1 comments/ 9753 views/ 3 favorites Southbound Ch. 07-08 By: coaster2 Original editing by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks. Any monkeying with it by me is my responsibility. ***** Chapter 7 Getting Involved We were lying together after our second encounter. If I ever even knew what great sex was, I found out with a certainty that night. Fiona was dynamic in bed and made me realize what I had been missing. Our first time was rather short and unsatisfactory, but it didn't appear to bother her. The second time seemed to go on forever. I didn't really understand what a responsive woman was like. I had been with only one sexual partner in the last twenty-three years and had nothing to compare her to. And I got my first ever oral sex. Carla absolutely refused to give me what I so willingly gave her. I simply accepted her decision and left the matter alone. Fiona had no such inhibitions. I had no idea what I was missing. Oh sure, I'd heard from guys how great a good blow job was, but this new lady in my life was making sure I now knew what I had only heard about from other guys. It seemed so much better when I reciprocated and she let me know in more than one way that I was pleasing her. "Uhhhmmm Fiona ... I wonder ... uhhm ... can I get a second date?" I was kidding, of course and she got that right away. She burst out laughing. "Only if you tell me your real name," she said, rolling toward me. "What do you mean?" "I saw your briefcase and the initials were G.B.A. What's your real name?" "Gordon Bruce Andrews," I said in as thick a Scottish brogue as I could imitate. "I wonder if we're related?" she asked. "How so?" "Fiona Aileen Alexander, great granddaughter of Robert Allen McGregor of Kilmarnock, Scotland." "Not too likely," I said, idly stroking a breast. "Gordon Hamish Andrews, my grandfather, was from Aberdeen. That's some distance away." "Well, we've both got oatmeal in our blood, so maybe that's why we're so compatible." "I was always told it was scotch whiskey," I murmured, "but I was young and believed everything my parents told me." "Do you have brothers or sisters?" she asked. "One brother, Jamie, in Ontario. He's been there since he finished high school. Married a woman who runs a stable for rich people who own horses. It suits him just fine. He's become a country boy, despite the fact that he was brought up in the big city." "Older or younger?" "Older by three years. We fought like most brothers do I suppose, but in the last fifteen years we've become close. We're good friends now." "I'm glad. That's good," she said with a nice comforting smile. "I am an only child, so I never had a brother or sister to be around. Unfortunately, Tina is in the same situation. I hope when she gets married that she has at least two or three children." "So, what about that second date?" I persisted. "Oh, I don't know. I mean, I hardly know you, sir," she teased. "Oh sure. I finally find a great looking woman who cooks like a chef and likes sports ... and she blows me off." "I certainly did, didn't I," she laughed until I realized just what I had said. "That was a first for me," I admitted. "What! You'd never had a woman go down on you?" "Nope. Carla absolutely refused and I didn't exactly come into the marriage with a lot of experience." "Well then, sir, I am going to show you just what you've been missing. I could do with an encore performance from you too," she said, sliding down until her face was in my groin. There was nothing to say and I lay back to enjoy a skill being practiced on me that was a completely new experience. I had no idea if Fiona was a superior practitioner of the art, but it felt like it to me. I was up and ready to go again much more quickly than I expected. Fiona examined her efforts, threw a leg over me and impaled herself on my erection in one smooth, constant motion. There was a sigh of pleasure from both of us. She was amazing to watch. So much bigger than Carla and so much more voluptuous as a result. Her breasts swayed in rhythm tantalizingly just out of reach of my mouth, but well within reach of my hands. She rode me for several minutes before stopping. "Take me from behind," she said as she dismounted and assumed a position on all fours. This was another first for me. Carla would have no part of "doggie sex" either. Moving behind her, she helped me enter her once more. Immediately I noticed the difference in feeling as I began to slowly stroke into her. "Harder, Andy. Give it to me harder," she ordered. Within a few seconds the sound of my hips smacking into her beautifully sculpted ass was resounding through the bedroom. I knew I wasn't going to last a long time in this position. The sensation was too much to sustain this