7 comments/ 26440 views/ 20 favorites Born Again Ch. 01 By: Qnightstorm There was a time where I didn't think I would ever be held again, never to feel the touch of a woman's hands on me, never to feel her lips on mine. It has been a year now since Sheryl died and the pain wasn't any less since that awful day. The memories tore at my soul and I closed my eyes again fighting off the daylight streaming in my window. It was time to get up and live through the day once more. Oh how I hated doing this, day after day living life without her. Why couldn't I just die? Why was I being forced to live without her? I thought about death often, wishing I had the nerve to take my own life but I knew that she would be there waiting for me with disappointment in her eyes and that would be worse than the pain I felt now. I drug myself out of bed slowly feeling the achy ness in my body as my feet touched the cold wood floors. Slowly making my way into my bathroom, I looked in the mirror and couldn't recognize what stared back at me. If Sheryl could see me now she would be furious with me. The last year of mourning had taken a toll on me mentally and physically. The image staring back at me had dark circles under her once dark green eyes, her cheekbones had been prominent at one time, but now they protruded with sunken cheeks from lack of eating properly. She was tall but held her body with her shoulders hunched over all the time that no one who didn't know her wouldn't see her statuesque body. Her arms though, they were still strong and still muscled from the long hours of trying to drown her sorrow through physical pain of working out everyday. Who was this woman in the mirror? I knew it was what I had made myself become. I knew this was not good for me, but I didn't know how to change it and I didn't know if I really wanted to. After all, who was going to see me in that light again? Clients didn't care if I ate right or if I was beautiful, all they cared about was whether they got the service for their money. I breathed in slowly then turned to the shower, hoping the sting of the hot water would put me in a better frame of mind. Work was calling for me and it was time to put these thoughts in the recesses of my shadowed mind. The office wasn't far from home; in fact, it was only right down the five-mile driveway from my house. The land we had owned together had our house and my office sitting on it. The house we built together, the house she only spent four months in before death took her. The house I now occupied alone, alone with my grief and dark thoughts of death. Growling at myself and shaking my head as I opened the door to my jeep and slid into the driver's seat. Firing the engine to life, I let it warm up a bit, as I gave myself a mental pep talk. It was time for work. By the time I got down the five mile drive I had my mind in the place I wanted it. Web designs and smoozing all my clients one more day. I unlocked the front door and went right to my office noticing the long white box on my desk, my left brow raised inquisitively as I walked to my desk. Whom could these be from? How did they get in here? Jessica my secretary and our long-standing friend wasn't even at work yet. I approached the white box slowly cautiously as though it could be something dangerous, my hand sliding out to lift the top to reveal 12 long stem red roses. With a more confused look on my face, I searched for a card to no avail. Taking a moment to think, I picked the flowers up along with a crystal vase Sheryl had bought me when I opened the business, and took them to the bathroom to arrange and fill with water. My mind went over all the possibilities of whom they could be from. By the time, I got back to my desk I had no more answers than when I had started. I looked on the outside of the box, seeing the name of the florist I ran through my mental rolodex and called the number. "Hello Mark's Florist, how can I help you?" said a young feminine voice. "Hello this is Jo Tanner of Corral Designs; I have some flowers here on my desk that comes from your shop. I was wondering if you can tell me who sent them." I spoke softly into the phone. "Yes Ms Tanner, if you will just give me your address I can try to look up the information for you." I gave the young woman the information she wanted and sat down at my desk as I waited listening to the tunes of being on hold. While I waited, I heard the front office door open and knew it would be Jessica Jones ready to work and put up with me for another day. Sure enough, she poked her head into my office and waved after seeing I was on the phone. I smiled at her and nodded my head just about to tell her I was on hold when the young woman at the shop spoke to me again. "I am sorry Ms Tanner, but I have no record of a delivery to your address in my books, so I am afraid I cannot tell you who they are from." I knew with this town being so small that if I pressed the issue she would surely be able to give me some idea of who bought 12 long stem red roses in the past 24 hours, but I decided to let it go, thanked her for her time and hung up the phone. I think that Jessica was watching for the moment I hung, because not a second later she was at my door again. I was leaning back in my chair still looking confused I guess. "What's up boss lady?" she said with a sly smile on her face, knowing I hated it when she called me that, yet knowing it was a favorite joke of hers. "Well, someone left me a dozen long stemmed red roses, unless of course they mistook my desk for yours and I have no idea who it was." I took the time to fully look at her now, noticing that the 5'2" woman was dressed as professionally as ever, her red hair pulled up in a professional manner and her make up light on her face, enhancing what was already a beautiful face. I liked that she didn't try to cover up her natural beauty and only did things that brought out her bright green eyes. I tilted my head for a moment as her face took on another look all together, going from happy and carefree to worry. "What's wrong Jess?" "It was me Jo," She said slowly as she began to wring her hands together. "I came in earlier before I knew you would be here and left them on your desk." She said no more, just turned around and walked out into the lobby to her desk. I jumped up and followed her out, looking at her sitting behind her oak desk trying to act as though she was busy with some important business matter. I decided to take this casually and sat on the leather couch that sat along the wall for clients to wait to see me. She tried to ignore me and I waited for her to speak, the silence was about to get the best of me when the front door opened suddenly jolting us out of our daze. I turned to see the local delivery boy with our usual coffees and danishes. He was loyal to me and was always prompt in bringing our standing order every morning I was open. Thankful for the distraction Jessica got up and welcomed him with a big smile on her face and money in her hand. After setting the order down on the coffee table in front of the couch and paying him, she walked him to the door. She tried to pick up her coffee and go back to her desk but one look from me changed her mind and she took her usual spot on the couch next to me. I waited a moment longer before speaking. "Why did you give me flowers Jess?" I asked softly as I sipped on my hot coffee. "Because I thought you would like them, you really should keep more fresh flowers around the office, it relaxes your clients." She rambled. I looked at her and she smiled softly finally speaking the truth. "Because I wanted to do something nice for you and show you how I feel about you." "How you feel about me?" I asked incredulously. "What do you mean how you feel about me?" "You have to make this difficult for me don't you Jo?" Her green eyes turned to mine and looked right into them. "Are you so blind that you honestly can sit here and tell me you don't know how I feel about you?" "I think you are avoiding my question Jess" I tried not to look into her eyes, fact is I was blind. Blind to her and everything else in the world that had nothing to do with my work, my misery, or my memories of Sheryl. "Jo Tanner, I could just slap you sometimes. I know you miss Sheryl and I know you are hurting still, but I also know that if she knew you were living your life like this and she was able to get her hands on you she would wring your neck." The fire in her eyes shone through and it seemed as though her hair become redder. "I love you damn it and Sheryl knew that I did; she told me along time ago that if anything ever happened to her she would want me to take care of you." "Take care of me?" I laughed at that. "I don't need anyone to take care of me Jess, I am fine, and you can't possibly love me. Feel sorry for me, maybe, but not love." "Argh" She growled and stood up from the couch. "How can you say such hurtful things Jo Tanner?" She went to turn away from me, but changed her mind, throwing her pastry down on the table, sat back down and stared into my eyes once more before suddenly leaning forward and brushing her lips against mine. I was too shocked to do anything but sit there and take the soft kiss, after coming out of my shock though I realized that my heart was pounding hard in my chest. What in the hell was she doing? She could not love me, it wasn't right; it would hurt her in the end. I knew this and I had to convince her of the same thing. I could never take the chance of ruining our friendship this way. I tried to back away from her. "Jess, no you can't. I am serious, this isn't good for you, and it would never work." I fumbled over my words, never having a loss for words before now. "It would if you would open your eyes and your heart. It