2 comments/ 7302 views/ 3 favorites Midlife Ch. 02 By: Lucity Tuesday came and Peter found himself pacing his office. It was 3:30 in the afternoon and he was waiting for a client to get back to him about a new contract. He moved to the window, tapping his pen on the windowsill. He hated waiting. He was trying not to think of Maria moving around his home, doing all the domestic things that he loathed to do. He pictured her in his bedroom, changing the sheets, vacuuming under the bed, kneeling on the floor to fetch a stray sock from under the bench at the foot of the bed. Her soft round bottom pushed out as her back arched like a cats. Curvy and sensual. Christ almighty, he was having a domestic fantasy about cleaning. He really had it bad. He didn't even really know the woman but she had left a noticeable impression on him. He glanced at the clock, yet again. Only 3 minutes had passed since the last time he looked. The phone's ring made him flinch. At last. The call lasted longer than he wished but at least it sounded like he'd be coming out ahead on this deal. Forty-five minutes later he was cruising home. Trying not to speed, he was glad he had a small jump on the traffic that would be clogging the streets in another half hour. He drummed his fingers in time with a cereal commercial on the radio. All his nervous ticks were coming out today. He changed the station for around the twentieth time, not really caring what was on, just needing to do something. Finally, he pulled into the drive, not waiting for the garage door to open he parked in the driveway. He tried not to look like he was in any hurry to get inside. He pushed open the door and noticed the stillness inside. Damn! He must have missed her. He casually made his way to his bedroom, with only a slight detour by the kitchen. Nope, she wasn't there. Damn. He threw his jacket on the bed and kicked off his shoes, not caring where they ended up. He grumbled to himself, "Idiot. What are you 13?" "Hello, Mr. Walker." A voice said coming out of the bathroom. "Gah!" Peter almost jumped out of his skin when a woman came out of his bathroom carrying towels. It wasn't Maria. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Teresa. The agency sent me today." She was a very thin older women with lots of grey streaked in her neat bun. Peter shook his head. "Oh, Teresa...uh...." He tried to clear his head. "Great." He didn't know what else to say. She stood still staring at him. "Well, I'll just finish up and get out of your way." She moved passed him and headed for the door. "Yeah...no...I mean, don't rush." Before she could disappear down the hall he called to her. "Hey, Teresa? What happened to Maria? Is she alright?" Teresa looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, she...um...she asked to be... " She shifted from foot to foot. "...transferred. She didn't say why." "Oh." Peter frowned. "Right. Ok. Thanks, Teresa." Damn. He must have scared her off. She must have felt awkward coming back after seeing him practically naked and asking her about her personal life. Fine. The rest of the evening past uneventfully. He had a run in the cool evening, with all the dog walkers, evening joggers and cyclists. He showered and put together a ham sandwich for dinner. He ate while he looked over the contract from this afternoon. He was just settling down to watch the ten o'clock news, when the phone rang. He debated answering when he saw that it wasn't a number he recognized. "Hello." "Peter? It's Maria. I hope I'm not disturbing you." Peter's heart thudded in his chest. "Not at all, Maria. This is a surprise. How are you?" He asked coolly. His face split into a huge grin and he punched the air in triumph. "Great, Peter." She sounded hesitant. "I, um. I wanted to talk to you about the other day. I thought it best if I didn't work for you anymore." His heart sank. Crap! He had scared her away. "Why is that? Did I do something to upset you? Maria, I'm sorry if I did anything...." She didn't let him finish. "No, no, no! No, that's not what I meant. I just thought that ...." She sighed. "I've never done this before but...I had a really nice time having dinner with you and I thought that maybe..." she trailed off. Peter's face lit up again. He tried to keep his voice calm, while he did a little happy dance, "Would you like to have dinner with me, Maria?" "No." She said. No? Peter blinked. No. Damn. "I was going to ask if you wanted to have lunch with me tomorrow." She continued. "I don't have class until 2 tomorrow and thought you might like to join me for lunch." He could hear her puff out a breath like she'd been holding it and trying to get through the rehearsed question. Peter let his shoulders relax with relief. "Of course! I mean, yes. I'd love to join you." "Great. Do you know the coffee shop on Willowbrook? Sammy's?" She asked. He grinned to himself. "Yeah, I love that place. What time?" "12:30, ok?" "Perfect. What made you think of Sammy's?" He wondered aloud. She chuckled. "I used to waitress there when Sandra was a baby. Some of my friends still work there." "Really? I used to go there a lot, a while back. Does Benny still work the grill? He used to make the best chili on Wednesdays." He could hear the smile in her voice. "He sure does. What