continuous aggressive driving motion. My God though, was it good while it lasted. "I'm just about there, Fiona," I admitted a short time later. "Just do it," she gasped back at me, so I did. This time we were panting as we lay on the now sticky and damp sheet. Carla hated that while Fiona didn't seem to care. "So, have you decided about the second date yet?" I tried, making light of what we had just experienced. "Oh, I suppose I can see my way clear to maybe being with you again. Of course, there is one condition." "What's that?" "That you fuck me silly like you did tonight," she giggled, pulling me to her and holding me in her embrace. "Okay, I can do that," I chuckled, pretty sure I could, too. She dragged me out of bed when we had caught our breath and led me to the shower. She had a nice big tiled enclosure in her attached bathroom and we enjoyed soaping and rinsing each other until the hot water ran out. Then we towelled each other dry. Neither of us bothered to put any clothes on. She was perfectly happy to walk around the house naked and I followed her lead. We pulled the sheets off the bed and she stuck them in the washer and turned it on while I made the bed. That seemed to surprise her. "Huh! You really are domesticated aren't you?" "I like to think so," I admitted. "That settles it, you definitely get that second date." "Thank you ma'am, I'm most appreciative." "What do you like for breakfast?" "You want me to stay?" I asked in surprise. "Won't Tina notice?" "Hah! You're way too late for that. Whose idea do you think it was for her to stay with her friend tonight?" "So, you're telling me you conspired with your teenage daughter to seduce me and keep me overnight?" "It wasn't so much conspire as it was my daughter clearing the path for me to do what I wanted to do." "Ah hah! I was a victim of your wanton plot all along," I said, trying to give her a disgusted look. It didn't work. "You fought like a tiger to resist me, didn't you?" she smirked. "It took me all of thirty seconds to bring you to heel." "True. You can chalk another one up to a weak man being led by a powerful woman." She flopped on the bed and held her arms in open invitation to me. I complied with her wishes. Who wouldn't? We'd turned off the bedroom overhead light and were basking in the low light of a small table lamp with her pale yellow t-shirt draped over it. I was borderline emotional at that point. This was such an amazing night, an amazing turn of events, that it was almost overload. "You aren't weak, Andy. You've gone through a rough time and made it out the other side very nicely. I've never been there so I can't imagine what a loveless marriage is like. It's hard to believe that a guy as nice as you could have that happen to him. If you're half the man I think you are, that woman is crazy." "How about we agree not to talk about it? I don't want to dwell on the past. What's done is done. The future looks a lot brighter to me right now," I said, holding her closely. "Hmmmm," was the only response I got and within a few minutes, she had fallen asleep. I reached over and turned off the light. It was just a shame that I couldn't turn off my brain at the same time. I didn't know what kind of reaction to expect the next morning. I awoke an hour later than my usual time of six o'clock. It was still dark with only a hint of dawn and I was in need of the bathroom facilities. Carefully untangling myself from Fiona, I padded quietly to the bathroom in the hallway. I was going to have to return to the hotel for a shave and a change of clothes. I decided on a shower to at least be clean when I dressed. I discovered some mouthwash and used it gratefully in lieu of brushing my teeth. I also found a package of women's disposable razors and decided to borrow one in the hope that I could get a decent enough shave and wouldn't look too rough when Fiona awoke. The razors were pretty much the same as the men's variety except the plastic was pink instead of blue. Using the bath gel as a substitute for shaving gel, I managed a reasonable appearance when I was done. It was twenty after seven when I returned to the bedroom to find the bed empty and light coming from under the door in the ensuite. Gathering my clothes and dressing, I waited for Fiona to appear. A few minutes later the sliding door opened and she walked out with a big smile and nothing else. This woman had no hesitation on being naked around me. She strode over to me, wrapped her arms around my neck and proceeded to give me one of her deep, soul-enriching kisses. "Good morning, Andy," she smiled. "Good morning to you too," I replied, happy that she apparently had no second thoughts about yesterday. Then again, she wasn't the kind of woman