4 comments/ 43251 views/ 14 favorites Always and Forever By: Many Feathers Mark and Diane were the perfect couple. All their friends thought so, as did each of their families. They had met their first year of high school, quickly becoming an item, inseparable, attending every dance, every function together. Diane was tall, statuesque with near coal black hair that fell well towards the middle of her back. In addition, she had piercing blue eyes just like her mothers. Mark was at least an inch shorter than she was, a fact he was oft times kidded about. He wore his nearly blonde hair a little longer than most guys, preferring it that way simply because he thought his ears too big even though they weren't. And besides, he loved it whenever he and Diane would sit on the couch watching T.V. together while she sat running her fingers through it. What few if any knew about either of them was that they were both virgins. Early on they'd discussed their desires for one another, freely admitting to them. And though the temptations had been great, Mark and Diane had agreed not to rush anything. And though it was more Diane's wish to wait rather than his, Mark respected and thus accepted that decision. As graduation approached, both Diane and Mark began making plans for the future. They both felt that they would in fact eventually marry. But for the time being, it seemed like everything continued to work out perfectly so as to ensure their being together as they were both accepted to the same college. So it was, they were looking forward to the last major dance they'd ever attend at the high school. The big 'Christmas' dance was a major affair, and Mark wanted it to be as perfect and as memorable as possible for Diane. He'd made reservations at a posh restaurant for after the dance, had hired a limousine to pick her up at her home, take her to the dance, and then to the restaurant afterwards. Mark had also made one more reservation that he hadn't mentioned anything to Diane about. He'd reserved one of the nicest hotel rooms that he could in the event that this night might culminate in their actually being together for the first time. In the weeks prior to all this, Diane had intimated that the possibility of something 'special' happening wasn't all that remote. Both were of age by this time, and with the assurance from their parents that they were responsible as well as committed to their individual goals, they were often left alone. Even then, nothing more than a little light petting ever occurred between them. Mark and Diane enjoyed those intimate times together, long heavy sessions where they would kiss, barely coming up for air. It was during one such evening that Diane had finally let it be known that she was considering taking their relationship to a new level. Mark had been enjoying one of the few rare times when Diane had allowed him to slip his hands beneath the sweater she was wearing. She had worn her front clasping bra, which had become their unspoken secret signal that he could undo it, thus given permission to caress her bare breasts. If she wore one of her others, Mark usually had to content himself with touching her on the outside of her clothing. But throughout the entire time since they had even gotten to this level with one another sexually, neither one of them had even spoken or attempted to do or try anything else. Diane was in a particularly playful mood. Her parents were away for the entire weekend; her younger sister spending the night with a girlfriend had afforded them another rare opportunity in being alone without fear of any interruptions. The Christmas dance was less than a week away now, and they were both looking forward to going. "Mark?" "Yeah?" He had just gotten the front clasp of her bra undone, already becoming excited with the certain knowledge that he would soon be caressing that magnificent flesh. That, and feeling Diane's taut hard nipples being rolled around between his fingers was at the moment, foremost on his mind. "Do you know, you've never actually asked me to go to the dance with you?" Mark knew by Diane's tone of voice that she really wasn't being serious. If she had been, he wouldn't be sitting there with his hand already cupping one of her soft firm breasts. "Diane..." he began, saying it in such a way that she should automatically, and of course know by now that their going to the dance together was a given. "It's the last dance we'll ever probably have their together," she said much more seriously, actually pulling away from him so that he was forced to relinquish her boob having just barely felt her hard little nipple. "Ok, will you please go to the dance with me?" he asked, "And please let me go back to playing with your boobs?" he thought directly after. Diane stood up off the couch forcing Mark to release his hold on her entirely. Bewildered, he sat there staring at her, wondering where all this was really going. "That didn't sound like you were really all that interested in taking me," she said with an obvious pout. "I think you should ask me like you really mean it, like you really want me to go with you," she stated holding the front the blouse closed, which Mark had painstakingly spent the last fifteen minutes finally getting undone. He sat up straight looking at her. "Diane, would you like to go to the dance with me?" he asked her again. "You still don't sound like you really want me to go with you," she said teasingly. "Maybe this will help you say it with a little more meaning!" Mark was stunned. Diane was nearly dancing as she suddenly took the blouse she'd been holding closed with her hands, opening it to reveal her only partially clad breasts, her bra threatening to come away with the slightest movement. Slipping her blouse the rest of the way off her shoulders, her bra too came away until she stood for the briefest of moments with her breasts showing, before quickly covering them with her hands. Mark could still count the number of times he'd actually touched Diane on one hand. Including his having done so through her clothing. In all that time, he had never even once caught a glimpse of her breasts as they had either petted in total darkness, or like now with the lights on, being treated to touching her flesh without ever seeing it. "Oh Diane!" Marks voice caught, trailing off. Diane smiled, allowing a portion of one breast to be slightly more revealed as she spread her hands, allowing her now very aroused nipple to peek through the blinds of her parted fingers. "Go on," she teased suggestively. "I want you..." "I know that!" she interrupted him with lustiness in her voice that Mark had never heard before. Mark blushed, swallowing hard. "No, what I meant to say was, I want you to go to the Christmas dance with me, I want to be with you, I want...to spend the rest of my life with you Diane!" The heart-felt seriousness in Mark's tone had caught her off guard. She knew she was exciting him, teasing him unmercifully. She'd done so as she was as nervous, if not more so than he was. This was a big step for her, something she had never done with