18 comments/ 153059 views/ 15 favorites A History Lesson Ch. 01 By: JakeRivers Dear reader: This story replaces my earlier story called "What Now? My Ending DYJ ". This story is longer and extensively rewritten (Live and learn!). The original story was a response to a challenge by H2Owader for new authors to submit stories included in his story "What Now?" I'm leaving my original story online. I am renaming the story from "What Now My Ending DYJ" to "A History Lesson" to more accurately reflect the storyline. I am also breaking the new version into three parts which will be submitted separately. I have cleaned up the format and put in some additions to help with flow. With H2Owaders's gracious consent I have incorporated a rewritten copy of his story as the beginning of this version of my story to provide background and clarify references. This story now stands alone without needing to read his story first. I would like to thank Techsan for his editing help and story ideas. Lady Cibelle also graciously helped, particularly with encouragement. I have included numerous changes based on comments from readers (thank you very much!). I do have a number of stories planned and would appreciate your comments. As with most authors/readers I do have my biases that will be reflected in my stories. Some of these are: infidelity doesn't pay (you can't hide it forever!), I DON'T get excited with the idea of someone else with my lady, revenge can be appealing (but it is chancy, hard to control, and can get out of hand). That said, life is complex and life happens! You can hypothesize forever but until shit happens you can't REALLY say how you will respond. BEGINNINGS My name is James Reed. When I was 26 years old, I came into a hell of a lot of money. It was legal, by the way. I had an uncle in Iowa that I hadn't heard from in years. He had won the Power ball for over two hundred million dollars. Two years later he died and it turns out I was the only relative left. By that time, with his investments, it was worth $275 million. So suddenly, due to no action on my part, I had a mountain of money. My brand new money manager told me to get a bigger house but it seemed silly – I already had a house and liked it very much. It was on the river I loved and had everything I needed. No one knew of the money, except an old friend of mine, one of my college professors. The investment company handling the money meets with me every month in Grand Rapids. The meeting usually lasts for a weekend. My financial manager for the investment company was Mark Braxton. Mark seemed like a nice enough guy, but he wanted me to spend, party and enjoy but I wanted to continue my life pretty much as I had been living. He also seemed too friendly with any woman that crossed his path. Oh well, I didn't have to like him. The income alone from the money was enough to equip a damn army. The taxes were heavy but I would not get a bigger house. Hell, the money manager, Mark Braxton wanted to do anything to cut into the government's share of my money. I knew he was getting one percent yearly of what his company managed but it made no difference to me. I was never going broke. Not in my lifetime. The commission was not any big deal, except that the investment company treated me like a god. I didn't care if he got one percent of $500 million or one percent of $300 million (it turns out Mark did think it was a big deal! I guess two million meant a little more to him than to me). I told everyone at the investment company to call me James, but they called me sir until I told them the next time any one in their company called me sir I would find another investment company. Every one now calls me James. Mark calls me James. The cute receptionist calls me James. Even the janitor calls me James. (I bet if they had a damn guard dog, it would call me James too!) Keep in mind, good people, I was basically happy. I had everything I needed… well almost. I did not have a good wife. I did not have any children. So I was lonely at times. So I was lonely a lot! But I had a good job, good friends, and a great river to fish. I was a high school History teacher in Baldwin, a small town in the upper part of the lower peninsula of Michigan and really liked my job. History had always been a passion for me and teaching was fun. It was rewarding to see a few faces light up when I would tell them some of the stories from different periods of history. Of course most of them wouldn't light up even if you popped a flash bulb in their eyes. Hmmm… I wonder if a flash bang would work. I guess not, those are for really bad people, most of these students were just inert. Oh well! The first summer after I acquired the money, I went to Alaska. I paid $6,000 for a week of fly-in fishing. It was great. I was flown by helicopter to five different rivers. The fishing was out of this world. Except there were no close friends to laugh when I fell down in the cold water, no one to have a drink after a good fish was landed or that night in the lodge, and no one to kid me about the one that got away. (Try talking to a fish you caught about the one that got away – not a damn bit of sympathy!) There was no one to talk with about life and the vast hereafter (I know, I know, but the fish weren't listening.) Fishing is an obsession and a solitary pursuit but friends do make it better. So the money was invested. And the gains were invested. And I was making more money. Jesus, it was over $350 million now! It seemed a shame it was just getting bigger and not doing something good. That changed in late June two years after I got the money. Of course, the change was a woman, what else? Beverly Capstan was her name – she had been in several of my history classes. She called and asked to see me; school had ended in the first part of June. This happened frequently, kids would call wanting a letter of recommendation. I assumed Beverly wanted the same thing: a letter of recommendation for college or for a job. I looked over my notes for all the kids who had graduated. She was third out of 81. Hey, it's a small town! I knew Beverly had applied for Ferris State University in Big Rapids. I also knew she had been accepted. So, what did she want with me? She was due Friday afternoon so that day I tied some flies for the river, changed the line and leader on an old fly reel I used as a back up, had a beer, and fished for a while. She showed up at one o'clock just as I was ready to prepare lunch. "Hello, Beverly. I am grilling fish caught fresh this morning for lunch. I also have a green salad, sliced tomatoes, and corn on the cob. For drinks, diet Pepsi for you, and a beer for me." "Thank you, Mr. Reed. May I help with anything?" "Hey, I am cooking out of doors. I never need help cooking out of doors." I had taught this girl for four years in high school. I had never really looked at her. I mean looked! She was a student. She was female. She was not to be touched. Well, she was no longer a student. But does that change anything? Hmmm! We would be eating at my picnic table in full view of the road and any one that might pass by. Beverly was 18 years old; she was not the best looking girl in the class, but she was a long, long way from being the ugliest. Also it seemed the ones that looked the hottest had the IQ of… well actually a little better than the fish I had caught that morning. Between bites, I looked at my former student. Beverly was cute. She was not a beauty. She was attractive. Age and knowledge would add considerably to her appeal. Her dark brown hair surrounded her oval face. Nice cheek bones, eyes as blue and warm as a summer day, full lips. She was 5'5'' tall. Maybe a hundred twenty-five pounds? As I remembered from the swimming parties in the river, she had a nice shape. Again more average than lush. She was going to be an average woman. But then I guess except for the money I was a pretty average guy myself. Beverly started with "I am going to Ferris State University in the fall. I have enough scholarship money to pay for school. I don't have enough money for a dorm room and I don't have the money to get a car so I can drive back and forth." Now this was a different problem. "Oh?" "I need a job, either in Big Rapids so I can stay in a dorm, or here in Baldwin so I can drive back and forth." "Beverly, what do you want me to do?" "I don't know anyone in Big Rapids, and I was hoping you might know someone who has a job I could get." Now I knew the problem; I did know some people in Big Rapids. There were some nice folks and some… not so nice. The ones I knew that