to have second thoughts. She pulled a robe out of her closet and put it on. "What would you like for breakfast?" "Well, I usually just have fruit juice, cold cereal and coffee. Would that be okay?" She was shaking her head, but still smiling. "It's just another thing that makes me think we were destined for each other. That's exactly what I have each morning." We took our time with breakfast, engaged in small talk, but with undercurrents of what had happened the night before. "You think our being together was preordained, huh?" I suggested. "After last night, you betcha." I got another deep kiss and as fate would have it, that exact moment was when the back door to the kitchen opened and Tina made her appearance. "Ooops," she said in surprise. "Sorry." By the look on her face, she was far from sorry. I was all set to disengage, but Fiona held on, trapping me in her embrace. "Nice going, Mom," Tina grinned. "Way to go, Andy." "It's Mr. Andrews, young lady," her mother admonished. "No problem," I said. "I don't stand on ceremony. I'm okay with Andy." "See, Mom, I told you he was cool." With that she headed for her room. "I'll lose this battle, won't I," Fiona said with a slight frown. "It's not a big deal, Fiona. I'm not her dad and I'm not some authority figure she has to be polite to. I'm just her mother's boyfriend." "What do you mean, 'just'?" she snapped. "I don't take on boyfriends regularly I'll have you know. You've got special status. Don't screw it up." She sounded pretty indignant, but I caught the undertone of humour that gave her away. "So, adjusting for a poor choice of words, can I assume I still rate as your boyfriend?" "For now," she said, still trying to suppress the humour. I didn't let the moment pass and pulled her in for another kiss and she responded immediately. We were good. "What's our plan for today?" she asked when we broke. "Uhhm ... well, to tell the truth, I didn't have one. Last night was a big surprise. What would you like to do today?" "I thought we'd spend it together. I can show you around Livermore and Pleasanton. Tomorrow is a work day, not today." "Starting tomorrow," I said, "I'm going to begin introducing you to your new accounts. As of January first, they became yours. I sent you the background and volume sheets as well as samples. I hope they arrived." "Just a minute," she said, walking to a closed door at the end of the hall. She was back in less than a minute, carrying the computer printouts and the samples. "There's about one point three million in sales in those five accounts," I explained. "Two of them are full ten percent commission accounts and three are five percent. We had to meet some competitive pricing last year and that cut our margins." "Even if they were all at five percent, I would still see sixty-five thousand in commissions. That's a huge boost in my earnings. It's going to make choosing a college for Tina a lot easier." "There's growth potential at three of them as well," I mentioned. "I don't see why you wouldn't earn over a hundred thousand from them. However, I would like to go over your existing accounts from Statewide and make sure they fit our strategy." "Sure," she agreed. "I'm positive there's a couple that won't, but they aren't very big, so that won't hurt too much." "Okay, then I'll want to go over some key accounts that we haven't been able to approach for one reason or another. They will make up your future business opportunities." Fiona was shaking her head. "Boy, did I pick a winner when I hooked up with you." "I'm feeling the same way ... and I'm not just talking about last night," I said just as Tina reappeared. She had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed. "I'm off to Janey's. We're having breakfast at IHOP. See you later," she said, kissing her mother on the cheek, then coming over to me and doing the same. I saw the look she gave her mother, almost daring her to say something. Fiona held back, but the look she gave her daughter would probably result in some sharp comments later that day. "What am I going to do about her?" Fiona groaned as the back door shut. "Watch her grow into a beautiful and smart young woman right before your eyes. She's having a bit of fun with you right now. Don't be too harsh with her. "She's been trying to play little miss matchmaker for a couple of years now. She even had the nerve to sit me down a few months ago and give me a lecture. She warned me what would happen when she went off to college and I was all alone in this big empty house with no one to care for." "She sure as hell cares about you, that's obvious," I said. "Be grateful, Fiona. She loves you and she wants you to be happy. She seems to have decided that I'm harmless, so she's