anyone, even if it was simply baring her breasts. Now it was Diane's turn to swallow hard as she fought emotionally to keep herself from choking when she responded. "That almost sounds like a proposal," she continued teasing nervously. "But I'll accept it as you're really meaning that you want to take, and be with me," she added. As she finished, Diane allowed both hands to drop, falling away from her breasts to rest against her side. She fidgeted, not sure what she was really doing, placing one hand on her hip, then the other while Mark sat with a stupefied expression on his face. "Well? You just going to sit there gawking at me?" "Yes," came his simple reply. "I am. My God Diane, you really are beautiful!" He couldn't have said it any more perfectly. In a flash, Diane moved towards him climbing up into his lap until her breasts nuzzled his cheek affectionately. Mark was still in a semi-state of shock. If he thought himself aroused moments ago while fumbling with the buttons of her blouse, and then the front clasp of her bra, it was nothing in comparison to the way he was feeling now. His penis had certainly stiffened excitedly while having done all that, but now, it had hardened more painfully than he'd ever remembered it being. And with Diane currently sitting directly in his lap, he dared not even move for fear of startling her with the obvious excitement he was feeling. Sitting astride him as she was, Mark felt Diane press herself firmly against him. He knew instantly it was no accidental touching, no subconscious act that she wasn't fully aware of having done. Leaning towards him, her lips sought his, once again taking him by surprise at this newfound boldness, for in truth, Diane had always been shy allowing him to make all the first moves in the past. Mark was in heaven. Not only was he reveling in Diane's sudden wantonness, he was enjoying the sensation of her bare breasts so tantalizingly pressing against him. They kissed. They had certainly kissed before. But never like this. With a passion, which neither had allowed themselves to feel, their lips pressed, tongues dancing against one another. Mark sucked her lower lip, she in turn sucking his. He sucked her tongue, tickled it. Felt goose bumps spring up all over her arms as he ran his hands down each of them until finding the soft bare flesh of her back as he reached, drawing her even closer towards himself. "Oh Mark, Mark! Touch me, caress me, play with my breasts," she sighed as she continued to slowly, gently rotate her groin against his lap. "Oh Dee-Dee!" Mark responded, lifting his hands to lightly cup the sides of both breasts without quite touching the fullness of them. It was rare that he ever called her that, though most of their friends did. Since her last name was Davenport, it had become an easy nickname for her. She liked it whenever he did though, sounding more affectionate, certainly more intimate. As it did now. Mark teased himself as much as he was in making any real attempt to tease Diane. Still nervous, still unsure of himself, he felt Diane place one of his hands firmly, purposely against her full breast. As he did, kneading the flesh tenderly, she moaned. Once again they kissed, Diane still moaning into his mouth as he found the hardness of her nipple, gently thumbing it, feeling the full expanse of her exposed flesh really for the first time. As they broke from their kiss, his lips began to travel down her neck, the smoothness and heat of her flesh greeting him every step of the way. He lingered at the nape of her neck, drawing a tiny bit of flesh between his lips. "No marks! Mark!" she laughed realizing how silly that had sounded. "No marks," Mark confirmed, nipping at her anyway though careful so as not to leave any. He reached the upper swell of her breast, his mind dizzy with the intoxication and excitement of it all. They were sharing a new sensuality together, and though he knew they would not yet give one another their virginity's, they were crossing new and exciting frontiers with one another each passing moment. By the time he had finally reached the area where her nipple stood waiting for him, he had kissed, licked, and sucked every square inch before arriving there. Eyes open now, not wanting to miss the beauty and fascination of actually seeing the hardness which he had only here-to-fore felt with his hands, he leaned back slightly so as to more fully gaze at the prize that awaited him. "Oh my!" he exclaimed in honest surprise. "You have a heart on your boob!" For the briefest moment, he thought it a tattoo. "When did you get that?" he asked, bewildered, surprised to think that Diane, especially Diane, would have actually gotten one. "The day I was born," she told him. "It's not a tattoo silly, it's a birthmark!" Although it was small, hardly even noticeable from far away, up close, especially as Mark was now, it was amazingly perfect. A tiny, pinkish patch of skin just outside the circle of her areola was formed into a perfect heart-shape. "This is cool!" Mark exclaimed still staring at it, completely forgetting all about her hard nipple that he'd been moments away from sucking. "I know, daddy said that mom wore her heart on her sleeves, he said that I would always wear mine close to my breast where it would one day mean something to whoever I married. I guess maybe, he was right." Diane giggled embarrassedly. "What?" "You gonna sit there staring at it, or you gonna finish what you were just about to do?" she questioned. Mark leaned forward, the anticipation of the feel his lips would make upon her nipple when he kissed her there, causing her to momentarily hold her breath. He didn't however, kissing the tiny little heart-shaped birthmark instead. "No one but me will ever do that," he whispered to her, his lips still lingering upon the surface of the mark. "No matter whatever happens," he added. The ominous sound of Mark's words send a shiver of chills racing up her spine. But she refrained from commenting, asking him why he'd said that. "Promise me!" Mark said, leaning even further away, capturing her eyes with his. "No one," he asked her once again. "I promise," Diane spoke, still bothered, almost fearful by the unexpected, unfounded request. The seriousness within Mark's eyes softened, he smiled kissing her on the lips, then as she'd expected him to do minutes before, bent to capture her pleasure nubbin with his lips. The bizarre, strange feeling she had had moments ago quickly dissipated with the tender pleasurable caress of Mark's tongue upon her breast. Once again she pressed herself against him, knowing full well what she was doing, more importantly, what she was feeling. His erection was hard, stiff and excited. She had only once accidentally touched him, a grazing slip of her hand as she had moved to reposition herself more comfortably. Diane thought upon it later, remembering that brief intimate contact in her mind, the feel of him, the excitement of it all, even though it had been less than a seconds worth of contact. Diane had quietly pleasured herself that night. Something she didn't