8 comments/ 17435 views/ 24 favorites Life Is Better Than Fiction By: TexasFarmBoy So there I was sitting in the hotel bar sipping a nice single malt scotch while trying to shed the weariness which borders on numbness that comes from sitting for several hours answering wave after wave of the same questions and listening to the same well intended displays of affection from adoring fans. They were full of adoration because of their proximity to an almost famous author which allows them to think that they adore me. They probably wouldn't feel that way if they knew the truth. But then the truth doesn't really set you free; it just shows that you are a real person who scratches an itch and who washes his own dishes after another meal alone. The truth is that I am Bob Harlowe or Dr. Robert Harlowe as the university prefers to call me. I teach a variety of recent American History classes along with several of my personal favorites, Ancient Mediterranean History. I rotate between Egyptian and Middle East History along with Greek and Roman History classes. People were more willing to sit through recent American History than classes on the roots of much of our civilization. The rest of the truth is that when I published a rather steamy romance/suspense/erotic novel for the sole purpose of increasing my rather mundane salary from the college. The rather conservative powers that be preferred that it be published under a pseudonym. The idea that one of their professors might actually promote various sex acts with a married woman on the run from her husband and several other undesirable characters was not their idea of good publicity for the university. Therefore, this summer book tour which thankfully was about over was undertaken under the name Philip Malone and his carefully crafted but fictitious biography. Many people consider traveling to new places to be exotic and thrilling. They must not get out much because after several weeks of living out of a suitcase and driving from town to town to sleep in strange and uncomfortable beds while trying to maintain your sanity because you eat every meal alone and have no one to talk to gets very old very quickly. My publisher had arranged this tour and had given me a credit card to cover expenses which ultimately would come out of my royalties. It was a three week tour with a book signing in a major bookstore chain every other day. On the alternate day, I drove from one suburb of a major city to the next one. So on this Monday night, I was now two more signings away from being able to go home. I had gained five pounds from eating hotel and fast food and had signed my pseudonym more times than I cared to count while hearing from endless people what a talented writer I was. I didn't tell them that they would be sorely disappointed if they read any of the articles and books that I wrote to earn tenure at the university. From a practical point of view, my academic work was well received and sold around 1000 copies each. My one and only foray into popular fiction had sold over 100,000 copies and the number was still climbing. It seems that women were attracted to it because of the romance but men also found a thrill in the suspense and action portions of the novel. I assume that both also got a cheap thrill from the frequent coupling the characters engaged in after each narrow escape. I had finished my latest signing at seven and was now waiting in the bar for a dinner table to become vacant while I savored the slightly acrid taste of Scotland's finest. I could have gone elsewhere to eat but then I would have had to drive back to the hotel before I went to bed. Here, I just had to take the elevator. I was aware that I was bumping shoulders with a loud man on one side of me and the softer shoulder of a woman on the other but I had paid attention to neither, preferring to think about the technical and trade interactions between the Greeks and the Egyptians 2500 years ago. My thoughts were interrupted when I became aware that the woman next to me was talking rather firmly on her cell phone. "Listen to me John; you have been gone three hours. My purse is in the room and you took the key with you. You were supposed to meet me for dinner a half hour ago and now you are going to have to take your client out. What the hell am I supposed to do while you flirt with your client?" She paused for a moment and then added, "I tried that. They won't give me another key because I don't have my id with me so I can't even sign my dinner to the room." She paused again before continuing. "Fine. Maybe I'll flirt with one of these horny businessmen and get him to buy me dinner. Of course, he will expect something in return. So maybe I'll see you in the morning." Then she hung up and I suspect turned off her phone. I could feel the anger emanating from her body which by now I had determined was a very nice body indeed. Every part of me told me to leave her alone but another part of me said that I desperately needed to talk to someone like a normal person rather than a character from my novel. "Excuse me miss; I couldn't help but overhear your phone call. I won't hit on you but I would be happy if you would join me for dinner; I'm not fond of eating alone." She turned toward me with a glare in her eyes and I found that not only did she have a very nice body, she also had a very pretty face and beautiful eyes, even if they were glaring at me. "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have said anything. You would probably prefer to be left alone." I added. Her eyes softened as she looked me over carefully. "Actually, I am angry enough to let you hit on me but then I would probably chicken out and that would piss you off. I probably should just go to the lobby and wait for him to get back." "That would probably be safer but then you will probably be angrier later because you haven't eaten. So let me rephrase my offer. I have been traveling for two weeks and have eaten every meal alone on this trip. I would enjoy sharing a meal with you and just talk. No paybacks necessary." She looked at me and broke a small smile. "I'll take you up on your offer on one condition." "What's that?" "We don't talk about work or our spouses or personal things like that. I just want to be swayed by your charm and wit. How is that?" "I might disappoint you. My friends tell me that the only way I will ever have any charm is if I go to the candy store and buy them and they say that when they handed out wit, I only got half an order." I gave her my best smile. Her smile broadened in return, "I think that your friends are idiots. You are obviously intelligent and charming. As for the wit, we will see. I accept your offer." "Good; because they just called my name. Shall we go dine, my lady?" I offered her my arm. She took it and replied, "It will be my pleasure, kind sir." The hostess led us to a table for two in the dining room. It was by the window and looked out over the swimming pool area. As we sat down, a waitress descended on us with menus and asking what we would like to drink. I looked at my dinner guest and raised my eyebrow. She replied, "I think I will just have water with lemon. Thank you." I replied, "That is fine for now but I would suggest some wine with dinner. Red or white?" She hesitated for a moment and then smiled, "White, if that is what you are having." "That is what I