has been a year Jo, I am not saying I want you to forget about her," She paused a moment before going on. "I am just saying open up, look at you, look at me. Hell, Jo, look inside your heart and see what you need and can have right here in front of you before it is too late." I have to remember to thank the Gods above for their timing as the front door opened again and in walked Tabby Henderson, the wife of one of my most important clients. Of course, I would have to take care of her and find my rescue from the situation at hand. I smiled to Jess once before getting up from the couch to approach the other woman. "Mrs. Henderson, how wonderful to see you so early." I crooned as I held out my hand to take hers gently turning it so that I could kiss the back of her hand. "What can I do for you this wonderful morning?" "Oh Jo Tanner, if I wasn't a married woman, and straight to boot, I would just have to fall in love with you." She oozed with sweetness. "I have come with some instructions from my husband about the website, if I can have a moment or two of your time." "Oh, well of course. Please come to my office and we will see what he has in store for me today." I escorted her to my office and smiled to Jessica once more, Jess knew that smile meant that if the meeting went on too terribly long she was to buzz me with a matter that was so important that I couldn't simply put it off. I escorted Mrs. Henderson to a comfortable chair on one side of my desk before going to my own chair, of course waiting for her to sit before I slid into my own. "So, what can I do for the hubby today?" "Well, you know me Jo. I have no idea what he is talking about. He just went on and on about this and that like I knew what he was saying. Luckily, his secretary wrote it all down for me to give to you. She is a gem, I am glad she is too old for him or I might have to worry about them late night sessions he has." She winked at me and I laughed. We all knew that the real wanderer in the Henderson household was Tabby and not Teddy. "Ok, let's see what there is to do then" I reached over my desk and took the paper she held out, taking a moment to look at it as I nodded my head. "Well this is easy enough, won't take me but an hour to get it all done, and I am sure he will be happy to know that everything here is covered in the original price, so there will be no extra charge." "Yes, yes. He will be happy with that I am sure." She smiled as her eyes took in the sight of my roses sitting on desk. "So do I see a new love interest in your life Jo?" "Well, perhaps there is. I am not sure Mrs. Henderson." I tried to keep it light. Even though I was well known in town as the resident dyke, I didn't exactly like having my life on display; though that is the way, it seemed to be all my life. I grew up here, went away to college and for some unknown reason came back only to meet and fall in love with Sheryl. At first, the town was in an uproar about a lesbian living amongst them. However, somehow I won them over, never really knew how I did that, but now I was just another member of the community and that meant my life was open just like everyone else. I have to say though that I was touched by the outpouring of condolences when Sheryl died. They had to limit how many could come to the services when it became apparent the building could not hold everyone at once. My mind came back to the present as Mrs. Henderson began explaining that she sensed that Jess and I were in an intimate conversation when she walked in on us. "Aye well, yes. We were discussing the very roses you are now admiring" "Jo, you know you can't get by my senses. If you can't see it, at least take my word for it. That woman is in love with you. She always has been. Hell half the town knows it; don't see why you can't see it, except you are too buried in grief to see." She stood with that and held out her hand again. I simply smiled and took her hand to kiss the back again before walking around my desk and escorting her all the way out to her car, where she had to add one more thing. "Sheryl would want you to be happy again Jo Tanner." With that, she drove away and left me standing there in the cold looking after her dumbly. Back in my office and sitting behind my desk, I stared at the computer screen, forcing myself to get the changes done on the site Mr. Henderson had requested. I saved the last of the changes and leaned back in my chair. Jess hadn't bothered to stop me when I had come back in, she knew that I had work to do and I would want to get to it right away. My eyes went from the screen to my open door where I could see Jess sitting at her desk, hearing her voice only when the phone rang, the rest of the air was filled with the light tapping of the keys from her computer as she did her work. My mind slowly slipped into the past; much to my dismay, I seemed to have no control over it. "Jo, hurry up. We are going to be late for dinner. I am sure that Jessica is just waiting there for us now, thinking we are not coming. I swear you are worst than a fem in that bathroom" Sheryl called through the bathroom door. I could only chuckle at her as I opened the door and saw that she was on the phone and probably on hold with the way she was talking to me. She went to say something to me when she turned her attention back to the phone. "What do you mean you don't have any tiger lilies? What kind of a shop doesn't have lilies? Well let me speak to Mark. Yes, right now. No, I don't care if he is busy right now. You tell him Sheryl Jackson is on the phone and I want to speak to him. Yes I will hold, yet again." She turned to me again and gave me one of those looks. It was a look of lust and a look that told me that if it wasn't for being Jessica's birthday I would have just wasted a half hour getting ready only to have her tearing my clothes off with unabandoned passion. It made me shiver deep to my bones. "Yes, hello Mark. I have been told you have no lilies at all, not even Tiger Lilies. What the hell is up with that?" Her voice took on another tone. A tone I knew too well and loved so deeply. It was a tone of seduction, one that I heard often when she wanted to get her way. "Mark dear, I am sorry this is all my fault. I should have called way before this to order the lilies, but you see it is Jessica's birthday. You know Jessica don't you, yes, that is her, well she loves tiger lilies and I so wanted to get her some for her birthday and have them delivered to her at the restaurant. I just would have loved to see her face when she got them. Yes, oh Mark that would be lovely. Could you really do that? Oh sure I wouldn't have a problem paying the extra amount. Can you have them delivered to the restaurant say in about 45 minutes? I think that would be enough time to eat and have her all ready for them. Mark you are a gem. I swear I am going to convince Jo to give you a discount on your web site next month. Thank you so much Mark. Yes, give our love to your wife and kids. Thank you." She hung up the phone and bowed to me like an opera singer that just gave the best performance of her life. I blinked as I came back to the present. I hadn't heard Jess come to my office door, but when I looked up there she was looking at me with concern in her eyes. I felt the wetness on my face and realized I had begun to cry silently. I knew that it was useless to try to hide it now, but before I could reach up and wipe it away Jess was at my side, reaching her hand out slowly, her fingers caressing my cheek softly and capturing the tear on its journey down my face. I was frozen in time; the simple touch of her hand had me captured. My eyes had gone to the floor, staring at her small feet in high heel shoes, slowly raising them up along her legs, over the soft curves of her calves, not being allowed to see much more as her sensible yet sensual skirt hid the rest of her legs, though I could see how the material hugged the shape of her hips and hugged her slim waist. Had her style of dress always been this sensual? On the other hand, was I so blind that I had not seen it before now? I looked up further seeing how the jacket she wore hung open, showing her white blouse slide over her small breasts. She was a gorgeous woman. I always knew this, yet the past year I never looked at her other than an old friend and an employee. Damn, Sheryl would kill me for treating our long time friend as I had been for the past year. I would have to change that. Finally, my eyes made it to hers and it shocked me back to the fact that her hand still rested on my face, more than that, but also that she was leaning down, her lips were nearing mine. They were brushing mine now and I wasn't breathing. Time seemed to stop as I felt her lips demand mine into action as I kissed her back. My body betraying me, as it responded to her touch, her breath, her passion. Her arms sliding over my shoulders, mine sliding around her waist and pulling her closer to me. No, this couldn't happen. It was wrong. I couldn't let her in like this. My mind fighting with my body, my heart fighting with both. Being torn up inside from one end to the other. I tried to push her away in my mind, but my body didn't respond to the order. I held her closer and kissed her deeper. Oh hell, I can't, I have to fight this, finally finding the strength to push her back, yet slowly. "Jess," I said slowly. "I can't let you love me like this. I ... I just ..." I didn't know what else to say. I was at a loss for words. The small time of silence gave her the chance to step close to me once more, sliding her arms around my neck and pulling my head to her bosom, cradling it gently as her fingers played at the base of my neck. I couldn't do anything but respond by nuzzling into her suddenly