had the open jobs were the not so nice ones. Baldwin has damn few jobs at all. Baldwin was a hard scrabble town; every one hustled for a living. Any job she could get here or in Big Rapids would be minimum wage. And the college town had all those students looking for jobs. I did not see what I could do for her. So again, there was the question: "What do you want me to do?" The fish was ready. I set up paper plates and served the food. We sat at the table where anyone and everyone could see us. We ate and talked. She sipped the diet Pepsi and I sipped my Damnation Ale. Hey, 7% alcohol can be fun! "If you could get me a job, it would be great. I would always be thankful." "You really need to live near the school Beverly. Driving back and forth even if it is only 50 miles will be a problem. Also, your grades will suffer if you work." "I can't go to college without working." I could see tears in her eyes. "And there is no one else I can ask." I saw a glimmer of an idea off in the distance. As ideas go it looked weak, but I needed to talk to my money manager, Mark, before I could go too far with it. "Beverly, I am, or was, your teacher. There is a place that will hire you even without me asking. The Swan hires dancers." "I know, I was there already, the owner says I can work there but ..." The tears crept down her face. "I would have to dance nude and I have to let him..." This was not news to me. I knew Sam Bly. He was an ass but he stayed legal, just barely. His dancers were all over 18, too young to drink but old enough to work in bars. I guess he had told her about the lap dances and the back rooms. "You can borrow the money." "I want to be a teacher. And you know what teachers make. I just don't want to have those big payments after I get out of school." "About Bly, if nothing else comes along, will you work for him?" "If I have to, I will. But I will not have sex with him or the men in that place." I sensed an iron core of pride inside this woman. There was a remaining question I had to ask before I could go any farther with this conversation. "Beverly, if and I do mean IF I can arrange something for you, what do I get out of it?" I was truly curious about what she would say. "Mr. Reed, if you make it possible for me to go to college I will do whatever you ask." Now, this was an interesting statement. I lived in a small town. I dated a woman in Grand Rapids, a good 90 minutes each way. I could only get there on weekends and not every weekend. She was okay. I definitely was not in love and marriage was out of the question. Hell, she was great in bed! I got all I needed. I was ready to ask a question I never thought I would ask any female. "What if I asked you to let me arrange for your college? Anything and everything you need until you complete your studies, what would you do for me?" "Are you asking me to sleep with you? How often, where, when? What about boys I would meet at school? Birth control? What happens if my daddy finds out? He will kill you!" I could suddenly see all kinds of problems with this idea. I actually did not know what I was talking about. I decided to put her on hold. "Where else were you accepted? What other colleges?" "The only one I applied to other than Ferris was the University of Michigan-Dearborn. I was accepted there too." "Okay. Beverly, here is a home work assignment for you. As soon as you can, show me a year by year by year expense sheet for you to go to Ferris State University and the U of M-Dearborn. I know they have no dorms at Dearborn so start with living expenses. I need the data within a week. And do not get your hopes up. This is just a shot in the dark. I will be in Grand Rapids tonight and I will get some Dearborn newspapers for you. Also do Eastern Michigan University." This was just busy work for her, but I wanted to see what she could do. I knew the costs. With dorms at Eastern the cost for four years would be $35,000 when the car and fuel and other expenses were counted. You know, like clothes and food. At U of M Dearborn I had it pegged at better than $45,000; there were no dorms and apartments were not cheap in Dearborn. "I do not think Eastern will accept me this late." I knew Eastern would accept Lucifer himself if I gave them enough money. So would Harvard. "Don't worry about that, just get the homework done. You can use the computers at the school if you need." I remembered she did not have a computer at home. She had always used the school machines to prepare the projects I had assigned. She looked at me with a strange look. "Are you going to make me go to bed with you so I can go to college?" "I am trying to stop the men in Bly's bar from getting into your pants." "So you want what? Three or five times a week? Blow jobs?" "Stop! I didn't say I wanted to sleep with you. As a college student, you will have the right to accept any level of activities you want. If you decide sex is not in the picture, cool. I am sure something can be worked out. You could always join the army and get money for college if you had to." "I will let you be my first man if you put me through school. So, how many times, Mr. Reed?" I found myself thinking about this. It was a good question. If I wanted to have her, what would be a good yearly number? What about STD's? Pregnancy? I needed to think about this. Then it struck me, she was negotiating. The number of times? Jesus! I looked at her. The tears had stopped. Her face was calm. "Beverly, I will have a man meet with you. He owes me big time. He will set up a way for you to go to Ferris or any other school you want. You do not have to give yourself to anyone. If he even looks at you wrong, I will have him fired. I still want the expense sheet for Ferris, U of M-Dearborn and Eastern. And I am not sure I want you that obligated to me. It is too close to rape." 'It is not rape, it is whoring." Was this barely legal girl thinking she could use me to get though college on her back? "If I married you until you finished college and paid for everything, and you divorced me, is that whoring?" "Will you marry me?" "Do you want to have three babies? Cook and Clean? Sex with me whenever I want? Why the hell did you come here today anyway? This is a small town; you have a good idea of what kind of man I am." I was getting angry. Did this young woman want to marry me or just cut a deal so she could go to college? Was this marriage thing a school girl crush? Was she really ready to bed me for a college education? Or did she actually want to marry me? How the bloody hell had this meeting gotten to this point? And what was I going to do? "Will you marry me?" The reason I was getting angry at Beverly was because she seemed to be willing to do almost anything with me to get her education. I could see the hard core of pride she had was keeping her from going to work at the Swan, but she seemed more than willing to do the same types of things with me. I was uncomfortable with her hard, brutally frank negotiations… I guess that's why I threw out the marriage idea. Now I was angry at myself! It would be nothing for me to help her financially – how had we got to the point of her either being my personal whore or her marrying me? I knew what she wanted, and what she was and wasn't willing to do to get it. What did I want? I wasn't really ready for marriage, let alone one that was a sham. I was uncomfortable with the thought of using her; I had no problem getting all the sex I needed. As I thought about it I realized I admired her spunk and her goals. I was teaching because I loved the challenge of forming young minds, the spark in too few of their eyes as they came out of their shells and started wanting to learn. I taught history because it was really my one passion (besides fishing, of course!). Too few students went further than what I could give them; here was a chance to help one person do that. I knew then I wanted to see how far she could go, and as long as she made solid progress I would help her. I needed to think it out more so I wasn't going to tell her all at once what I was thinking. "Beverly, let's hold off talking more about it now. I want you to do the homework I asked you, and also to write a letter on your goals: why you want to be a teacher, and why history?" I added, "Don't worry about anything else now. It just confuses the issues – stay focused on what you want to do and why, don't think about the how." Looking embarrassed, Beverly replied "okay Mr. Reed. Do I give the info back to you?" "No more of this Mr. Reed! School is over now, you're an adult now that you are 18, and you