okay with us." "Are you harmless?" she asked, coming into my arms once more. "That remains to be seen," I said, twilling my imaginary handlebar moustache. "Here's a newsflash, Buster. I ain't no Little Nell." "No, you sure as hell aren't," I chuckled. That led to another long kiss before we put the dishes in the dishwasher and headed out for the day. We spent the day touring around the area, stopping to sit in the park and share a lunch we had bought at the supermarket deli counter. It made for a very pleasant day. When we parted that afternoon, we made our plan for Monday. "I'll meet you at the plant. I've got a couple of quick things to do before we leave. While you're waiting, write down a route that will be the most efficient for you on these new accounts. I'll make a couple of phone calls before we leave the office. I've already contacted the customers to let them know we would be coming. I plan to give them the full treatment of what the Tracy plant is going to be, so we'll be lucky to get three done in a day." "Okay, I'll see you then," she smiled, climbing into her older model Taurus station wagon. It probably had a lot of miles on it and was ready for replacement. I felt confident it was something she could afford to replace fairly soon. Chapter 8 Making It Work I spent much of the next three days introducing Fiona to the five accounts I expected her to manage. Explaining the changes to the Tracy plant to these customers, I told them what it would mean in terms of product opportunities for them. They knew of Statewide, of course, but none had done business with the firm and luckily, they didn't have a strong negative opinion of it. My job was to let them know that it would be a Flex Tek company and would be producing the quality and service they had come to expect. I made sure they had the brochures on the new equipment to understand this was going to be a ground-up renovation. I can get a little carried away when I talk about Flex-Tek and our philosophy with customers. Those who have been with us for a while know me and understand where I'm coming from. Where I have to be more careful is with people I don't know well ... or not at all in some cases. Coming on too strong, I might be putting them off. I would have to be particularly careful with Fiona's customer base. The last thing I wanted to do was to alienate them. "You're really something, Andy," Fiona said at the end of our first day. "You are a true believer in your company and what it can do. The people we saw today don't need much convincing. You've already proven yourself. It'll be a different story with my accounts. They've heard we have new owners, but they don't know anything about you. On top of that, you're not American. You're going to have to let me lead when we talk to them." "Sure. I know I tend to oversell at times. You're right, I am a true believer and when we get Tracy up and running, you'll be one too. It's fun to have that much confidence in the people you work with. That confidence is passed along to the customers and when you come through for them, it just reinforces their belief in us." "The world according to G. B. Andrews," she laughed. "The Elmer Gantry of the packaging business." "Go ahead and laugh. You'll see for yourself." "If these first two clients we called on are any indication, you don't have to convince me. I'm waiting to see how my customers react when you pass out some of those samples. That's going to be a real revelation to them." "Our customers seemed to accept you," I said. "I didn't see any problem with your handling their accounts." "No ... I didn't detect any concern about that either. So that took care of one of the coffee roasters and the chocolate company. What's next?" "We'll see East Bay tomorrow. They have a large variety of product they pack for private label. Some of it is straight commodity film with an over-label, and some, for the bigger companies, is printed. East Bay will do trial packages, small test market runs, airline food service packaging and that sort of thing. Not huge volume, but if we can service them and make a dollar, we'll take the business. They know that and we've bailed them out a couple of times when other suppliers have let them down." "So this should be a fairly easy call then?" "Yes, more so because the buying department is run by a woman. I know she'll be really pleased that you'll represent us. She's always on my case about hiring women. I told her I have two women in sales in Canada and I'm always on the lookout for talent. I half expected her to recommend someone, but when I challenged her, she couldn't come up with a name. So tomorrow should be an interesting morning. I'm sure Maureen will give you the full tour and you'll