do you think I always go there for?" They talked for a few minutes more about the people they knew there and all the regulars. Peter was amazed that he'd never noticed her there before. They seemed to know all the same people that frequented the old place. "I guess I picked out the perfect place." Maria said. "Well, it's getting late Peter and I've got an early day." "Yeah, me too." Peter paused, "Uh..I'm really glad you called, Maria. I didn't know how to contact you or I would have asked you to dinner, sooner or later." "Oh. Well...goodnight." Maria hung up. "'night." Peter said a little too late. Peter went to bed with a little smile on his lips. As he drifted off to sleep, he realized she hadn't answered his question about why she transferred. He was definitely going to ask her at lunch tomorrow. *** Work was extra busy the next morning. Peter was scrambling to assist one of his best clients with a huge error that had been made. His boss was grating on his nerves. He wouldn't stop butting in, making Peter's job extra stressful. Lunch couldn't come fast enough. His assistant Eric could tell that he was anxious. "Peter? Do we have a lunch date?" He asked in a condescending tone. Peter had to smile at his intuition. "We don't have a lunch date. I have a lunch date with a lovely woman at Sammy's." Eric wrinkled his nose at that. "Sammy's? Don't you usually have your nooners at Bridgestone's or Le Mer? Slumming are we?" His raised eyebrows getting lost in the flop of blond hair on his forehead. "Wait...woman? Have we finally graduated from high school seniors?" "All right. Enough of that." Peter rolled his eyes. "Maria happens to be a gorgeous, intelligent woman with a 21 year old daughter. And it's just lunch." "Trying to get to the daughter through the mom, huh?" Eric wiggled his expressive eyebrows. "Neat trick." Peter shook his head. "Shut up." Peter was finally able to rush out to his car at 12:20. It wasn't too far to Sammy's but parking could be tricky at that time of day. At exactly 12:30 he slid into a parking space about half a block from the diner. He rushed up the street, hoping he hadn't kept Maria waiting. Then he spotted her crossing the street and he almost stopped in his tracks. This was, yet again, another Maria. She was a sunshine vision in yellow. She was just wearing a simple pale yellow sundress and sandals, but to Peter she was sunshine itself. Her skin glowed golden on her shoulders and legs. Her dark hair was in a simple ponytail that showed off her graceful neck. He was mesmerized. When she spotted him, her face broke into a wide easy smile. Peter knew he was staring with probably a dopey smile on his own face. "Hola, Pedro!" She greeting him. Humor in her eyes. He bent slightly and placed swift kisses on both her cheeks. "Good to see you, Maria." She glanced sideways at him. "Very continental with the double kisses." He shrugged. "Just one of my many moves, to charm the ladies." She rolled her eyes when he opened the door with a flourish of his arm. "Ham." she smirked. It was pretty crowded in the small diner. There didn't seem to be any empty tables, but there were a few seats available at the bustling counter. "Do you want to wait for a table?" Peter asked. Maria was already moving towards the empty stools. "No. This is good." Damn. Peter just barely kept the frown off of his face. He wanted to be able to look at her from across the table, now he was rubbing elbows with a large construction worker filling the seat next to him. On his other side Maria slid smoothly onto the stool. She waved happily to the large black man, whose head was peaking from the kitchen. His face wreathed in smiles. "Hey, Bibi! How ya been?" "Great, Benny. How's Linda and Penny?" She called back. He gave her the okay sign with his large fingers and got back to work. The waitress hurried over with menus. "Bibi! It's been too long. What's up?" The middle age waitress had a tag on that said her name was Connie. "Had to dig myself out from under The Man. You know how it goes, Connie." Maria gave her a pretend scowl. Connie chuckled, "Don't I know it. What'll you have?" "Chili and cornbread. What else?" Maria pushed the menus away. "And I'll have iced tea. Peter?" "Milk." He ordered. Connie gave him an appraising look. "Milk, hey Pete?" She pointed her pencil at him, "Him, I like." She spun to hustle their order. Maria was appraising him, too. "Milk?" Peter smiled back, "I've had milk with Chili and cornbread since I was kid. It's the best. And remember it does a body good." He raised his eye brows at her. "Bibi?" She shrugged and took a sip of the ice tea that Connie slid in front of her. "There was already a Maria working here so I used my middle name Beatriz but it ended up just Bibi. I must have a dozen nicknames, Bea, Betty, Mary...you name it. My nieces and nephews call me Tia Tee Tee. How about you, Peter? I'm sure you've earned yourself a couple of nicknames in your time." He stirred the milk with his straw, "I suppose. Pete mostly...which I hate. Not sure why. My dad called me Sport sometimes but that seemed rather forced. Not the warmest man, my father. And of course there was the inevitable, Peter Rabbit." He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that's the easiest." she