often do, but she fantasized about the moment, the night when they would finally come together as lovers and give themselves to one another in the only way that they could. "Mark?" He had heard her call his name of course. Almost fearful to answer her, worried that if he did, worried that if forced to remove his lips from around the sweet, delicious tasting morsel of flesh that he currently held, that she wouldn't allow his return to it. "Mark?" she asked again, repeating his name. "Yes?" he replied, ensuring when he did that he'd not broken any contact with her, quickly recapturing her flesh, purposely teasing it with his tongue in some effort to maintain this heavenly moment and perhaps cause her to discard whatever she was about to tell him. He feared she would do what she had done in the past, getting too excited, and suddenly calling things to a reluctant halt. "It's not..." Diane paused. Whatever she was about to tell him, she was obviously having difficulty saying. Mark drew her nipple deep within his mouth, sucking it firmly, using as he thought of it, the best offense to what he thought would be her usual defense. "I mean, I don't want to save it for our wedding night," she blurted. "It's not a requirement, I just want it to be special for whenever it does happen," she rushed out all at once. For a moment, Mark wasn't even sure he'd heard her right, understanding coming to him only gradually. "What I mean is, we don't need a marriage license before we ever make love," she finally managed. Reluctantly, Mark did release her nipple then, though keeping one of his hands securely pressed against her other breast. "I don't think we need a license either," he replied, trying to keep things light between them. Once again worried that Diane would begin rethinking things in her mind as she sometimes did, thus ending what had become for him the most exciting night of his entire life. "Maybe, all we need to apply for is a learners permit!" he said jokingly. The sound of Diane's laughter reassured him. "Even with a learners permit, you still have to practice, get to know what your doing and what to expect before you ever get behind the wheel of a car," she said seriously. She was serious. Mark looked into her face, her smile was still there, though he saw it as a nervous, anxious smile that was filled with an excitement and desire he had never seen there before. She began to lift herself up and away from him then, causing him to groan unexpectedly in disappointment. But once again she surprised him. With her breasts dangling so erotically, so majestically just inches away from his face, he felt her hands struggle briefly with his belt-buckle, finally freeing it. "Dee-Dee?" he asked, his voice quivering. "Shh, don't say anything. I'm nervous enough as it is," she added. Mark felt the pull on his zipper, felt the sudden coolness of air even though the room was warm. Diane managed to finish undoing his belt, pulling the zipper down the rest of the way. It was still awkward however. His penis was bent at a near painful angle within his shorts, her hand sought him out, worming its way through his fly, finally locating him, freeing him. In moments, his hard stiff cock filled her hand staring at them both as he gazed down, seeing it as though in a dream. Mark looked up; she was staring at it too, yet continuing to fondle him. He saw in that look, she was not only exploring him with her hand, but also with her eyes as though mesmerized by what it was she was doing. "Oh God...Dee-Dee!" he exclaimed softly, feeling himself melting like butter, though his cock, if anything grew even firmer, harder than it had been. Mark had certainly masturbated. Had done so for years, and recently doing so more than he ever had. But the feel of Diane's hand as she almost too gently caressed the length of him, sent shock waves of pleasure throughout his entire body. He felt his toes curl; his fingers grow tingly, and even felt light-headed just short of actually seeing stars. They had been watching the T.V. With one hand still gingerly stroking Mark's shaft, Diane fumbled for the remote, soon after switching the set off. As they had turned on no other lighting, only the lights from the Christmas tree lit up the room. Diane's mother had chosen to decorate it entirely in red this year. Hundreds of tiny twinkling red lights adorned it. Red satin balls, red and white stripped candy-canes, along with nearly an entire flock of red cardinals, each one comfortably perched within and amongst the branches of the tree. The effect of which, threw the room into a soft red romantic, if not downright sensual glow. "That's better!" Diane said giggling. Then, before Mark knew what was happening, Diane stood and began unzipping her Levis. Unlike she had done before, this time Diane was neither shy, nor pretending to be. As she undid the top button of her jeans, she slowly, teasingly popped each one of the fastenings holding them together until she could push them easily away from her hips. As they fell of their own accord down around her ankles, Diane stepped out of them easily, allowing Mark to sit there feasting her with his eyes. She had worn no panties. Another unexpected, but delightfully wicked surprise. She stood before him, turning to the side, her head unmoving as she watched him, watching her. She turned so that her back was towards him, still eyeing him over her shoulder, then turned until once again facing him. "Well? Do you like your early Christmas present? Though I guess, I really should have let you do all the unwrapping," she said once again shyly. Always and Forever Mark had sensed in Diane a smoldering sensuality, but he had never believed he would ever see it until perhaps their wedding night. As though in a dream, he continued to sit, speechless, his arousal throbbing in anticipation as Diane continued to pose, moving appreciatively to his wandering eyes. Mark finally found the courage to stand. This time it was Diane who did all the looking. Mark struggled out of the rest of his clothing until he stood before her as naked as she was. Bathed in the soft red glow of the tree, they embraced, kissing passionately. Reaching behind, Mark grabbed the large fluffy blanket they had often used to cuddle in. Tossing it down onto the floor along with three or four throw pillows, he watched Diane lie down, beckoning for him to join her there. "Come here sexy," she cooed. "Come and play with your Christmas present." Mark didn't know what to do exactly, or if there was any order one did things in. And like waking on Christmas morning, he wanted to sit and marvel at the magic of the moment. For a long, long time, he simply did that. Gazing at her from head to toe, familiarizing himself with every little bump, freckle, ending once again with a soft light kiss upon her tiny little heart before inching over to once again kiss her hard waiting nipple. Seconds later, he rained kisses on her like snowflakes, beginning from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Light fluttering kisses that covered nearly every square inch of her