see just how diverse they are." "You have two women in sales in Canada?" she asked, sounding surprised. "Yup. They are two of the best three sales people I have ... or had, I should say." "Huh! Is that why you wanted me to work for you?" "Your results said you were the best and your boss said you were the best, so it didn't seem like much of a risk." "Lorne said that?" "He did and he wasn't kidding. Now that I've received a bunch of positive feedback from your customers as well, it's a no-brainer." The smile on her face said she was pleased with the praise from her customers. That means a lot to any salesperson. You can never hear you were doing a good job for them too many times. Southbound Ch. 07-08 By the time I had turned over all five customers to Fiona, I was confident that she could handle the workload and the clients. She wasn't short on product knowledge and was regularly asking questions about products and our capabilities. I saw her take notes often and refer to our brochures which spelled out our dimensional and printing abilities as well as bag and pouch styles. "Do you ever get involved with large volume customers?" she asked one day. "Yes, we do. Several have come to us through recommendation and we are willing to take on some of that business as long as we can maintain a reasonable margin. We have no interest in commodity business, but when it comes to high quality and good service, some of the bigger customers are willing to sacrifice a lower price to get what we offer. Our waste and yield rates on form-fill-and-seal equipment are significantly better than industry averages and that often makes up for price gaps." "We should play golf this weekend," she said after a pause. It was a complete non sequitur. "Great," I said without thinking. "I can rent clubs at a public play course I'm sure." "It's supposed to be sunny and 60˚ this Saturday. Should I book a time?" "Go ahead. Just let me know where and when." "No problem," she said without looking at me. "Why don't you plan to stay over Friday night and I'll get us to the course on time?" My look must have indicated surprise, but I said nothing. Never look a gift horse in the mouth as the saying goes. She was wearing that secret smile that I'd begun to get used to. Two could play this game. "Are we going to be able to wander around nude?" "Only inside the house, smartass," she said, punching me lightly in the shoulder. "Okay then ... I guess I can make it." "Then it's settled. Our second date," she grinned. There was no point in asking about Tina. I doubted she would be around. Fiona suggested I show up about six o'clock on Friday and that's exactly when I arrived. Never keep a lady waiting, especially a willing lady. There was something different about Fiona, but it didn't dawn on me right away. She put the flowers in a vase (yes I did the flowers and wine thing again) and opened the wine. When she walked to me with the two glasses of wine I figured out what was different. She wasn't wearing a bra. Her breasts we swaying nicely under her the limited constraint of a light cotton pullover with a deep V neck. I'm sure she was well aware that I could make out the darker areas of her areolas. She handed me a glass and I toasted her. "Thank you for inviting me again. I like your top," I smirked. "Why, thank you, sir. It fits rather well don't you think?" "It fits exceptionally well," I said, reaching out to feel the side of her breast and the soft material. "Yes ... exceptionally." She responded by lightly rubbing her hand over my crotch, confirming that my erection was well under way. Just how far was she willing to take this teasing? She moved back to the kitchen and I noticed the dining room table was not set. "I have something different in mind for tonight," she announced. "I thought we'd graze our way through the night. Just the two of us, nibbling on a variety of dishes." "That sounds very nice ... and interesting ... different. I'm all for it." I could think of a couple of things I wanted to nibble on. "Good. I like to try new ideas. One of my friends suggested this. She said it would be much more ... intimate." "I'm also in favour of intimate," I grinned. "I thought you would be. Come and see what I have for us. You said you could eat almost anything." She began to pull plates out of the oven and refrigerator. There were a number of very tasty looking items. I recognized some fresh crab, breaded calamari (one of my favourites), cocktail sausage rolls in puff pastry, a plate of raw vegetables with a dip, what looked like spanakopita in filo pastry, a pasta salad, and a variety of little dessert cakes. There was more than enough for us. "You've gone to a lot of trouble to make all this," I