1 comments/ 11253 views/ 0 favorites Penny For Your Thoughts By: annod454 I was sitting in my neighborhood bar one night drinking beer, and feeling kinda crappy. Actually, I was feeling real crappy. And real shitty. And semi-depressed. Because it had been a very weird, and a very annoying day. So weird and annoying, in fact, that I was knee-deep in one of those "who gives a shit, fuck the world"-type moods. One of those moods when even BEER tastes bad. Then a woman came in. And sat down next to me. And changed everything. Her name was Penny. And she was a sultry, sexy, red-haired sight for sore eyes. And I was happy as hell to see her. For a lot of reasons. First of all, we were old friends, and sometimes lovers. Second of all, she always made me smile. Third of all, we hadn't seen each other in about a month. And lastly, because I always got turned-on and aroused just from looking at her -- and that night was no exception. Which is why I don't really remember much about the first couple of minutes of our conversa- tion that night. I know we did all the usual "hello", "how are you?", "how've you been?", "good to see you" stuff. And I vaguely recall engaging in some other small talk. But frankly, my mind was, um....elsewhere, if you get my drift. Like I was thinking about how relaxed and at ease her smile made me feel. And about how damn good she looked. With her long, silky, dark red hair falling down on her shoulders. And the "ornery" look she had on her almost-too-cute, half angelic/half sultry face. And the burgundy lipstick on her lips. And the little peak of cleavage that was visible above the neckline of her semi-low cut top. And the swell of her breasts pushing against the thin, black fabric. And the view I got when she sat down and her tight, short skirt slid up real high, and exposed a LOT of her firm, black hose-covered thighs. So anyway, there we were sitting next to each other at the bar. And not surprisingly, considering the above-described thoughts that were swirling around in my head, we started talking about sex. Which is actually what we usually talked about in situations like that. Which always "upset" her. And she always bitched and moaned about it. Because she thought it meant that I "only wanted sex" from her. So we always tried not to do it. But we were never very successful. Probably because neither of us could help it. Because that's what both of us wanted to talk about. Except SHE wouldn't ADMIT IT at first. So she complained and acted hurt -- just like she always did. And I shrugged and grinned at her -- just like I always did. Because I knew she was right. I did "want sex". But so did she! And I knew from experience that if I just shut up, and let her vent for awhile, she'd eventu- ally succumb to her desires, and get into it -- just like she always did. Which is exactly what happened. I kept grinning. And she stopped complaining. HER: Let's move to a booth. ME: A booth? Why? HER: It'll be more private. ME: Fine. We left the bar and sat down beside each other in a booth over in the corner. And as soon as we got there, I felt her hand in my crotch -- rubbing and squeezing my dick through my pants. ME: Jesus! How am I suppossed to not think about sex when you're doing that? HER: That? ME: Yeah, THAT. HER: You don't like it? ME: I like it just fine. But that's not what I asked. HER: I want to get it out. ME: What? HER: You heard me. I'm gonna get it out. And beat you off. Just act normal. ME: Normal! How the hell am I gonna...JESUS! HER: Ooohhh! I've always wanted to do this! ME: Uh.... HER: Feel good? ME: Hell yes it feels good! HER: Mmmm. I can tell. This is SOOO naughty, isn't it? ME: Naughty? HER: Yeah. And it's a great turn-on, too! ME: For you? HER: Yes! ME: So jacking off a man in a public place turns you on, huh? HER: SOME men, absolutely! And it obviously turns you on too! ME: No shit! But it isn't fair. HER: Fair? ME: Yeah. It makes me feel selfish. HER: Selfish? Why? ME: Because it's not mutual. I need to do you too! HER: Me? ME: Yeah. Like...that! HER: Oh God! ME: Just act normal. HER: Uh.... ME: Relax! That's only one finger. HER: Oh yes! ME: You ready for two fingers? HER: What? Wait a min....OH SHIT! ME: You like that? HER: Uh huh! ME: Yeah? HER: Yes! Yes! ME: I know. I can tell by how wet you are! HER: Oh God! I can tell by how hard YOU are! ME: This is fucking CRAZY! HER: Uh huh. But I'm really, really turned on! ME: Me too! Which is when John the bartender came over. JOHN: So how are you two doing tonight? ME: I'm uh...I'm doing fine, Johnny. But Penny looks a little distracted, don't you think? JOHN: Yeah. Now that you mention it. What's wrong, Penny? You look flushed. HER: What? No. I'm fine, John. I'm just....OHHH! JOHN: Oh what, Penny? HER: Uh.... ME: I think she's just horny, Johnny. JOHN: Hell, Penny's always horny! That's not it. It's something else. She looks.... ME: Turned on? She was so wrapped up in what I was doing to HER that she let go of my dick, and I reached down with my free hand and shoved it back in my pants. JOHN: Is that it, Penny? Are you turned on? HER: I always get turned on when I see YOU, Johnny. JOHN: Not that turned on! You want more wine? Maybe that'll calm you down. HER: Yeah. Sure. I could use some more wi.....OH SHIT! JOHN: Geez! I don't know what's going on, but you're sure as hell jumpy, that's for sure! HER: I'm just tired, that's all. I had a long....UNH! JOHN: Whatever you say, Penny. How bout you, Jim? Another beer? ME: Yeah. Thanks. As he walked away, I repositioned my fingers in her crotch. And just as he returned, I started diddling her clit. JOHN: Here ya go, folks. HER: OH GOD! JOHN: Damn! I've never seen anyone get THAT excited over a glass of cheap wine! HER: YES! JOHN: Jesus Christ! Are you okay, Penny? HER: Yeah. I'm fine. I just....MMM!! JOHN: Uh...tell you what. This round's on me, okay? ME: Thanks, Johnny. JOHN: No problem. Maybe you oughtta take her outside for some fresh air, man. ME: Maybe so, Johnny. Thanks. He walked away at that point, and Penny grabbed my arm. HER: Wait! Stop! Oh God! ME: Stop? I can't stop NOW! HER: Yes! Please! ME: You don't REALLY want me to stop, do you? HER: Yes! Just for a min...OH GAWD! ME: Is that a NO? HER: No! Yes! ME: You're gettin CLOSE, aren't you? HER: Uh huh! ME: Yes? HER: YES! ME: Then GO WITH IT, babe! GO ON! HER: OH SHIT! ME: Yes! Do it! I wanna see you COME right here in the bar! HER: UH HUH! UM! OH! ME: Do it! Do it! HER: YES! YES! Which is when a guy named Rich walked up, and stood behind the booth behind Penny, and started rubbing her neck. RICH: You having muscle cramps, Penny? Here, lemme give you one of my famous massages. HER: OH GOD! RICH: See there! That helps, doesn't it? I decided to go for broke at that point. I shoved three fingers in her cunt and started finger fucking her hard, and fast, and deep. HER: OH GAAWWDD! RICH: That's GOOD, ain't it, Penny? HER: YES! RICH: Damn! You're REALLY liking this, aren't you? HER: YES! DON'T.....STOP!!! RICH: Oh I ain't gonna stop, Penny! He didn't stop. And neither did I. And together we took her over the edge. HER: OHHHHHH YEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! She created quite a scene when she came, but everybody who was there that night had seen a LOT of wild shit go down in there -- so nobody got REAL excited or anything. And as soon as she stopped moaning and whimpering, everything got back to normal. Then Penny got up, and went off to the Ladies Room to "freshen up". And while she was gone, I sat there in the booth and thought about all the times we'd made love together. And how good that always was. And how HOT, and EXCITED, and SATISFIED we always made each other feel when we did it. I thought about how her body looked naked. And about how her body felt naked -- when we layed side-by-side, and embraced, and groped, and squirmed, and our hot, naked bodies were pressed tightly together in the heat of passion. And I thought a lot about her big, wonderful, firm breasts. And how good it felt when I cupped them, and squeezed them, and fondled them. And how her stiff, little nipples felt between my fingers. Or against my chest. And I thought about how her soft belly, and her shoulders, and her ass, and her thighs felt when I touched them. And how good her tongue felt in my mouth when we kissed. And how good my dick felt in her mouth when she wrapped her lips around it, and sucked it. And how warm and wet her pussy felt when I licked HER. And how terrific my dick felt when it slid in and out her hot, tight, velvety vagina when we fucked. And how she told me how good it felt. And I told her how good it felt. And how, because of all of that, we both always ended up getting lost in a frenzy of gasps. And moans. And whimpers. And pleasure. So by the time she got back from the bathroom, I was all hot and horny again. And my fucking dick was hard, and throbbing, and stiff again. ME: You okay? HER: Almost, yeah. I can't believe you did that! ME: Are you happy I did? HER: Yes! I had an INCREDIBLE orgasm! ME: Yeah? HER: Yes! It was unbelievable! ME: Are you talking about my finger fuck? Or Rich's neck rub? HER: Very funny. ME: No. I'm serious. Rich thinks HE did it! HER: Oh bullshit! Where is Rich anyway? Did he leave? ME: No. He's in the john. Probably imagining you naked and beating off. HER: Speaking of beating off.... ME: Yeah..... HER: I think I have some unfinished business in your lap, don't I? ME: I don't know. Do you? HER: I think so. Let's see....Ooohhh! You're HARD! ME: Yep. I was fantasizing about you while you were gone. HER: You're really hard! What exactly were you fantasizing about? ME: All kinds of things. HER: Tell me. ME: Well, let's see...I was thinking about playing with your tits. HER: Yeah? ME: Yeah. And I was thinking about fucking your tight, hot, wet cunt. HER: Really? What else? ME: Eating your sweet, sexy pussy. HER: What else? ME: About you sucking me. And about my cock sliding down your throat. HER: Ooohhh! No wonder you're so hard! Where was I sucking you? ME: Where? HER: Yeah. ME: Hell, I've got no fucking idea. It was a GENERAL-type fantasy. HER: How bout over by the pay phone? ME: You mean HERE? By the pay phone by the back door? HER: Uh huh. Cause that's what I was fantasizing about in the bathroom. ME: No shit? You wanna suck my dick over by the pay phone? HER: Yeah. I OWE you, right? ME: Sorta. Yeah. HER: I think it'd be a MAJOR TURN ON! Whaddya say? ME: What do I say? Shit! What do you THINK I say? HER: Is that a YES? ME: Hell YES it's a yes! Do I look like an IDIOT? HER: Actually, you look AROUSED. And you definitely FEEL aroused! ME: You're a very perceptive woman, Penny. HER: I know. I'm also a great cocksucker! ME: Jesus! That's EXACTLY what I was just thinking! HER: So let's DO IT, okay? ME: Okay. HER: You go first. And act like you're talking to someone. Then I'll join you in a couple of minutes. ME: Sounds like a plan to me. The pay phone was in an alcove by the back door that wasn't visible from most parts of the bar. But there was usually a steady flow of people going back to make a call -- so even though it was sort of out-of-the-way, it was definitely NOT PRIVATE, by any stretch of the word. I went back and picked up the receiver, and acted like I was talking to someone -- just like she suggested I do. And about a minute later, she came strolling back with a big, sexy grin on her face -- and mischief on her mind. HER: Who you talking to? ME: Uh...no one. HER: No one? ME: I'm not talking to anybo....Jesus! She pressed her body against me, and started rubbing and groping my dick through my pants. Then she leaned her head forward, slid her tongue in my mouth, and swirled it around for twenty or thirty seconds. Then she pulled away. HER: You ready? ME: For a blow-job? HER: No. For a GREAT blow-job! ME: I don't know. Can I think about it for a couple of minutes? HER: What? ME: OF COURSE I'M READY! You sure you wanna do it RIGHT HERE? Aren't you worried about somebody SEEING US? HER: Of course! That's the IDEA! That's why it'll be such a TURN ON! ME: Fine. Then knock yourself out. She did. She slid down to her knees in front of me, unzipped my fly, pulled out my now half-hard dick, and started sucking it. Real slow and easy at first. Then faster. And harder. And DEEPER. And lemme tell you, she hadn't been just whistling dixie before when she used the term "great blow job". And it wasn't an idle brag, either. Because Penny was a serious and dedicated cock-sucker. She LIKED to suck dick. And she did it VERY well. And she KNEW she did it very well. And she was willing to PROVE IT too. ME: Damn, Penny. HER: Feel good? ME: Yeah. HER: Mmmm? ME: Jesus Christ! HER: Ungh. Ungh. ME: Fuck! That feels soooo fucking GOOD! HER: Aach.. ME: Shit, Penny! Suck me! She