feeling safe and loved. My arms slipped around her waist again and I pressed into her softly. "Jess, I am scared." "I know so am I." She said to me in a low whisper. "But, I am not leaving, I am not giving up." "Just give me some time, to deal with this please." I looked up into her face and saw the hurt in her eyes. I knew she was hoping I could accept it right away since I knew her so well, but I also knew she understood, still it didn't stop her from being a little hurt. She nodded her head, kissed the top of my head, and slowly turned away from me, going to her own desk and leaving me alone. Born Again Ch. 01: The Doorway This is just the first chapter of what I intend to be a long story, with at least 10 chapters, maybe more. Of course, this depends on any feedback and / or encouragement I receive. I do realise I have dedicated an entire chapter to the background story about what leads to the erotic enslavement of a young lady, and that the chapter contains no sex whatsoever. I have every intention of making up for that in chapters yet to come... ***** How could I have known? It was just a push button, something I had seen in Mr. Kane's desk - in the top drawer to be precise, hidden away from view and yet convenient enough for him to reach whenever he needed to. I had discovered it quite a while back, perhaps a few months, but never given it much thought before that fateful day. And now here I am, trapped, unable to move, my curiosity having gotten the better of me, pondering my fate... Will I die in here, alone? Will I be caught? Both options seem to make me despair, and yet there are only those two options insofar as the outcome of this situation is concerned, not that I have any choice in the matter. As I ponder, I feel lost as to which of the options I would rather choose if I had any say. ***** I took the cleaning job for Mr. Kane shortly after my eighteenth birthday, about eight months before I found myself in the situation above. I was desperate for some cash. My father had passed away a couple of years earlier, and my mother had to take up a cleaning job to support my younger brother and sister, and myself. She worked hard, making sure I did not have to give up my dream of going to college. A couple of years later, I moved to the city, sad that I had to leave my beloved family behind, but also happy that I was realising my dream, despite the odds and the harsh realities life made me face at my young age. Having settled down in the city, I worked hard through my first year in college. I lived alone in a very small apartment, a studio apartment in fact, on the outskirts of the city where the rent was lower. My mother helped with most of the expenses, but I realised early on that I would have to get a job or it would break my mother and the rest of my family financially, and I tried getting all sorts of decent jobs. After sending out countless applications, I realised it would not be so easy, and I lowered my expectations, sending out applications for all sorts of jobs, decent or not. Finally I landed this cleaning job with "Mr. Kane", as he insisted that I call him. He was a snob, part of the city's social elite, and his house was enormous, a mansion really. Initially, I started off part time, cleaning after my lectures were over and during weekends when necessary. After my first college year was finally over, however, I seized the opportunity to put in more hours to earn some extra money, and started working full time, grabbing every opportunity to work overtime whenever such opportunity arose. I had cleaned Mr. Kane's study many times. He was very particular about who he let clean the study. He wanted to find everything impeccably clean, but he also wanted to be sure every single thing, every paper, every business card, every file in exactly the same place he left it. He was extremely organised, to the point of an obsession, and I felt proud that of all the cleaners in the house I was one of the trusted ones to clean his study. This is what, in turn, led to my discovery of that red push-button hidden neatly under the surface of his desk. It looked just like the alarm buttons banks have installed under their tellers' desks, except that I knew there was no need for that in there. Mr. Kane's house was well secured with CCTV and burglar alarms all over the place, and the likelihood of him needing an alarm button under his desk seemed strange, to say the least. Despite that, I tried not to give it a second thought. Every time I saw the button, it peaked my curiosity, temporarily, and every time I brushed the thought away from my mind and focused on getting the job done. ***** It was the second weekend since I finished my first year of college. I was getting close to my nineteenth birthday, yet I had no real friends in the city. I missed my old friends in the little town where I was raised. Life was so much easier there. The residents were simple folks really, with low expectations, but always generous and warm. The city was cold and barren for me. Life was such a rush here, and you had to butt your way into existing friendship circles, and I was no good at that. Despite my good looks, and despite the compliments I always received that made me aware of such looks, my self-confidence was never so high as to impose myself on others. Consequently, despite having been here for months, I did not have any real friends. Sure, there were my fellow college students, some of them closer than others in the sense that we shared a few notes and helps each other out. But I never even got to go out and have some fun with any of them. I guess they saw me as weird, or shy, or reserved; whatever the reason, I never got invited to someone's house, at all. To make matters worse, the few opportunities I had to go out or to go to parties with any of them I managed to squander, telling whoever invited me that I had a lot of work to do. They finally seemed to give up on me, even if I saw the boys ogling me several times. They must think I'm some sort of bookworm, or just a plain nerd. I didn't look like one, but my reactions, my lack of self-confidence, and my excuses to not join in the fun painted that picture mentally if the visual one wasn't there. That also meant that for almost a year now, I also had no boyfriends, no social life whatsoever. In my former life, in the town I still call home, I had had a few boyfriends - a handful - before I came here. I was raised a Catholic, and although I always thought the religious views were a bit behind the times, I was hesitant to experiment sexually. The most that had ever happened was with my last boyfriend, whom I finally allowed to fondle my breasts and suckle on them. The relationship ended the same day, as he wanted more and struggled with me to slide his hand under the waistband of my panties. There was a big row, and that was it. The religious indoctrination I was raised up with had ruined the last of my relationships, even though I knew deep down that I did want to experiment, to see what it was like, to see what I liked and what I did not. I had never even seen a boy naked before, nor had anyone seen me fully naked. So here I was, almost nineteen, and still a virgin. Not just a virgin, but I had a serious lack of experience, or should I say I had no experience at all? It was more likely the latter. Still, I tried to look good. I put on makeup, and I was good at it. I bought the best clothes I could with the little money I had. And I was not afraid to show off some skin either, although comfort always came first. But I was at least not afraid to wear a really short mini-skirt if the climate was right for it. Or a halter-neck dress. And even though my social life was non-existent, I had a decent collection of underwear, not just the plain white types you'd find in my mother's drawers, but decent ones with lace, flower designs, and so on, and my range of panties included classic panties, hipsters, boy-shorts, and g-string panties. Not that I get to show them off, I often thought to myself, but at least they make me feel good and sexy, even if there was no one to show appreciation for it. I had quite a decent figure, despite my short height. My Latina looks were an eye-turner, and I knew it despite my lack of self-confidence. I had (and still have) a 35C-25-36 figure, so I was not skinny, but not chubby either, though I did sport a nice round behind. My breasts were firm, with small areolas and large nipples, and although not huge I always thought they were just right for my figure. I had long brown hair, wavy, reaching down to just about the middle of my back, perhaps slightly more. My eyes were a deep dark brown, large round eyes with naturally dark eye-lashes. And my complexion was a natural olive-tan. My Latina ancestry was quite evident from my looks, if it was not already evident from my given name, Natalia. My height was my downside. At just five feet three inches, I was no model, and I was rather self-conscious about it. Still, I liked to think that my other features made up for the lack of height. ***** Prior to the fateful day that would change my life forever, I had spent the entire week slaving away, proving my worth. It was only my second week on a full-time basis, and I wanted to impress. Mr. Kane was obviously quite pleased with me. On the Wednesday of that week, he called for me in his office, and he asked me to work overtime on Saturday. He said he would be away for the weekend, leaving on Friday to attend a full-day conference on Saturday away from the city. He would be returning Sunday evening. He said this would be a good opportunity to have his office cleaned, and not just the regular run-of-the-mill cleaning, but a thorough cleaning, meaning I would have to move furniture items