will have." I ordered a nice German Riesling that would go well with most of the items on the menu. "Now, if I may suggest, I think that we should tell each other our names so that we can pretend that we are long lost lovers reunited by pure chance. I am Bob." She blushed at my image and then replied, "Bob, I assume that is short for Robert?" "Yes but only two people call me that. My mother calls me Robert when she is frustrated with me, which is often, and my boss, who is just rather old fashioned. And you are?" "I am Phyllis but my friends all call me Phyl." "That's odd. I know several Phils and they all have hairy arms and hairier beards." She grinned, "I'll let mine grow out tonight and if we cross paths in the morning, you can see my beard." I grinned back, "Frankly, I like the way you look clean shaven. Keep it that way." She responded, "Thanks, I think I will. So now Bob, I thought that they shorted you on wit; it doesn't appear that way to me." "You don't know my friends. Their idea of wit is fart jokes." "I didn't realize that you knew the people I work with." We both snickered as the waitress came with the bottle of wine and hovered waiting to take our order. Again I looked at Phyllis with a raised eyebrow. I guessed that she was concerned about the cost of the meal and said, "Why don't you order for me? I will enjoy anything." She responded. I looked at the waitress and said, "I think that we will have a shrimp cocktail for two followed by the grilled halibut with potatoes and the vegetable of the day." The waitress replied, "Good choice. The halibut is very good today and very fresh." "Thanks." I replied as she scurried off. When I looked at Phyllis, she was blushing a little. "I love shrimp but I guess that I have never had halibut before. What is it like?" "It is a firm white fish that is really very good as long as they don't overdo it with sauces and stuff. It doesn't taste real fishy. Hopefully, they will just lightly season it before they grill it and serve it with lemon slices." That set off a discussion about foods we liked and enjoyed as well as cooking. She seemed surprised that I enjoyed cooking besides just grilling like most guys did. We found that we both enjoyed Italian food and some Middle Eastern dishes. We had talked about ten minutes when the waitress appeared with the shrimp cocktail. I poured us each a glass of wine and we were quiet as we went through the shrimp with ease. When we finished, she told me that she had grown up in the south and that fish was usually fresh water fish and was fried. I responded that I understood because I too had grown up in the south but that both my parents were from the coasts and preferred seafood to fresh water fish. I ate both but preferred the seafood most. We then talked about the places we grew up and our high school experiences. She had been a cheerleader and homecoming princess while I had been a geek and involved in mostly in academic activities. We talked a little about college but I could tell that a lot of her college experiences probably involved the guy she was married to and she avoided those areas. I did discover however, that she was well spoken and very intelligent. It was a pleasure to talk with her and I thanked my instinct to invite her to dinner. When the dinner arrived, she sampled a bite of the halibut and her eyes widened as she thoroughly enjoyed the taste and the texture of this wonderful fish. As we ate, she asked about cooking it and what to look for when buying it. I told her how I did it but cautioned her that it was fairly expensive and often frozen. On the whole, it was a fairly big meal but we both cleaned our plates and continued talking. We declined dessert although the cakes and pies all looked very delicious. As an alternate, I suggested that we return to the bar for coffee and more talk. She took a look at her watch and probably estimated how much longer it would be before her evening with me would end. I felt that she was truly enjoying herself and didn't have this kind of evening very often. For myself, I was enjoying it too. For the most part, my dinners were with college people and talk focused on work. When I took a woman out, it was usually a shallower evening as one or both of us considered it a mere prelude to the real reason we went out which was fuck each other silly. Phyllis looked at me with her fabulous smile and said, "I would like that very much." I paid the dinner bill and then took her arm and led her to the bar where I ordered coffee with brandy. Once again, we enjoyed the drink, the conversation, and the time passed quickly. As we were finishing our second cup, a large body appeared next to our table. I looked up and immediately knew that he was her husband and I also knew exactly what type of man he was and my dislike was immediate and surprisingly strong. "Thank you for taking care of my wife. Now Phyl, let's go to our room." He wasn't the least bit polite or sincere and it was obvious that he had probably had more than two beers with his barbeque. I recognized the sauce stain on his shirt. Phyllis replied with the same tone of voice that he used, "Give me my key and I will be up in a minute when I have finished my coffee." He glared at her and then at me but he dropped a key on the table and turned towards the door. Phyllis looked embarrassed and down at the napkin in front of her. "Hey, your smile is much prettier than your frown." "I'm sorry Bob; I really wasn't expecting him back until eleven or so." "Phyllis, it is eleven thirty. And don't apologize at all. I have had a wonderful evening with a charming woman. I can't ask for anything better than that." She looked up and smiled, "Tonight has been one of the best I have had in a long time. Thank you. I just wish that it would have ended on a lighter note." "We both knew that it was going to end sometime, so don't apologize. Finish your coffee and I will walk you to the elevator." We finished our drinks in silence. The magical evening was over and we both knew it. I paid the check, took her arm and led her to the elevator. As we waited, she turned to me and said, "I can't thank you enough for bailing me out and the meal and the conversation turned out to be much better than I would have had otherwise. Thank you." Then she kissed my cheek just as the elevator door opened. She stepped inside and our evening was over. I went to the desk and told them to check me out in the morning. I had two hundred miles to drive the next day and I wanted to get on the road early. As I went to my room, I pictured Phyllis' marriage. I felt that I knew it well having seen it dozens of time in my years at the university. He was a jock who swept her off her feet. He was probably a junior or senior while she was a freshman or sophomore. He bedded her early on and she thought she was in love. He probably thought he had a chance at the pros and didn't finish school. She didn't either. When he didn't make the grade, he got a job probably in sales and did pretty well with his schmoozing lines and tales of his on-field exploits in college. He probably also seduced many of the women who fell under his charm when he was on the road. The glow had worn off after a couple of years and Phyllis was going through the motions, not sure if she should leave him or not. So far, she had found a way to tolerate him because he did provide her a