did. She sucked the living shit out of my dick. First slow. Then fast. Then shallow. Then deep. Then slow again. Then fast again. Then REALLY fast! And REALLY fucking DEEP! Until she had my whole, fucking dick in her mouth. And her nose was buried in my pubic hair. And my balls were rubbing against her chin.And the head was sliding so fucking far down her throat that she started gagging. ME: Fuck! HER: Mmph! Mmph! ME: Gawd DAMMIT! HER: ACH! ACH! ME: I'm gonna...... HER: UUNNGGHH!! ME: I'm gonna fucking.....COME! HER: MMPH! ME: OH SHIIIIIIIITTTTT!!!!!!!! My body stiffened up and started jerking around uncontrollably at that point, and I came HARD. Real hard. Like a fucking banshee. And she KEPT sucking as I came. And she didn't stop until she sucked me dry, and swallowed every drop of my load. Then she looked up at me, and licked her lips seductively, and gave me one of the hottest, sexiest, naughtiest, and most seductive fucking smiles I've ever fucking seen. HER: Well? ME: Well...what? HER: Was that a great blow-job or not? ME: It was okay. HER: WHAT? ME: Fuck you, Penny! OF COURSE IT WAS GREAT! It was BETTER than great! Is that what you want me to say? HER: Only if it's true. ME: You KNOW it's fucking true! HER: Yeah, but I love to hear you say it. ME: Okay, fine. Are you listening? HER: Uh huh. ME: That was a GREAT, FUCKING BLOW JOB, PENNY. A TERRIFIC, fucking blow job. You want to know HOW GREAT? I'll TELL YOU how great. It was a MUCH BETTER blowjob than I got from the high-class hooker in Vegas who I paid SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. HER: Really? ME: Yeah. Really. HER: Then I guess you owe me six hundred bucks, huh? ME: Very funny. How bout if I just RETURN THE FAVOR? HER: You mean you're going to give me a six hundred dollar fuck? ME: Yeah. With lots of orgasms. HER: Ooohhh. ME: Whaddya say? HER: I say you've got a DEAL! Your place or mine? To be continued... Penny For Your Thoughts I was home on Christmas break after my first semester at college. It was good to see my parents again. I had missed them while I was away. It was my first day back and I was in the den talking to mom about college life. Dad was at work when I got home so I had a warm welcome from my mother. I had only been home an hour when we heard the phone ring and mom went to answer it. From where I was I couldn't make out what she was saying but she did sound extremely concerned. It was only a couple of minutes later when she came into the den. I could tell from the look on her face that something was wrong. "Rick, I need you to drive me to Mercy General," mom said. Mercy General was one of the hospitals in town. I felt a cold chill run through my body. "What is it mom? Is dad okay?" "Yes, he's fine. That was Mrs. Miller. Penny's been in an accident," she said. A feeling of dread shot through me. "Oh no, mom. Is she okay." "I don't know, Rick. Mrs. Miller is quite upset and I need to get there to be with her." Nodding I jumped up and ran to my room and grabbed my car keys. We rushed out and quickly piled into the car. I took off rather fast causing mom to ask me to slow down. She said it wouldn't do any good if we had an accident too. I dropped back to the speed limit. I felt my knees shaking as I drove and my mind thought about Penny, the blonde haired girl with the big blue eyes. The Millers had moved into the house across the street when I was seven. My mother took a plate of her home made brownies to them as a welcome to the neighborhood gift. Mom and Mrs. Miller became good friends immediately. They had a lot in common, same age, both had grown up in small towns, both were stay at home mothers and wives. One difference was that Mrs. Miller had given birth to a daughter, Penny. I was born six days before Penny. I can remember watching out the front window as they moved in. The first time I saw her was the day a moving van pulled up in front of their house. It was followed by a car that parked nearby and three people got out. It was obvious that it was a married couple with a young daughter about my age. The daughter had her blonde hair braided into two pigtails that hung down on either side of her head. She looked kind of cute but I really couldn't tell from that distance. The first time I saw her up close was two days later when one of the secretaries from the front office brought her into the classroom I was sitting in. She introduced Penny to the teacher who in turned introduced her to the class as a new student who would be joining our grade. It was easy to see that Penny looked nervous as she apprehensively looked around the room. Even as a second grader I could see how coming into a new school in the middle of the year could be a little scary. Our teacher led Penny over to the empty desk which was next to mine and she gave me a timid smile as she sat down. The first time I actually spoke to her was at lunch in the cafeteria. By this point in the school year everyone had already formed friendships and would sit in their own little groups while they ate. As was typical with second graders we sat at tables that were either all boys or all girls. Our teacher had asked Penny to stay and talk to her for a few minutes after the lunch bell rang so she was the last one in line to get her food. I was sitting where I could see her as she went along the counters. George was regaling us with another one of his stories about his escapades. I wasn't really listening as I watched Penny holding her tray looking around the cafeteria uncertainly. None of the girls made an effort to ask her to sit with them so she walked to the back and sat alone at an empty table. Despite knowing that I would probably be teased by my friends later I picked up my tray and walked back and sat down across from her. She looked up surprised and again gave me a shy smile. "Hi, I'm Ricky," I said. "Hello Ricky. My name's Penny," she replied. Of course I already knew her name from when the teacher introduced her to the class. "You live on Maple Street, right?" I asked. She again gave me a surprised look. "Yes, I do. How did you know that?" I gave her a grin. "I live across the street from you and I saw you and your mom and dad when you moved in." That was the start of our bond. She told me that her daddy had gotten a new job and they had moved here from a town about two hours away. She was sad that she had left behind all her friends. I walked with her back to class when the bell rang but we didn't have any chance to talk the rest of the day. When school let out she told me that her mom was picking her up. Parents that picked up their kids parked in front of the school and those of us who rode the bus went to the back where the buses parked. When I got home that afternoon my mouth began to water as soon as I walked in the door. I could smell the aroma of fresh baked brownies. I ran into the kitchen hoping for an afternoon snack. Mom laughed when she saw me and nodded at a plate of cooling squares of deliciousness on the counter. As I grabbed one and bit into it I noticed that she had a second plate that she was wrapping in tin foil. She told me that she was going to take it over to our new neighbors across the street to welcome them to the neighborhood. She was pleased when I asked if I could go with her. Mom rang the doorbell and a few seconds later Mrs. Miller opened the door. I saw Penny standing slightly behind her mother and she gave me a smile. Our mothers introduced themselves and talked for a couple of minutes before mom introduced me to Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller in turn introduce her daughter Penny who told our moms that we were in the same class. Mom handed Mrs. Miller the plate of brownies and she lifted the foil and thanked my mother for the welcoming gift. She then offered one each to Penny and me. Yummy, another brownie. When we were leaving to go back to our house I told Mrs. Miller if Penny wanted to ride the bus I would make sure she got to the right place. She asked her daughter if she would like to ride the bus and Penny nodded her head. The next morning I knocked on their door and walked Penny to the bus stop and sat with her on the ride to school. I sat with her at lunch again that day even though I was ribbed by several of my friends about sitting with a girl. At the end of the day we again rode the bus and I walked her home after we got off. That was the start of a daily routine for us. From that time we were almost inseparable. In the afternoons and on weekends we would play together. We both had swing sets in our back yards that we spent hours on. If the weather didn't allow us to go outside we would play games indoors. When we reached high school we still stayed together all the time. We would go out together with a group of friends even though we weren't dating. It wasn't that I didn't want to date Penny because I did. I had always had a crush on her and the older we got the stronger my feelings grew. The problem was I didn't think she thought of me as anything other than a friend who lived across the street. Our relationship stayed like this until the first week of our final year of high school. Neither of us dated anyone. I didn't know her reason but for me she was the only girl that I wanted to be with. That was when Penny's father had a massive stroke and passed away. It was at after his funeral that things changed. The friends of the Millers had gathered at their house bringing food and paying their condolences. Penny was sitting in a chair in the corner crying and it broke my heart. I went over and put my arm around her shoulders but she shoved me back. "Go away. Your father is still alive. Stay away from me," she hissed. I stumbled back totally stunned. I stared at her as she put her face back into her hands and sobbed. I didn't know what to do. I hung my head and walked out the front door and over to my house. I went to my room and fell on my bed and cried. I cried for Penny and her loss. Her father had meant the world to her and I knew how hard this was on her. As far as what she had said to me, I just hoped that she didn't mean it and was just hurting. I didn't see Penny for the rest of the week as she stayed home from school. As much as I wanted to go to her and console her, I thought about her words and decided it would be best to give her time to grieve. The following Monday though I waited for her in my car as we always took it to school. I was surprised when she walked past me and headed to the bus stop. I backed out and pulled up to where she was standing with a couple of other kids. She just glared at me. "I told you to go away," she snapped at me. I stared at her for a minute then slowly drove away. I was really hurting now. My best friend and the girl I was secretly in love with had turned against me. I hurried to class and hid behind a book so no one would see that I had been crying. We had always sat at the same table at lunch but today she went to another table and wouldn't even look in my direction. That afternoon when I got home I talked to my mother about what was going on with Penny. She tried to soothe my hurt feelings and told me to be patient. She said Penny was hurting and would come around soon. I hoped so. But it wasn't to be. Penny quit hanging out with our friends and soon she was dating a jock from the baseball team and went out with a different group. I was heart broken. For the rest of our senior year I quit going out with our friends and just stayed home. Mom was worried about me but she didn't push me. I'm pretty sure she knew how I felt. The worst times were on the weekends when her boyfriend would pull up in front of her house and honk his horn. From my bedroom window I would see her run out to his car and get in. In defense I poured myself into my school work. Graduation came and I headed off to college. I graduated high school with honors and had been accepted to a major university about two hundred miles from home. I had only made it back for Thanksgiving and now for Christmas. ------- The last words Penny had ever spoke to me was the day she told me to go away at the bus stop. Now the only girl I had ever loved was in the hospital and I was driving mom to be with Mrs. Miller. I dropped mom off at the front doors and told her I would find a place to park and come find her. I hurried and found a place and rushed back in. I went to the check in desk and asked where I could find Penny and was given her room number on the second floor. I found the elevator made my way to her room. Peeking in the door I saw mom sitting in a chair with her arms around Mrs. Miller comforting her. My mother looked up to see me standing there and nodded that it was okay for me to enter. When I came in I looked at the bed and saw Penny laying there. Her