to clean under and behind them, and I would have to move books from bookshelves and clean under them, and so on and so forth. Most importantly, he said, he wanted to find everything exactly where it had been. I accepted to work, as always, and I nodded and smiled at him reassuringly at his obsessive requests. He smiled back at me warmly, knowing he could trust me. He warned me I would be alone in the house, but I had a personal PIN to access the house. He knew he could trust me. We agreed I would spend there as long as necessary to get the job done, and I envisaged it would take me the whole day. Not that I was going to hesitate; the opportunity meant a full day's pay at the generous weekend rate, and I took it up immediately. ***** It was seven o'clock when my alarm went off. I fumbled with it to switch it off, and stretched my arms before lazily pulling myself out of bed. Then I went through the motions, more like a zombie than anything else. Getting up was not easy for me, so the first thing I always do is step into the shower to refresh myself and to feel really awake. Then I brushed my teeth and walked into my bedroom, or well, my one and only room really, and opened the small wardrobe to see what I was going to wear. The air felt hot and sticky with the humidity in the air, so \it was going to be something light. I started going through my clothes, and stopped looking at a light short summer dress... I hesitated. It was very short, and it left my back fully exposed. It was the sort of dress I would normally wear to go swimming, with a bikini underneath it. Mr. Kane insisted on a decent dress code just in case he had visitors, but I thought to heck with it, it is going to be a very hot day and I have to walk thirty minutes to his house, and thirty minutes back when I am finished, in the sun. Besides, luckily for me, today I am going to be completely on my own, for the first time, and no one is going to know anyway what I wore. With that thought in mind, I pulled out the dress, and put it on, tying the straps behind my neck. Almost as an afterthought, I picked up a white skimpy tie-side g-string, hiked up my dress, and tied the sides around my hips, then let the dress down again. I knew it was a casual dress, very light, obviously not intended for work, especially given that the lower hem was basically just a couple of inches below my g-string, but I felt comfortable in it and did not care. No one is going to know, I thought to myself. I had not even put on a bra. In any case my breasts were firm and held up nicely on their own. Besides, the less clothes the cooler, and the cooler the better, I thought to myself with a smile, feeling just a little bit naughty that I would be wearing just that despite Mr. Kane's strict dress code. With the day's attire decided, I went back into the small bathroom, brushed my teeth, put on some makeup (as I always do irrespective of where I am going and what I will be doing), then fixed myself a small breakfast, prepared a few sandwiches for lunch, tucking them away into my bag, and headed off. It was a thirty minute walk, and I would make it there by eight. I listened to music on my phone as I walked, humming cheerfully along with the music as I walked, leaving behind my modest area and venturing into a more up-market area where most of the city's social elite lived, including Mr. Kane. I was there a few minutes after eight o-clock, and after settling down, putting my sandwiches in a refrigerator meant for employees, got off to work immediately. As I slaved away around Mr. Kane's office, I listened to music on my phone through the little earphones lodged tightly in my ears. I had a special phone holder just for the purpose of attaching your phone to your belt when your hands were not available and you had no pockets available, but I realised I wasn't wearing a belt. I quickly solved that by attaching it to the waistband of my g-string under my dress. ***** I had been working for almost six hours straight, stopping only to eat my sandwiches and for a few glasses of cold water every now and then. The dress had helped keep me cool on an otherwise stifling hot day, but I also put on the air-conditioning in his study. Feeling cool helped me retain my energy and getting the massive clean-up done in a relatively short time, given the size of the study and the hundreds of books and other items in the room. I had been through every single thing, and I had dusted, washed and polished every item of furniture. I had scrubbed the floor spotless. I looked around me and smiled a little, happy with what I had done. Now to the desk, the last thing I had to clean. Mr. Kane's desk was his temple. It was untouchable, except for the trusted few who were allowed to clean it, like me. But today I had to literally clean it inside out. I started from the desktop. Mr. Kane adhered to a strict clean desk policy, and there were very few papers on the desktop. I made a clear mental image of where each item was before removing everything, dusting, cleaning and polishing everything, then returning everything to its exact position. I smiled. Mr. Kane will be pleased. Then I turned my attention to the drawers, pulling them out completely, cleaning the inside of the desk thoroughly, and seeing once again that darned red push-button, once again curious about its function. I tried to brush it away from my mind as I started taking everything out of the drawers, cleaning each drawer thoroughly, replacing its contents in exactly the same position they were before I started, and then pushing each drawer respectively back into its original position in the desk. The top drawer was last, and as I crouched to insert it, I saw the red push-button once again, exactly level with my eyes. I looked at it, even more curiously. What on earth could it be there for? I had already ruled out its being an alarm. There was certainly no need in here. But still, my curiosity nagged at me despite my attempt to brush it off. I felt a bit torn between my sense of responsibility telling me to just put in the last drawer and walk away, and my curiosity, coaxing me forward and asking what could go wrong. And as I pondered, I started thinking - it's true. What could go wrong? Even if I switched something on or triggered something off, surely I could say it was an innocent brushing of my hand against the push-button as I cleaned Mr. Kane's desk. And in any case, I further reasoned, I am on my own in the house. Surely I could contain anything that might happen if I press the button. It is not, after all, going to set the house on a course of self-destruction, I thought to myself, almost giggling as I imagined a visual image of the enormous house imploding as soon as I switched the button. And with that light hearted moment, I finally decided. I shrugged my shoulders, then I put my right middle finger on the button, affixed as it was underneath the surface of the desk, and as I braced myself, I finally pressed it, fully expecting a siren to go off, or a light or something or other in his study. Nothing of the sort happened. In fact, for a full five seconds, nothing at all happened, and I almost giggled again as I realised nothing was happening. But then, from across the study on the wall opposite, I started hearing a strange whirring sound, like machinery, and it got louder and louder. And then it happened. My eyes popped out and I could not believe what I was seeing. Was the wall moving? Well, part of it certainly was, as I saw a portion of the wall (including the painting hanging on it), the size and shape of a large doorway, retract deeper and deeper, inching away, until its surface was at least an inch deeper than the other side of the wall, and I could see the darkness in that gap beyond the wall. The moving part of the wall came to a halt with a loud clang, then the whirring sound again, and within seconds the "wall" - or rather door - moved sideways, just like a sliding door would, to the right. At this point my jaw had dropped, and I was looking on in awe as the whole thing unfolded before my eyes. I was frozen to the spot, crouching as I was, my eyes almost level with the surface of the desk, just a little higher and enough to see the whole thing. I was petrified, and I thought about pressing the button again, in the hope that the doorway would close again. But I was afraid of what else might happen if I did, and I decided against it. I could just put the last drawer in, then explain to Mr. Kane that my hand brushed against the push-button in the process, and, well, what just happened had happened. But then again, I thought to myself as I put in the last drawer, surely Mr. Kane would not have wanted me to find out about that doorway, wherever it led to. It was obvious, I surmised, that this was some secret passage, or in any case something Mr. Kane did not want anyone to know about. During my months here I had never known about it, nor had I heard the other members of staff speak about it. So it was pretty safe to assume that no one should have known about it, and now I did. I felt despair. What could I do? During the entire thought process I had stood up and walked across the study. I had not done so consciously. Rather, it was my subconscious pushing me forward, perhaps out of sheer curiosity, drawn to what I do not know. My petrification soon passed, and I could feel my heart racing as my conscious state took over, and I could feel all my limbs shaking. Still, consciously now, I walked, as silently as I could despite the fact that I knew there was no one around, towards the mysterious doorway, until I stood in it. It took me a few moments to adjust to the darkness, and once I did I realised it was not total darkness after all. The doorway led to a