nice lifestyle. Ultimately, she would get a divorce and perhaps try again with someone else. I sighed at the waste of such a charming and beautiful woman. On Wednesday, I did the book signing and once again waited for a table for dinner wondering if I would be lucky for the second time that week. I wasn't. There were plenty of women in the bar but they wanted to dance and party. The only thing that would interest me was a quick fuck and a good night's sleep. Neither of those happened although I had frequent flashbacks to my evening with Phyllis. I realized that I didn't know her last name or where she lived so even if I did want to find her again, it would be a total bust. I just had to go on with my life. School would start in less than two weeks and I would once again immerse myself into history and Phyllis was now a part of my history. My last signing was Friday evening at a place two hundred miles from home. I had refused to do a signing in or near my home since I was likely to run into someone I knew. I preferred anonymity around my home base. I arrived at the bookstore a little early and talked to the manager. She said that there ought to be a good turnout as they had to reorder my book several times to keep up with demand. I set up the table with a couple of bottles of water and several new Sharpies. Then I was ready for my last signing and I was looking forward to a scotch in three hours. The signing went on as it usually does and I genuinely felt happy when I realized that there was only a half hour to go when someone laid a new book in front of me to sign. I wrote my usual "Thanks for enjoying my book" and was about to sign it when a voice quietly said, "Are you going to sign it Bob, Robert or Phillip?" I looked up warily to see Phyllis' smiling face looking down at me. I grinned and said, "If I sign it Bob, you will only be able to get a couple of bucks for it at the used book store. If I sign it Phillip Malone, you might get back half the price you paid for it." "Oh then for sure, sign it Phillip." I scribbled my signature. "I will be waiting for you in the coffee bar." She took her book and was replaced by another smiling woman who was probably twenty years older than Phyllis. At that moment, time started dragging and my heart stated beating faster. The manager had stopped more people from joining the line and finally, I was signing the last copy and sat back. Instead of my usual numbness, I felt alive. The manager thanked me profusely as I gathered my pens and looked around for the coffee bar. It was located in the back corner of the store insuring that people had the chance to buy the latest best seller on their way for a latte. I found her facing towards the door which thankfully would allow me to sit with my back to the rest of the room. Her face lit up when she saw me enter. When I pulled out the chair to sit, she asked, "All right, you have some explaining to do, Philip Malone." "What is there to explain? We agreed to not talk about work and believe me, this is work." "Ok, I'll forgive you; but just this once. I don't want any more surprises from you. I liked the guy who picked me up in the bar the other night." "Trust me, what you got then is what you get now. I am still brain dead and numb as hell. Can I take you to dinner again tonight? I need to eat. Oops, or maybe you can't." She smiled her winning smile at me and replied, "No, I won't go to dinner with you tonight. Tonight, you go to dinner with me. I found a really nice looking Italian place not far from here. It sounds great." "Um, are we going to get interrupted tonight again?" "Probably not. He is out again with clients and will probably be late again. And we aren't going to talk about him tonight either. Tonight, I am dining with a celebrity." "I thought you wanted to go out with me and I'm not a celebrity for sure." "Hey, you are too. I heard an interview on the radio you did. It sort of sounded like you but not. But I bought the book based on what I heard in that interview and loved it. Then when I saw that you were signing books here tonight, I just had to come. When I realized that this was you, I almost wet my pants." "It is a good thing you didn't because then you'd have to go home and take a shower and change again." I grinned. "In this case, it would be at a hotel again. We don't go home until tomorrow. Are you through with your tour now?" "Yes. I get to go home again tomorrow also. And I learned that I never want to do a three weeks driving tour again. People who think that traveling a lot is fun are crazy." "I'm like you; I like being someplace else but I'm not real fond of the process of getting there." "I couldn't agree more. Shall we go? I'm really hungry. I couldn't stomach another hotel sandwich today so I haven't had anything since breakfast." She finished her coffee and stood up as I pulled the chair from her. Then she took my arm and led me outside. "I guess we need to take your car; I caught a cab to get here." "Good idea; mine is right over here. Sorry for the mess. Driving makes the car get cluttered." Life Is Better Than Fiction I led her to my pick up camper combination and she smiled as I helped her inside. It wasn't too bad but I knew that I needed to get it really cleaned up after I got home. As I started to drive in the direction she pointed, I said, "I have to ask, sorry. Did you catch any fallout from the other night?" "No; actually he was already asleep when I got to the room and he was foggy the next morning." "Too much beer, huh?" "Well that but it was probably more likely a blow job that did him in. And before you ask why I stay with him, it is because it hasn't gotten bad enough for me to leave but it is getting close. Now, no more on that subject. I want to bask in the glow of a celebrity tonight." "Gawd; I thought you were a real person not one of those silly middle aged groupies." "I'll have you know, I am not middle aged! I am twenty nine and will be thirty in two months. So there." "You are just a baby. I feel like I am robbing the cradle going to dinner with you. Will I need to feed you?" "I might let you but it won't be pablum and it won't be because I need it. Where is that charm and wit you showed me the other night?" "The charm is still in the candy store and the wit won't come out until I have had a scotch or a glass of wine." "Ok, we'll solve that in a minute if you will turn into that parking lot on the right. The desk clerk at my hotel is from Italy and he says that this is the only place he will eat. It reminds him of home." "That sounds like a good recommendation to me. Have you ever been to Italy?" "Are you kidding me? The farthest I have been from where I grew up is 500 miles. Italy is on my bucket list and I don't want to hear that you have been there three times and loved it." "Ok, it was more than three but I won't tell you that." "Thanks. It is one of the places I want to go to some day." I parked and led her inside. At first, I was concerned about the restaurant as it had a big sign out front that said "Pizza to Go." But when we entered, I found that there were two dining rooms; one for the pizza crowd and the other a dimmer room for classic dining. The hostess seated us and said, "Buon appetito." I replied, "Grazie mille." I looked at Phyllis and said, "Are we under any real time pressure tonight?" She smiled and said "Not that I know of. I