes staring at her phone.

"You said his first name is Eric?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Could the place he worked at have been Reiter-Marlin?"

"That sounds familiar," Peggy agreed.

"It's Eric Reiter," Nina gasped. "This is him, right?"

Nina held up her phone to show Peggy a photograph. Peggy took it from her hand and her eyes widened. It was definitely Eric, but definitely not the Eric she'd met. The man on the screen was dressed to perfection in a perfectly tailored suit with perfectly coiffed hair spiked mildly in an incredibly handsome style. He was wearing rimless glasses and wore a confident, beaming smile. His posture was relaxed yet exhibited strength and self-assurance.

"Holy crap ! How'd you find this?"

"Sorry, honey, we're back on shift in like three minutes."

"Knock it off, Nina!"

"You're not going to believe it, and we don't have time for this now."

"Stop ! What did you find ?!"

"Fine. Come on. I need a PC."

The trio hustled into the hospital and walked briskly to the closest nurses' station they could find with an unoccupied computer.

Nina woke up the screen by jiggling the mouse, brought up a browser, and repeated her search on Google.

The Wall Street Journal article appeared. The photograph of Eric was there in all its glory.

"There. Now, I've got to get upstairs," Nina said. "We need to talk after work, okay? Please don't leave until we can meet in the lounge. Call me if you're hung up in surgery or anything and I'll wait for you."

The other two watched Nina walk away.

Peggy sat in the chair and read the article. It was dated three weeks prior.

"RMX Co-Captain Left Ship Before It Sailed"

Late last week, and ahead of yesterday's IPO of Reiter-Marlin (NYSE:RMX $397.17/-2%), co-founder Eric Reiter disclosed in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission that he would not be occupying the seats of President and Chairman of the Board as had previously been detailed.

Reiter's statement indicated his intent to sell ten percent of his ownership to his long-time friend and RMX co-founder, Lance Marlin.

In a press release after the IPO had closed, Marlin said, "I've known Eric Reiter for as long as I can remember. He and I created this incredible venture. Though I was saddened to learn of his choice to step aside, I fully support his decision. He will remain a member of the board of directors. The board, at this time, has no intentions of changing the name of the company. Eric's name will remain on our branding and masthead."

As previously reported, the initial public offering of Reiter-Marlin stock netted ample new capital after thoroughly satisfying the thirsts of the venture capitalists which financed their start-up seven years ago. The company has little debt, and has cash reserves in excess of $1B.

In a separately held conference, Eric Reiter explained his decision. "There's nothing I want more than to see the corporation flourish, and I determined the best conditions for that to happen included me stepping aside and letting Lance run with it. Lance has a much stronger sense for business than I ever have, which is evidenced by investor interest in what we've grown as partners.