staircase, lit on either side by very dim lights every few feet, leading down to... well, to where I did not know, but it must be to some basement that I was sure no other member of staff knew anything about. The study was on the ground floor, so it was most certainly a basement. Other staff members had often wondered why such a mansion did not have a decent basement. Sure it had an underground garage where Mr. Kane kept his Lamborghini, his Mercedes, his Ferrari, and his BMW SUV. But that occupied only a small part of the area underneath the footprint of the mansion and its grounds. Now I suspected there was more to it than meets the eye, and that curiosity pushed me forward. And with that in mind, I started taking the first steps down the staircase. The lights were very dim, but they were enough to make out the steps without tripping. After about ten steps, the passage got narrower, and I descended another thirty steps or so before I finally reached the bottom, my heart now racing even faster. I realised I had descended more than the height of one floor, and I wondered why that would be considering there was nothing else under the house that I knew about. I wondered why he needed such height in the basement. Perhaps tall furniture? Soundproofing? The latter idea made me shiver though I did not exactly know why. Born Again Ch. 01: The Doorway Once at the bottom, I could hear the echo of my last few steps in the darkness. And it was sheer darkness, with only the area right next to the end of the staircase dimly lit, and beyond that - just black void. The echo kept reverberating back and forth, and it felt like I was in a cavern. I did not have a flashlight and although I had my mobile phone - still clipped to the waistband of my panties under my dress - I did not have the presence of mind to think about it at the time. So I did the next best thing, as I blindly felt the wall on the right of the staircase, to no avail. I then turned to the wall on the left side of the staircase, feeling around, until I felt it - a switch, a regular one, and my index finger rested on it. I hesitated, and I pondered for a few seconds. Switching the lights on now, if the switch was for any lights at all, was the point of no return. I would have seen whatever was in Mr. Kane's secret basement, and what was seen could not be unseen. But, I reasoned with myself, who is going to know? I will just switch on the light, look around briefly to satisfy my nagging curiosity, switch it off again, and head back up, where I will decide what to do about the doorway. I will just say I did not dare go through the doorway, certainly a believable lie given my timid and shy nature. And that was it. The switched clicked, and I was surprised - not by the light, but by the lack of it. Nothing happened for a couple of seconds, then I started seeing very dim, very small lights around the "room". It was like it was surrounded by a small army of fireflies, but the lights slowly became brighter, and started flickering. I looked at the closest light, and I realised it was a candle, and the light on top of it was its own flame. Wait a minute, I thought to myself, but I switched on an electrical switch. How could that light up candles? As I was thinking that, I was moving towards the light, just a couple of feet away, putting my face up close and personal, until I realised it was, after all, an electrical light, but it was so well engineered that unless you look at it from inches away, you couldn't really tell the difference between the light and a real candle flame. It was amazing, I thought to myself, as I watched the flame quiver, flicker occasionally, get longer, then shorter, and even sway to one side or the other occasionally like a little breeze had just blown over the candle. I sighed, raising both eyebrows. Rich men and their little toys, I thought to myself. And with that I turned around, and that is when I gasped as I realised the enormity of this "room". This "room" was no room at all. It was just plain enormous. It must be at least twenty times the size of my little apartment, I thought. The flickering electric flames surrounded the entire room, with a light every three feet or so, mounted on the surrounding wall. There were more such electric flames spread around the central area of the room, so that no area of the huge room was left unlit. Still, with all these lights everywhere, the overall lighting was still lower than one would expect in a normal room, but just enough for one to make out the contents of the room and find one's way around. I could make out a series of weird items of furniture. Very weird, in fact. I could not make heads or tails of anything at first. I looked at my watch, a bulky not so nice watch I always wore to work simply because it was waterproof. It was ten minutes to five. Not that I had anywhere to go, nor was I afraid that Mr. Kane would come home as he had clearly said it would be Sunday evening when he will be back, but I did not much fancy the idea of walking home in the dark. Still, I thought, I had plenty of time to walk around and have a quick look. It was summer and I was not expecting it to start getting dark before half past eight. My mind made up, I made my first few steps into what would be the beginning of a new life... Born Again Ch. 01 I made the effort needed to get back into my work. There was plenty of it left to do and I filled the rest of my morning by diving into it. Making calls to different clients took up a great deal of my time. I had just hung up with a client when I heard my stomach growl, in protest of not having any food lately. I didn't have any time to think about what I would like to eat for lunch before Jess showed up at my door again. I looked up when I heard her clear her throat. "I know I ask this everyday for the past year, but one day I am hoping you will say yes." She said with a smile "Would you like to go to town with me and get lunch?" I leaned back in my chair for a moment and studied her. "Yes I would like to." I saw the shock on her face followed by a look of joy as she turned to get her coat. "There is this great little Italian restaurant that opened up about 6 months ago. I go there a lot. How does that sound?" She looked back in my office to see me getting my own jacket and walking towards her. I nodded and followed her out to the cars. We chose mine and we drove in silence the ten miles to town. The town was quaint and offered the hospitality one would find when going back to mom's house. The streets were active today, lunch hour being the busiest it ever got. Then of course, there was the fact that it was Christmas season and everyone was taking as much time as he or she could in getting his or her loved one's presents. I hadn't even thought about the holidays. Last season, I just gave Jess a bonus in her check as a present. I thought for a moment how much Sheryl would have hated that. I shook my head softly as I looked for a parking space near the establishment Jess pointed out to me. "What's wrong Jo?" Jess asked me as she noticed my deep thoughtful look. "I was just thinking this is going to be the second Christmas without her." I pulled into a spot carefully and turned off my jeep. "And how much she would have gotten on my ass for the way I have treated you in this past year" I stared at the steering wheel as those words hung in the air for a moment. The tension, at least on my part was thick. I felt her hand touch my arm a second then she chuckled a little. "I will let it slide this time, but I expect that it won't happen again," She laughed a bit and I looked to see her smile. She was joking with me but still there held a bit of seriousness in her face. I knew she was right. Even if I didn't end up with her, I would never treat her like that again. I smiled at her and opened my door, and went to hers before she could gather herself together to open her door as well. The smile I got for being the charming dyke I was before Sheryl's death earned me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen from her. It went right through me and warmed me inside. Could this heart be thawing some? Taking her arm in mine, I led her on the sidewalk and proceeded to the restaurant. The atmosphere was charming, the décor very Italian with the wine bottle candles in the center of each table which was draped with a red cloth. A young woman approached us and I recognized her from another place Sheryl and I use to go to a lot. I smiled as I ran a list of names through my head and found hers, giving her a smile that was happily returned. "Ms. Tanner, how nice to see you. Table for two?" She asked brightly. I told her yes and she led us to a small table towards the back. Obviously thinking we needed some privacy. She brought me a wine list and two menus, and then left us to study them. "You in the mood for a glass of wine Jess?" I asked while looking over the list. "Sure, but only one glass. We still have work to do back at the office and you remember how I get when I drink wine." There was some humor in her voice and I had to look up to see her eyes shining bright as her lips curled into a mischievous grin. How could I have forgotten that night so many years ago? Jess had consumed to much wine one night and ended up having a kissing fest with Sheryl and I. I had written it off as curiosity with us. Obviously, I was wrong. I grinned at her, leaned across the table, and whispered, "I will have to keep that in mind then." I was rewarded with a bright glowing blush that rushed to her cheeks. The rest of the lunch was spent talking about business, but I could see in her eyes she would have rather been talking about something else, she didn't push it. After lunch, we walked down the streets some, so she