said that I was going to dinner and shopping but that was before I knew that you were here. I'm not worried about it. You did such a good job the other night; I'll let you order for me again. Something with chicken." I nodded and when the waitress came, I ordered a Compari to start and antipasto. Then I ordered different chicken dish for each of us. I ordered the whole thing in Italian as Phyllis looked at me with a smile. "You speak Italian?" "I took Latin in high school and didn't want to learn French or Spanish in college; so I took Italian." I didn't say that I did it because I planned to spend several summers in Italy pursuing various historical venues. "Why did you ask about the time pressure?" "Because, if we aren't under a time constraint we can have a classic Italian meal which will be four courses spread out over the evening. We eat a little and then talk before they bring the next course. I ordered us four courses and we will probably take about two or three hours for our meal." "Oh that sounds wonderful. I guess I need to read up on Italy before I plan to go." "Traditional Italian food and meals are a whole subject that you can spend years on. The history and traditions are very interesting. And eating like an Italian is both satisfying and relaxing. Ah here comes the Compari; it is an aperitif. Sip slowly." We sipped the drink and nibbled at the antipasto while we talked about things Italian and then expanded that to other subjects. Once again, I got lost in her smile, her eyes, and her charm. She seemed equally satisfied with our time together. This time she frequently reached over and put her hand on my arm. It was a nice feeling and also mildly erotic to my mind. We ate and talked and then ate the next course as they were brought out. I selected a nice Italian wine to drink with the main course. Phyllis seemed to enjoy both the meal and the conversation. At least I hope that she was enjoying it at least as half as much as I was. She was a great conversationalist as well as a good listener. We also teased each other a lot as we ate. She accused me of trying to get her fat. I accused her of eating like a parakeet. As we finally finished our gelato, we realized that it was getting late. It was close to eleven thirty and I suspected that midnight was the witching hour. I said, "I guess that it is time for me to take you to your hotel." It was more of a question that a statement. "That would probably be a good idea although once again you have charmed me for the entire evening." "Just as you have done for me. Shall we go?" I paid the check and we went back to the truck and got in. She told me how to get to her hotel and I drove that way. Suddenly I felt her head rest on my shoulder. It was sudden but I liked it and didn't offer any resistance. In fact, I wouldn't complain at all if her head was resting on my chest as we lay on a bed somewhere before or after we made love. But that wasn't likely to happen. So I just enjoyed the spontaneous moment. As we pulled into the drive of her hotel, she said quietly, "Let me off over here. He just walked into the lobby. I don't want another thing like the other night." I nodded and pulled over to the curb where we weren't visible from the lobby. She turned to me and quickly kissed me again but this time on the lips before she got out of the truck and quickly went into the lobby. As I sat there, I almost got out and followed her. I had not asked for her last name and phone number or e-mail address. I really would have liked to maintain contact with her by some means. But then I sighed and realized that this might not be the best thing for her or for me. She was married and I wasn't. I felt that we would be good together but perhaps that might also spoil the wonderful memories I had of getting to know her. I drove back to the hotel and packed my bags to get an early start on my drive home. Two weeks later, I was in my office getting ready for my Monday night class which would be Roman history this semester. It ran from seven to eight thirty. I didn't really need to review my notes because I knew what I was going to say by heart but I always looked them over if for no other reason than to get my head focused on the subject. As I was about to leave, the Dean of my department stuck his head in. "Hey Robert, listen, the enrollment in this class is bigger than we anticipated; so we moved it to the theater room. I know you prefer the smaller room, but you have almost fifty students in this class and it is the only room available with that many seats. If you want a student assistant, I can get you one for Wednesday." "Oh that's all right. As long as the computer works, I can probably get by on my own. I'll see how it goes tonight and let you know." "Thanks. I think that your reputation with these three ancient history classes is growing." "That would be nice. You know that I like them better than the American history." "I know but most students need that American History credit for their degree plan. We'll see how it goes and maybe we will split it into two classes if the enrollment continues to grow." "I would really like that. I better get going. Now, I have to walk to the other end of the building." "You need the exercise." He laughed as he left. I picked up my notebook and with the flash drive in my pocket, I walked to the end of the building and entered the large theater classroom. I entered and loaded the computer with my drive and then went to the front and put my notebook on the lectern. Finally, I looked out to the crowded room and scanned the group until I was stopped by the smiling face of Phyllis sitting in the front row looking directly at me. I grinned and winked at her and then went into my Dr. Robert Harlowe opening night routine. "Good evening everyone. My name is Robert Harlowe and I will be sharing the fascinating story of Roman history with you this semester." I was about to go on when I saw a hand go up and it was Phyllis' hand. "Yes, um Miss..." "Pressley, Dr, Harlowe. I wanted to know how you spell Harlowe." There was a glint in her eye. I replied, "Like Jean Harlow but with an 'e' on the end. Thank you for asking, Ms. Pressley. Is that spelled like Elvis?" "No sir. It has two esses." The young guy sitting next to her muttered, "Who the fuck is Jean Harlowe?" "Excellent question. Your first homework assignment is to look up Jean Harlow and be prepared to tell me about her on Wednesday night. Now let's talk about the class and then a little about Italy as we know it today." I spent the next forty five minutes talking about the expectations for the class, the grading system and the three tier special project format that they could chose to work on. In short, if they attended class and passed all of the tests, they earned a C. If they did one or two of the projects, they earned a B and with all three projects, they earned an A. What they got in class was adequate but they needed to do some independent work to really learn the subject. I knew full well that a number of them would be turning in boiler plate reports taken from the files of one of the fraternities or some on-line place. Two of the projects I had used for some time and there were plenty of them floating around but the third project I changed every semester and that was why it took the third one to make an "A." Since it was the first class, I let them go