chuckled. "I like Pedro. That's was my great uncles name." She gave him a sly sideways look. "What? No, Peter the Great?" Peter couldn't help admire the crooked smile playing on her full lips. "Well....I guess there were a couple of women that used that name after a particular stellar performance. You know how it is?" He brushed imaginary lint from his shoulders. Maria rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs. "Puh-leez!" Their lunch was set before them and for a few moments they just enjoyed the first few bites of the flavorful chili and freshly baked cornbread. Peter wiped his mouth, "Benny, is a master. I think this is even better than the last time I had it." Maria nodded enthusiastically, "Sure is." They ate and chatted for the rest of the lunch time. A couple of customers passed by and greeted Maria. Peter glanced at the clock while Maria scrapped the last of the chili in the bowl. He only had ten minutes left in his lunch hour. Damn. "I've got to get back to the office, Maria. Are you ready to go?" "Yeah," Maria snatched up the check as he reached for it. "I invited you, remember?" "But..." he started to protest but he decided to let it go, just this once. He nodded. "Thanks." She looked a little surprised that he didn't continue his argument. A huge smile lit up her face. "Next week? Same time, same place? I'll even let you pay." Maria paid and they were headed towards her car. Peter hesitated, "Well, I was sort of hoping we could have dinner some time this weekend." This time Maria hesitated. "Peter, I wish I could. I really do but...with school and work and my family, the only time I have right now is Wednesdays for lunch. At least until the end of the semester in June." She laid her hand gently on his arm. "I really like you Peter. I just can't take this any further right now. Is that alright?" Peter couldn't help but believe the sincerity in her eyes. "Sure. Believe it or not, I can take things slow." He smiled back at her. "See you next week." He kissed both of her cheeks and hurried back to work. They met at Sammy's every Wednesday for the next couple of months. They always sat at the counter and had the chili with cornbread. Maria even started ordering milk. This was the best part of Peter's week, by far. "This final is going to kill me." Maria groaned as she buttered her warm cornbread. "I don't know if I can make it next Wednesday. I'm short on time as it is and I'm studying every second I can find. I can't wait for this semester to be over." Peter nudged her, "Yeah, maybe you'll be in a better mood when it's all over. You've been such a bear." She nudge him back. "I have not!" She shook her head. "Yeah, I guess I have. I feel like my head is going to burst." She rubbed her temples. "I need some time off. I only have a couple of weeks after the final before summer school starts. Yuck." She held her head in her hands. Peter placed his large hand on the back of her neck and massaged the tension there. He'd kept to the unspoken rule of 'hands off' but he always managed to touch her hand or her incredibly soft shoulder. He'd admired her graceful neck and the soft baby hairs that curled on her neck. This was the perfect excuse to touch that tender spot. "Mmmm," Maria moaned. "That feels good. I bet I feel like one big knot of bricks." That's not exactly how Peter would describe her at all. She felt incredible. "More like prickly pear." He joked. She raised her head and continued eating, "Yeah, I bet. Sandra's been keeping away from me this past two weeks. She says I'm a woman on the edge. I guess she's right." "I have the perfect solution." Peter suggested. "A friend of mine has a lake house about two hours from here. He says I can use it whenever I want. I can see if it's available one of those weekends before you have to go back to school." Maria looked at him for a moment. "Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that. I mean...uh...the whole weekend?" "Sure. He's always inviting me. And I figure now's the perfect time." He smiled into her eyes, hoping to coax her to accept. She looked down at her empty bowl and nibbled on the last of her cornbread. Maria didn't say anything for a few moments. Peter didn't say anything either. He figured he would let her think about it for a few minutes before he pressed the issue. The minutes passed and Peter was getting nervous. Damn. He hoped he hadn't blown it. "Maria...?" He began. "I'd love to," She said quickly. She looked back with a tentative smile. "I'd love to go...with you." "Great." he hoped he didn't sound as relieved as he felt. "I'll ask him which weekend would work best, and get back to you." "Great." she repeated. He walked her back to her car as usual. This time Maria took his hand and they walked down the street hand in hand. Her hand was so small in his but he could feel strength in her relaxed grip. A full grin kept threatening to split his face in two. When they reached her car he bent to kiss her cheek as usual but this time she place her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down to touch her lips to his. The kiss was soft and warm. Peter's heart gave a little jolt. He'd been wanting to kiss her for last couple of months but had kept his hands and lips to himself until she