body, even going so far as to turn her over where he lavished her with finger-tip caresses to join those of his lips as he traveled down the small of her back, lingering wantonly at her perfectly molded ass. Her shivers of delight, desire had rapidly escalated until her breathing was as feverish as his. Still unsure of himself, or just how much he was being permitted to do here, Mark was prepared to repeat the entire adventure of her body when she sat up, pushing him down onto his back. "My turn," she sighed with a wicked grin. Initially Mark thought she meant to do to him what he'd just finished doing to her. But to his immediate surprise, he felt her hand softly encompass his prick, tenderly squeezing it as she knelt over him, her face only inches away from his straining shaft. Mark had closed his eyes, laying back, reveling in the erotic touch of her hand. "Oh my God! Dee-Dee!" he exclaimed. His eyes popped open, startled, shocked, he felt her lips surrounding him, he tried to sit up, felt her hand firmly press against his chest forcing him back as his penis disappeared fully into her mouth. "Oh my God, my God!" he moaned over and over again. Control was out of the question. In all the years Mark had spent pleasuring himself, he'd never felt anything as wonderful as this. About to warn her of the inevitable, she sensed his pending climax, removing her mouth simultaneously with the first orgasmic eruption. Her hand continued to milk him however, his pleasures descending on her breasts like thick wet snow. Amazingly, he saw his cream cover the small tiny heart near her breast, reaching it with his finger to lovingly caress it, massaging it into her skin, sealing as he did in that moment his everlasting love for her. # It was the night of the dance. Mark had never been quite this excited about attending most school functions. This night however was special, or at least he hoped it would be. Only two days before Christmas, and it had begun to snow. A light carpeting of white blanketed the ground. But it seemed a perfect fitting for the season, as well as the night that lay ahead of him. Mark's best friends brother worked for a limousine service, which had afforded him the ability to rent a limo for the night at an exceptionally reduced cost. Diane had no idea of course, which Mark hoped would be an additional surprise to her, as she also had no clue where they were going for dinner afterwards. Though the 'Light House' restaurant was nearly a forty-five minute drive away, it would be well worth it for the romantic ambiance of dining with the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below, and the shimmer of the waves as they rolled in upon the beaches. Robert, or 'Bobby' as Mark's best friend's brother was called had arrived on time. Racing down the porch steps of his home, he met him at the side door where Bobby stood waiting for him. Giving him Diane's address, he then furrowed his brow speaking to him. "Hey, you been drinking?" Mark asked. He could smell the faint odor of alcohol on Bobby's breath when he'd spoken to him. "Had a beer before I left, don't worry, I'm certainly not drunk if that's what you're worried about," he shot back almost angrily. Mark had to admit, Bobby certainly didn't act or appear drunk, confirmed by the short drive over to Diane's house. Bobby had handled the limousine expertly, obeying all the speed limits, once again arriving perfectly on time. Mark bounded up to the door of Diane's house, noticing when he did that the snow had begun to fall a little more briskly. He rang the bell, waited only a moment or two before Diane's father opened it, ushering him inside. "She'll be down in just a minute," Diane's father told him as he stood in the foyer waiting for her to come downstairs. Mark had also purchased her a rare black orchid to wear on her wrist. Mark had spoken with Diane's mother several days ago, asking her advise as to what type of flower he should get that would better match her dress. Diane's mother had given him the suggestion, intimating that what she had purchased, and planned on wearing for the evening would go very well with that particular choice. When Diane finally appeared at the top of the stairs, Mark realized just how much of an understatement that really was. Her floor-length evening gown was the deepest blue imaginable. As she walked, it seemed to shimmer as a thousand tiny sparkles caught the lighting from the over hanging chandelier above. She had chosen to wear her long hair down, which she knew Mark preferred, but it was full-bodied, wonderfully soft looking, and he could hardly wait to run his fingers through it later. Gracefully, Diane descended the steps until reaching his side. She'd also purposely worn lower heels than most women might have, standing only another inch or so taller than he, though he realized it could have been much worse. But it was the deep, provocative décolletage of her gown that surprised him the most. Though spectacular, the rounded swell of her breasts were more revealed now than in anything she had ever worn out in public before. Nervously, Mark made a point of averting his eyes, especially with Diane's father standing nearby watching all this. Diane's mother soon came to the rescue however, draping a beautiful hand-made lace shawl over her daughter's shoulders. "Don't forget your coat either," she reminded her. "It's really starting to snow." Though she'd accepted the coat, she'd refused to put it on. Racing down the steps towards the limousine, Mark was pleased to see Bobby standing beside the open door waiting for them. Diane was the first to enter, quickly slipping inside. But as she did, Mark noticed the unwelcome leer in Bobby's eyes as she situated herself. "Is there some sort of privacy panel I can bring up?" Mark asked. Once again the expression on Bobby's face changed to one of annoyance. "There's a panel near the door with a button on it. There's also an intercom in the event you need to speak to me about anything," he stated, once again leering at him. "Thanks," Mark said climbing inside as Bobby closed the door behind him. Almost immediately Mark located the panel, bringing up the privacy barrier shutting he and Diane off from Bobby's prying eyes. A moment after that, they felt the car pull away from the curb heading towards the dance. At last, Mark felt like he could breathe. "God Diane, you really are beautiful!" he told her. She leaned towards him expecting a kiss, which he gave her, but not before peering down the front of her dress. It was clearly evident she wasn't wearing a bra. "You like?" she asked teasingly. "I like it a lot!" he said nodding his head enthusiastically. "Not only that," she began, crossing her legs, revealing that her gown was slit all the way from the floor well up to her thigh. A fancy bit of lace was revealed when she did. "I'm not wearing any panties either!" Mark looked, a confused expression on his face. Not sure what that bit of information was really telling him. "Mother loaned me a pair of her garters and stockings," she finished, winking at him. Mark