can call me James. As I mentioned I will have a guy work with you. Call him later when you have everything ready. His name is Mark Braxton, here is his card. Like I said, he should be professional with you at all times. If he isn't, call me at once… here is my card also." With that I shook hands and showed her to the door. THE PLAN As I thought about our conversation, it occurred to me the school I went to might be better than the ones we had talked about. It had an excellent History program, with degrees up to Doctorate. I had attended the Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo for my Masters and came to be good friends with one of its professors, Al Trent. Al was a jovial guy, bushy beard, brilliant mind, and history was his life. He was still teaching in the Graduate Department of History at WMU. Al had a wife of 30 years and four daughters, ranging from 18-28. Al was one of the few persons that knew of my wealth and how I had come into it. After considering it for a few more minutes, I knew what I wanted to do. I called Al, and told him what I wanted to do with Beverly. I had checked into Beverly's background and found out how hard she had it growing up. I passed some of this info on to Al, and without going into detail told how her hunger for learning history and wanting to teach had impressed me and I wanted to help her. At the same time I told Al how I wanted to use some of my money for something useful (not to mention donating money would make my money managers ecstatic!). "Al, I'll be frank with you, I know it's late for the admissions process, but I think we can work something out." "What I propose is to fund two professorships, one in undergraduate and one in graduate history at WMU. I will also establish five scholarships for new history teachers for the Western Michigan area. If they teach in a high school in Western Michigan, I will also pay them a stipend of $20,000 each year for up to five years." "Finally I will fund two interns in the History department, one graduate and one undergrad. I don't want to use one of the scholarships for Beverly, but I do want her to be given one of the internships without her knowledge of how she got it. I think it's important she earns money on her own to enhance her sense of self worth. Do you think we can make this work?" "James, it won't be easy, but let's give it a shot. Setting up the scholarships and funding the professorships will take time; I suggest you also throw in a fairly sizeable, immediate non-qualified donation to the school. That shows good intentions while we work everything out." A History Lesson Ch. 01 "Here's another suggestion, given what you have told me about this young lady, I think it would be a great idea to have her stay with us for the first year. We have plenty of room and it would be good for her to spend time with my girls. It would keep her from being by herself and getting too lonely and would give her an immediate circle of friends. The girls can kind of keep an eye on her and I could guide her in the right classes, etc." Al continued "Maybe she could come over for a few days in about two weeks and we can see how it might work out, and my wife can help her walk the paperwork through. Remember, Sara volunteers for the Dean of Students. As you know there is a bus that would make it fairly easy for Beverly to go back and forth. I think it's about a three hour trip". "Al, that's a great idea. Why don't I come over next week, take you and your family to dinner and talk it over. You can set me up with some meetings and we can get the ball rolling. I agree with the immediate donation thought – how about $100,000 to kick things off. I think you have a great idea with Beverly; I'll set it up for her to visit." "I got the idea for this from talking to her, but it does give me a chance to return some of what you gave me. I didn't have the money while I was at school and it was really a challenge. Without both your challenges and inspiration driving me, I don't think I could have finished." I gave Mark a call to set up the funding process for Beverly. After going through the details, I wanted to make sure Mark was clear on one thing: "Mark, I know you have the reputation as a ladies man. No, don't deny it! I don't want to hear back from Beverly that you tried anything with her. If you do I will come down hard on you and on the investment company. End of Part 1 Your comments are always appreciated. Please vote! A History Lesson Ch. 02 (Again, a note of thanks to techsan for his excellent job of editing and his positive comments.) BEVERLY Leaving the meeting with Mr. Reed, Beverly was mortified. First was the way she had acted: she had talked to James like she was some kind of slut. Reflecting on what she had said, she blushed furiously. Then when he abruptly stopped the discussion at the end and sent her off to do the research, Beverly felt rejected, that she wasn't appealing to James. This hurt her vanity even though she knew she was being foolish. She had become more attracted to him, really a schoolgirl crush, with each class she took. He treated her with respect and encouragement; he gave her faith in herself, that she could overcome her background and become someone. Now she had blown it. "I just wish I knew how to act around men!" Telling herself "I feel like I'm wasting my time, I had my chance, and darn it..." she went to the school to pull the data together for her meeting with Mark Braxton. The cost information was easy to get from the school's web sites. She also did a comparison of their history programs hoping this might impress James. In looking over the results of her research, it became clear to her that her goals were too fuzzy – getting out of Baldwin and having pride in her accomplishments should be byproducts of what she wanted to do. She realized that she really loved history; the stories of people and places fascinated her. She felt compelled by the thought of giving to others what she had received from James. As she started to put down these thoughts into the goals James had asked her for, she drifted off thinking about how hard her life had been. Her dad had worked for a small logging company that went to pockets of hardwood left over from the huge forests decimated in the 1800's. Occasionally he would have to travel further north to harvest white pines. He was out of work a lot, and when he did work he was away for several weeks at a time. She remembered her mom as being slight and very pretty. As she grew older she realized her mom was drinking all the time and when she was about ten her mom started bringing men home. This terrified Beverly and she locked herself in her room whenever her dad wasn't home. One morning her dad came home unexpectedly. He found his wife passed out on the floor with a man asleep in his bed. He exploded in anger and started savagely beating on the stranger. Beverly heard her dad shouting and left her room... when she saw her dad beating on the man she started screaming. Her dad turned in horror and grabbed his daughter and led her back to her room. When he returned the man was gone. He called the police and his wife was arrested for child endangerment. She was given 90 days in jail and given a court order not to see her husband or child. Beverly never saw her again. The man was a transient her mom had picked up – she never even knew his name. Being a relatively small town there was a lot of talk about it for several years. From that time on Beverly was somewhat afraid of men and their passions. Her dad got a low paying job at a local lumberyard to be home more for his Bev. She turned very shy, and when she started high school she tried to stay away from boys. The two times she dated, the boys became fresh as soon as they had her alone. Both times she jumped out of their car and ran home. She never dated after that. Part of the reason was her clothes. They didn't have much money and she had to make most of her dresses. They were nice, but plain compared to what the others girls wore. She did keep herself neat and clean at all times. The one man who was kind to her was her history teacher, Mr. Reed. He was the only man that seemed to respect her. As she sent in her scholarship papers, she realized that she would have to have a job. The only place that seemed to have jobs available was Sam Bly's bar, The Swan. When she met with Sam he showed her around, had her watch some the girls dancing, and how they dressed (more accurately, undressed!). Back in his office he asked her "are you interested in dancing for me? Since this was