thirty minutes early after briefly describing the geography and layout of Italy. Most of the class eagerly jumped up and left quickly. Phyllis was slow as she wrote something on a sheet of paper and folded it. Then she walked up to me and said, "I think that I am going to really enjoy this class, Dr. Harlowe." There was lots of emphasis on the "Doctor" and the "Harlowe." As she turned to leave, she placed the folded paper on top of my briefcase. When I picked it up, it said, "Outside the building on the steps..." I opened the fold and it said, "... and decide where we are going for dinner and also why you kept another surprise from me. Phyllis Pressely." Along with the note, she also wrote her address, phone number and e-mail address. I refolded the note and put it in my briefcase for safe keeping. I decided to forego another trip to my office and instead headed out to the front door. At the bottom of the steps, she was standing next to the railing with a smile on her face. I also felt like she might have undone a button on the top of her blouse. As I approached her, she said quietly, "So Dr. Harlowe, what is the answer to the second question please?" "We weren't going to talk about work and this is what I do for a living along with writing dirty novels." I replied with a grin. "I see. Well I told you that I don't like surprises. I'll punish you later for that. Now your car or mine and this time I am picking up the check for sure. Last time you charmed me so much that you got away with paying again." "Well usually after the first class of the semester where I get to see all of the young students eager to spend time learning in my class before they go party, I usually do something silly like go eat ribs and wash it down with cold beer. How does that sound to you?" "That sounds just like home. Let's go. Are we taking your car or mine?" "It will have to be yours; I live two blocks that way and I don't drive unless it is raining." "Then let me escort you to my chariot." She took my arm and led me to the student parking lot which was half way to my house and opened the passenger door of a fairly new Lexus for me. Once I was seated, she went around to the driver's seat and got is. Her skirt flared and I got a nice glimpse of two very shapely legs. "Now where are these ribs that you are talking about?" "There is a barbeque place out by the lake. Do you know it?" "Yes and that is one of my favorite places although I don't go there very often." She started the twenty minute drive to the lake and I settled back and then said quietly, "You know that after I took you back to your hotel, I almost kicked myself for not getting your name and at least a phone number or e-mail address. I almost followed you in to get it." "I know; I realized that too but it was a good that you didn't follow me. Mr. Wonderful was in less than a good mood when I got to the room." "Not enough beer or no something else?" I asked. "I didn't ask. But since I got there after him, he accused me of going out and getting laid. I told him that I did exactly what I said I was going to do and that if I had known that he was going to be an asshole about it, I would have gone out and gotten laid. He didn't like that at all and stormed out of the room and came back two hours later very drunk." Then she asked very innocently, "Would you have liked to be the guy who I got laid with if I had done that?" I grinned and responded with a shallow, "No comment on the grounds that I will get in deep trouble if I answer that honestly." "I will take that as a positive which is good because you are the first man I have even considered doing that with." "So you have considered that with another woman then?" "No comment on the grounds that it will just feed the fantasies that roam around your dirty mind." She grinned. "Remember, I read your book. I know how you think." "Hey, I'll have you know that I wrote the book without the sex. The publisher liked it but said that it would sell better with some sex in it so I had to add that afterwards." "Likely story. And either you have a lot more experience than I do or you have a really vivid imagination." "Stick with the latter; I am mostly perfectly innocent." "I'll be the judge of that." "All right, now you can explain how you ended up in my class this semester." She turned serious as she said, "I dropped out of college when I got married. I was going to be a teacher. When we moved here five years ago, I got a job as a legal secretary. I really enjoy the work and stuff but I decided that I would rather be a lawyer than work for one. Last spring, I decided that I was going back to school this fall. I only need about ten classes to finish but since I can only take two classes each semester, it will take me a couple of years to graduate and then I will go to law school." "I think you made a good decision. It is never too late to go back to school and pursue something you love." "I have come to realize that. The primary lawyers I work for do a lot of international trade work. I really like that and think I would like to get into that area of law. That was one of the reasons I enrolled in your class. After our Italian dinner, I realized how much I don't know about Italy and Europe in general. What else do you teach?" "I usually teach several sections of modern American history but I also rotate this class with Egypt and Middle Eastern History and then Grecian History. These three are the ones classes that I like best. I will be doing Greece in the spring and Egypt during the first summer session. That is why I could do the book tour because I am free the second summer session." "Will those two be at night too?" "Greece will be but the summer classes are in the day. Usually, I do the Egypt class early like seven thirty until nine." "Maybe I can get them to let me come in a little late next summer so I can take it. I think that all three of them would be helpful to me." "Most people don't realize just how important the history of a people is to their present mindset. Traditions and histories have very long lives. Americans don't understand this because our history is relatively short; but that isn't the case in other places." "We are here. Now before we go in, there is something that I want you to do." "What is that?" "First, put your wallet in the glove compartment. I really am buying. Thank you and now, I want you to kiss me." "Is that a good idea?" "It is a great idea unless you really don't want to." She looked down to her lap. I turned to her and lifted her chin toward me. Then I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her to me where our lips met in the middle. I then felt the softest and most delicious lips pressed against mine and I melted a little inside. The kiss lasted for several minutes as we each savored the other's lips and then we broke it and looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Then she said quietly, "That was better than I hoped it would be. Thank you." She reached for the door and got out before I could respond. When I got out, I went to her and slipped my arm around her waist. She didn't resist but snuggled closer to me and we walked inside silently. The silence didn't last long because once inside, the twin and competing blare of country music and Monday Night Football greeted us. I led her to the far corner which was the quietest table in the place. As