blushed profusely. "Something special for later," she then added, causing his cheeks to redden even deeper. By the time they arrived at the high school, the snow was really coming down. Bobby assured them he'd be waiting for them out in the parking lot for whenever they were ready to head off to the restaurant for dinner. On the way over, Mark and Diane had both agreed they wouldn't stay any longer than a couple of hours so as to ensure they'd have plenty of time to make their dinner reservations at nine. The night was magical for them both. Most of the time Mark had preferred the faster dances whenever they'd gone before. This night however, he hoped for a majority of them to be slower, much, much slower. Holding Diane in his arms, occasionally catching the admiring looks from many of their friends, Mark felt that this night couldn't be any more perfect, though the likelihood of that was still yet ahead. With the storm gradually intensifying, many of their friends had already begun to make arrangements for leaving. Realizing this, the Disc Jockey who had been playing a wide variety of holiday music all evening long, decided it was time to play a specific song, and one in which had been the theme of the dance. As the lights came down, a gentle strobe began. When it did, the sound of Bing Crosby's voice singing 'White Christmas' could be heard. Almost immediately thousands of tiny sparkling bits of paper began floating down from the ceiling. As the strobe continued to pierce the darkness, the effect of it actually snowing inside the gym was remarkable. Mark and Diane danced their last dance of the night together, holding one another close as the warm snow continued to fall, covering the two of them completely. They both laughed, brushing the bits of paper from their hair and clothing just as the song ended, and the lights came back up. "Well? Shall we?" Mark asked, seeing Diane smile in agreement as they gathered their coats and headed outside. Mark wasn't too surprised when Bobby didn't emerge from the driver's side door to let them inside. The weather had worsened considerably, and for the first time he nervously wondered if it was such a good idea to make the long drive towards the restaurant. Quickly climbing inside the limousine, Mark was about to press the intercom and speak with Bobby when he felt the car backing out of the lot. Deciding against doing so, he settled back into the seat already warm from the heat of the car comfortably suiting them both. "How long before we arrive?" Diane questioned, clueless as to where it was they were going for dinner. "Probably an hour, maybe even longer with the storm and all," he answered. Mark glanced outside, but it was nearly a whiteout as the snow was falling, coming down in a near blizzard condition. He heard Diane's giggle, turning away from the window. "I've always wanted to ride inside a limo," she told him. "Yeah, me too," he admitted feeling a little better as he sat there looking at her. "You know what else I've imagined doing?" she asked, her voice taking on that same sultry tone he'd heard her use the first night he had seen her naked. "No, what?" "I've always wanted to make love inside of one," she admitted shyly to him. All thoughts of the storm outside evaporated. "You're kidding me! You want to make love? Here?" he questioned her seriously. "Yes Mark, I do...right here," she said already beginning to slip out of her evening gown. "After all, we do have an hour," she suggested lustily, "Don't we?" Minutes later she was sitting in nothing more than the sexy pair of white garters and stockings her mother had loaned her. And, as she had told him about earlier, she was indeed wearing nothing else. Mark quickly slipped out of his own clothing, tossing them onto the seat well behind them. Diane reached out her arms towards him, bidding him to come to her, simultaneously revealing herself even more fully to him than she had on their first intimate night together. As she widened the position of her legs, Mark knelt down on the luxuriously carpeted floor. He smiled at the surprised expression on her face. She'd expected him to come to her another way, but his intentions at that moment where to pleasure her as she had once pleasured him. "Mark?" "There's plenty of time yet," he whispered. "And besides, this is just one of your Christmas presents," he told her. "Ohh...just one?" she sighed as his tongue touched the furrow of her sex for the first time. Mark was too busy to speak further however, and Diane suddenly found it unnecessary for him to answer her either. The feel of Mark's tongue as it teasingly caressed her clitoris was heavenly. Diane moaned with each passing moment, each fluttering flick of his tongue as it danced inside her, exploring her entirely. Reaching up with his hands, he had captured her full breasts, kneading her pliant flesh and gently thumbing her erect nipples. Perfectly choreographed, Mark continued to strum her pleasure nubbin with his tongue, his fingers fine tuning the nerve endings of each breast until Diane was moaning uncontrollably. The perfume of her scent was intoxicating, driving him mad with desire for her, but wanting her to experience the penultimate of pleasures before they consummated the evening as they both now knew that they would. He could sense by her breathing that she was getting closer to her ecstasy. Her quim had grown even more liquid, alerting him to the arrival of her climax just seconds away now. Mark felt her tense, felt her shiver as she began to come, heard her only half-muted scream of pure unadulterated pleasure as he continued to devour her in a way that threatened to rob them both of their sanity. Mark felt as though he were floating, still hearing Diane's cry of pleasure as it echoed inside his head. Then he realized he was floating, and the sound of Diane's cry, no longer pleasure, but a screaming cry of fear and alarm. # "Well? What'd they say?" Diane's father finished hanging up the phone, turning towards his wife, his face was etched with deep lines of worry and concern. They had been up all night. "The manger confirmed they had reservations for nine, but they never showed." Just then the phone rang. Diane's father quickly grabbed the receiver. "Yes? Hello?" he added anxiously. For long moments he sat listening on the other end. By the look on his face his fears became even greater. Diane's mother stood, her hand already reaching up towards her mouth. "I see, thank you," he said. He turned, "That was the Limousine service, Bobby never came back to the shop with the car." # Diane opened her eyes. She felt stiff, sore, but even more importantly, confused. As her eyes cleared coming back into focus, she could see the outline of someone sitting next to her in a chair. She took a moment longer for her eyes to adjust, when they did, she could see her father sitting next to her, sleeping. "Daddy?" "Oh my God! Diane! Baby! You're awake!" he said bounding up from his chair in surprise. Racing towards her bed, he gathered her into his arms and began weeping uncontrollably. When he did, Diane