the only job available, she hesitantly said "yes". Sam told her "Take off your blouse so I can evaluate your 'charms'". Knowing that he went into the women's dressing room all the time and would see her anyway, she slowly unbuttoned her blouse with hands shaking. Filled with sudden lust Sam asked "how badly do you need this job?" She replied "I don't have any other choices!" He replied "good! Then there is just one more step in the interview and the job is yours!" She started putting her blouse back on with relief, when Sam said "wait! Go ahead and take off the rest of your clothes and the job is yours". Beverly turned white and ran from the room with Sam laughingly shouting after her "come back when you are ready, bitch!" This took her to her interview with Mr. Reed. She resolved that she would do whatever she had to do to get him to help her find a job. She was scared, but rationalized that at least he was attractive, he had always been nice to her, and that she "kinda" liked him. As much as it terrified her, by this time she felt she had no choice. Though he was nicer than other men she had known, he was a man and she knew what all men expected: what she had to give to Mr. Reed. She shook her head and realized she had been sitting there for an hour. She focused and shortly finished her task. Later that night she called Braxton to meet with him for lunch the next day. A little after that, James called and told her about Western Michigan and the trip to meet with the professor and his family. He told her about their history program, and some about the professor and his family. Beverly was overwhelmed... and worried. What was this going to cost her? Remembering James' reaction earlier, she hesitantly asked "James, what do you expect from me, sex?" He replied "Beverly" and was quiet for a moment. "Beverly, sex is something that should come from love. You don't love me and I don't love you. If this changes, we can talk about it, but for now I respect you and want that respect back. I only ask two things: you really commit to your studies and that at the end of each semester you and I will meet for lunch to review your progress and discuss your on-going goals." "Mark called and said that you have lunch set up – he will give you all the information and funds you need. Work with him through the year letting him know if there is anything you need. Okay?" "Okay... thank you, James" she almost whispered as she placed the phone down. The next day she met Mark Braxton and he immediately made her nervous. He was very handsome and impeccably dressed. He didn't do anything outright, just a lot of touches, sitting/standing close, accidental touches. Beverly blushed each time and moved away a little. It seemed like Mark was always right up against her, slightly brushing up against her legs or her breasts. She thought about what James had said: "call me if he gives you any problems..." but was scared to make an issue out of it. Mark for his part was enchanted with her and started thinking how he could get her in his bed. To hell with James and his dammed orders. Who he slept with was none of James' business. The lunch was at a very nice French restaurant and Mark covered all that she needed to know. He gave her $500 for clothes and another $500 for expenses: bus, dinners out on her visit to Kalamazoo, etc. Beverly thought it was too much but Mark insisted he was just following his orders. Mark gave her general info on the plan: for her to talk to Al about the intern program letting her know she had to minor in a foreign language, and giving her a credit card with a $5,000 limit in a credit line to use as a reserve fund. She was to mail the credit card receipts to Mark for filing. Beverly did make the trip and it went wonderfully. The professor and his wife treated her very nice and his daughters (two living at home and two married, but living close by) took her out shopping for clothes and to several informal get-togethers, including a pool party. She had to buy a swimsuit and of course chose a conservative one piece. It didn't make any difference, the boys still flocked around and she was constantly blushing. Sara walked her though filling out paper work and was able to get her enrolled for an intensive summer French program. She moved to Kalamazoo a week later. Bev (everyone in Al's family immediately started calling her that) had difficulty with the French but Sara with her fluent French helped her considerably. She went home for a couple weeks to visit with her dad and then returned to WMU and started her new life. Beverly became good friends with Al's girls, they sort of adopted her. She did some dating, always with a group. Once, the boy she was with caught her in the hallway at a restaurant and gave her a kiss. She was startled at first, then pushed the boy away and ran back into the ladies room. That night as she drifted off to sleep she wondered what it would be like to kiss James. She felt her face grow hot and felt all tingly so she pulled the pillow over her face and went to sleep. The summer French class was very intensive for her, but it helped her realize how different college was than high school and really applied herself. Her first year she started somewhat slowly but gradually worked up to an A- GPA. She had several electives and took a class on History of Renaissance Art and several music appreciation classes. These electives really opened her eyes, helped her grow more confident in herself, and she became more aware of the complex, yet rewarding possibilities life has to offer. MARK AND ERIKA Mark walked away from the phone thinking, "what an asshole James is! Just because he has so damned much money... that shouldn't keep me from having a little fun, as long as the girl was willing." Mark started thinking about his last talk with Erika Johannson. She worked for a local law firm and he had been seriously banging her for a year now. He had told her several times about his client James Reed, about his money and how he wasn't using it to have fun, just wasting it! God forbid! At their last meeting he had told her about James' plan for Beverly. Erika had said "god, I'd like to get some of that money! I didn't realize how much hard work it is to be a lawyer – the hours are killing me." They talked it over and started coming up with a plan. Mark was tired of working with other people's money. He was 35 and a confirmed bachelor. He was skimming pretty well from some of the investments (and certainly padding expenses like crazy!), but nothing to give him the lifestyle he knew he deserved. He liked fast cars and women, lots of women. Thinking about it he realized he was probably lucky to have escaped jail; some of the episodes in college were pretty close to rape. "Yeah," he thought, "I will get James Reed and then get as much of his money as I can." He would have to carefully orchestrate a fool proof plan with Erika. Over several months they talked it over, gradually refining a plan. Mark would set it up for James to meet Erika and she would use her "feminine wiles" to snare James. Meanwhile Mark would find a way to "take care" of James. One of Mark's concerns was making sure she stuck to the plan. He wrote out a script and after one of their intense bedroom romps, handed it to her. "Erika, let's make sure we have the plan worked out. Here's a script for you, and one for me. I'll read mine first and then you read yours, okay?" With her nod, Mark went through his part of it. After discussing it and answering a few questions, he waved for her to read her part. She picked up the script and started reading "After I meet James, I will make sure we dance quite a bit. I'll make sure to move in close to him so he can feel my breasts pushing against him. I will try to get him out on the balcony at the clubhouse, holding his arm tight and make sure he kisses me." "I'll ask him to take me home and I will find a way to seduce him. I'll give him such great sex he won't know whether he is coming or going. I'll have him in such a fog he will want to marry me as quickly as possible." "After we get married I will act the loving, faithful wife until the car accident happens. Then it's money, money, money!" Mark said "Great!" and they kicked it around for a while, refining the plan, figuring how to get the most money out of it. Unbeknownst to Erika, Mark had taped the session and was going to edit it to have insurance that she didn't do something stupid, like actually falling in love with James. Mark continued to meet with Beverly periodically, even though a phone call would work. He