usual, it was fairly crowded for a Monday night. There were a several couples dancing and probably twenty five people sitting in the bar watching the game. Our waitress came over and we each ordered a rack of ribs with sides and a pitcher of cold beer. Finally, she leaned over and said close to me ear, "Thank you for the kiss. That was the first one I have had from a man in a long time. I really appreciate it a lot." She gently kissed my ear and pulled back. I leaned over and said into her ear, "I suspect that some of this might be a little too much for you. Let's just take everything really slow and don't go places where you don't want or aren't ready to go to." I kissed her ear and pulled away. She repeated her movements to my ear, 'Please understand; it's not that I don't want to. I'm just sort of feeling very vulnerable and unsure of myself." Before she could pull back, I turned and gently kissed her lips and said, "I understand completely. Let's don't talk about it anymore tonight. We will save that for another time." That seemed to settle her down and we poured our first beer when the waitress brought the pitcher and our salads. By the time our ribs arrived, we had rediscovered our light banter talk and enjoyed another meal together. When we finished our food and beer, she paid the check and we walked back to the car. She drove toward the campus and we continued talking mostly about college life. I gave her directions to my house and she pulled up in front and stopped. I asked, "Would you like to come in for coffee or do you have a curfew tonight?" She thought for a moment and then replied, "If I am smart, I will be home by midnight for a phone call. That will give me about forty five minutes, if that is all right?" "That will be perfect. Phyllis, I am not going to put any pressure on you." "I know; but you can't control the pressure I put on myself." "Ok, but I will make it as easy on you as I can. How is that?" She thought for a moment and then said, "Let's have coffee." She turned off the car and we went inside. My house isn't huge and it is an older one that I have made into my bachelor home. The formal living room off the entrance is my library and study. The rest of the house is fairly standard with only a few modifications. Phyllis must have really enjoyed it because she wandered though each room while I brewed the coffee. I added a shot of brandy to each cup as I poured. When she joined me on the couch, she said, "I love your house. It is so interesting and you have definitely made it your own." "Thanks. So are you taking another class this semester?" Life Is Better Than Fiction "Yes; an English class on Tuesdays and Thursdays but it starts at six and is over at seven thirty. Do you have another class too?" "No, Tuesdays and Thursdays are my day to get off early. I use those days to grade papers and write and stuff." "Oh." I could feel her disappointment. "But I have an idea if you are up for it and it won't put any pressure on you, why don't you come over here after class and I'll have dinner ready for us." She brightened quickly. "Are you sure?" "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure. In fact, we can come over here almost every night after class if you want. After my book tour, eating out isn't high of the list of things I want to do for awhile." She smiled shyly and said, "I'd like that." "Ok, now tell me what is going on. You said that he will call which means he is out of town. You want to come over here after class, so something is going on with you. If you are ready, tell me about it." She sipped her coffee and then started quietly, "Things were pretty good between us for the first several years and then he changed jobs to this company and we moved here. He sells several products and most of his customers are women. When he started traveling, he called me a lot. I could tell that he was checking up on me. That was actually kind of weird because I could tell that he was messing around when he was on the road. It's kind of hard not to notice when I do his laundry when he comes home. I can see and smell the stains all over them. But as time has gone on, he has become more and more paranoid about what I am doing. That trip we took was my vacation and I hoped that we could rekindle some trust. It didn't work. I am pretty sure that he was with two women while we were gone and maybe a third one. As you saw, he can get a little uptight if I am with someone else. He accepted that I was going to start back to school but told me that he better not catch me messing around with one of the frat boys. I have mostly gotten used to it but it is growing worse. As for the other thing, I would just prefer to not stay home alone is all. It is much more his place than mine." "That's all I need to know. So midnight is your curfew to be home then?" "Yes, he calls around then." "Then we won't provoke him and we won't do anything that might create trouble for you. How is that?" "Thank you. I can't tell you how important it is to me that we can just talk. As much as I would like to do more; right now, talking with you is very therapeutic." "Feel free to talk about anything that you need to. Now it is probably time for you to get on the road to make sure that everything is good. Here is my home phone and e-mail as well as my office address and hours. If you want to call, feel free to do so." "Bob, um...are you...um dating anyone?" "If you mean regularly, the answer is no. I do see three women occasionally. Two of them travel a lot and the other one isn't available very often." "Promise me that if you have the opportunity to go out with them, just tell me and go. I don't want to keep you from doing things that you want or need to do." "We'll see. I don't know when they will be in town or available until they call." I stood up and pulled her up and led her to her car. Once there, she stood in front of me and toyed with a button of the front of my shirt. "I think that a kiss good night is a good thing, if you want one." "I like kisses at all times. They are available for you whenever you want one." I took her in my arms and kissed her like we had earlier. I could tell that she was responding to the kiss because I could feel her moving her lips against mine and I could also feel her nipples pressing through her blouse and into my chest. I broke the kiss and opened her door while she still stood there with her eyes closed. Then I lightly kissed her again and she came back around and smiled. "Good night, Bob. I will see you after class tomorrow night." "I'm looking forward to it." I replied and she drove off toward her house. Then I went inside and thought about everything I had learned about her that night. Actually, there hadn't been any real surprises; she had just removed some of the mystery about her. My feelings for her hadn't changed and overall, I felt like I was doing the right thing by her. Then I went to bed and slept soundly. The next day, my classes went quickly and I was home shortly after two. I had decided to do kebobs on the grill along with a salad and rice with garlic bread. I cut up the meat and vegetables when I got home and put them in the marinade for the afternoon. I figured that I needed to start the fire around six and I would put them on when she arrived. The rest of the afternoon, I sat down and started writing as I had come up with another idea