commented. "It looks wonderful. I know I'm going to eat too much." "Thank you for the compliment, but I got almost everything from my favorite delicatessen. I made the tzatziki sauce, vegetable dip and vegetables. The rest was store-bought." "I still say it's an inspired idea. I like the idea of grazing, especially on a Friday night after a long, tiring week." "Not too tiring, I hope," she said with a sly smile. "I'm sure I'll be at full strength when it's needed." She folded into my arms after putting our wine glasses aside. The kiss was long and deep and very welcome. "We've got all the time in the world," she said softly. "I have a feeling we're going to need it," I said, rubbing my prominent erection against her tummy. "Why don't we start with a couple of appetizers and we can go from there?" she suggested. "How about the calamari, some vegetables with dip, and a bit of the pasta salad." "The calamari just needs heating, so get some plates out of the cupboard and we'll begin," she smiled. I cautioned myself not to take too much. We were supposed to make this last the evening. It was the same strategy I wanted to use personally. It was going to be difficult. She was tempting me mightily with her tantalizing breasts and sultry demeanour. We worked our way slowly through the first course, chatting about everything but business. There was no place for that tonight. This night was about us, and no one else. Our selections took the edge off our hunger and we adjourned to the living room and the sofa. Fiona had some nice, soft background music playing and it set just the right mood for romance. It took about ten seconds for us to be in each other's arms. We were still getting to know each other, but I didn't see anything about Fiona that gave me pause to slow down. I wanted her, but I didn't want to rush things. It was Fiona's night to set the pace. My hands were wandering all over her body. Her scent was wonderful and erotic. Her hair was soft and silken, adding to my erect state. Fiona was also showing signs of arousal. Her eyes were lidded and I could hear little moans as we kissed and fondled each other. I decided to take a chance. I began to pull her top out of her skirt. She reacted immediately by undoing the waist button, helping me release the pullover. Not wanting to stretch the material, I carefully lifted it from the bottom and allowed her to help me remove it. It was an erotic act by itself, and as her firm, full breasts were revealed, I was struck once more just how beautiful she was. Faint tan lines were still visible from the summer sun, but she was otherwise flawless. I began to pay attention to her breasts with my lips, tongue, and occasionally, nipping them gently with my teeth. "Why don't we take this to the bedroom, lover," she murmured. "The food will keep. Helping her up, I followed her to the bedroom, loosening my belt and preparing to remove my polo shirt. With an objective in mind tonight, I didn't want to be distracted from it. Fiona was naked before I was and removed the comforter and pulled back the top sheet. She was about to climb onto the bed when I took her hand. "Lie back on the bed crosswise," I said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go first." She smiled her acceptance. Spreading her legs, I got down on my knees on the carpet and proceeded to give her the best oral sex I knew how. Within a minute or so, I could tell I was on the right track. Her hips were moving and her hands were in my hair, sometimes pushing me into her more insistently, other times pushing me back to give herself some relief. I'm not into counting orgasms. It may have been two or it may have been ten. I only knew she was totally involved in what I was doing. I had been planning this all week. I wanted her to receive as much pleasure as I could possible give and it appeared that I was succeeding. At length, I knew when we were done. Kissing my way down her thighs, I stood over her, looking down at her reclining body. She had a very satisfied smile as she gazed up at me. She held her arms wide and I bent over her, welcoming her embrace. I felt her hand on my erection and she was guiding me into her. We were a perfect fit. "Ohhh ... Annndeeee!" We weren't in any rush. I made slow, deep strokes from my standing position, a first for me. I had never tried this before, but the height of the bed made it easy for me. My lover was enjoying it as well, if her moans and body movements were any indication. From my position I was able to nip at her breasts as I moved into her, adding to her pleasure. I felt her legs wrap around my thighs as I continued and she became more insistent. I picked up the pace, knowing it would hasten my finish. "Annndeeeee ... ," she cried