didn't know why, but it seemed the most important thing in the world for him to seduce this girl. It wasn't that she was that pretty or had the body that Erika had, it was just that she was unattainable and definitely not interested. Mark did love a challenge! Each time he met with her he made sure to touch her as much as he could; mostly seemingly innocent, but sometimes brushing her breast or what he thought was her one great asset, a lovingly rounded, firm ass. Mark spent a great deal of time thinking of having all the money he could spend. He remembered his first job, after his second year of college. The only job he could find was as a meter reader for a gas company in Battle Creek. After being chased by more dogs that he could count all summer, he swore he would get rich and never work that hard again. Even though Mark was making large sums, mostly from managing James' investments, he wanted more. He never submitted expenses without padding them. He worked out kickbacks on investments. Hell, the reason he wanted James to build a new house was because of "good friends" that would give him a "finder's fee" for the design and construction work. JAMES At the next monthly meeting with Braxton, James asked how it went with Beverly. Mark told him everything was set up and she had already moved. James was impressed that Beverly was taking the summer intensive French course – it wasn't a requirement, but would give her a good head start learning French. He knew that she had taken four years of Spanish in high school. Beverly had first caught his eye in the junior year American History class. James liked to try to get the kids to actually think; sometimes a real challenge. One of the approaches he used was to posit alternative histories and ask the students to write a paper on how a changed event might cause a change in future history. The event for the paper Beverly wrote was the sailing of the Mayflower. James would set the context: how the settlers from the Mayflower put in place ways of government that set the stage for the later forming of American government. He then talked about, and got the kids to brainstorm some circumstances that might have caused the Mayflower not to sail, or worse, not to arrive safely. The assignment was to speculate on how having no Mayflower and no pilgrims would have played out in the forming of the new country. Beverly's paper was easily the most imaginative, not the best written, but a paper that showed the ability to think and reason. The paper really showed her innate, strong curiosity, and her hunger for learning. From that time forward, James paid more attention to her, meeting one on one to keep probing her mind. The whole episode with Beverly coming to him for help, and the talks he had with his old prof, Al, got James to rethinking his life. He enjoyed teaching, but was there more he could do? He thought about it for a few weeks and then called Al and asked if he could come down for dinner. That weekend he made the trip. He met with Al early in the day for a couple of hours and then took him to lunch. They kicked possibilities around and Al asked a number of probing questions. Over coffee, James said "let me see if I can tie all this together. I think it's clear I'm going to give up the teaching. I really enjoy it but I think it's time to move on." "I'll focus on two things. The first is enabling more history teachers and making them more effective. The second is to try to make an impact on the quality of teaching materials available. " "The first I can do by continuing what I have started, but adding several other Michigan Universities. I can set up some sabbatical programs, so more research and publishing can be done. And I can set up programs to encourage more History classes in the high schools and make it more interesting. One thought I had would be to have grad students go to the high schools and share some of what they are working on – it would be fun both for them and the high school students." "All this I see focusing primarily on the Western Michigan area. I don't want to take on the world; I just want to make a difference where I can. The second idea would focus on the publishing part." James continued, "Through a friend I know of a small publishing company in Detroit that mostly does history textbooks and specialty history publishing and it is for sale. I want to buy this company and have my friend run it. Lately, I haven't been satisfied with either my investment company or the efforts of my account manager. A few months ago I started looking around for investment opportunities that I can do on my own. I've gradually been finding situations where I personally know the key players in the company. I also look for these situations in an industry that I think would be fun for me. I've found several, including one in a security company that looks like a winner. "How does this sound, Al?" "It sounds great! I would suggest you go ahead with the publishing company. Also start a foundation to coordinate donations, scholarships, etc. You should run this yourself. I would be happy to recommend some names for an oversight panel to provide general direction and make recommendations. This board would include teachers from all levels, students, and a couple of key legislators." "Great, Al, let's do it!" With that James set out to change his life! It seemed like he was rushing into philanthropy in a big way, but he had been having some thoughts about trying to do something for the last year. In a way, it would be somewhat selfish of him to keep teaching when he could do so much more! He just wasn't the type to put all his money into lazing around on a big yacht off Cannes chasing bleached blondes. That night he ate with Al's family. Beverly sat across from him. At first she was quiet, almost embarrassed. But everybody was laughing, teasing each other so much that she came out of her shell and joined in. After dinner, James asked her to take a walk with him. Not much was said until they sat at a bench in a nearby park. "Beverly, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I like and respect you – I will never ask you to do anything you don't want to do. I just want you to have a good life. I do know what happened with your family years ago – I needed to know more about you before I could sponsor you. I'm sorry I had to look into your background. I want you to take this history education as far as you want; I know you can do it." With that James stood up, kissed her on the cheek and walked her home. At the end of Beverly's first full semester, James met with her again. This was the first time he would take her to dinner. He chose a quiet Italian café that had great food (and some equally great Chianti). Because he was coming in from out of town, he was a little late and Beverly was waiting in the bar, having some tea. A History Lesson Ch. 02 She rose when he entered and he had his first good look at her since the dinner at Al's house the previous summer. She had filled out a little; she was obviously eating better. Her face had a rosy glow and she was dressed in a simple black dress that hung very nicely on her. "Beverly! You have really changed! You look... kinda... well? Jeez Bev, You look great!" Blushing a little, she replied "James, thank you! You look pretty good yourself." They went in to their table and had a very nice osso bucco for lunch. James quaffed the better part of a jug of the house Chianti. Beverly was much more animated than he had ever seen her before. He talked to her about her courses and asked some fairly penetrating questions. She responded with some depth and clarity, pleasing him. When it came time to part, James kissed her on the cheek and said "I'm really impressed Bev! Keep up the good work and let Al or Mark know if you need anything." Kissing her cheek again, he watched as she walked away, turning once to wave at him. His heart lurched a little, but he passed it off to the osso bucco and wine. Her image in the black dress kept imposing itself in his mind all the way home. Later that year James went to a party hosted by Mark Braxton at the country club Mark had joined several years ago. James didn't really want to go, but Mark kept pressuring him so much that he didn't see a graceful way out of it. At the party Mark introduced him to a lovely Swedish girl, Erika Johannson. Mark told him she was an intern with a law firm in Grand Rapids. She was tall, looked slim with long blonde hair. After chatting for a bit, Erika asked him "why are we letting that great band go to waste? Let's