could show me all the new businesses that had opened. There was a wealth of business for myself out there and I had let it slip by me in my grief. I would have to remedy that immediately. At least she wasn't letting my dropped ball hurt us. She had been making contacts with people over the past year. She kept her eyes opened for any new business ideas people were coming up with and contacting them while they were still in the business plan stage to show them what we could do for them and their business. I had to admit she was good at what she did and she was literally saving my ass by doing so. She took me to each one and they were happy to be introduced to me, by the time we were done, I had 10 new clients to work up contracts and ideas for. It was a wonderful day and for the first time since Sheryl died, I felt alive. On the ride back to the office, Jess went over what would be needed from her for the new clients. An idea formed in my head and her constant chattering gave me time to work it over without interruption. After getting to the office, I went to my desk and Jess followed me giving me the necessary contract forms to fill out for each new client we acquired. As she turned around to leave my office, I cleared my throat. "Jess, sit down for a moment I would like to speak to you about something." My voice had taken on a professional tone, letting her know this was serious and strictly business. She sat quietly and waited for me to speak. "I have an offer for you," I said moving some files around to keep my hands occupied. It was something I did when I was nervous and this was a huge decision I had made. "What is it Jo?" She asked while watching me fidget. "You know you really need to get over that nervous habit of yours" I looked at her and she smiled. I knew she was trying to relax me. "I want to offer you a partnership." I stated suddenly stilling my hands in front of me. "A what?" She sat shocked, unbelieving her ears. "You heard me Jess; I want to make you a full partner of the business. You deserve it. Your work over the past year as shown me exactly what you can do. I will have contractors come in and make you an office and I want you to put an ad in the paper to hire a secretary right away. You can share my office until yours is built. I can have your desk up here by tomorrow. That is if you accept my offer." I had rattled it all off so fast I could see she was having a time trying to keep up and digest all of it. She stood up, looked in my eyes for a moment, and simply excused herself. I watched her walk out and disappear into the back of the building. I was confused. Wasn't this a good thing? Didn't she want to be more than a secretary? I knew she could do the work just as well as I could. She had done it while I took time off to arrange Sheryl's burial. I also knew that for many years she had taken courses, even though she had no idea I knew. I knew she wanted to be able to do the same thing at some time. So why was she walking away from me? Why wasn't she looking pleased, only shocked and disbelieving? I leaned back in my chair a moment; needing something to distract me for a while, I turned on the radio and caught the last end of a weather report. Something about snow coming our way. I brushed it off; we always had snow up here and today should be no different. I was just about to bring up some files on the computer when Jess walked back into my office. "Are you serious?" She asked standing there in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "Yes I am Jess." "Ok, I accept then." She came in and sat in the chair again. "I already know who to hire to fill my position." I interrupted her "Previous position" She nodded and went on "Yes, well anyway. I want to hire Maria, the girl that served us today. I know she has the skills and she has the personality to deal with our customers, and she is a hard worker." I nodded my head and took out a pad of paper writing down the girls name, then changed my mind and picked up the phone. "Do you think she is home yet and do you have her number?" She rattled off the number by heart and I dialed the number. A young voice answered and I asked for Maria. "This is her, can I help you?" "Maria this is Jo Tanner at Corral designs. I understand you have training as an office secretary." "Oh, yes Ms. Tanner, ummm I do," She sounded confused and she had a right to be. "I would like to have a short meeting with you if you have time today." I told her as I wrote things down. "I can be there in 10 minutes Ms. Tanner" She started to sound excited and I was pleased with being the one to cause it. "Then I will see you in 10 minutes." I disconnected the call and then dialed the number to the office supply store I used. I ordered a desk just like mine and told them I wanted tomorrow or I would take my business elsewhere. They had one in stock and told me they would bring it this evening before I closed the office. I was pleased as pie, disconnected that call, and made one more call to my contractor. By the time I was done, I had a young woman waiting out in the outer office with Jess; I had a desk on the way and a contractor to show up the next morning to begin the work on Jess's office. I was quite pleased with myself. This was the way I use to be. I made a decision and it all came together as I wanted it to. I was never one to wait on things once I made my mind up. I sat back and took a moment to think about that. Once I made my mind up on something, I made it happen. That phrase kept going over in my head. Suddenly I slapped my hands on my desk and stood up. It was time to start living again. Time to get the business back on track where Sheryl and I had wanted it to go. It was time to live in the now, keeping her in my heart as she would want me to. It was time for the old Jo Tanner to come back in full force. God save the world I was back. "Hello Maria," I said as I went into the outer office, holding out my hand to take hers. "I am so glad you could come at the last minute. Please come into my office." I looked at Jess "You too please." I led them both in the office and they each took a seat on the opposite side of my desk and me. After an hour of talking, we had a new secretary to start the next day. I told her I would talk to her boss at the restaurant and make sure he was not offended that I stole his best server away on such short notice. We were all pleased with the outcome of the meeting and Jess went to start cleaning out her desk, still in a state of shock that things were happening so quickly. She came into the office with boxes and set them to the side. "I don't know why I had to do this now, when I am only going to be moving all this stuff again when the office is done." She complained as she set the boxes down. "You are doing it now because it is going to be 2 weeks before the office is done the way I want it to be, and I can't afford to have you idle for two weeks. Not to mention that Maria is going to need a desk to work from as well. However, you will need to train her in her duties for the first few days I am sure." I recited off, knowing she was going to be asking why I was rushing things. I never looked up from my computer screen as I talked. I was in the middle of writing up a contract making her my partner and I didn't want to stop in the middle of it. She sighed and went out to get the rest of her stuff and left me to my work. The radio was still playing softly in the background as I typed away at my desk. I heard soft strains of a lovely voice singing about love and death. I closed my eyes for only a split second when the blaring alarm went off on the radio. "This is a special announcement. A blizzard is sweeping across the state burying the land in tons of snow. We are putting Arrid County under a storm alert. Expect at the very least 5 feet of snow in some areas, especially in the mountain regions." I looked up and out my window seeing that it had already started to snow and looked to be piling up quickly. I stood up to take a better look and couldn't believe how much had dropped without me even noticing. I walked around my desk and stepped into the outer office. "Jess, have you looked outside lately?" I walked to the front door and pulled the curtain back. We had both been so busy, neither one of us thought to look outside once. Jess came over and looked around me, standing very close to me. The heat I felt from her could have melted all the snow outside. I breathed in slowly as I watched the snowfall. "Wow, it really is piling up out there huh?" She whispered. I could feel her breath on my arm seeping through my shirt. "I should probably head home." "I think you better yes," I looked at my watch it was just about quitting time anyway. "I will wait for your desk, if they get here, and have them put it in my office. I mean if all else fails I can ride the snowmobile home tonight." She turned and put her hand on my arm smiling. "Now if they can't make it up tonight, don't go calling them up and yell at them" She laughed and went to get her coat and car keys. I walked her out to her Ford Ranger, helping her into it and then making sure the chains on her tires were secure before I would let her drive off. I watched her for a bit before I went back in the office looking something like a snowman. I went back to my desk just as the phone rang; answering it, I heard the voice of the man at the office store, telling me that the deliverymen were just about there, the snow had made them run a little late. I was shocked that they were still going to make it. I thanked him and went out again to wait for them, by the time I got my coat back on I saw them driving up. The snow was falling even harder and I began to worry about Jess. The men jumped out of the truck and quickly