loosely based on Phyllis and our developing relationship. I quickly wrote as I had a fairly solid idea of how the story would open and develop. Before I knew it, I looked up and it was after five thirty. I stretched and got up to go start the fire. It was burning nicely and I was putting the meat and vegetables on the skewers when there was a knock at the door. It was only six thirty and I thought that it was early for her to get there but it was the first class meeting and she might have gotten out early. I dried my hands and went to the door and there she was standing with a smile on her face and a bag in her hands "Come on in; you are early." "I rushed from work and parked and almost ran to the classroom. When I got there, the TA said that the professor was ill and that we wouldn't meet until Thursday night. He gave me a copy of the syllabus and I trudged back to the car. But I stopped by the book store and bought a couple of things to change into if you don't mind. I dress comfortably for work but I thought that it would be nice to change out of work clothes." "I don't mind at all. You know where the bathroom is." She stood there for a moment and then added, "I decided that a kiss hello would also be very nice." Her eyes were sparkling as she said that. I grinned and pulled her to me and kissed her boldly. This time her lips parted and my tongue traced the slightly parted lips. She moaned lightly as I did this but didn't pull back. When I finally broke the kiss, she said, "Damn, you are a good kisser. I could get used to that." "Well for your information, so could I. Now you better go change or one of us is going to embarrass himself and it won't be you." I grinned at her as she gave me a light kiss and went toward the bathroom. I went back to the kitchen and tried to get my excitement to recede to a less conspicuous state. My efforts were for naught because when I finished the last kebob, she was standing in the kitchen doorway and when I looked, all of the excitement returned instantly. She was standing barefooted and wore a pair of college shorts which were basically a pair of flannel panties and a college crop top that showed off her perfect abdomen. The top covered her breasts but left no doubt as to the fullness of her mounds. If she bent over, I would have a complete view of her treasures from either direction. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I asked with a grin. "No; I'm trying to let you get a good look at me without showing you too much." "Trust me, you are succeeding and I will probably embarrass myself several times this evening." "Do you want me to change?" She pouted but I doubted that it was serious. "Not a chance. You look so cute in that, it is unbelievable. I just ...um have a strong reaction when I look at you." She grinned and changed the subject, "So what can I do to help?" "The fire should be ready in about ten minutes and all I have to do is microwave the rice and put the salad and bread on the table. So if you want to open the bottle of wine and pour us each a glass; that would be great." She grinned and replied as she reached for the bottle of wine, "Why Dr. Harlowe, are you trying to ply one of your students with alcohol?" I grinned back and replied, "Do I need to?" I went out to the patio before she could answer or hit me. A moment later, the door opened and she came out with two glasses of wine. Then I felt her body pressing against my back. "Oh those look great and they smell good too." She wandered off looking around my small back yard. She stopped several times and admired some of the flowers that grew in my yard. I got another fine view of her body as she moved around. When she bent over, her shorts hiked up just enough to show the lower part of her ass cheeks but also showed the perfect roundness of her ass. Also in this position, I could catch a glimpse of part of underside of her breasts. I was getting very hard and turned away to try to get it to go back down while I turned the kebobs for the first time. A moment later, she pressed against my back and whispered, "Enjoy the view? I'll go in and start the microwave and then bring you a clean platter." All I could do was nod and continue turning the forks while trying to keep my back to her. A few minutes later, she returned with a clean platter. This time she stood next to me and I was treated to a profile view. Her nipples were poking firmly into the top for certain. I decided that it was hopeless to hide my excitement. She must know what she is doing to me and I might as well show her my appreciation. I stepped back from the grill a little and then began taking the kebobs off the grill. As I was doing this, I heard her suck in her breath and I assumed that she had caught sight of my obvious reaction. When the platter was full, I asked, "Are you ready to eat?" "Oh yes." And she turned to go inside with a huge grin on her face. I followed and found that the table was set for two and she was taking the rice out of the microwave and was fluffing it up while the bread was warming up. I set the platter on the table and went to stand behind her and my arms went around her waist. I could hear her moan as I gently pulled her back against me. When I stopped pulling, she lay her head back on my shoulder and I was sure that there was no question in her mind what was there waiting for her. She ground her ass cheeks against me in appreciation. "Kiss me." She demanded and turned her head towards mine. I turned and met her lips while they parted and allowed my tongue full access to her mouth. I also slipped my hands up her abdomen until they rested just below the hem of her top. She sucked my tongue deep into her mouth and put her hands behind me and pulled my ass tighter against her. My cock was wedged between her ass cheeks and she showed no signs of wanting to pull away. But I also knew that we needed to have another talk before this went any further. After dinner seemed to be the best time to do this; so I slowly, eased off of my kiss and let my hands slip back down to her abdomen. She groaned as she realized that I was going to stop the kiss. Suddenly, she spun around and plastered herself against me and my cock was pressed deeply between her legs. Her lips sought mine again and her arms went around my neck. I wasn't certain but it felt like her bare breasts were now pressed against my chest as the crop top rode up with her arms. In the position we were in, all I had to do was pull her shorts down along with my pants and we would culminate a torrid moment in very few minutes. I wanted it and I felt that she wanted it just as badly as I did. I started to reach for the top of her shorts but ended up just resting the palm of my hand on her ass and didn't go farther. A moment later, she broke our kiss without reducing the touch of our bodies and said, "We better eat of everything is going to get cold except us." "I agree and after diner, we are going to have another talk." "Only if I sit on your lap and you hold me." "That is the easiest request you have ever made." Slowly, I pulled myself away from her and that might have been the hardest thing I ever did in my life. By the time we were separated, her top had dropped to cover her breasts but her nipples were harder than ever. My erection however didn't go down until well after dinner. After catching her breath, she got the bowl of