dance!" With that they moved out on the dance floor. There were several fast numbers, and then the band played a slow dance. James pulled her slightly closer, but Erika kept moving in until she was leaning on his chest. As James danced with her he found she wasn't that slim, her breasts were firm and felt wonderful. He "accidentally" had his hand on her ass a couple times, and it was clear that Erika was very athletic. She made no complaints as his hand moved lower. After two more slow dances the band took a break. "James, let's go out on the veranda, I'm warm from the dancing!" She took his arm and moved him through the large doors to the veranda overlooking the small lake by the first tee. She stood by the railing looking up at the full moon and James was entranced by her beauty. Almost in a daze he leaned over and softly touched her lips with his. She held still for a minute and opened her mouth slightly and brushed James lips with her tongue. The kiss quickly turned passionate and James pulled her tightly to him. Suddenly, James pulled back "Erika! I'm sorry – I don't know what happened. God I'm terribly embarrassed." "James, James... It's okay. I confess I find you terribly attractive and I've never felt this comfortable with a man before! Don't say anymore. I can hear the band playing again. Let's just go in and dance some more." At the end of the evening she asked him for a ride home. When they got there she invited him up to her apartment for a nightcap. When they entered her apartment, James found it very austere, somewhat cold... and he hoped she wasn't like that. She wasn't! As she showed him the bedroom, she sat on the bed, kicked off her shoes and started removing her thigh high stockings. With her skirt pulled all the way up, James was instantly in love with her long legs, and just as quickly became erect. "James, could you come give me a hand with these?" He walked over and kneeled in front of her and slowly rolled the stockings down. He followed each roll with a kiss to her leg until he had kissed both feet. Slowly he worked his way back up her legs with kisses and frequent pauses for licks. By the time he got to her panties, she was laying on her back with her eyes closed. He figured he was safe with taking her panties off without asking. That started what was the most erotic experience of Mark's life. His efforts were soon rewarded when Erika suddenly moaned and erupted in a huge orgasm. After a bit she relaxed and just lay there. The next couple of hours became a blur for James. Several images remained in his mind: a lovely pink nipple that jutted out as he gently bit it; her beautiful ass as he took her from behind; watching her breasts hardly moving as she bounced up and down on him. The night turned into a weekend and James was totally in lust/love. Erika wanted to get married right away. James was tempted but cautious. He would back off and not see her for a few days, but he just couldn't stay away. Things came to a head when Erika wanted them to go to Sweden to meet her parents. "James, it will be a wonderful trip, and I just know my folks will fall in love with you, just as I have!" They flew to London, staying at the Connaught for a couple days. Afternoons were spent mostly sightseeing and shopping. Evenings they went to several plays and enjoyed some "out of this world" cuisine. Every night was finished off with very lustful sex. James and Erika moved on to Malmö, where her parents lived. Malmö is a fairly large city in southern Sweden, across from Denmark. James enjoyed the visit very much. Her father, Arne, was a professor in the Division of Historical Archaeology at Lund University. He took James for lunch at the school and talked to him about some of his research projects. Given their common interests, they got on famously. From there they went on to Stockholm for a week. They stayed in a small, but very comfortable hotel remodeled from a 700 year old warehouse. The stairs to their second floor room were stone, with a trough worn in the middle from thousands of people over hundreds of years. The hotel was on Gamla Stan (Old Town), a small island in the center of Stockholm. The town dated back to the 13th century. With 33 restaurants in the small town, eating out was easy. Since the night life was nothing like London's, they spent much more time in their room becoming better acquainted! The highlight for James was taking the overnight ferry to Helsinki. Leaving Stockholm, the ferry went past thousands of small islands before reaching the open waters of the Baltic. Many of the islands had one or more houses on them. One very small island that caught his eye was completely covered by a house. At sunset, they were on the stern looking back towards Stockholm. With his arm around Erika, looking at the beautiful red streaked clouds, James felt his reservations slipping away. That night their love making was less physical and more sensual, a slower, more loving pace. Finally after three months together they took off for Las Vegas and got married and enjoyed a great honeymoon at the Venetian. Erika had never been to Vegas before and was dazzled by the bright lights, the crowds, and the noise. The 24 x 7 atmosphere was a revelation for her. The following year was perfect for James. His work with the foundation was both challenging and rewarding. Erika was incredible: she was sweet, thoughtful, and very, very responsive. She had finished her internship and they were talking about having children. Mark suggested to him periodically that she should start doing the legal work for the foundation. It was similar to what she had been working on with her law firm and as Mark pointed out it would only take a couple days a week, so it wouldn't interfere with them having a child. James was traveling fairly often, usually overnights; sometimes a couple nights when he went to Detroit. Erika, being a new lawyer, was working quite a few late nights. Sometimes when she came home late, she didn't want to make love. Other times it was fine. James didn't think too much about it. Once at a party he was standing on the end of the balcony enjoying the quiet. Hidden behind a large potted bush he hadn't seen anyone approach but suddenly he heard a couple quietly talking. First was a woman's voice saying somewhat desperately, "I don't know what to do? I'm really falling in love with him!" Somewhat fainter, in a voice James could barely hear and only partially understand, a man said something that sounded like "... take this tape ... listen ... me a call". With that the couple started walking away. "Damn! That sounded like Erika!" Thinking for a minute, then with a start he moved around the bush but the couple was gone. He mused over it for several days before it faded out of his mind. He didn't say anything to Erika, because he really didn't know what to say. In early December James flew to Milwaukee for a two day trip to meet with some members of the history department at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. They had heard of some of the things he had accomplished and wanted to talk with him about it. They had the funding available, they just wanted to do it right. As soon as he arrived at the school, he found out that four of the professors that were going to be there had been golfing, and had been in a minor accident on the drive back to the school. They were okay, but couldn't make the meeting. James said that was fine, he had the secretary call and get him a late flight back, and took the department head out to dinner just to chat. He didn't bother calling Erika, she was probably still in meetings at work. James got back to their new home around 11 o'clock. Erika's car was there, but all the lights appeared to be out. Walking down the hallway to the master bedroom he saw a strip of light under the door, and then he heard murmuring, like a quiet conversation going on. As he started to open the door, he heard Erika say "how much longer do I have to keep up this charade. You know I really do love him now. I didn't plan on it but it just happened. I don't care about the money anymore, I just want James." Someone, it sounded like Mark, returned "just hold tight until the idiot takes you on as the lawyer for the foundation. He has tons of money locked up in that stupid history program, and with you there it will be easier to get our hands on it. Most of his personal fortune is wrapped up in trusts and will take longer. I've got the car accident all planned." "Meanwhile unless you want me to give that tape to James and to the police you are going to keep