left arm was in a cast and her head was bandaged. She had an Iv. needle taped to one of her arms and a heart monitor beeped with each pulse. My heart was breaking at the sight of the girl I loved in this condition. I had to fight the urge to rush over and hold her. Instead I took a seat on the other side of Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller was like a second mother to me and I hurt for her as well as Penny. Eventually she told us that Penny had gone to the mall with a girlfriend and they were on the way home when a pickup ran a red light. The car Penny was in hit the truck broadside and she was sitting in the passenger seat. She had broken her arm but her worst injury was due to her head hitting the dash board. The doctors said it would be some time before they knew how serious it was. They were keeping her in a chemically induce coma for the time being. After that we sat in silence, the only noise coming from the beeps of the heart monitor. It started getting late and mom said we needed to get home so she could fix dinner for dad. I didn't want to leave but since I had driven her here I had to go. Mrs. Miller thanked us for coming. We asked her if we could do anything for her and she just asked if we could look after her little dog. We assured her we would and I told her I would be back in the morning. I slept fitfully that night. My dreams were filled with Penny. I ate a quick breakfast the next morning and hurried back to the hospital. Mrs. Miller was still there in the room. I saw they had brought in a roll away bed for her but she was awake sitting in a chair next to Penny's bed. When I walked in she came and gave me a hug. We sat and talked for a while. She said the doctors were going to keep Penny in a drug induced coma for another few days until the brain swelling went down and then they would allow her to awaken on her own. Mrs. Miller said she needed to run home and shower and change. I promised her I would stay with Penny. When she had left I sat in the chair next to Penny's bed and gently took her good hand in mine and held it. I talked to her softly telling her she had to get better. Tears streamed from my eyes as I talked. At one point a nurse came in. I went to get up but she just smiled at me and told me to stay seated. When Mrs. Miller came back I was still talking to Penny and didn't hear her come in. I started at her approach and jumped up. "No, Ricky. Stay where you are. I know you're hurting as much as I am," she said. I nodded gratefully. "She's going to be ok. I just know it," I said. "I'm sorry that she turned away from you Rick. I know that she loves you but she has had such a hard time with her father's death." "That's okay. She has her own life to live. All I want is for her to get better," I said. I stayed until visiting hours were over and was back early the next day. The next five days were the same. I would be there early every morning and go home when they said I had to leave. On the third day they quit giving her the drugs to keep her in the coma. It wasn't until her fifth day in the hospital that she opened her eyes. Her mom and I were sitting and talking quietly when we looked over to see her looking at us. Mrs. Miller gasped and I jumped up to go find the nurse to tell her that Penny was awake. I rushed back to her room but when the doctor came in he asked me to wait outside. I paced back and forth nervously waiting for any word on how she was doing. Finally Mrs. Miller came out in tears. I ran over and hugged her. "She's awake and talking but she doesn't even know who I am," she sobbed. We waited together until the doctor finally came out. He looked a little perplexed. "Mrs. Miller, from what I can tell your daughter is suffering from a case of amnesia. She doesn't seem to recall anything about her life. Now this isn't totally uncommon in cases of head trauma and she should recover her memories. What I can't tell you is how long that will take." Mrs. Miller nodded. "What can we do?" she asked. "Just be with her and talk to her. Hopefully this will help bring her memory back." The doctor left and we went back into Penny's room. Mrs. Miller went to her daughter. "Hello Penny. I'm so glad you're awake." Penny looked at her mother confused. "I'm your mother, dear. You've been in an accident." Penny looked at her and nodded. She then looked over at me with the same confused look. "This is Rick. He's your best friend," Mrs. Miller said. "Hello Rick," she said tentatively. "Hello Penny. I'm glad you're awake," I said. We spent the next two hours talking to Penny until I had to go home. I rushed into the house and told my parents that Penny was awake but she couldn't remember anything. When I went to bed that night I said a prayer for her as I had every night. I thanked God that she had come to and asked him to give her back her lost memories. For the next week there was no change in Penny's condition. She was still in the hospital on Christmas day. I spent Christmas morning with my family and then went to see her. Even though she had lost her memory of who she was she still knew what Christmas was. I had bought her a present and gave it to her. She opened the box and took out the chain of white gold that had a purple gem hanging from it. She looked pleased with the gift and I told her that it was an amethyst and it was her birthstone. Penny smiled and asked my help to put it on as she still had her arm in a cast. New Years eve the doctor said he was going to release her explaining that she would be better off at home in familiar conditions. He felt that would help stimulate her memory. I helped Mrs. Miller get her home and we watched as Penny walked around the house looking at everything as if it was the first time she had ever seen them. It was disheartening to watch her. That night my family came over and we rang in the New Year together. New Years morning Mrs. Miller came over to talk with us. "My company has been very gracious in giving me time off but I have to go back to work. I don't want to leave Penny alone." Even though Mr. Miller had enough insurance at the time of his death to pay off the house Mrs. Miller still had to work to provide for them. Mom reached over and took her hands. "Donna, I will be here and I will be happy to look after her." "I'll be here too," I blurted out. "Rick, you need to go back to school," my mother said. "I'm not going back now. Penny needs all of us," I said adamantly. "I'll go back next semester but this is more important." Mom looked at me intently and then nodded her head. Penny was like a daughter to her and she knew how much she meant to me. Dad didn't object either. I called the school and explained what was going on and they let me drop my classes and credited the money towards the next semester. For the next couple of months Penny would come over to our house every day while her mother went to work. We would sit and talk as I tried to help her get her memory back. "I remember when you had just moved here," I said. "Your parents left you with us and it started to rain and you and I snuck outside and played in the puddles. When mom came out we were covered in mud." Penny giggled. "For real?" Mom was sitting in the room listening to us. "It's true. I spanked you both for being out there." "Oh my," Penny said with a blush. "And then when we were ten we thought it would be cool to sneak out and spend the night in my fort. Our parents were frantic the next day when they found us gone and had the whole neighborhood looking for us. I don't know about you but I got a spanking I still remember." "Were we always so mischievous?" Penny asked. "No, sweetie. You were both usually the most loving and well behaved children but you did have your moments," mom said. Penny looked thoughtful. "I just wish I could remember," she said. We would sit and talk about our childhood day after day. Rather it was me telling her stories about us and her listening and sometimes asking questions. Despite how much I wished she would remember she didn't. Mrs. Miller even asked other friends of Penny to come visit. They would come by once or twice but then not come again. I believe they found it too disconcerting to talk to someone they knew who couldn't remember them. Summer was approaching and I was coming to the conclusion that my being there wasn't helping Penny. I talked to my parents about returning to school. The summer semesters were short but I could get back on track. It was time to get on with my life. Even as much as I loved being able to be with her again, I felt inside that if she regained her memory she would reject me again. It was our last day together as I was returning to school the next day. We were sitting in her room as we often did. I was having a hard time thinking of anything to talk about as I had verbally replayed just about our entire life. "Rick, did you and I ever date?" she asked, catching me off guard. Penny For Your Thoughts "No, we never dated," I said trying to keep the sadness from my voice. "Oh, it just seems that we were so close." "Yeah, we were for a long time," I said. "You say that like were aren't close anymore. Did something happen between us?" Until now I had purposely not talked about the events following her father's passing. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning. That was one thing we had never talked about, her father. Penny had never even asked about him. She had lots of pictures in her room and she had asked me about who each person was except for her father. It was as if she was purposely blocking him out. I jumped up and told her that I needed to talk to her mother and to wait there for me. I found Mrs. Miller in the kitchen. "Has Penny ever asked you about her father?" I questioned. She thought about it and answered, "No, now that you mention it, she never has." "She has never asked me about him either. I may be way off base here but I think that might be what she's blocking out. If it's okay with you I like to take her for a drive." She said that would be fine and I went back and asked Penny to come with me. She wanted to know where we were going but I just told her to trust me. Twenty minutes later we were pulling up in front of the cemetery. Penny looked at me questioningly but didn't protest when I took her hand and led her through the gates. We stopped in front of one particular grave. "Penny, this is where your father is buried," I said. She looked at the headstone and the name and date engraved on it. I reached into the large envelope that Mrs. Miller had given me and drew out the picture it contained. I handed it Penny. "This is your father. You two were very close and he loved you very much," I whispered. We stood there in silence for a long time as Penny studied the picture and then looked at the headstone. She finally turned to me and shook her head. "I wish I could remember him," she said with tears in her eyes. I was disappointed that the break through that I had been hoping for was not happening. I took her by the hand and led her back to the car and drove her home. When we got there I told her I needed to go finish packing. We said good-bye and I promised to stop by and see her one last time before I left for school. The next morning I loaded my bags into my car and walked across the street. It was a Saturday so Mrs. Miller was home. The three of us sat at the kitchen table and talked for some time. When it was time to leave I gave Mrs. Miller and Penny a hug. As I was walking out of the kitchen I heard Penny speak in a voice so low that I barely heard her. "I'm sorry, Ricky," she said. I spun around and looked at her. She had called me Ricky. That was what I went by when I was younger. Now I was Rick. "What did you say?" I asked. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I treated you." "You remember," I shouted with hope. Penny stood with her head bowed looking at the floor and nodded. "Yes. I had a dream last night about daddy and when I woke up this morning I could remember everything." Mrs. Miller and I let out whoops of joy and both hugged her between us. "Darling why didn't you say anything this morning when you got up?" Mrs. Miller asked. Penny's body shook with a sob. "Because I knew that Ricky was going to come by and I am so embarrassed at how I treated him after daddy died. I'm so sorry Ricky." I put my hand under her chin and lifted her head so I could look into her face. "It's okay, Penny. All that matters is that you're going to be okay now. That's what's important." Penny sobbed again and threw her arms around my neck. "I loved you Ricky but when daddy died I felt so cheated that you still had your dad and I didn't have mine anymore. It hurt so much. I'm so sorry for how I treated you. I really have missed you." I squeezed her tight. "I've missed you too. So much." I put off leaving for school until the next day. We had a celebration that our Penny was back. Mom and dad came over as soon as I called and told them of her break through. Later that evening Penny took me out back and we sat together on a garden bench. Penny sat quietly before breaking the silence. "How come you don't hate me?" she asked softly. I decided it was the time to tell her the truth. "I could never hate you Penny. I have always been in love with you way too much for that." "You love me?" she asked. I nodded my head. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" "I guess I was scared. I didn't want to take the chance that it would ruin our friendship," I replied. "Me too," Penny said. "I didn't think you felt like I did because you never said anything. You wouldn't even ask me out on a date. I have always loved you too." "But how about Jim?" I asked referring to the jock that she had dated. "I think that was just my way of trying to deal with things. I never loved him and we never did anything. Well, we did kiss but that was all and it really wasn't that good because I knew he wasn't the one I wanted to kiss." We stared into each others eyes. Slowly our heads moved closer and when our lips met I felt a jolt of electricity surge through me. This turned to fireworks as our tongues joined for the first time. My arms wrapped around her pulling her tight as I poured years of love into the passion of our first kiss. We were both gasping for breath when our mouths parted. Penny moved to sit in my lap and pulled me in for another kiss. I shivered when she ran her hand through my hair pulling my face to hers. I was praying that she felt what I was. Her lips moved to my ear. "I love you, Ricky," she whispered. My arms tightened their hold on her body. "I love you too, Penny. I love you so much." We spent the next hour kissing and talking softly until Mrs. Miller stepped out the back door to check on us. She saw her daughter sitting in my lap and gave us a smile and went back inside. Penny and I rose up and walked back into the house. As we came into the living room holding hands where Mrs. Miller sat with my parents we were met with smiles from each. I thought parting from her that night to return to my house was hard. The next day Penny and her mother came to my house to tell me good-bye. My first class was the next day and I had to leave. I said my farewells to our parents and Penny walked me out to my car. We melted into each others arms and kissed with a passion that matched our kisses from the night before. Finally Penny pulled back and stared into my eyes as tears dripped from hers. "I love you. I'll be waiting for you," she said. Short of her telling me she was coming with me there were no other words that could have meant more to me. If I thought parting with her the night after our first kiss was hard, the next six weeks were torture. The only thing that helped me get through them was the unlimited long distance plan on my cell phone that let me call her every night. I was taking two courses during this shortened semester and would go class each day and then study when I got back to the dorm. I would get in bed an hour before I needed to go to sleep and call her and we would talk. My last day of class I had already packed my belongings and put them in my car before I took my final exam. Once I had turned in my text I walked straight to the car and started driving. The four hour trip home seemed more like ten. As soon as I pulled into the driveway our front door flew open and Penny raced across the lawn and jumped into my arms. As she thrust her tongue into my mouth I knew that I would never get tired of kissing her. When I did finally set her back on the ground I looked over to see my mother patiently waiting on the porch. I put my arm around Penny and went to hug mom. Later when we were alone she told me that Penny had come over three hours before I was expected to wait for me. She laughed when she said that Penny had looked as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Penny and I spent every waking moment together during the weekend. I took her to see a movie Saturday night so we could have some time alone. As I sat in the darkened theater with my arm around her shoulder I couldn't help think about my dad telling me how he used to take my mother to the drive in movies when they were dating. Too bad the last one in our area had closed down years ago. We didn't let that stop us from sharing a few kisses. Sunday night Penny told me to wait until her mother had left for work and then come over to her house. She said she would leave the door unlocked for me. I was up early Monday morning and ate breakfast with my parents. When my father left for work I went back up to my room. Mrs. Miller normally left for her job about an hour after my dad did and I could watch her driveway from my window. After she had driven away I went back downstairs and told my mother that I was going to meet Penny. It looked like mom wanted to say something but she just nodded and said, "Okay." I quickly crossed the street and knocked on the door before opening it and stepping inside the house. I didn't see Penny but heard music playing and followed the sound to her room. She was standing in the center of her room dressed in a robe. I walked in and she came and met me half way and our arms wrapped around each other as our lips met in a deep kiss. Penny took my hand and sat me on the edge of her bed. She remained standing in front of me. She appeared very nervous but with a sigh her hands pulled at the sash that held her robe closed. It parted and with a shrug her robe flowed down her arms and pooled at her feet. I drew in a sharp breath as I gazed on her nude body. For several seconds my eyes traveled over every inch of her. To me she had a perfect figure. Her narrow waist widened into her hips giving her the perfect curves. The hair on her pussy was closely trimmed but like many blondes it only sparsely cover her. Her breasts were perfectly shaped and stood proudly from her chest with nipples that were erect. I continued up with my gaze. When I looked into her beautiful blue eyes they were begging me to say something. "Oh God, Penny. You are more beautiful than I ever imagined," I said huskily. Her eyes lit up and she finally smiled. "So you have imagined me naked?" she asked coyly. "Yeah, a whole lot," I said feeling myself blush. She closed the two steps between us and reached down and lifted the bottom of my tee shirt and pulled it over my head. I let her tug me back to my feet and looked down as I watched her hands undo the button on my jeans and pull down my zipper. She hooked her fingers into the waist band of both my pants and boxers and pushed them down. I quickly slipped out my shoes and stepped out my pants. We now stood looking at each other. I'm not a muscle bound body builder but I did keep myself in shape. I watched her eyes as they went down my body to my stiff cock which stood out at a right angle. Again I'm not overly large there either. Maybe just slightly bigger than what I have heard was average but Penny did appear to give me a smile that indicated she was pleased with what she saw. Of course I knew that I was the first man she had ever seen naked in the flesh as she was the first woman I have seen. We had both confessed that we were virgins with no experience. Don't get me wrong. I am familiar with the sight of naked women. In this day and age of the internet I have seen probably every shape and size of woman that there is. I put my arms around her waist and pulled her against me. The feel of her skin pressing against mine was heavenly. We kissed passionately before she pulled me to lay with her on the bed. We spent a long time running our hands over each other. Neither of us felt shy about touching the other. I was exploring Penny's pussy with my fingers when she wrapped her hand around my pulsing cock and began to stroke. My senses were so heightened that I knew that I would come quickly if she kept this up. "God, Penny," I growled. "I'll come if you don't stop." "It's okay, baby. I want you to come for me," she urged. Within seconds my come shot forth and began to land on her body. I pretty much covered her from the top of her pussy to the bottom of her tits. When I finally was able to open my eyes she was staring at her stomach. "Wow, that was so hot," she giggled. I watched her take her fingers and run it through my cum and my cock which was still hard lurched when she put them to her mouth and stuck out her tongue and tentatively tasted me. She closed her mouth as I could tell she was deciding what I tasted like then she put her fingers in her mouth and sucked them clean. When she pulled her fingers out of her mouth she gave me a big grin. "Not bad. I like it." Penny then looked back down at my cock which was still hard and bobbed up and down with every beat of my heart. She spread her legs even wider and pulled at my hips so I lay between her legs. My heart began to thump in my chest as she took hold of my hardness and put at the opening of her pussy. I knew what she wanted. "Penny, I'm not protected," I said worriedly. "It's alright baby. When you left for school I went on the pill and neither of us have ever been with anyone else," she said reassuringly. My instinct was to ram myself into her but I knew better. I slowly pushed in until I felt the barrier of her maidenhood. I stopped and looked into her eyes. "Do it, Ricky. I know it will hurt some but I want you," she begged. I pulled back slightly and pushed forward and felt her give way allowing me deeper access. Penny winced and bit her bottom lip. I held still waiting. Soon she nodded and I pressed on moving in and out until our pubic regions pressed against each other. I was fully inside her. This was so much more than I had ever imagined. Slowly I began to make love to her and was thankful that I had come once already so I could last longer. I continued to watch her face and saw her original discomfort change to a look of desire. Penny put her hands on my hips and began to pull at me when I pushed in, urging me to move faster. She kept her hold on me so she could meet my thrusts with her hips. Despite having come earlier I soon felt the urge return. Nothing could ever have prepared for the wonder of joining with the woman I loved so much. Suddenly her body began to shake. "Cum with me baby," she cried out. I needed no further encouragement. My seed burst forth into her hot pussy. I could feel the walls of her vagina constrict around my pulsing cock. My eyes shut with the intensity and I saw flashes of lights like fireworks. Penny's arms wrapped around my back and pulled me down on top of her. Our mouths met and our tongues battled in a frenzy. I felt her occasionally tremble as smaller orgasms pulsed through her body. "God, Ricky. We should have done this years ago," she gasped out. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, you're right. I guess we'll just have to make up for it," I replied. Eventually Penny led me to her bathroom and we shared our first shower. I swear she was literally purring as I lathered her body and ran my hands all over her. I had softened until she soaped her hands and began to stroke me. My cock rapidly inflated again. We dried and returned to her bed where she pushed me onto my back. I lay still as I watched her continue to explore my body. Penny began to kiss my chest and licked at my nipples at which I shuddered. Her lips trailed down my body until they closed in on her hand that was stroking my cock. She raised up and studied me closely and I groaned when her tongue snaked out and lapped at the precum on the head of my hard dick. She the looked into my eyes and gave me a big grin as I watched in wonder as she slid her lips down over me. I had already come twice so I was able to hold out for at least four minutes. For her first time she was amazing. I called out a warning to her but she only sucked on me harder and my butt cheeks tightened as I released for the third time that morning. I could feel her swallowing around my cock and only once I started to soften did she release me. Penny dropped down onto my chest and looked intently at my face. "Was that okay?" she asked. "That was more than just okay. That was absolutely mind blowing," I answered. She giggled. "I don't think it was your mind I was blowing," she replied as she wiggled her eyebrows at me. I laughed at her and flipped her onto her back so now I was on top. "My turn," I whispered. Her eyes filled with lust. I mimicked the actions she had performed on me, working my lips down her body. I spent a while sucking on her nipples eliciting moans of pleasure from her. When I reached the top of her mound I slid down between her legs. This was my first time but from my "research" on the internet I was familiar with the parts of a woman's body. Like Penny the first touch of my tongue was tentative. My second was to push into her as far as I could. She was absolutely delicious. I made love to her pussy with my mouth until she was gasping and calling out, "Oh, oh, oh." I moved my lips and tongue and concentrated on her little clit. My efforts were rewarded with a shriek as her hips lifted off the bed and she again began to rapidly shake. I wrapped my arms around her legs to hold onto her and continued to work on her clit until following one final shudder she collapsed back onto the bed like a limp rag doll. I slipped back up the bed and pulled her into my arms. Penny pushed her head into my chest and held me tight as she gasped for breath. I held her in silence until she finally raised her head and looked at me. "Was that okay," I said with a chuckle as I repeated her question back to her. Penny playfully slapped my chest. "You damn well know what you did to me." We cuddled and talked for the next hour. We agreed with each other that our first time together was so much more intense and fulfilling than either of us had ever imagined it could be. This was also when Penny decided to give me more wonderful news. She said that she had been able to secure financial aid and would be entering the same school I was attending in the fall. The idea of returning to school and not being with her had plagued me but now all my prayers had been answered. We made love one more time before showering again and getting dressed. We knew that my mom would be making lunch for us and didn't want her having to come look for us. When we did walk in together my mother didn't say a word but just looked at both intently. I noticed Penny blush slightly and I swear, just for a second, I saw a smile tug at the corners of my mothers mouth. We had six weeks before we left for school. We made love almost everyday that her mother was at work. I'm sure by now that it was no secret to any of our parents but we did try to remain discreet. On the day we left for school Penny rode with me. She left her car at home as she didn't figure we would need more than one at school. Another stroke of good fortune was that she got a room in my dorm. It was a four story coed dorm. The first and third floors were for female students and the second and fourth floors were male. There wasn't anything to prevent the opposite sex from being on the others floor. Penny had a roommate but she rarely ever saw her as she stayed with me. I was fortunate enough to have a single room. Time flew by and we were soon back home for the Christmas holidays. Shortly after we got home I talked with my dad about my plans and he agreed to loan me some money to buy a present for Penny. On Christmas morning she and her mother joined my parents and me at our house to open presents. I saved mine for her until last. She was sitting on the couch between our mothers when I walked over and dropped to one knee. Penny gave me a curious look. Penny For Your Thoughts "Penny I have known you and loved you almost my entire life. I know that we still have some time to go before we graduate but I was hoping that when the time was right you would honor me by becoming my wife." At that point I opened the small jewelry box revealing the ring I had bought. It was white gold with two diamonds on either side of a larger amethyst. The stone matched the one that I had given her in the hospital exactly one year ago. Penny's eyes filled with tears. "Oh yes, my Ricky. I will marry you," she cried out. All three women now had tears dropping down their cheeks as I took the ring out and placed it on her left hand. Our families celebrated the day with us. It truly was a merry Christmas. We continued to basically live out of my room for the rest of the school year. The following summer we both got jobs and saved up our money. That was when we told our parents that we would be renting an apartment together when we returned to school. There were no protests. I went on to graduate a semester before Penny. Six days after she graduated we were married. Up until then the two best days of my life were the first day we made love and the day she agreed to be my wife. The day that she said "I do" made three pivotal and joyous days of my life. For a while I thought there would never be another day that could match those three but I was wrong. I know now as I stand in the hospital room with my wife that this is another blessed day. You see, I have just had my first daughter placed into my arms. Penny is smiling as she watches the tears of joy drop from my eyes as I gaze on this precious bundle. Life with Penny is a wonderful thing. Penny for Your Thoughts As John sat on the couch watching the news, Penny came in with the mail and sat next to him, leaning back against the arm rest, and settling her legs on John's thighs. John used her legs as a drink holder, setting his beer bottle between her knees, and she dutifully shifted her legs a bit closer together to hold it. As she did so, John reached over and rubbed her feet. "Mmmm," said Penny, smiling. She blew John a kiss, sending a touch of magic with it. John actually felt the touch her lips on his, and he smiled back. Penny sifted through the mail, and started shifting through it. Mostly junk and a couple bills. Penny stopped at an envelope she didn't recognize, however. It appeared to be a vacation offer. Shrugging, she tore open the envelope and glanced over the contents, a pamphlet showing an ocean liner. John took a drink of his beer as the TV show cut to commercial, and he glanced at the pamphlet. "Ha. I remember when we used to do stuff for vacation." "I don't," said Penny. The two chuckled. The first vacation together they'd taken had been a cruise ship. Unfortunately, they caught a horrible flu the first day, and spent half the time confined to quarters. When they finally got better, a tropical storm kicked up and the ship had been forced to cut its route short. Still, they'd managed to buy enough souvenirs to impress their friends when they got back. "Why don't we ever go places anymore?" said Penny. "You know, besides the lake." "You don't like the lake?" "I love the lake. But the past five years, that's the only place we've been. It would be nice to go, I dunno, hiking at Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, or go to the Bahamas, or to Ireland like we always said we would. Hell, even just do a roadtrip down the coast, y'know?" "Yeah, I hear ya." John pat her leg. "Well. I mean, we could. Not too much really stopping us." He paused. "Except, you know, America getting chopped up into a bunch of little kingdoms and travel between them now being a tremendous pain the ass." "Queendoms," said Penny. "They're called Queendoms now." "Ah, right. Still. The Cult Wars were three years ago. You'd think they could ease up a little. Travel would sure help the economy." "Yeah," said Penny. "Just be grateful we don't live on the East Coast. My sister says they keep men on leashes and all fours over there." John grimaced. "That's really bad for the knees." Penny smirked. "I'm sure it's not really like that. She likes to exaggerate." "So, how's her husband doing?" Penny's smile faltered a bit. "She tells me he's... adjusting... if slowly." She hesitated a bit, but then said. "She also has a new boyfriend, too, which I'm sure complicates things." John grimaced again, but he patted Penny's leg again. He took her hand and kissed it, giving her a warm smile. "Good thing I ended up with the nice sister." Penny grinned slightly, and winked. John jumped as he felt a gentle slap on his balls, more startling than actually painful. "You sure about that?" The two chuckled, and John turned back to the TV while Penny sighed and looked at the pamphlet again. She had really only looked at the pictures so far, a generic looking luxury liner, set against the backdrop of the Alaskan coastline. Then she took a second glance at the pictures inside. She blinked. She'd noticed the men in the pictures being topless, strapping hunks no doubt intended to entice a female, or gay male, customer base. Then she looked a little closer and noticed they weren't just topless. They were naked! All of them! The pictures had simply been staged to cover the men's general groin area. Despite a decade or so of Sex Magic, full nudity was still taboo to show in some countries, even though women could easily see men naked at a whim. Penny turned back to the front of the pamphlet and gave the title a look. She raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. "Adults Only Cruise," she said. "Enjoy a lovely, scenic tour of the West Coast, and while you do, enjoy the delightful buffet of male entertainment! Your husband, boyfriend, or sub won't need to pack, as he won't be needing clothes, just a full load to give you, and the other ladies, lots of energy!" John turned to Penny and gave her an inquiring look. "What?" Penny read through the pamphlet. "Oh, wow. This is an actual Sex Magic themed cruise! Let's see, males kept nude, recommend light clothing for women, general agreement that all women can lightly tease men, but only their partners can decide what happens to them otherwise. Polyamorous outlook is recommended, though monogamous couples can participate with the understanding that privacy is not—okay, blahblahblah, health checks required, signed waivers necessary, yaddayadda, security on hand. Huh." "So, what is it, just, women bring guys along, and the guys serve them?" "Well, not really serving, although I'm sure you can. Just, you know, ladies hanging out, enjoying being dominant, men enjoying being teased. Here, take a look." John took the pamphlet and started reading through it. Penny watched her husband, then grinned. As he read, she saw a glimpse of his thoughts, of being made to kneel before Penny and a couple other women, giving them foot massages, while they all gave his penis little zaps with their magic to spur him on. She sensed his cock start to get a little hard as he thought of the possibilities. John knew very well his wife could sense this, but they'd been married for seven years now, and Penny had had Sex Magic for six of them. They were both more than used to each other by now, and Penny even linked John to her own thoughts once in a while, showing him some of her own deepest, secret fantasies. If anything, such an intimate psychic connection had saved their marriage during the tense early years of the Magic. It helped, of course, that Penny hadn't let the magic turn her into a psycho-domme. But then, that wasn't actually as common an occurrence as the media liked to make people think. Sure, there were times even the most tender and caring woman wanted the cathartic release of unleashing the inner sadist, but as long as there was genuine trust, even the most stubborn man could learn just how fun it was to indulge that sadist now and again. Likewise, more than a few women were quite happy to let their husbands and boyfriends get a little "pay back" later for such indulgences. "I'm sensing some interest," said Penny. She held his beer bottle as she moved her leg to press her calf against his crotch. John shifted uncomfortably a bit as his cock tried to grow fully erect in the confines of his jeans, going from downward flaccid to upwards erect. Penny helped him out, using her magic to telekinetically pull his cock into a more comfortable position, were it could swell fully. "Thanks," he said softly, and she patted his hand with a smile. She listened to his erection pulse as he finished reading. "Huh," he said. "Well. That would be something, wouldn't it?" "That eager to cheat on me, huh?" said Penny. He smirked. "Hey, you're the one who noticed the part about the naked guys." "True," she said. John's cock stayed hard another half a minute before starting to shrink down. She decided it would be nice if stayed hard for a bit longer, and cast another small spell. John jumped slightly and let out a soft sigh as he felt the psychic impression of Penny's hands cupping and rolling his testicles. It was a surprisingly soothing sensation, but nonetheless, his cock took notice, and returned immediately to full erection. "When did I last empty these puppies for you?" she said. "Four days ago," he said softly. The memory floated up into his mind, and Penny watched it replay. "All over your tits." He grinned, remembering how he'd hosed down her chest. He'd gone without eight days prior to that, building up quite a load. "Ah, yes," she said, smiling. She then turned to the TV and dropped the subject. John squirmed a bit after a few