began unloading the desk. Once they got it into my office I told them I could handle putting the rest together since it was going to be moved again anyway. Telling them to be careful going back I let them out, locked the door behind them, and turning the sign to let anyone fool enough to be out in this that I was now closed. The phone rang again, it was Maria thanking me again for hiring her on, and for the phone call I had made to her boss at the restaurant. We had a short pleasant conversation and hung up. Well, I thought to myself. Should I be really anal about this and set her desk up now or just go home and take care of it tomorrow. No, it was time to go home or I might not make it up there tonight. I started shutting lights off when I heard someone banging on the front door. Now who in the world could be out in this mess, I asked myself as I walked to the door and opened it. There was Jess standing there covered in snow, soaked to the skin and shaking like a leaf. "Oh my God Jess, "I said as I pulled her into the office. " What happened?" "Car in a ditch... couldn't stop it... walked back here," She said through chattering teeth. I grabbed her, started pulling her wet coat off, replacing it with mine, and brought her to my chest to try to seep some of my warmth into her. "Are you ok? I mean besides freezing, did you get hurt?" I asked looking over her. "I think I broke my wrist, but I am so numb I can't feel the pain now." She whispered against my chest. "Ok come on I am taking you to my house and I will call the Doctor. I doubt we will be able to get you anywhere tonight, but I am not too bad at wrapping if I need to." I tried to steer her back to the door but she stopped us. "No Jo, it is ok. I can just stay here for the night and call triple A in the morning." I looked at her as if she had two heads. She could not be serious. I shook my head and grabbed her again. "Shut up Jess, you are obviously delirious in this state." She tried to pull from me again but I grabbed her by her arms and looked into her eyes. "Jessica Jones, you are coming to my house and I am going to take care of you now shut up and get out to my jeep before we have to ride the snowmobile for five miles and me with no coat." This seemed to make her move and she finally stopped fighting me. I put her in my jeep and got in as well, firing it to life and put it in four-wheel drive. The ride was tricky but I managed to get it up the hill without getting us in a bad situation. Getting her into the house finally, I took her coat off and handed her one of my robes. "Go in my room and get out of them wet clothes I will make you some hot coffee to get you warmed up." She just nodded once again and went to do what I told her. I went into the kitchen and looked in my fridge. Good thing I had just went shopping. I started the coffee and went to go check on her. It had been awhile since I had to knock on a door and I walked into my room not even thinking. There she stood naked from head to toe, just now picking up the robe. She gasped and pulled it in front of her to shield herself. "Oh hell, Jess I am sorry" I said turning my head to give her a chance to put the robe on fully. "I just wanted to know if you were hungry" "Not right now Jo" She said, and then touched my arm to let me know it was ok to look again. She was radiant. The robe was huge on her small frame, but it wrapped around her so nicely. Moreover, the site of a woman as attractive as her in my robe was something of a turn on to me. My body started responding to the sight and I was taken aback for a moment or two. I swallowed visibly, the image must have touched her as she smiled and moved past me to the living room. I turned to follow her, stopping in the kitchen and made us both a cup of coffee. I brought them out to the living room where she was curled up on the couch. I sat the cup on the table and grabbed one of my extra blankets to lay over her. "Is that better?" I asked as I sat on the opposite end of the couch. She moved her feet so that they went under my thigh and ass. I could feel the coldness seeping through my jeans. "Yes it is thank you." She said as she took her cup and began to sip on the warm liquid. I could almost see how the warmth filled her up watching as normal coloring came back to her face and her hands stopped shaking. "How is your wrist?" I asked as I noticed she held her cup with only one hand, tucking the other hand under the blanket. "To tell you the truth, it hurts like hell." I sat my own cup back down, moved closer to her, and lifted the blanket and pushing the arm of the robe back. It was starting to bruise, and swell badly. I touched it as carefully as possible. I thought she was going to jump through the roof, though she made no sound not even a whimper. I reached over to grab the phone, called my doctor, and told him what had happened. After doing what he asked, he determined it was probably broken but he could not be certain without x-rays. He told me to make a splint, wrap it and when the storm was over I could bring her in to have it looked at. I hung up the phone and went to get what I needed. Setting the supplies down on the table, I saw her shiver again. I normally kept the house pretty cool, but I felt I had better try to warm this room up a little more so she wouldn't catch a cold. I went to my fireplace, built a fire, and by the time I was done, I had happy flames licking away at their fuel. A smile rewarded me for my efforts as I returned to her and went to work on splinting her wrist. Born Again Ch. 01 "Jo, thank you for everything. You really didn't have to do this though." She said as I worked. "Are you nuts?" I asked, "Why the hell wouldn't I do this? You are my friend and I care very deeply for you. Would you have done the same for me? Yes, you would have. So stop with the silly banter and hold still I know it hurts." She smiled and lay back letting me do what I needed to make her feel better. When I was done, I gave her a couple of Tylenol to help with the pain, and then sat back in my spot where she promptly slid her feet under again. We sat in silence for a little while, both of us in our own thoughts as we just enjoyed the crackle of the fire and the warmth of the coffee. She was the first to break the silence. "You kept the house the same" "Yes, didn't seem right to change it. Not that I would want to anyway." "I am glad that you didn't change it. I always did like her style." We went silent again and I realized that I was able to talk about Sheryl without feeling as if I was going to have a meltdown at any moment. I turned and watched Jess for a moment. She was nowhere near Sheryl in appearance, but her personality was similar. That is probably why she and Sheryl had been so close. I was roused out of my thoughts as she moved a little bit, pushing back the blanket, and getting up. "What do you need Jess I can get it" I said as I moved to get up. "Not unless you can go to the bathroom for me" She turned and smiled at me as I sat back again. "Ok, got me there." Again, I looked into the fire and my thoughts wandered. I was deep in thought before I even realized I heard movement in the kitchen. Rising I went to see what she was up to, when I noticed her getting a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. She balanced the bottle between her arm and her chest to keep from putting strain on her wrist. I went to help her, she waved me off, forcing me to turn around and let her do it herself. "I thought this might warm us a little more than coffee." She said as she sat back down on the couch, this time right next to me so that her body pressed against mine. "Among other things." I said and was pleased to see the blush I was looking for. My thoughts went back to my earlier mantra. Once I make up my mind, I get it done. I wasn't waiting any more, I reached my hand up sliding it behind her neck letting my fingers grip her hair tenderly at first, then more firmer as I saw her positive reaction to it. My other hand reached up cupping her chin and turned her face towards mine. I could feel her warm breath on my lips as I neared hers. They were so soft and I melted into them as the soft kiss became demanding. My tongue slipped out and licked across her lips forcing them open to explore her mouth. She tasted like warmth, as a blanket that warms you on a cold winter's night. Sounds filled my head, flames licking over the fire making it crackle and pop, the storm outside, the snow falling on the rooftop, the wind howling in protest, the sound of my breathing mingled with hers, my heart pounding, or hers, the sound of two souls falling into wondrous bliss. The fire spread from the fireplace and into my heart melting away all the grief of the past year. It continued deep into my body enflaming every fiber of me and taking up residence. I pulled Jess to me hard; the desire in my body would not be denied. I was glad I didn't have to deny it as I felt her press just as hard to me. Her arms slid up around my neck and I made sure I was careful of her wrist. However, at this time, I don't think she really cared as she held my head to hers our mouths fighting for control as we explored each other with a hungry passion. My hands slid down over her back tenderly until I reached her ass, grabbing it harshly and pulled her fully into my lap. Her thighs separated and placed themselves on either side of me. I breathed in hard as I felt the warmth of her center settle over my body. Feeling the heat and moisture seep through my jeans. Yet, it could have been me. She moaned deeply and lifted her body just enough to press that center against my stomach feeling how she soaked my shirt making me very aware that she was definitely past the no return stage now. My hands came