realized something was horribly, horribly wrong. She had never in all her years seen her father cry. "Daddy? What's happened, what's wrong? Why am I here?" she asked finally, realizing she was lying inside a hospital bed. "You've been in a coma for nearly two weeks now," he told her. "But everything is going to be alright now honey, you're going to be just fine." Diane's father stood beside her bed, stroking her hair. "When the doctor's informed us that you could be waking up any day now, your mother and I took turns camping out here beside your bed so that one of us would at least be here when you woke." Realization slowly settled in, though all Diane could even vaguely remember was the echoing cry of her own scream. "Where's Mark?" she asked suddenly alert. Her father stopped stroking her head briefly, staring into her eyes. "He didn't make it," he said simply, not knowing how else to put it. "Well call him then, tell him I'm awake!" Diane said trying to sit up. For a moment, her father stood there looking at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face until he realized his daughter had misunderstood him. "I didn't say he couldn't make it," her father began. "I said he didn't make it. I'm sorry honey... Mark didn't survive the crash." # Mike Jenkins arrived home from work, and like every day for the past two month's, he immediately asked his mother if anything had arrived for him in the mail. At twenty-two, he was still living with his parents. Considered something of a 'wonder boy', Mike had already excelled through college, well on his way towards becoming what he'd always dreamed of being. A marine biologist. He'd applied at several research centers where he hoped to complete his internship. Having already received acceptance at three, each along the east coast, Mike continued to hope expectantly for acceptance on the west coast. For as far back as he could remember, Mike had dreamed of living, working and establishing a life out west. "Any mail?" he'd asked, expecting the same answer he'd been getting of late. This time however, his mother stepped out of the hallway into the living room. She was holding a letter in her hand. Mike refused to get too excited. It could very well end up being a fourth acceptance on the east coast. He looked into his mothers eyes however, never able to be one to hide much of a secret, and smiled. "Is it? Really?" he asked her. Katie Jenkins smiled, holding out the envelope to him. "I don't know why you're so insistent on moving clear across the country," she began. They had had this argument before. Both of his parents had expressed their own reasons for him interning closer to home. He on the other hand had always said that one day, he'd move out west, no matter how long it took him to find a way there. Mike quickly tore into the envelope, reading the letter inside. A second later, he threw it up into the air with a wild hoop and a holler. "Yahoo! I'm moving to San Diego!" he shouted happily. It was less than a week before Thanksgiving. The letter had told him that he wasn't expected to even arrive until after the holidays. And much to his parents chagrin, he told them that very evening of his intentions to fly out the following Monday. Mike had managed to salt a considerable amount of savings away. So it was that he found himself standing outside the employee entrance at Sea World, San Diego, late Monday afternoon. He'd been standing there a good ten minutes before anyone else arrived. "Can I help you?" Mike smiled at the petite, good looking blonde that approached him. "Yes thank you. I'm here to see..." Mike fumbled briefly with the letter he'd brought with him. "A Professor Davenport." "Oh, you mean Dee-Dee!" The blonde said smiling at him. "I'm pretty sure she's down near the shark exhibitions. We just got an injured Great White, Dee-Dee's overseeing her recovery, so I'm pretty sure you will find her there." The blonde gave Mike directions to the area of the complex, then left him to find his way. After searching for only a few minutes he came upon a woman who was standing in front of a large underground observation area, intently studying what must have been the shark they had recently procured. Always and Forever "Excuse me, are you Professor Davenport?" he asked. Diane turned, "Yes, and you are?" "Mike Jenkins," he stated, offering his hand. "I didn't expect you until after the holidays," she said mildly surprised. The moment he shook her hand, he noticed a curious look cross her face. She was tall, her short dark hair framing her features into a near perfect oval. "I'm sorry, I was just anxious to arrive," he stammered noticing her expression hadn't changed. "Oh no, its not that. I'm glad you're here. It's just that for a moment, you reminded me of someone," she said apologetically. "Listen, lets go back to my office and finish up with your paperwork, get you settled in, and we'll go from there. How's that sound?" "Sounds good," he told her. "Did you find the studio apartment ok?" she asked as they walked together across the massive complex. "Actually, I came straight here from the airport." Once again Diane cast him a curious glance. "Well, later on...I'll drive you over, show you where it is. It's not far from here. Several of the staff are living in the same complex." Diane stopped herself, realizing she was speaking in clipped sentences, almost babbling. She didn't know why she felt so funny, or what it was about Mike that was causing her to feel this way. By the time they had reached her office, she had calmed well enough to have shaken off the strange feeling she'd been having ever since Mike arrived. Diane quickly crossed over to her filing cabinet and extracted a folder from one of the drawers. "By the way, we're pretty informal around here, so feel free to call me Dee-Dee," she turned to face Mike, feeling a little light-headed as she did, quickly sitting down. "Calling me Professor Davenport makes me feel old," she added opening the file folder. Mike laughed. "My friends call me M & M, I hope no one else around here goes by their initials or it could really sound funny," he offered. "Why do they call you that?" she asked. "Well, I was named after my father. Early on I was called junior of course, and I hated that. So when I got older, I adopted my middle name. But because of it, most everyone nick-named me M & M, and it just sort of stuck." Diane was scanning through Mike's bio. She stopped when she saw where it was he had come from. A small gasp caught in her throat. "You're from Massachusetts?" "Yeah, born and raised there." Diane felt a stream of goose bumps run up both arms. "What made you decide to come all the way out west? There's a lot of research centers on the east coast, some of which I would think would be better suited for you than working here." "Well, for one thing, I'm not all that fond of snow. And for the other, for as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to move out here. So when the opening became available, I applied for it. And voila'...here I am!" Once again Mike noticed a strange expression