minutes of the psychic ball massage. He looked to Penny, but she seemed to be focused on the television. He knew she was baiting him, but that was okay. It was all part of the game. "So," he said. "Wanna fool around?" "Nah," said Penny. "I'm good." The psychic hands shifted from rolling his balls to tickling them, fingertips lightly brushing and drumming against him. It was a strange sensation, the way the magic worked. His testicles weren't actually being touched or moved around, but his nerves were insisting such a thing was happening. His body couldn't tell the difference, even if his eyes showed him clear evidence that it was an illusion. He squirmed some more, and his cock flexed in his jeans. He'd reached that threshold were continued confinement was just not going to work for him. He opened his jeans and let his cock slide out with a slight breath of relief. The psychic fingers drifted upwards, lightly dancing along his twitching shaft and tugging playfully on the ridge of his penis head. John let out another breath, but Penny acted innocent, pretending to ignore him. John scooted down in his seat some and lay his head back. Closing his eyes, he let himself enjoy the magical stimulation. Soon enough, he felt the stirring in his loins of an orgasm starting to build. Penny basked in the flow of energy from his cock. It was just a mild, warm glow for now. As the advertisements came back on, she turned her attention back to him. "So, if we did want to go on that cruise, what do you imagine it would be like?" She saw a flurry of sexual images go through his head, as the possibilities presented themselves in his mind. "Jeez, I dunno," he said. "I'd hope they have a generous relief policy. All those women doing little teases and radiating lust, and all those men just naked and hard and spurring them on. It'd get crazy pretty quick, I would think. What about you? What would you do in that situation?" Penny tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well. I'd have fun giving little magic licks and pokes and pinches to all the boys. But there'd probably be so many women, you couldn't hog all the boys to yourself. Still." She picked up the pamphlet. "Some of the guys in here, I wouldn't mind two or three of them giving me a very thorough, full-body massage." She sensed the slight defensive sting in John's mind, but also sensed him brush it away, unthreatened. It was the same emotional reaction she got when John noticed the attractiveness of another woman. An instinctive reaction, only natural, just like the attraction itself. As a couple, they accepted this about one another, and didn't let it faze them. Still, Penny, gave John's cocks a few reassuring psychic licks. John let out a soft moan, and his hands gripped her calves. Penny took the mostly empty beer bottle from between her legs and set it on the side table, then scooted up so that her feet were now in John's lap. She clasped her feet around his hard cock, which flexed in her grip. A thread of pre-cum seeped from the tip and trailed down her ankle. She didn't rub him, though, just held him between her feet, and increased the activity of her psychic touches. "Maybe we should try it," said Penny. "I could invite our friends along. Molly and Dan, and Jenny and Craig." John's mind concocted a series of ideas, involving him being pinned to a chair and teased by Molly and Jenny, another where Molly and Jenny were giving him a double blowjob while Dan and Craig licked and massaged Penny in full view of him, yet another where he and the other men were kneeling before their wives, who giggled as women all over the cruise ship sent little psychic jolts to their cocks. Penny chuckled. "My, what vulgar thoughts of our friends," she said. "Careful, or they might see, next time we meet up with them." She squeezed his cock between her feet, and increased the psychic strokes and licks along its length. John shivered, and he felt himself nearing dangerously close to orgasm. "I... I might... I could go for it... if you wanted..." Penny thought it over some more. "It's a fun idea, but I don't know. I mean, hundreds of strange women, all teasing guys they don't even know? It's a little invasive. Plus, a couple of them might be crazies, and even with security on board, well, who knows what could happen?" She gave his cock another squeeze. "Still, on the other hand, what's life without a little risk, huh? Besides, I'm sure every woman will be watching out for their hubbies. Or boyfriends. Or boytoys or whatever." She smiled. "That would be something, though. I could just glance at all the boys and watch them fall to their knees, cocks wagging as I passed. They'll all need to cum so bad, but dare not ask me, knowing their own wives would punish them for trying to cheat. So, they'll do every little thing I say, and have to sit there and take it as I tickle their cocks, casual as can be." John's breathing was coming quicker as Penny's psychic touches intensified yet again, and he pictured himself as one of those dozens of horny, naked men, kneeling as she and a dozen other women passed, his cock hard in worship of them. He imagined the women giving him nothing more than a smirk or wink, and then ignoring him while their magic visited wicked pleasures to his cock, pleasures that would lead to desperate pressure in his balls, that only Penny could grant relief to. But she would be too busy being tended to by her studs, massaging her and fetching her refreshments, as she giggled to the sight of her husband writhing on the deck for other women's amusement. John let out a sharp gasp as his cock jerked between her feet. The psychic fingers and tongues now stroked and licked him deeply, touching off nerves impossible to reach through physical means. He jumped and gasped as his orgasm peaked, and then groaned as he struck Penny's orgasm block, forcing him into a sharp edging. "Penny... love... mistress... please..." Penny gave his cock a final squeeze between her feet, then pulled her legs away. She eased down the psychic sensations, watching John's cock twitch and jump as it fought for more stimulation, then finally had to give up. John calmed down and tried to breath evenly again, feeling a tightness in his groin that wasn't yet unpleasant. Penny sat up, leaned over and kissed John deeply. "I'm gunna go take a shower," she said. "Want some company?" said John. Penny smiled and gave his teased cock a meaningful glance. "I wasn't thinking that kind of a shower." She gave him a significant wink, however, as she pulled away and headed up the stairs. John grinned, his cock still hard. He knew a challenge, and an invitation, when he saw one. He waited until he heard the water running, then followed her up the stairs, stripping as he went. Penny for Your Thoughts 'It's an intriguing picture you've created,' Jo said. 'But I wonder if it isn't a bit too ... well ... impressionistic. I wonder if you aren't perhaps leaving a little too much to the reader's imagination.' My previous editor - Lorraine - had really only been concerned with spelling and grammar. Jo was different. 'I think your reader might appreciate a little more detail.' 'Well, I should leave something to their imagination,' I said. 'Yes, something is fine. But as it stands, you're leaving practically everything to their imagination. I mean ... take Mrs McAllister. Jamie describes her as "an older woman". Does that mean that she is 25?' 'Well, no - Jamie's about 25. I was thinking Mrs McAllister is more like ... I don't know ... 50, 55? Or is that too old.' Jo smiled. 'It's your story.' She scrolled down another couple of pages - and then went back - and then forward again. 'So, she's 50 - or thereabouts. What does she look like? Tall? Short? Fat? Thin?' 'I imagine her being about average. Certainly not skinny.' 'Hair?' 'Hmm ... sort of shoulder length - straight - light brown with lighter streaks. Both out of a bottle. I imagine she goes to quite a good hairdresser.' 'Pleased to hear it,' Jo said. 'Makeup?' 'Not over the top. But, yes, well presented.' 'And how does she smell?' 'Smell?' 'Yes.' 'Oh, umm ... perfume. Probably quite expensive.' 'Floral? Citrus? Musky? 'Hmm ... probably more citrusy than anything. And light. Definitely not old-lady perfume.' Jo nodded. 'And when Jamie first sees her - masturbating - what does he see?' 'Exactly that.' 'Yeah, but what's the picture? Where is she? How is she dressed? What is she doing? You don't really show the reader any of this.' 'Well, I thought they could each use their imagination to see whatever most turned them on.' 'I think you'll find that many of them are reading your story because they have, for the moment at least, run out of thoughts that turn them on,' Jo said. 'They want to see what Jamie sees. They want to feel what Jamie feels. The guys want to get hard with him; the girls want to feel the little electric tingle when they realise that this young man is watching them.' She had a point. I closed my eyes and tried to picture what Jamie had seen when he had first looked into the bedroom. 'I think ...' I said, 'she is sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. It's a half-upholstered Georgian-style elbow chair. She has her eyes closed - that's why she doesn't notice Jamie - well, not at first anyway. 'She's sitting on the front edge of the chair and leaning back. And she's naked. No. Make that almost naked. I think she's probably wearing stockings. Black. With lace tops. Yes. But no shoes. Her shoes are lying on the floor where she has kicked them off.' Jo jotted something on the notepad beside her keyboard. 'Her boobs are not especially large, but they do droop a little. They look just slightly underinflated - but still rather attractive. You can imagine them being quite soft to the touch. And her nipples are a soft pink colour. And quite pointed. 'She's not fat, but neither is she thin. She does, however, have a bit of a tummy - which Jamie finds quite sexy. 'She is sitting with her legs splayed. Her labia are quite prominent - and quite pink against the paler flesh tone of the rest of her vulva. Oh, and she has quite a large patch of pubic hair, but it's soft and wispy with hints of silvery grey.' 'And, as you say in here,' (Jo tapped the screen of her laptop) 'she's masturbating.' 'Yes. Right hand. Working her clit with her forefinger ... I think.' Jo nodded. 'Good. Yes. That works for me,' she said. 'Shall I let you have another go at it?' As I walked home from Jo's place, I wondered where the image of Mrs McAllister had come from. The characters in my stories are usually based on someone I've known - or at least someone I have met. But Mrs McAllister was just one of those characters that seemed to come from out of nowhere. At least she seemed to come from out of nowhere when Jo got me to paint a detailed picture. Up until that point, she had just been a sort of sketchy cardboard cut-out for the reader to imagine as they might. Maybe the first Mrs McAllister was just a placeholder for the real Mrs McAllister. By the time I got home, the sun had almost set but the temperature was still right up there. I kicked off my boat shoes, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge, and headed for my desk. *** Had Barry said first on the right at the top of the stairs or first on the left at the top of the stairs? Jamie couldn't remember. But the door on the right was partially open, so he'd start there. He poked his head around the door, and there she was. Of course, at that stage, he didn't even know that it was Mrs McAllister. It was just a naked woman. And she was playing with her pussy. Jamie's first instinct was to step backwards into the hallway. The woman had her eyes closed. She hadn't seen him. She couldn't have seen him. One step back and she need never see him. But he was frozen to the spot. The woman had an attractive roundish face and shoulder-length hair - light brown, with even lighter brown (almost blonde) streaks. She was wearing makeup that probably helped to make her look younger than she really was. Jamie noticed that her bright red lipstick was a perfect match for the red on her perfectly manicured fingernails. And she was moaning. Softly. After the tanned, young bodies that Jamie was used to seeing on the beaches (and the Internet), the paleness of the fuller maternal body before him was something of a surprise. But it was a nice surprise. And even before he had really had a chance to take in the whole scene, he felt his cock beginning to stir. 'Find it?' a voice called out from the bottom of the stairs. Even as Jamie's cock rose, his heart sank. He stepped back - quickly - hopefully before the woman in the chair had a chance to open her eyes - and he listened. Nothing. Nothing further from the bottom of the stairs. And nothing from the woman in the chair. Slowly, very slowly, he leaned to his right and peered around the door. The chair was empty. 