again. I knew it was my time. "I'm almost there," I warned. It wasn't ten seconds later that I began to spasm as I emptied my seed into her. We were both panting as I bent down once more and kissed her, getting a full loving kiss in return. I sank to my knees and lay my head on her heaving belly. I felt her stroking my head as she used her legs to hold me. We stayed like that for some time. "Shower?" she asked after a while. "Sure." I glanced at the clock and it wasn't yet eight o'clock. "Here's some good news," I said with a chuckle. "We don't have to change the sheets yet." That briefly caused a giggle-fit, then some kissing and fondling before we headed for the bathroom. We didn't spend a lot of time under the water as we were both hungry again. For safety sake, we both put on a t-shirt and underpants. Fiona heated the spanakopita, pulled out the vegetable plate and crab and refilled the wine glasses. We sat beside each other on the sofa with our plates on the coffee table. "This is a brilliant idea," I said. "I wonder who thought of it?" "I don't know," she said, "but I like it a lot. It gives us time to recover and ward off starvation." I ran my hand up underneath her t-shirt and cupped her breast, running my thumb over her nipple. It sprang to attention immediately. "You can eat and diddle at the same time, I see," she teased. "Yup ... a natural born multi-tasker." "When we go back to the bedroom, I'll find out just how much of a multi-tasker you are," she smirked. "I eagerly await your challenge." She leaned over and gave me a feta cheese flavoured kiss. "I'll hold you to that." The rest of the night went just as it had started. We ate, made love, ate again, and made love again. We didn't eat everything. We couldn't. Fiona took over for our second bedroom session. She paid oral homage to my member before mounting me and taking me on another orgasmic trip. For our final joining, I think we both knew we were nearing the end. It was slow and gentle and loving. We fell asleep naked, entwined in each other's arms. We were both asleep in moments and I remembered nothing until I awoke just after seven the next morning. As I had the previous weekend, I made for the main bathroom, this time taking my travel kit with me. A quick shower and shave and I was ready for the day. Our tee time wasn't 'til noon, so we planned a brunch beforehand. We stopped at a small restaurant that Fiona said was very good and I ordered a breakfast omelette. The hash browns were homemade instead of the usual tater-tots and the toast was multi-grain. We had a leisurely morning meal and arrived at the clubhouse a half hour early. I rented a set of clubs at the pro shop. They were fairly new and suited me fine. The course wasn't busy and we were allowed off a few minutes early. Las Positas was a popular public course with modest green fees. The clubhouse was barely a ten minute drive from Fiona's home. It was ideal for us. We could choose to play nine or eighteen holes that afternoon. We chose to play nine and see how we fared. It would be my first game in six months and Fiona's first in three months. I could see that Fiona was a pretty good athlete. She could hit the ball a good distance and had a nice, even swing. I, on the other hand, had a somewhat more reckless swing and as a result, my shots were a lot less predictable. It didn't really matter to us. We were out there for some fresh air, a bit of fun, and the close companionship that we were forming. We walked the course, pulling a cart, and finished the nine holes in less than two hours. I lost one ball in a water hazard and lost the game by four strokes. Fiona's consistency was rewarded and she wasn't about to let me forget it. "I should have made a bet on this round," she grinned as we totalled up the score." "I'll do better next time," I said confidently. "Rented clubs and I'm a bit rusty." "Tell you what, I'll play from the men's tees next time," she taunted. "Don't do me any favours. I can win on my own terms. You play the reds and I'll play the whites, just like the gods intended." "Oh, you're so going to get it, Mister Macho." "What me," I protested, laughing. "Just what am I going to get?" "I don't know, but I'll think of something." "I can think of something," I leered with an arched eyebrow. "Is that all you think about?" "Ever since I met you ... yes." "At least you're honest," she giggled. "That's me, Honest Andy." "I was going to let you stay over again tonight until you got cocky." "That's another thing you're responsible for." "Oh, God, this conversation has reached a new low. Come on, let's go home," she said, taking my hand as we walked toward the parking lot. It was going to be another wonderful day. To Be Continued