on Diane's face. "Is something wrong?" he asked, startling her out of her fugue. "Oh no. Just a little ironic is all. You see, twenty years ago, I moved out west too. I used to live in Boston." # It was the day before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Mike had spent the past couple of days settling into his routine, working side by side with Dee-Dee. Together, they continued to observe, make notes, and monitor the progress of their captive, Great White. Dee-Dee had informed him that the shark was pregnant, so having one currently in captivity, and about to give birth was a real rarity. Most of the staff was already away for the holiday, leaving just Dee-Dee and Mike to continue the observations and ensure the sharks continued recovery. "Well obviously, you don't have any plans for tomorrow, so how'd you feel about coming over to my place and having dinner with me?" Diane was somewhat surprised at herself for even asking him. She hadn't intended to do so, preferring as she most often did to spend her holidays alone. "I'd really like that! Can I bring anything?" Dee-Dee laughed, something he had not seen her do since his arrival. It was a sweet sound, eerily familiar. "Maybe you can pick up a bottle of wine or something. Believe me, I didn't invite you to any sort of elaborate turkey dinner. Oh, we'll have turkey of course, but it will be straight out of the package." "Still sounds good to me," Mike responded happily. He arrived at her apartment shortly before seven. He'd picked up a nice white wine to have with their dinner. When Dee-Dee led him into her apartment, he was greeted by the same familiar smells he remembered when having Thanks giving at home. "Smells good!" he offered. "Thank you, but like I said, don't be expecting anything fancy," she warned. They shared a nice quiet simple dinner together with Mike helping Diane in washing up the dishes afterwards. Moving into the small sparsely furnished living room, Diane went back to retrieve the bottle of wine. Mike sat down on the small couch, his wine glass near empty, holding it out towards her as she approached. Diane's foot caught the edge of a nearby coffee table, she stumbled nearly falling, and then did fall, spilling the bottle of wine all over Mike when she did. Having lost her balance and composure simultaneously, she ended up tumbling into him there on the couch. "Oh my God Mike! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. But Mike was laughing. He had watched her as she'd begun to fall, realizing in that split second that he had no choice but to reach out in some effort to catch her. Which he'd done. He'd just managed to wrap both arms around her, still holding her like that even as she leaned away to observe the damage. "Don't worry about it, I've had worse spilled on me than this," he stated in some attempt to sooth her. Diane lifted her head to look back towards him, her eyes locking almost immediately with his. In the next instant, she leaned forward, their lips met, and Diane found herself kissing Mike passionately. Though surprised at her ardor, Mike returned the kiss, gently rolling her off to once side as they did until her head rested against the back of the couch where he began trailing additional kisses down her neck. "Please," Dee-Dee moaned, her hands now worming themselves within his hair. He felt her helping to direct his attention, ever lowering the path of his lips as they continued to seek out the softness of her flesh. Surprisingly, he saw out of the corner of his eye as her fingers deftly popped open the upper-most buttons on her blouse. Mike continued to kiss, lick and nip at the exposed flesh, his heart beating a thousand miles an hour as he finally reached the softest flesh of her breasts, lingering there, delivering hot passionate kisses. Still kissing, yet looking with his eyes open, Mike saw she wore a front-clasped bra. He tentatively placed his hand over the top of one of her breasts, heard her moan in obvious pleasure at the contact, and proceeded to reach over, finding the clasp and undoing it a second later. As even more of her tantalizing flesh came into view, Mike continued on with his exploratory ministrations of her breasts, caressing one with his hand, finding the taut hard nipple that welcomed his teasing fingers. His lips began to travel towards her left nipple, when suddenly he felt both of her hands pressed against his chest. In the next instant, she pushed, pushing hard. "No! I can't! We...we can't!" Diane screamed somehow managing to stand. She gathered the front of her blouse together looking down at the bewilderment in his face. "Oh God Mike, I'm sorry...so sorry about this. But I think its best if you go," she told him without any further reasoning. Mike stammered out an apology to her before leaving, but he was even more confused than ever as he made his way home. All of which was made worse as over the next several weeks. Dee-Dee had him running tedious unnecessary errands. And when she wasn't, when his presence was required or necessary for continuing their research, she spent most of that time cooped up inside her office with specific instructions to be left alone. They barely even spoke. When they did, Dee-Dee was not quite curt with him, but she spoke with him in such a way that he'd begun considering seeking out another internship with a different professor. Their relationship had deteriorated to such a degree that Mike didn't think he would be able to continue working with her for much longer. With Christmas just around the corner, only a few days away now, Mike decided to give things one last chance. He was determined to sit down and talk things over with her. If they couldn't repair whatever it was that had happened, then he knew he would have no choice but to leave. As she was hardly available to him any more, Mike chose to leave her no ultimatum. Informing her that he would be at her apartment the following night, even though it was Christmas Eve. He also told her that if she chose not to sit down and talk about whatever it was that had gone wrong, he would leave first thing the following morning, Christmas day. He never received a response to his note, not really expecting one. But as promised, he arrived at her apartment the following evening. He half expected not to find her even home, surprised when a moment or two after ringing her doorbell, she answered. "Professor Davenport?" he began, "We really need to talk!" "I know we do," Diane responded. "Please Mike, come in." She quickly led him back into her small living room. Mike was surprised when she gathered both of his hands into hers; sitting down so that she sat kitty-corner to him on the couch, knees almost touching. "Before you say anything, I owe you an apology. In the first place, that never should have happened. In the second, and I'm not trying to make any excuses for my actions, but you remind me of someone. Someone I knew a long... long time ago. And I freely admit, it felt good to be held by someone; it's been a long time for that too. Probably too long. But again, that's no