'It should be on the wall just to the right of the bed,' the voice from the bottom of the stairs called out. Jamie coughed quietly to announce his presence and then knocked on the partially open door. There was no reply. He waited for a moment longer. There was still no reply. Eventually, Jamie pushed open the door and looked around the room. It was empty. Aside from the chair in the corner, there was not even any furniture - although there was a pair of shiny black patent leather shoes, just lying there, as if someone had carelessly kicked them off. *** 'Hello? Is anyone there?' I had left the French doors open to let a bit of air flow through the house and, when I walked through into the kitchen, there was a woman, 50-ish, casually dressed, standing in the open doorway. 'Hello,' she said. 'My electricity doesn't seem to be working.' 'Your electricity?' 'Yes,' she said, and she nodded in the direction of Mill Cottage. 'Well, umm, mine seems to be fine. Have you checked the circuit breaker?' The woman frowned. 'Circuit breaker?' 'Yes. On the consumer board,' I said. 'Big switch thing. Probably should be down. The switch, I mean.' The woman just frowned again - and shook her head slightly. 'I'm not very good with electrical things,' she said. 'Would you like me to come and have a look?' 'Umm ... yes. I mean ... thank you. Yes. Thank you.' She seemed a bit nervous, a bit apprehensive. 'Have you just moved in?' The woman nodded. 'Sort of.' 'I'm Michael,' I said. She nodded again. 'Yes. I'm ... umm ... Penelope. But I think I'm really Penny.' 'OK, Penny. Just let me save the file - on my computer - and we'll go and have a look.' I went back to my computer, hit ctrl-S, and then, just to be sure, closed the file. Mill Cottage had recently been totally renovated. Tradespeople had been coming and going for the best part of three months. And, even though Penny had all the windows open, there was still a strong smell of fresh paint and new carpet. 'This is very nice,' I said. Penny nodded. 'I think I'll need some more things to sit on.' I could see what she meant: it was rather sparsely furnished. Although what furniture there was, certainly seemed to be a notch or two above the stuff offered by the chain stores. We found the consumer board and, sure enough, the main circuit breaker had tripped. I reset it, and showed Penny what to do if it happened again. 'Thank you,' she said. 'I'm not sure that I would even have found it - let alone known what to do with it if I did. I should give you something. I think there is some wine in the fridge. Would you like some wine? I think the sun is ...' She paused. 'Well, wherever it's supposed to be for drinking wine.' I hesitated. But, before I had a chance to say that I really should get back to work, she had already taken a bottle of Pol Roget from the fridge and she was hunting for some glasses. Penny looked vaguely familiar. I felt that I had seen her somewhere before. On TV perhaps. Or maybe she worked in the local bank or supermarket? The fact that she was wearing fashionably-crumpled loose-fitting linen pants, an oversized t-shirt, and a baseball cap probably didn't help. I tried to picture her in a Tesco uniform - but, to be honest, that didn't help either. 'Cin Cin,' she said. 'Yes. Welcome to Blackthorn Lane.' As I walked home for the second time that day, I realised that Penny had volunteered almost nothing about herself. We had met; we had sorted out her little electrical problem; we had sat at her scrubbed-pine kitchen table and sipped champagne from frosted glass tumblers ('there should be flutes somewhere, but ...'); I had almost told her my entire life story; and yet she had said next-to-nothing about herself. Oh, well. Now ... where was I? *** Jamie found the switch that he was looking for on the wall facing the shuttered window and pushed it. Immediately, a light started to flash on the landing at the top of the stairs and the house was filled with the sounds of an alarm. And then, just as quickly as it had started, it stopped again. 'That certainly seems to be working now,' a voice called out from somewhere downstairs. Jamie took one last look around the near-empty room, grabbed his tool bag, and headed downstairs. 'So, what was the problem?' Barry - tall, gangly, with a coarse shock of grey hair - frowned and shook his head. 'Dunno. It was like there was a loose connection somewhere. But it's all hardwired, so I don't know how that could be.' And then, after a moment or two, he said: 'We should probably check the terminals on the battery unit. D'you want to do that? It's in the wall behind the painting in the dining room.' Jamie nodded and headed off in the direction in which Barry was looking. The dining room was dominated by a large mahogany dining table and eight chairs. Jamie had watched enough episodes of The Antiques Roadshow to decide that it was probably Georgian and worth a few bob. To the right of the table there was an elegant marble fireplace, probably also Georgian. And, on the opposite wall, above a mahogany sideboard covered with silver-framed photographs, was the painting. It was a painting of a woman - the same woman that Jamie had seen sitting in the chair in the otherwise-empty bedroom. Yes, Jamie thought, that's definitely the same woman. Younger, but definitely her. Carefully, he removed the painting, and then used his key to unlock the camouflaged panel that covered the battery compartment. He checked the terminal connections. They appeared to be fine. He closed and locked the cover, and picked up the painting to replace it on the wall. By then, Barry had also come into the dining room. 'Posh totty,' Barry said. 'You know her?' 'The woman who owns this place,' Barry said. 'Mrs McAllister. A bit younger then, of course.' Jamie nodded. 'And she's the one who disappeared?' 'Well ... according to the newspaper.' Under the headline 'Concern for reclusive Chalfont woman', the local weekly newspaper had reported that, on the previous Friday morning, Mrs McAllister had been seen by both the milkman and the postman - although neither had spoken to her. Two hours later, a number of people thought that they had seen Mrs McAllister's dark grey BMW in High Wycombe. And then twice that afternoon the burglar alarm at her Habden Place home had gone off. On both occasions a guard from Blue Steel Security had responded. And on both occasions there had been nobody at home and no sign of forced entry. Shortly after 3:20 on the afternoon of the following Sunday, Mrs McAllister's car was involved in an accident in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham. The driver - who was apprehended 'legging it' from the scene - was Rufus Loveday Washington, a man well known to the Birmingham police as a petty criminal. Mr Washington said that he had just 'found' the car in a supermarket carpark. Attempts to contact Mrs McAllister were unsuccessful. Local police said that they had not been contacted. 'Is there a Mr McAllister?' Jamie asked. Barry shrugged his shoulders. 'He's the bloke what went missing on that yacht race.' 'Jump.' 'What?' 'That was the name of the yacht, wasn't it? Jump?' *** My phone rang. It was Jo. 'I hope this isn't too late,' she said. 'No. Fine. I'm just doing a bit of ... tinkering.' 'Oh, good. I've been thinking ... the bit where Jamie tells Barry about seeing Mrs McAllister ... I think you should leave that out. I think it works better if Jamie keeps it to himself. What do you reckon?' I quickly read through the bit she was talking about. She had a point. Barry was only an incidental character. He didn't need to know what Jamie had seen in the bedroom. The reader did; but Barry didn't. In fact, it was probably better if Jamie kept it as a secret. 'OK,' I said. *** 'Right. That's us done,' Barry said. 'You didn't leave any lights on upstairs did you?' 'Don't think so,' Jamie replied. 'But I'll go and check if you like.' Barry nodded. 'Yeah. Probably should. You know ... just in case. Tell you what, you do that and I'll get the first round in.' 'OK. I'll meet you there in about five minutes.' Jamie zipped up his tool bag, placed it at the foot of the stairs, and went up to check on the lights. 'I'm pleased you came back. I didn't know if you would.' It was a woman's voice. 'But I hoped that you would.' 'I just came to ...' 'See if I was still here?' 'Well, no ... check the lights actually.' 'It's alright,' the woman (who Jamie now knew was Mrs McAllister) said. 'There's just the light at the top of the stairs - and I would have switched that off.' Mrs McAllister was leaning, casually, against the wall. Her arms were folded and she was wearing what appeared to be a man's shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned and, although her arms more or less covered her breasts, her fur-covered pubic mound was clearly on display. 'You're frowning,' she said. 'Is something wrong?' 'I was wondering how you managed to disappear,' Jamie said. 'A lot of people have been wondering that lately,' Mrs McAllister said. 'One moment you were ...' 'Sitting in the chair?' 'Yes. And then you weren't.' She smiled. 'I didn't want to distract you from your work,' she said. 'But I take it that you've finished now.' Jamie nodded. 'Good. Then I can distract you.' *** At 4:07 (digital time), I was awoken by a bright flash of lightning followed, just a couple of seconds later, by a loud peal of thunder. A few more seconds and there was more lightning and more thunder. Then a really bright flash. And a crash of thunder that shook the house. After that, rain: torrential rain - although it only lasted for a minute or so. But, by then, I was well and truly awake. I rolled out of bed and padded off to the kitchen. Even though the rain had stopped, I could still hear the heavy drops of water falling from the trees outside the partially open window. And through the trees and across the stream I could see a light. It appeared to be coming from Mill Cottage. It seems that I wasn't the only person who had been woken by the storm. I grabbed a glass of water and took it through to the small room that served as my study. *** Jamie said nothing. A couple of possibilities: he could be imaging the whole thing (although that seemed unlikely); or it could all be part of some elaborate practical joke. His cousin, Harry, was an illusionist. He cut women in half and made rabbits appear and disappear. But even Harry needed props. Aside from the chair - which did not seem to have any secret compartments - the room was quite empty. Mrs McAllister crossed the room, gracefully, her shirttails parting, exposing the unquestionably womanly body that Jamie found so arousing. 'Yes. I'm glad you came back,' she said. She reached out, gently-but-firmly placed a hand on the back of his head, and guided his lips to hers. 'Well, that felt real enough,' Jamie said. Mrs McAllister smiled. 'And so does this,' she said, placing her hand on the growing bulge in the front of Jamie's trousers. Deftly, she unbuckled his belt and lowered his zip. Jamie's cock came free. 'Mmm ... just what I was hoping to find,' she said. 'I think it might be easier if these came off completely.' And, before Jamie had an opportunity to offer an opinion of his own, she had his trousers down around his ankles. At least he had left his work boots at the front door. Mrs McAllister looked around the near-empty room. 'I think it will have to be the chair,' she said. She was not wrong. The arms of the chair were just the right height. Leaning forward and placing a hand on each arm, and spreading her stocking-clad legs, her posterior was positioned almost perfectly. 'I think you know what to do,' she said with a definite smile in her voice. Jamie slid the index finger of his right hand along the groove between Mrs McAllister's buttocks until he reached her slippery entrance. 'Gosh! Someone's wet and ready to go,' he said. 'Well, I did have a bit of a practice lap,' Mrs McAllister reminded him. *** I wrote the next sentence at least a dozen times. And each time I trashed it. Eventually, I decided that I needed a cup of tea. As I waited for the kettle to boil, I looked out in the direction of the stream and beyond. The light that had been winking through the trees had gone. Mill Cottage appeared to be in darkness once more. Perhaps Penny, too, had got up to make a cup of tea. And now, having drunk her tea, she had returned upstairs to her girly bedroom overlooking the mill stream. I imagined her lying there. Wide awake. Maybe she too was listening to the drips falling from the trees. Or perhaps listening to the water passing over the stony bed of the stream. In my imagination, she was wearing pink satin pyjamas. I imagined the slippery pink fabric lying softly across her breasts and her thighs. I imagined her hand casually, absent-mindedly, stroking her breast through the fabric. Maybe her other hand was tracing the outline of her vulva. The water in the kettle reached the boil and the kettle turned itself off. But my mind was still on Penny: Penny absent-mindedly exploring her body through the slippery fabric of her pink pyjamas. I imagined her slipping her hand beneath the waistband of her pyjama trousers, her fingers moving down, down through her wispy-soft pubic hair until they reached her warm, damp crevice. *** Jamie dipped a second finger into Mrs McAllister's juicy honeypot. 