giving me this great sex!" James quietly opened the door a bit more to make sure it was Mark. Through the slit he could see his lovely wife and Mark Braxton sitting naked in bed, Erika with tears in her eyes and mascara running. "Damn!" he thought, "his bed, his wife!" James quickly worked out his options. His anger was telling him to take Mark to pieces and kick his faithful spouse out the door. Deciding he needed to think it through (even with money, killing Mark could be a chancy proposition!) he went down to his study and grabbed his favorite single malt, the peaty Islay Bruich Laddich and poured a more than generous glass. Calming down he decided that what he would enjoy the most was a slow, sure, more devastating response. Mark was a sure thing; James felt only a hot fire of pure hate for him! Erika, well he didn't know about her. He considered, "I do love her. I don't know how this started, but from what I heard she wishes it hadn't. I can't live with her in any case. If he was blackmailing or threatening her she should have come to me." "Yeah, it would have been over for us but I would have taken care of her, given her money and shipped her back to Malmö. Now the most I would be willing to do would be to keep her out of jail. Sleeping with that asshole Mark tore it for me." He left quietly and went to a hotel for the night. The next morning James called a fishing buddy in Ann Arbor with whom he had invested substantial sums. His friend had started a new security company (hell, James had the money and it was hard to find someone to listen to his fishing stories – besides, he didn't want the investment company to manage all his money). The company designed and manufactured surveillance equipment and had a consulting arm to assist clients. James explained his problem and what he wanted done. James mostly stayed away from home for the next week, telling Erika that several "emergencies" had popped up. He just came by a couple times to pick up clothes and leave. Thinking about what he had overheard he drove only rental cars and at that, made sure to change them daily. After a week his friend called "You're not going to like this but we've got it all on tape, everything we need. We have caught Mark and your Erika on tape twice in bed... and talking. It turns out that Mark has known Erika for several years, more for sex than anything else. After a time he kept complaining to her about this dork he managed money for that was just throwing it away." "Erika asked several times if there was any way they could get some of James' money. They came up with the plan of letting you and her meet at the party (this was the real reason for the party), see if she could seduce you, and with her tender loving ways get you to marry her. The other part was for Mark to find a way to see that you met an untimely death. It's amazing how patient they have been." "I will say" the friend continued, "that your wife seems to have had a change of heart. They are arguing a lot, but it seems that Mark has an audio tape that totally incriminates Erika. It seems he has been holding this over her, not just for the plot, but to make her keep up the sex. I'd say she does purely hate that bastard!" "And I'll give her credit; she is not enjoying the sex. She's not even trying to fake an orgasm. Mark gets really pissed at her. I expect he will get violent with her before much longer." "Jesus" James replied. He was devastated. He had totally accepted Erika's love. He had always known Mark was an asshole, but to do this! After talking about it they took it to the police. Mark was to be arrested and prosecuted. Erika was to be offered a chance to be a witness and escape prosecution. If she accepted she would be allowed to return to Sweden and never come back. James would give her some money, but nothing like he would have if she had come to him. A couple of days later they were both arrested. At the arraignment hearing Mark put up the $500,000 bail and promptly disappeared. James met with Erika in an interview room at his lawyer's office; he had cared so much for her and wanted to understand what had happened. She was somewhat hysterical, and said "my god, I don't know. I guess I got caught up in thinking about the money. I was having sex with both you and Mark regularly – and the secrecy, and the thought of all that money made it so exciting." Glancing up at him she snorted "I really screwed the plan up though, damn I fell in love with you. If I'd only stopped to think about it... " "You should have talked to me. You know I couldn't have continued with our marriage, but I would have taken care of you!" "I really do love you. I didn't realize how much until we got caught. Now I just wish I'd met you before I met Mark. Oh god! I'm so sorry, James! I'll do anything I can to help fix that creep after the police catch him." James got on with his life. Mark was gone and Erika was under house arrest with a security bracelet until such time as Mark was apprehended. After starting annulment proceedings, James moved out of his new home and back to his home in Baldwin for a while. He just needed some down time. Al called several times giving him an update on the donations and the scholarship program. He always made sure to give James an update on Beverly also. In his most recent call he talked a little more about how Bev was doing. "She sure has been a surprise! She is doing great in school, and everyone has fallen in love with her. She asks about you all the time." Al continued, "Several boys try to hang around her, but they don't have much luck. She has really opened up; she is not nearly as shy. If you want to know what I think, it's that she has her eye on you. Should I tell her about Mark and Erika, and the annulment? She is working with Mark's replacement, but she doesn't have any idea at all that's happened." "No," James replied "don't tell her anything. I don't want to distract her from her studies. You can tell her I said hi and for her to keep up the good work. I'll try to get down there in a few weeks. Thanks for all that you and your family have done, both for Beverly and for me." "No problem," Al responded, "like I said we all love her like she was family!" A History Lesson Ch. 03 ENDINGS After a couple of weeks James thought back over all that had happened over the last year or so. One person kept coming back into his mind, Beverly. At first he was just curious, wondering how she was doing, was she happy? As agreed they had their first lunch at the end of Beverly's initial semester. This went really well and James was amazed at how much she was growing, not just with her course work, but personally. She was much more open and more attractive than he had remembered. He chuckled, thinking she must be a late bloomer. At the end of her second semester, they had their next meeting, this time a dinner at a really upscale restaurant. James again was quite impressed with her continuing progress. She was excited with her studies. She was livelier, with almost a glow about her. Beverly had learned to dress better and had taken a couple of electives in Art and Music History. They had a great meal and he made some suggestions about her studies. The main one was he wanted her to take each summer and spend in Europe, starting with France. He wanted her to not just learn history but see it up close. He said he would have Mark set it up. The lunch ended somewhat awkwardly when she finally asked him about the ring on his left hand. She hadn't heard he was married. When he had told her about Erika, she got tears in her eyes and rushed away without saying goodbye. Thinking back about those tears led him to wonder what they meant. He decided to drive down to Kalamazoo to see her. He had recently purchased a small, but attractive apartment complex close to the University for the use of the scholarship students. There were six buildings, each a two story duplex, clustered around a central picnic and pool area. There was a small stream circling the complex with many trees. Beverly had moved in early because it was much closer to the University. A couple of other units were leased out to professors, but it would be some months before it was full. When he got to the complex, it was late, around nine, but he felt it wasn't too late to stop by and see her. The complex was quiet, just the gurgling of the waterfalls in the stream and the whisper of the wind in the trees. There was good lighting, but it was somewhat muted. James made a mental note to get it upgraded. As he approached her unit he noted the lights were on in