around her and opened the robe up. I broke from her mouth. I had to see her. I had to know what my hands were now touching. Fingers playing over her stomach as I leaned back and took in her beauty. The sight made me gasp softly as the touch made my fingers come alive. "Damn Jess, you are so dam beautiful." My hands slid up her stomach and cupped each small pert breast in my hand. Her dime sized caramel colored nipples were pointing at me begging me to please them; it didn't take a second invitation to bring my mouth to them kissing each one tenderly before selecting one to suck on softly. I felt her good hand slide up into my hair gripping it tightly in her fingers as she pulled me to her breast even more. This caused me to moan against her nipple sending little shock waves through her body causing her to thrust herself against me. My mind was going in a million different directions. I wanted her fast, I wanted her slow, I wanted her hard, and I wanted her soft. I couldn't make up my mind which way to go first. The need and desire in me was pushing my body to take her hard and quick, but she deserved so much more. "Oh hell Jo, take me..." Her words helped me and I turned to lay her down on the couch pushing her thighs open more, I laid my body over hers pressing myself against her pussy and grinding against her clit. My mouth took over again sucking her nipple inside teasing my teeth over it until the force of her hand on my neck made me bite it a little bit. She gasped and pulled me even harder, as if it was possible to pull me inside of her. My hands slid along her sides and over her hips pulling her hard against me. My clothes were becoming a hassle; I wanted to feel her skin against mine. I pulled my mouth from her nipple, knelt up between her legs tearing my shirt off the sports bra flying with it. I had to stand up to remove my jeans; I made quick work of it as the growing throbbing urged me on. Suddenly I felt the need to take it slow. I lowered my body over hers; her skin against mine sent sparks between us. Creamy skin against mine heating as we joined. My hands again taking her hips roughly and pulling her hard against me. Her warm wet pussy rubbed against my lower stomach coating me with her juices. I breathed in deep, lowered my mouth over hers kissing her deep and hard as our bodies rubbed against each other. I felt her hand slide over my back grabbing my ass, pulling me to her more, her thighs wrapped around the back of my thighs and tugged on me. I was consumed by her passion. I bit at her lips, my hand slid between us, finding her swollen, and wanting. I slid my fingers through her folds and found her clit peeking out begging for my touch. I flicked my nail over it and she jumped against me forcing my finger to her clit, trapping it between us as she held close to me. I rubbed it in small circles listening to her moaning and feeling her grind up against me. She needed me, she wanted me, and I no longer denied that I felt the same, maybe even more so. My fingers slid easily down and slipped inside of her, her back arched and her hips slammed up to me. My fingers sunk in and possessed her, holding them there for a brief moment before I started to slide them in and out of her, moving one of my legs up and over her thigh. Pressing my thigh against my hand forcing my fingers deeper in her, causing her to buck up to me even more. She was on fire and I gladly burnt with her. My mouth took hers once more and we kissed feverishly as I explored her inner depths. The feeling of her moving under me was such a turn on. Her grunts and moans fueled my desire as I slid another finger inside of her, filling her now with three. I wiggled them inside and she moved with me. She tried to get back at me by raising her leg under me pressing her thigh against my own throbbing pussy. I knew I was extremely wet and hot and the contact of her cool skin felt wonderful. Instinctively I began rubbing against her thigh, my throbbing clit wanting so much more as I forced myself on her harder. She moved faster on me riding my fingers and thigh as I she lifted her hips, all of it causing her thigh to send me into a fit of little clutches in my stomach. I didn't want to end this so quickly, but my body had other ideas. I noticed that hers did as well as she dug her nails into my back and she pleaded with me with each thrust up against me. "JO!!!" She screamed into my ear. "Fuck Jo, please cum with me." Grunting as I slammed against her filling her over and over as I slid in and out of her, my thigh helping as I thrust hard, back arching sharply and felt her thrust up, nearly holding me in the air as she came, throwing me over the edge with her. We couldn't stop, each of us wanting more, thrusting against each other forcing one another over the edge many times until we both collapsed to the couch panting. She only had enough energy to put her lips to my ear kissing it softly and whispering. "I love you" I didn't think it was possible for my body to come alive again that quickly, but it did and I kissed her gently whispering that I loved her as well and I was sorry for not realizing it earlier. With that, I removed myself from her, stood up, and walked into the bedroom, holding my hand to stop her from following me. When I returned her eyes became as big as saucers then a smile came over her face. "I suspected and I hoped, but I didn't dare dream." She whispered as I came back over to her. The cock on the strap-on bouncing slightly with my stride. I reached out for her hand and pulled her to her feet, pulling her into my arms and pressing myself against her. She tried to get as close as possible to me, one leg wrapping around my thigh. My hands slid down to her ass and I helped her as I pulled her into my arms, feeling her legs wrap around my waist and she began to grind herself against my cock as it snuggled in between us. Her lips kissed all over my face then down my neck biting on my shoulders as I held her in the air. She moved her body and moaned against my flesh begging me to go inside of her. My hands lifting her slightly, my cock sliding under her, she reached down and positioned it at her needy pussy. With a low groan she lowered herself down onto it, she wrapped her arms around my neck tightening her grip around my waist and filled herself up with my cock. "Oh Jo, you feel so fucking good." She kissed on my neck biting on my ear, and I thrusted up inside of her deeper, making her bounce on my hips, and driving my cock into her more so. Her grip got tighter around me and her fingers played in my hair as my lips traveled along her creamy neck, moving with her in my arms I walked down the hall to my bedroom. Her soft moans in my ear making me hotter by the second. My heart was pounding in my ears to the point I felt I was surrounded by drums. I lowered her to my bed, never once slipping from her as she kept a tight hold of me. Pushing into her as her back felt the soft plush blanket against her flesh, causing her body to ripple with sensation, her back arched sharply, and pressing up against me in short hard bursts as I pushed in and out of her. My hands slid down along her sides lightly causing her body to be covered in goose bumps. Each slow push into her made her face contort in pleasure. Her hands slid up along my arms, she seemed to be in no pain with the wrist now, only pleasure was apparent as she gripped my biceps and dug her nails into my flesh. I knew she wanted it harder, but I wasn't ready to give her that yet. I looked into her eyes, as I drew out almost all the way, and then slid back in slowly. Twisting my hips a little making her gasp with lust. "Jo, please... please fuck me," She pleaded and though it made my body tingle to hear her beg like that, I still controlled myself, keeping the slow torture up until I felt her legs grip around me as if she was a vise grip. She slammed me against her, my cock buried deep inside her throbbing pussy. As I sunk deep into her, I knew I was hitting her clit and she arched her back so hard her head came flying up. The look of savage passion covered her face and she pulled my head to hers raping my mouth with her own, growling against my lips. "Fuck Me!!" I couldn't hold back anymore, my nails dug into her skin breaking the tender flesh as I rammed into her faster and harder. Our bodies slammed against each other, every thrust pushed back into my own clit. The fire was consuming us and we had no way to escape, even if we had wanted to. She bit at my lips, the coppery taste of blood smearing against her own lips. She sucked at them with a deep hunger. I had no idea how passionate she could be how much of a vixen she could be. It only urged me on, each slam into her edging me closer and closer to oblivion. Her hold on me became hurtful in such a wonderful way, as she started to shake under me. Her raspy voice against my lips drug me along with her. She began to shudder, her head fell back, and she screamed loud. Her small body bucked under me, trying to split herself open with my cock. The room was filled with the sounds of our bodies slapping together, the juices sliding in and out of her as I fucked her like a wild animal. Her orgasm overtook her, she no longer had control of her body, and all she could do was hold on for the ride as electricity ran through her body. Mine was hard and quiet as I took the chance to enjoy every look that came over her face with each slam into her. Her body couldn't handle anymore and she fell back to the bed, sweat pouring off her head and into her eyes. I laid myself over her and held her close to me. My cock still deep inside of her, every move I made making her moans deep and long. Outside the wind howled, the snow fell and covered us in our own little world.