'Oh, yes,' she said. Briefly, Jamie withdrew his now-wet fingers and smeared Mrs McAllister's lubricious juices over the head of his hard cock. It felt good. His cock felt good and, somehow, the slippery, warm, cunt juice made it look and feel even better. Penny for Your Thoughts Mrs McAllister seemed to know exactly what was coming next. She lowered her shoulders, and raised her hips still higher. With the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, Jamie spread her glistening pink nether lips and, with his other hand, guided the head of his cock into her hungry hole. Mrs McAllister shuddered softly with excitement. 'Oh, fucking yes,' she said. *** And then I was distracted by the arrival of a small batch of emails. Three were 'newsletters'. Two were rather poorly disguised attempts to sell me things that I neither wanted nor needed. One was a 'last chance' to enrol for 'the webinar event of the year'. And there were a couple of links to Writer's World articles. I skimmed one of the newsletters, moved the two Writer's World links to the 'Later' folder, and trashed the remaining five missives without bothering to open them. It was getting light. In fact, had it not been for the trees, the sun would have already been 'up'. I picked up the remote and switched on the radio to catch the six o'clock news bulletin. There were troubles in Belfast and problems in Manchester, Bury, and the Middle East. There were reports of an earthquake somewhere in China. And some film star of whom I had never heard had broken up with her husband, another film star of whom I had never heard. How many 'stars' were there in the world? And at what point did just another working (or even not working) actor or actress qualify to be considered a star? I had started out thinking that Mrs McAllister was a resting actress. I visualised her in her younger days on the stage in the West End, and occasionally playing a part in a made-for-TV drama. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that she might have been a concert pianist. *** When Jamie arrived at The Pear Tree, Barry was already halfway through his first pint. 'OK?' he said. Jamie nodded. 'Yeah. All sorted.' He didn't mention anything about Mrs McAllister. 'You know, I was just thinking, I wonder what happened to the piano,' Barry said. 'The piano?' 'Yeah. The first time we went to the house there was a piano. You know, one of them big ones. Remember? Oh, no. You didn't come the first time, did you? It was Leon.' Jamie took a sip of his beer. 'Perhaps it was taken away to be tuned or whatever,' he said. Barry nodded. 'I 'spose so.' And then after a moment or two he added: 'Fuck, I wouldn't want to have to move one of them. It'd do your back in in no time.' 'They have kit these days,' Jamie said. 'Health and safety. Not like it used to be.' 'How would you know how it used to be?' Barry said. Barry had been there, done that. He didn't need a young whippersnapper to tell him how things used to be. *** 'Concern for reclusive Chalfont woman.' Yes, that's the sort of headline that editors of local newspapers seem to love. A hint of menace in the leafy lanes. But was Mrs McAllister really reclusive? Or had she simply declined to do a turn at the newspaper's annual charity Christmas party? Of course, the whole drawn-out business of her husband being missing at sea would probably not have helped her state of mind. That, in itself, might have been enough to make her feel less like partying. A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with Scott Salmon. Scott writes feature pieces for a number of the glossies. We were talking about how we work. Scott said that he usually collects as many facts and opinions as possible and then looks for a story that will hold them all together. I, on the other hand, tend to start with a story and then find - or invent - the facts that I need to make the story credible. I guess that's the difference between factual facts and fictional facts. 'You're lucky,' Scott said. 'You can just make the world whatever you want it to be. You can make black white if you want to.' 'Not really,' I said. 'Black can only be white if I can get the reader to believe that black is white. And that's not always easy. In fact, sometimes it can be very difficult.' *** Towards the end of the following morning, Jamie had to go and check the security sensors at one of the jewellery shops on the high street. His route there took him almost past the end of Habden Place. He looked at his watch. Yeah, he had a few minutes to spare. He turned left and then stopped the van outside Mrs McAllister's house. The house looked empty - as it had on the previous day - but Jamie knocked on the door anyway. He didn't really expect her to be there. He wasn't even sure that she had been there the day before. Perhaps it had all been in his mind. After all, it had been more than three weeks since he had had sex. Well, sex with a woman anyway. He had masturbated most days, but to Jamie that didn't really count. That was just something you did. 'Oh. Hello,' she said. 'Back for more?' 'Umm ... I was in the area and I thought that I'd just check to make sure that there hadn't been any more problems with the alarm.' She smiled. 'Well, I certainly can't fault your commitment. Perhaps you had better come in.' She was wearing a pair of fashionably-crumpled dark blue linen trousers and a silky pink T-shirt with a deep scooped neck. Jamie was pretty sure that she wasn't wearing a bra. And knickers? With the loose-fitting trousers, it was difficult to tell. Jamie followed Mrs McAllister inside. 'So ... no more problems? No more accidental activations?' 'Accidental activations?' she said, slowly. 'You know, it can sometimes be very difficult to tell what is accidental and what is not. I think that you should come upstairs and give me your opinion.' 'Umm ... OK. I'll just grab my tool bag from the van.' 'I don't think you'll need any additional tools,' Mrs McAllister said. 'What you have should be quite sufficient.' Apart from a small penlight torch in his shirt pocket, Jamie didn't have any tools. But he followed her upstairs anyway. *** 'This Mill Cottage, guv?' The man asking the question reminded me of The Incredible Hulk. He must have been six foot four in both directions and he was wearing a sort of lettuce green bomber jacket. 'No,' I said. 'This is Dove Cottage. Mill Cottage is just over there. Through the trees.' He frowned and then peered at something on a clipboard that he was holding in one of his enormous hands. 'But still Blackthorn Lane, yeah?' 'Yeah, still Blackthorn Lane. But on the other side of the stream. There's a small bridge. Keep going down here and just around the curve there are some willows. The bridge is just after the willows.' 'Hope the bridge is not too small,' he said. 'Anyway, cheers, guv.' I watched as he walked back out to a large waiting lorry with Penridge Piano Movers emblazoned on the side. Well, if you're hoping to drive your lorry across the bridge, then yes, I think that it might be too small, I thought. Later that same morning, Penny dropped by. 'Oh, hello. I had a visit from The Incredible Hulk earlier. He was looking for your cottage.' She somehow seemed happier, more relaxed. 'Yes. My piano. It has been in storage.' 'So you play the piano.' 'I don't know,' she said. 'We shall have to find out. The tuner is setting it up now.' It seemed a strange thing to say, but there were a few things about Penny that were, well, unusual. It was as though she had one foot in the here and now, and the other somewhere else. 'Would you like some coffee?' 'Umm ... no,' she said. 'I had better get back to the piano man. I just came over to ask for your help.' 'Ask away,' I said. 'I bought a sound system, a stereo, whatever you call them these days. It's all in pieces. I was hoping that you could come over and help me put it together. You seem to be good with things like that, things electrical. I'll make you supper, of course.' 'More than happy to help,' I said. 'But you don't need to bother about supper.' 'I know. But I think that I would like to.' 'OK,' I said. *** When they reached the top of the stairs, Jamie expected Mrs McAllister to turn right, into the room where they had first met. But she didn't. She continued on and then turned left into another bedroom. 'This one still has a bed,' she said. Keeping her eyes firmly on Jamie's, Mrs McAllister slowly unzipped her trousers and let them fall to the floor. Jamie tried not lower his gaze too obviously. But he couldn't resist. And, no, there were no knickers. Mrs McAllister slid one of her elegantly manicured fingers down along the valley between her already puffed out labia. It made a faint squelching sound. 'I thought that you might not have a lot of time,' she said. 'So here's one that I prepared earlier.' She withdrew her finger and held it up for Jamie to see. 'See? Foreplay not required. But I think that I should still suck your beautiful cock first.' And she did. And then she sat on the edge of the bed and drew Jamie to her, raising and spreading her legs as she did. 'You know what to do,' she said. Jamie's freshly-sucked cock slid into her hungry hole like a warm knife sliding into a pat of butter. 'Thank you,' she said afterwards. 'I shall probably not see you again. The time has come for me to move on.' 'Are you going away somewhere?' Jamie asked. 'Going away? I suppose so. In a sense. Although I prefer to think of it as moving on.' And she kissed him lightly, first on the head of his wilting cock and then on his lips. *** When I arrived at Penny's cottage that evening, I could hear piano music. I didn't recognise the piece. It may have been one of Erik Satie's compositions. Or perhaps something by Michael Nyman. At first I thought that Penny had managed to assemble her new sound system without my assistance. But then I realised that I was not listening to a recording but to a live performance. The front door was open and so I let myself in and waited quietly, just outside the room from which the music was coming. When the performance was over, I waited a moment or two longer and then said: 'So you can play the piano.' 'I wasn't sure,' Penny said. I smiled. 'Not just play, but play very well. Play very well indeed.' 'It feels as if it has been such a long time,' she said. I assembled Penny's new sound system while she prepared a salmon quiche and a simple salad. And, from somewhere, she produced another bottle of Pol Roger. 'To the return of your piano,' I said. 'My piano and my life,' Penny said. And we both raised our glasses. Over supper, Penny hinted that she had been through a bad time. Things had happened, things that she hadn't wanted to happen, things that she hadn't expected to happen. 'I didn't cope very well,' she said. 'I had always thought that I would, but I didn't. I wasn't even sure if I still existed. But since moving in here, I think that I've started to come back. I feel that I'm finally moving on. If that makes sense.' For an hour or so after we had finished eating, we sat listening to music - Chopin's Etudes - and sipping what was left of the bottle of excellent Sancerre that Penny had opened to go with the quiche. When the second CD came to an end, Penny got to her feet, came over to where I was sitting, and kissed me lightly on the lips. 'I'm just going to go upstairs,' she said. 'Why don't you give me a few minutes and then come and join me.' While Penny went upstairs, I gathered up the empty glasses and took them out to the kitchen. And then, after a suitable interval, I too went upstairs. Penny was leaning, casually, against the wall in one of the bedrooms. Her arms were folded and she was wearing what appeared to be a man's shirt and a pair of stockings. The shirt was unbuttoned and, although her arms more or less covered her breasts, her fur-covered pubic mound was clearly on display. 'You're frowning,' she said. 'Is something wrong?' 'No. Nothing's wrong,' I said, smiling. 'It's all perfect. Just a wee moment of déjà vu, that's all.'