both the first and second floors. The other unit, to the right, was being repainted and hadn't been rented out as yet. As he approached the door to knock, he heard a piercing scream from within. The door was locked so he kicked it in and ran inside. There were noises, as of fighting and moaning coming from upstairs. James sprinted up the stairs to the open bedroom door – what he saw shocked him to immobility for a second. There was Mark fighting with Beverly. Her blouse was torn off, and her nose and lip were bleeding from Mark's slaps. James yelled at Mark and dived at him at the same time. All of his fury from seeing him with Erika and seeing him attacking Beverly exploded in a vicious anger. Mark turned, stunned just in time to meet the blow from James. That was all it took but James didn't realize it. He swung again and splintered Mark's jaw. He started kicking him and stopped only when Beverly threw her arms around him and tried to pull him off. He took a look at Mark and turned to Beverly. He was expecting her to be hysterical but she was calm. The police took Mark away. It turned out he had money hidden and was on his way out of the country under a different id. He had lusted after Beverly every time he saw her and always remembered James' warning about not messing with her. Now that he was ready to leave he figured he could pay them both back at once. He had called to tell Beverly that some forms needed to be signed immediately. She didn't want to – she was always a little afraid of him, but he insisted. He said he was going on vacation for a couple of weeks and the forms had to be signed that day so she finally agreed. When she opened the door, he immediately slapped her and dragged her upstairs. After the police took Mark away in an ambulance, James took Beverly to the infirmary at the school to get checked out. She was fine and he took her down to his car. "Beverly, the lock is busted on the door of your apartment so I don't want to take you back there. I don't think we can even stop by to pick up anything for you since we have no idea how long the police will be. Why don't I get you a room at the hotel? We can pick up a few things for you to wear on the way." "James, I don't really want to be a bother!" "Bev – can I call you that? – I insist!" There was only one nice hotel in town so James took her there. The only room available was the "Honeymoon Suite". James got a laugh out of that, but Beverly was embarrassed. After getting her installed in her room, he suggested they go downstairs for dinner. "The grill here is really outstanding, okay?" Bev had quit arguing with James and just started agreeing; it seemed easier and she was still somewhat shook up. She timorously asked, "Would they have a steak?" "Would they? Girl, you are going to get the biggest steak you have ever had." Putting her small hand in his they took the elevator down to the grill, and yes, Bev had the biggest steak she had ever seen. Sitting there after dessert and feeling somewhat languid from the food, Beverly thanked him again for saving her from Mark. "Bev, I'm really sorry I have somewhat neglected you, I didn't really mean for so much time to go by. It really is good to see you again. I guess the last dinner meeting didn't end well, but I did enjoy it very much. I never got a chance to tell you at the Apartment, but I have been thinking about you." Beverly blushed a little but she didn't respond to James, remembering he was married to Erika. After a few awkward moments, James said "we'd better get you to your room, you must be exhausted!" As they walked to the elevator, Bev tentatively slipped her arm in his. As James opened her door, she started to enter, but quickly turned to thank him again. He was closer than she thought, and she bumped into him. He instinctively put his arms around her and gave her a kiss. Beverly responded with a quick passion that startled both of them, but she suddenly jerked back and pushed him away. James looked at her white face and asked "Bev, what's the matter! I know it was just a kiss, but I really felt something!" "James" she blurted out "I felt it too! I don't know how to say it, but I was dizzy all of a sudden. But James, we can't do this, we just can't!" "But why? What's the matter? It seemed so right." "God, James! Don't make it hard. You know why." With that she quickly closed the door and fastened the chain. Feeling totally bewildered James made his way down to his car. Driving home he thought over everything that had happened. He had really felt a connection with Beverly, or Bev as he was thinking of her now. Once home he got a glass of smoky single malt (Laphroaig, 40 years old) and went to bed. Sleep didn't come easy. He laid there, eyes wide open, the kiss on his mind. He mused, "I guess I have had her in the back of my mind since that day when she first came to my house asking for help. But boy, with that kiss it seems like she is all I can think about now. The next day he drove back down, and stopped first at the police station. They gave their okay for Beverly to move back to her apartment, and said they would send someone to clean up the crime scene tapes right away. Next he stopped by a locksmith he knew and arranged for him to fix the lock that morning. When he got back to the hotel, he went up to see if Bev had had breakfast yet. When she opened the door to his knock, he quickly asked if she wanted to go down to the grill. Not looking at him, she said "thanks James, but I ate earlier." "Well, I can't take you back to the apartment until this afternoon, when the locksmith finishes with the door. Would you like to go for a drive?" "No, you have already spent too much time with me." James grabbed her hands and asked "Beverly, what is wrong? Everything was great until I kissed you. I guess I was out of line. I'm sorry!" "No, it was okay, in fact it was great. And if things were different..." He took he hand and led her over to the chair. "Okay! That's enough. I have no idea what you are talking about. If you don't explain what's going on I think I might just have to put you over my knee and spank you!" Looking scared, half believing he would do it, she stammered "you know... it's your wife, Erika!" James broke out laughing, causing Beverly to turn scarlet with embarrassment. Holding up his left hand, he told her "look at my hand, do you see a ring?" He explained everything that had happened with Mark and his wife. Beverly had heard nothing of this, particularly about Mark running from the police. Taking Bev's hands and pulling her up, James slowly moved into her and kissed her slowly, tenderly. When he stopped, she stepped back and looked at him for a long minute and brightly said "Hey! I thought we were going for a drive. After driving around for a while, he took her to lunch at the golf course club house above Morrow Lake. After eating they sat on the grass above the lake, not really talking, just sitting quietly, both engrossed in their own thoughts. Later, he drove them back to her apartment. "Even though the lock is fixed, I don't feel right leaving you here after last night. But I guess you want to be alone." He turned and started walking away. "That's okay, James." Confused, he turned back "What do you mean?" "I mean its okay. I won't be alone because you are staying with me tonight." "Sure, I guess I can do that and we will work something out later." "No James, you don't understand. I love you and I will always want you with me. I'm not asking, I'm just telling you that's just the way it's going to be!" He just stared at her, bewildered and somewhat stunned! "James, remember when I pulled you off that creep Mark, you looked at me kind of funny, like you thought I should still be screaming. James, James – I knew you would come. I was scared sure, but where it really counts, in my heart, I knew. I guess I have loved you since the first class that I took from you. But I was such a mouse and so afraid of men." "Now I want you to shut up and let me give you what I offered that day I came to you for help!" Later that year James and Bev were married. She had their first child, a girl right after she finished her masters and a boy right after her doctorate. James found that she had a passion for something besides history! Please provide feedback! I know that people like all different types of stories, so please consider this in your responses. Look at my favorite authors. These are the types stories I like to read so these are the stories I'll write. This was a challenging story to write since I've never been to Michigan. Cheers!