was ready. Obviously, she was ready. A sigh escaped her lips and she pressed herself against him, his arms automatically wound around her and he slid his hand down to the small of her back. God, she felt good. Maria broke the kiss gently keeping her arms around him. She looked up at him a slight frown creasing her brow. "Darn. I was afraid of that." Confused, Peter frowned, too. "What? Did I do something wrong?" His fingers were running soothing circles on her back. "No," she smirked at him. "You're a great kisser. That's going to be a problem." She chuckled and reached up to press her lips back on his then pulled away. "I better get going." She got in the car and opened the window. "Call me with the details." she called out and was gone. Peter walked slowly back to his own car halfway down the block. Wow, he hadn't felt like this since high school. He touched his lips imagining the feel of her pressed against him. She felt so right, their bodies fitting together like the perfect puzzle pieces. He adjusted his crotch as he slid into his car, not realizing how aroused she had made him with that simple kiss. Peter considered the new sensation of being so aroused with only a kiss. After all he was used to casual relationships but this was so different. She was becoming a friend, a confidant. Was this what love felt like? Peter thought he knew about love, but did he? Lust, yes. He'd had some long term girl friends but he had to acknowledge that he had kept them at arms length and wasn't too shattered when they had split up with him. Split with him? Yup. They had wanted more of a commitment that he wasn't prepared to give. He was always clear that he wasn't the commitment type and there had been a couple of women that thought they could change that about him. But he'd been firm and they left. Oh, yes, Maria was different. *** A week and half later, Peter was hurriedly cleaning up his desk. It was Friday and he was leaving early, Maria was going to be at his house at 3:00. "So, who is it this time and where are we heading off to this weekend?" Eric was leaning in the doorway to Peter's office, his arms crossed and a smug smile on his face. Peter almost knocked over his coffee cup in his haste, "I am borrowing Ben's lake house this weekend and who is none of your business." "Hm." Eric pursed his lips, "Must be the 'woman' with the 'daughter', or your wouldn't be so prickly about it." Peter smiled and shook his head, "Shut up." Eric spun and started to leave but tossed over his shoulder in a sing-song voice, "Sounds serious." *** Peter was zipping up his duffle bag when the front doorbell rang. "Sounds serious." he mumbled to himself as he grabbed the bag and hurried to open the door, glancing at his watch. Three o'clock on the dot, he hoped that was a good sign for what was to come. "Hey!" Maria said when the door swung open. "Hey, to you too!" Peter said. He sounded out of breath and excited. He'd never been this nervous about a weekend trip with a woman, and there had been many. "You ready to hit the road?" Maria stood on tip toe and kissed his cheek. "I am so ready for this weekend. I could use some serious peace and quiet." Peter was heading back into the house when he called back to her, "Yup! I'm all set, I just need to grab the cooler and we'll be on our way." They packed up the car swiftly and were backing out of his drive in less than five minutes. "Top up or down?" Peter asked as he backed on to the street. Maria set her sunglasses in place. "It's such a beautiful day, definitely down." She was grinning widely at him. "I've never been in a convertible before. This ought to be fun." "Never?" Peter was surprised to ask. She was pulling her hair into a pony tail as she spoke. "Not really practical when you work on a dirty farm or in construction. We mostly had pick ups or station wagons if there were lots of kids in the family, which there always was." Midlife Ch. 02 She said all this without a trace of bitterness or regret. That was not what Peter would have expected. She continued. "I remember one time my parents and my aunts and uncles took us all to the county fair. I think there must have about eleven kids and adults in my dads car and another dozen in my uncles old Chevy." She laughed then whispered loudly, "That was before seatbelt laws." She laughed again. "When it was over my older cousin, Carlos offered to drive some of the teenage cousins home in his new Lincoln. I was eleven but he let me come along. He didn't take us home right away, he said he was taking us on a 'scary drive'. It was so much fun. There was probably eight or nine of us packed into that car. He was blasting his eight track, I remember Parliament Funkadelic was playing while he drove us through these lemon orchards. And then just as we were crossing this old farm bridge he shut off the music and all the lights and just started screaming." Maria was really laughing now. "We all screamed, too. I almost peed my pants." Peter glanced at her laughing face. She looked radiant. He loved the sound of her laughter, it warmed him to the core. She wiped the tears of laughter from her cheeks. "Poor Carlos. He got into so much trouble for that. One of my prissy girl cousins told her dad. My mother scolded him for hours, saying