rice, the salads and the garlic bread and put them on the table while I pulled the meat and vegetables off of the forks. She had set the table so that we would seat next to each other; so I pulled out the chair for her and then sat down next to her. Immediately, her hand rested on my thigh just below my crotch. She grinned as I spooned the meat and vegetables over the rice and then started spooning it onto her plate. Then I did my plate and we were ready to eat. I looked at her as she looked at me and then deliberately lifted her hand and put it directly on my still hard cock and squeezed. Her eyes opened as she felt what was there and then she smiled even bigger than before. Then she released me and we began to eat our dinner. She was ecstatic about the flavor of the meat and vegetables. We refilled our wine glasses and ate everything we had prepared except a couple of spoonfuls of rice. When we finished, she leaned over and kissed me. "That was wonderful. Thank you." "You are welcome. I liked cooking knowing that you were coming over to enjoy it with me. Let's put the dishes in the kitchen and then we will go to the living room." "All right. That sounds wonderful." We moved the dishes to the sink and then she turned to look at me and asked, "Do we have dessert?" "Yes, but let's save it for later." She grinned, "Not too much later." I grinned back and scooped her up and carried her to the couch. Once there I set her down and said, "Damn, I forgot our wine. I will get them for us." I left and picked up our almost still full glasses. When I returned, she was standing next to the couch with a smile. "Remember, I am going to sit in your lap while you hold me." I nodded and sat down and then she positioned herself on my lap and settled herself so that my still rigid cock was nestled securely between her legs. She pulled my arms around her and I had my hands on her abdomen again. "Not like that; like this." She pulled them up and under her top and I felt the soft warmness of her bare breasts in my hands for the first time. "Now what do you want to talk about?" She asked with pure innocence. "There are several things I want to talk about but the main one is you. We talked last night and decided to go slow. Tonight, I think that it is safe to say that we are going anything but slow. What happened?" She kissed me and held my hands against her throbbing nipples. "I am going to tell you the whole truth; nothing left out. When I left last night, all I could think about was you. I fingered myself all of the way home and almost came, but I held off. When I got home, I undressed and got out my vibrator and came twice while I was dreaming of you making love with me. I decided right then that we were going to be lovers as long as you wanted me and the sooner the better. Then I fell asleep. I woke up when the phone rang at two in the morning. It was you know who. All he said was 'Listen to this.' Then a woman's voice came on and she said, 'I am going to take your husband from you. All you had to do to keep him was to spread your legs for him once in awhile. So fuck you. I am going to love fucking your husband.' When he came back on the line, I stayed cool and simply said, 'You deserve her; she is what you need. Don't call me for the rest of the week; I'll be with my new lover and yes, he is the first man I have been with since we got married. When you get home this weekend, I will leave you a note as to which lawyer you can have yours call to arrange our divorce. I'll get my stuff out after you leave next week. You can have the house. I will get my own place. Then I hung up. So that is what happened. I then decided that I want you so I decided that I was going to do what I have to do to get you to want me. Unless I am wrong, you do want me. So I am yours. How do you feel about that?" "I feel like I was handed a gift from heaven. Now how serious are you?" She turned to me and kissed me passionately and then said, "Dead serious. If I can, I want to stay here with you until next week. Then I will look for an apartment close to the school and move there. I hope that you will want to keep seeing me but that might be too much to ask of you right now. What do you think?" "I don't think I like that at all." "Why?" She cocked her head to the side. "Did I ask for too much?" "No; I just don't see any reason for you to look for an apartment at all. If you come here, you stay here. I'm not likely to let you go anywhere else." She smiled, "You say the sweetest things. Now shall we go to bed and find out if you are as fantastic as I think you are?" "I was thinking that we would go to bed and find out if you are as wonderful as I think you are." "Then why are you dawdling?" "Because I don't want to let go of your wonderful breasts; that's why." She leaned in and whispered, "I have something even better than those waiting for you." I simply picked her up and carried her to our bedroom. In less than a minute, her top and shorts were on the floor and I was well on my way to being naked too. Once we were in bed, we didn't stop exploring each other until very early in the morning. We savored every part of each other's body with special attention to those special places that men and women especially enjoy. She sucked me to climax while I savored her specially flavored cum. Then we coupled three times and brought each other to screaming orgasms. Just as we were about to fall asleep, she asked, "One thing; are you still going to want to see those other women?" "What women?" I replied as I took one of her nipples in my mouth again. That was the way we fell asleep. It was hard to get up the next morning but we did and she went to work while I went to my morning classes. After class that night, we went out to get Chinese and then came home and made love for two more hours. People say that a relationship started during the failure of one person's relationship won't work. Well, they are wrong. We moved her in with me permanently two weeks later. Her divorce was final before spring break the following year. We got married when the spring semester was over. We took our honeymoon in Tuscany for six weeks after the first summer session. She graduated in January and started Law School in the spring and graduated at the top of her class a year and a half later. Our first daughter was born a year after that. She was made partner two years later with six weeks before our second daughter was born. We debated about moving to a bigger house or expanding our existing one. As a result, we no longer have a garage as it is now our third bedroom. We make love at least four times a week and if anything, it is better now than the first time we made love. The only blight on the horizon is that at the start of each semester she tells me that if I look twice at any of the coeds in my class to tell her so that she can remind me of who is my woman. I never even look closely anymore but I always tell her about a couple of mythical ones. I know what I have and there is no way I am going to risk that for anyone. By the way, the novel I started based on our relationship became a best seller and was made into a movie. She watched it and snarled that I made her look weak. I caressed her breasts and told her that there is nothing weak about her and that the story was just fiction. Then she proves to me that she is strong, again. God, I love this woman.