excuse, I was feeling the wine a little bit perhaps, and when we kissed, I was suddenly a young girl again, back in another place, another time." Diane was taken aback upon hearing Mike's soft laughter. "What's so funny?" "Nothing really, I'm sorry. It's just that, well...ever since we met, you've reminded me of someone too." Once again Diane felt a dizziness descend on her. She let go of Mike's hands sitting herself back into the couch trying to regain her composure. "Go on..." she urged. "You'll laugh, you'll think I'm making this all up," he began. Diane noticed he was also blushing. "I promise I won't, please...tell me." "At first, I thought we had maybe met someplace, somewhere before. But then I realized that was impossible. The following day, it finally dawned on me. Every once in a while, I've had these dreams..." "Dreams?" Diane questioned. "Yeah, dreams. Anyway, in nearly all of them, I'm with this woman, we're...well you know, we're making love. In these dreams, I never quite see her face, but she had dark hair like yours, only it was longer, much longer. When I saw you that first time, you reminded me of her for some reason, which is when I wondered if we had ever met one another before." Diane allowed herself a nervous giggle. "Yeah, dreams can be a little weird sometimes, I know. I've had a few of them myself. But no...I don't think we ever met before now," she finished saying. "Oh, and there was one other thing," "What's that?" "You don't happen to have a tattoo in the shape of a heart, or a mole or something that looks like that do you?" he asked. "Because I remember that very distinctly too. And I remember kissing it, every time I have that dream, I remember kissing it and telling her not to let anyone else but me ever do that." Diane sat staring at him. She leaned forward placing both hands on each side of his face. Her blue eyes boring into his like she was trying to see inside his head. Startled, Mike made an attempt to make light of it. "Ah, isn't this how we got off on the wrong foot before?" "Kiss me!" "What?" "I said...kiss me!" "Listen...Diane, I mean Dee-Dee...Professor Davenport!" he blurted out finally actually leaning away from her. "I like working here, I enjoy working with you. The last thing I want is to cause any more problems between us!" "You mean that?" she asked seriously. "Yes, yes I do!" he said firmly. "Then do what I asked, shut up and kiss me!" Mike realized in that moment that she was indeed being serious. And so they kissed. And like before, the moment their lips touched there seemed to be an electrical current that ran through his entire body as well as hers. As they parted, he felt her stand, once again holding out her hand towards him. Mike stood, taking it. "Where're we going?" "Into the bedroom," she said simply. "Dee-Dee?" "I want you to make love to me," she said pulling him along. "Dee-Dee, are you sure? I mean after all, it's Christmas Eve, don't you have plans for the holiday or something?" "I do now," she said grinning at him. "Now come-on, there's something else I need to find out, something I need to make sure of," she stated mysteriously. Mike followed her down the hallway towards her bedroom. "Dee-Dee? There's something else you need to know about me," he said sheepishly. Diane stopped, facing him. "What?" "I've never been with a woman before," he near whispered. Diane smiled, not quite grinning. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me. But don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know," she said winking, grinning broadly. As they entered her bedroom, Dee-Dee immediately shut off all the lights. "I think we'll both be more comfortable this way." Mike agreed, though he was only thinking it. He was nervous enough as it was, unsure of what to do, though he could hear Dee-Dee undressing herself in the darkness. "Hurry up," she told him. "Undress, I'll be waiting for you." Mike quickly slipped out of his clothing, jumping into bed beside her beneath the sheets. As he slid into bed, he felt the softness of her thigh as he grazed it with his own. With trembling hands, he reached out quickly locating her breasts. His body quivered uncontrollably as Mike began caressing her until finally, the sensations of uncertainty, and nervousness were overcome by those of desire and need. Only then did Diane speak, touching him as she did. "Relax, lay back and let me pleasure you," she whispered into his ear. Embarrassed, Mike felt Diane's hand as she gently caressed his not quite firm erection. She continued doing so until his shyness went away, finding himself more excited, firmer, harder than he had ever been. When he was ready, he felt Diane pulling him towards her as she rolled onto her back. Almost immediately he began kissing the nape of her neck, gradually working his way down towards her breasts. She felt him pause momentarily. "It's right here isn't it?" he asked. In the darkness Diane waited, holding her breath. She felt his lips press, kiss. He had kissed her directly on her heart-shaped birthmark. "Make love to me," she whispered. Mike situated himself more comfortably between Diane's outstretched legs, felt her knee's bend as she opened herself fully to him. Still having no real idea of how to proceed, he placed himself with his hand hoping against hope that somehow everything would come together. It did. She was liquid silk, melted butter. As Mike eased himself into her depths, in his mind he saw an entire universe open up, thousands of tiny stars suddenly appearing, beginning to take shape. As they did, they formed themselves into the image of a woman. He watched as though floating above himself, out of body. There amongst the myriad of twinkling stars he saw the image of the woman he knew so well in his dreams. Only this time, her featureless face took on an image, one he now knew. It was a younger Diane, younger than she appeared now, but there was no mistaking it. "Mark, Oh Mark! Come to me baby, come to me!" He watched the image of her as she beckoned him, calling his name repeatedly over and over. He found himself merging with her, becoming a part of her where they danced together amongst the stars. Before he realized what was happening, he felt the thrill of pleasure coursing through his body, felt the warmth of Diane's femininity as he poured inside her the essence of his soul. All the while, Diane continued calling out his name. Mike lost track of the number of times they made love together, falling asleep sometime during the middle of the night. When he awoke, it was to see Diane leaning on one elbow looking at him fingering his mussed up hair. "Good morning," he said smiling. "Merry Christmas!" he suddenly remembered. "Merry Christmas," Diane responded back, her hand already seeking him out beneath the sheets. "By the way, how'd you know my first name?" he asked. "I don't remember ever telling you what it was?" She smiled, "Somehow I already knew," she responded noncommittally, leaning over to kiss him before he could ask her anything more. "I love you Mark," she thought silently. "Always and forever..."