that he had scared the little kids too much and how dangerous it was and blah, blah, blah. I had loved it, but they wouldn't listen to me." Peter chuckled, "Sounds like you had a little dangerous streak in you." Maria shook her head. "Naw. It was just innocent fun. We didn't have much but we sure had a huge supply of imagination." Maria swiveled towards him as far as the seatbelt would allow. "What about you? Are you from a big family?" "Not really," he said. "Two sisters, one older, one younger. Mom and dad, you know." He shrugged. "Aw, come on." She tilted her head. "What was it like growing up in Pennsylvania? I've never been further east than Texas." "I don't know." He shrugged. "I was the middle child. We didn't have any close relatives. Most of my friends were from school. I liked sports, the water...." He trailed off. Maria stayed still for a moment, not saying anything. He glanced at her and her head tilted forward and she let out a pretend snore. She brought up her face grinning. "Jeez, Peter! That's a grocery list not a description of a golden childhood." She grasped his elbow and shook his arm. "Come on. What was it like?" He laughed. "I don't know." He struggled to think of something but he decided to tell her the truth. "See Maria, I try not to think about my childhood too much. It wasn't horrible or anything like that it was just such a...." He searched for the right words. "chore to pretend that we were one big happy family." Maria waited for him to continue. Peter sighed heavily, "My sisters are great. Linda, the oldest, was always my protector and Carrie, my little sister was always the comic relief. My mother," He paused. "My mother was always the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She tried so hard to keep house and home perfect. As I grew older and saw that rigid way she always held herself. Always on pins and needles, like she was waiting for the shoe to drop any moment." He shook his head. "It was so exhausting to watch." "Why was she like that?" Maria asked quietly. Peter's mouth became a grim line. "My father. He wasn't violent or anything like that. He was just...absent." He shook his head. "He traveled a lot on business so that's when the house was normal. But then he'd be around for a few weeks and the house was like a tomb. He didn't like noise or kids running around. Or much of anything for that matter. He was just this stone cold presents that oppressed us all." "Then when Carrie was around 19 she was in a horrible car accident." He glanced away from the road to see the concerned look on Maria's face. "Drunk driver." Was all he could say to describe the twisted mess that threw his families life into turmoil. "Her back was broken, both her legs, left arm....her face.....She was so beautiful." He shook his head with sadness. "She's been in a wheelchair for the last 15 years or so." Maria pressed her fingers to her mouth, "That's awful. So young." She whispered, her eyes glistened. He smiled sadly at her. "Carrie was stronger than all of us. I never heard that girl complain about anything. She managed to finish college and now she teaches at a school for kids with disabilities. She's amazing." He ended with an admiring smile. A tear spilled from Maria's eye, "She sounds great. I admire that kind of courage." Peter nodded then frowned. "But that was the end of our 'happy family'. My father was away on a business trip when the accident happened. He didn't come back for four days. My mother was out of her mind trying to convince him he was needed at home. He just kept saying, what could he do when she was in a coma in the hospital. I could have gladly killed him." "You mean he didn't.....wow." She was shocked speechless. "Yeah." He nodded sadly again. "When he finally got back, my mother kicked him out. He couldn't understand why everyone was so upset, the bastard." For a couple of minutes, Peter just stared at the road, grimly allowing himself to vividly remember that devastating time. Finally Peter shrugged himself back to the present, "Anyway, my mother's remarried to a great guy and Linda is married with two daughters and Carrie's been living with a fellow teacher for the last couple of years. They seem to be pretty happy. I see them a couple of times a year. My dad moved a couple of towns away. I haven't seen him in a few years. I think he knows better that to try to contact me." Maria wiped a tear off of her cheek and chuckled, "I can't imagine why." Peter grunted. They drove in silence for the next few miles until the city started to fall away. Maria watched the industrial businesses start to change into farm buildings and fields. Soon they were winding up forest roads, climbing higher into the mountains. "My father tried to take us camping once." Maria smiled. "Tried?" Peter asked. "Yeah, we weren't exactly prepared. It started raining as soon as we pulled into the campground. Absolutely pouring. My mother was so angry that he hadn't checked the weather report." She chuckled. "She made us turn right around and go home. Poor dad, seems like Mom was always mad at him for something." "My granddad took us camping a lot." Peter said. "He was great. He had a boat and took us fishing all the time. My sisters were always competing with me to catch the biggest fish. They even tried to sneak in a fish they bought. I think they saw that in an episode of 'I Love Lucy" or something." he grinned. Maria grinned back. "So tell me about this cabin we're going to." "It's a lake house." he corrected. She rolled her eyes, "What's the difference?" "My friend, Ronny has had this lake side property in his family for about 80 years. They built a cabin on it back in the 30's, then some time in the 60's they built an actual home there. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a huge deck in the back that faces the lake. When Ronny took over about ten years ago, he renovated the whole thing." He explained. "Wow, that's not what I expected." she admitted. "I was expecting a small cabin by a small lake. This sounds major." He waggled his eyebrows at her, "I think you're in for a little surprise." *** Peter chuckled at the expression on Maria's face. Her reaction to seeing the lake house was priceless. Her eyebrows were high up on her forehead and her mouth hung open in shock. Peter raised his arm presenting the house to her. "Well, what do you think? As if I couldn't tell." "That's not a house! That's a freakin' mansion!" Maria gasped out. "Well, I wouldn't say that." Peter shrugged. "But it is big, I'll give you that." The lake house looked more like a rustic two story Swiss chalet with a high pitched roof and large windows that could easily take in the gorgeous views on every side. "Want to take a look around before we unpack?" He asked. She shook her head. "Let me get dinner in the oven and then you can give me the grand tour." She headed to the back of the car. Peter met her there and popped open the trunk. Before she could reach in he touched her shoulder. "Maria, I have to say something before we go in." She turned her curious eyes to him, "What?" He stroked her smooth shoulder, "Look, Maria, I really want this weekend to be a treat for you. There is a large master bedroom with a huge comfy bed that looks out on the lake, I would really love it if you'd share that with me, but I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for. So, there are two extra rooms to choose from that I could sleep in if you prefer. No pressure." Maria lifted her sunglasses and propped them onto her head, she stared enigmatically at him for a few breathless moments then slowly pulled his face down to meet his lips to hers. She wound her arms around his neck trying to pull him down to press her body to him. It didn't take much for Peter to comply and wrap his arms tightly around her. She pulled slightly away and trailed her lips to his ear, "Peter," She breathed in his ear, "I wouldn't be here with you now if I didn't find you attractive and a wonderful person." She pulled further back so she could look into his eyes. "I definitely would not be here if I didn't want to sleep with you." Peter sighed with relief and pulled her back into the kiss. Before he realized it, his hand was wrapped in her hair. He had wanted to run his fingers in the thick silky waves of her hair for so long. When had her pony tail come out? Never mind. *** Maria bustled around the large bright kitchen getting a salad ready while dinner heated in the oven. Peter took the last bag of food out of the trunk and was emptying it out into the refrigerator and cupboards. "I love this kitchen!" Maria gushed, "If I could ever afford it, this is exactly what I would do. It's so big, my mother would have a field day making huge batches of tamales, mole and ....oh you would just love her birria." Peter leaned against the counter smiling at her enthusiasm. "That's goat, right? I had it once in Mexico city. It's delicious." "Hers is the best." Maria covered the salad and placed it in the refrigerator. "Ok, I'm ready for the grand tour. I already love what I've seen, I mean, just the view from the kitchen is breathtaking." He placed his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the great room. "Well, this has got to be the best view." he said. The great room had a huge rustic fireplace on one side and a small piano and a couple of guitars propped on a stand, on the other side. Two large leather sofas faced each other in the center of the room. Giant windows filled the entire wall facing the river. As he positioned her just right he said, "Watch this." With a flip of a switch the entire back wall started to open to the huge deck and invited the cool breeze that came off the lake into the house. "Oh!" Maria gasped and then whispered. "That is the coolest thing I've ever seen." She slowly walked out to the deck. There was a Jacuzzi and a fire pit along with a large patio table and chairs placed invitingly around the deck. "Well," she sighed. "I guess my family is just going to have to miss me." Peter chuckled at the odd comment, "What do you mean by that?" She gave a sassy glance, "I'm never leaving. You're friend Ronny is just going to have to get used to me living here. It's perfect." Peter hugged her shoulders with one arm and then guided her back inside. "Come on, let me show you the rest of the place." On the first floor there was a game room with a pool table and small bar and a huge TV mounted on the wall with a soft comfortable looking sofa facing it. He guided her upstairs and showed her the two guest rooms. They had a rustic feel to them like the rest of the house. Finally, he showed her the Master bedroom. It had a huge king size bed facing the back wall that was glass from floor to ceiling just like in the great room. "Those windows open all the way just like downstairs, but they open up to a private balcony." He gestured around the room, "Fireplace and through there is the master bath." Maria walked further into the room, "Wow, I don't know where to look. This is beautiful!" She rushed to Peter and wrapped her arms around his waist pressing her cheek against his chest. "Thank you so much for bring me here, Peter." He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair, "I'm glad you like it." he said simply. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with excitement, "I love it here." She raised her chin inviting him to kiss her. He bent his head and touched his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and gentle. They stood there pressed together barely moving, enjoying the perfect moment. Peter's stomach suddenly growled, breaking the trance. He snorted with laughter. "So much for romance. Is dinner ready?" Maria chuckled, "Sure, Romeo. Let's eat." She took his hand as they made their way downstairs to the kitchen. *** They took their dinner to the patio table to enjoy the last of the daylight. "The sun sets pretty quickly around here. As soon as it dips past the mountain the stars come out." Peter said. Maria couldn't stop looking around, barely touching her food, "It's so peaceful here. Well, besides all the birds and the sound of the water." She frowned at him, "And the grizzly bear growling as he destroys his dinner." Peter looked up confused his fork just about to enter his mouth, heaping with dinner. "Huh?" "I've barely had two bites and you're already on your second helpings." She pointed out smiling at him. "I guess you like my mother's enchiladas." Maria had brought a pan full of her mother's enchiladas that just needed to be popped into the oven for about 30 minutes along with beans and Spanish rice. Peter moaned with his mouth full. "God! These are the best I've ever had. You're mother is a genius!" he gushed. Her face lit up with pleasure, "I'm glad you like them. She insists on making everything from scratch, especially the sauce." "Well, when you see her next, give her this from me." He quickly leaned over and gave Maria a sloppy, cheesy, saucy smooch. She squealed unexpectedly, wiping off her mouth when Peter continued eating. "You're crazy!" She laughed. The sun set quickly, as Peter predicted. Maria started to clean up. Peter just leaned back in his chair. "Hey, I'll help you with that in just a sec. I'm just too full to move right now." She shook her head as she piled the plates and took them back into the house. "No, just enjoy your food coma. I'll take care of this today. You can cook for me tomorrow." Peter nodded. "That sounds perfect." The night was cooling off quickly and the night creatures were starting to make themselves known. "I'm going to light the fire pit. How does that sound?" Peter called to her. "Sounds great!" She called back. A few minute later when the fire pit had a nice blaze going, Peter propped his bare feet on the edge, his empty wine glass catching the fire light. "Bring the rest of that bottle when you come out!" He called to her. Maria was already on her way out with her half filled glass and the bottle. "Aye, aye, Captain!" She filled his glass and plopped down next to Peter on the wicker sofa facing the fire pit, lightly pressed to his side. She clinked his glass with her own, "To Ronny's Lake House!" "Ronny's Lake House." Peter echoed, nodding. They were silent for some time, listening to the sounds of the night. Maria rested her head on his shoulder as they sipped their wine and listened. "Who's guitar is that? Does Ronny play?" Maria asked. Peter nodded, "Yeah, his whole family is musical. Some of them play piano, Ronny plays both. Do you play? I remember you said something before about being a musician." He recalled. "Yeah, I've been playing guitar since I was little." She chuckled, "I was even in a band when I was a teenager. That was before Sandra was born." "Really?" He was surprised. "What kind of music? Spanish?" "Hell no!" She stood up and struck a pose with an invisible guitar. "I was a hard rockin' punk chick! We were going to be the next Ramons or Pixies, it changed every week." She let her hair hang in her face and pretended to rock out with a low slung guitar. Peter shook his head laughing at her antics. "I can not imagine that!" "We were bitchin'!" She swung her arms up and pointed to the night sky. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" She shouted to an imaginary audience. "WE ARE THE SOCK PUPPETS! GOOD NIGHT!" Peter rolled over to the side laughing. "The Sock Puppets!?" He gasped. "Yeah." She laughed and came to kneel beside him on the sofa. "Or Rita and the Rockets or Test Pattern. The name changed every week, too." He sat back up, grinning, "I would have love to see that." She nodded, "We thought we were so bad ass. I don't know how bad ass you could be when our mothers wouldn't let us cut our hair." They looked at each other, their laughter winding down. Maria kneeled closer and place her hands on his shoulders, "You have the sexiest laugh." She slid one hand to the side of his face, lightly stroking his jaw. Peter place a hand on her waist the other played with a strand of her hair, "You're just sexy." he breathed as he pulled her across his lap, their lips coming together in a heated kiss. Midlife Ch. 03 There were only dying embers left in the fire pit as the breeze off of the lake picked up making Maria shiver in Peter's arms. "Better get you inside." Peter broke the silence. "It gets pretty cold at night at this altitude." Maria sighed, "Okay." They didn't move for a moment, enjoying the warmth of each others bodies pressed together on the wicker sofa. Peter liked the way Maria's body felt in his arms. She was so soft and pliant. He pressed his nose to her hair and inhaled. She smelled of her shampoo and soap and another indescribable smell that was all her own. He shook her lightly "Come on. I'm going to make sure the fire's out and lock up. Maybe you want to unpack?" Maria sighed again, "Okay." But this time she slowly rose from his lap and headed into the house. Peter adjusted his crotch before making his rounds of the house. He doused the last of the fire, checked the doors and shut all the lights before heading upstairs. He was actually nervous. Maria was so different from the other girls he'd been with. And that was just the point, she was a woman not a girl. She had a life, a history, experiences and opinions that she wasn't afraid to express. There was wisdom behind those eyes. Those dark expressive eyes that made his heart thud when they were directed at him. He climbed the stairs slowly, giving her time to unpack her things. When he got to the top of the stairs he could see her moving through the room, the dim bedroom light casting shadows over golden skin. She was so graceful, moving unconsciously back and forth. He stood there quietly watching her. He wanted her so badly. He could almost imagine what her naked body would feel like moving underneath him. He wanted to give her the most pleasure she'd ever had. He wanted her to feel all the desire he felt for her through his touch. He wanted... He shied away from the final thought of wanting her to feel his love. He had waited for her, waited longer than he ever had for someone he wanted but he wasn't ready to explore that particular emotion. Not yet. He made his footsteps heavy so she would know he was on his way up. She had her cosmetic bag under her arm and her toothbrush in her hand, sorting through her bag that was set on the bench at the foot of the bed. He came up close behind her and gently place his hands on her shoulders. He ran his finger under the straps of her tank she was wearing, she was so smooth. She stopped what she was doing and leaned back into him. He kissed the crook of her shoulder and ran his nose up the side of her neck. "Tired?" he whispered. She shook her head, "Not really." She turned her head so that their cheeks were pressed together. "I need a human moment." "What?" he was confused. Maria chuckled. "Nothing. I'll be out in a minute." She went into the luxurious bathroom and closed the door. Peter quickly unpacked his few things and stood in the middle of the room uncertainly. He could hear the water running and figured she'd be a while longer. He opened his overnight bag again and fished inside one of the side pockets. Condoms. Better safe than sorry, he thought. He placed them in a drawer beside the bed. It felt stuffy in the room so he flicked the switch and the large windows slid open letting the night air in. Maria found him leaning on the balcony railing looking at the dark lake. "I miss the stars" she said leaning beside him. "I forget how many there are out there when I'm in the city." He looked down at her and was startled that she was just in her bra and panties. He had taken off his shirt and was standing out there in his khaki shorts that were riding low on his hips, the band of his boxer briefs peeking out the top. Peter didn't say a word. He just stood there admiring her body. She wasn't a hard body like he was used to. She was a fully mature woman. Her curves were round and soft. Her stomach wasn't hard and muscled like the usual girls he was with, it was rounded and her hips flared naturally. Her underwear wasn't expensive lace and satin that cost a fortune, it was simple white with a touch of lace on the edges. He hadn't seen anything this unconsciously, sexy in a very long time. He noticed she had tied up her hair with a simple blue ribbon. He fingered the loose bow and finally looked into her eyes. Maria's expression was open and inviting. "My mother always said to leave a little to the imagination. Give the man something to remove." She place her hand on his chest, her fingers playing with the light sprinkle of hair he had there. She ran her other hand up his arm and encouraged him to pull the end of the ribbon. He tugged and her dark hair cascaded over his hand. He wound his fingers in the silken tresses and wrapped his other arm around her waist pulling her to him. He groaned when he felt her bra covered breasts press into his chest, his hardening penis pressed to her stomach. He rested his forehead to hers. "I want you, Maria." She rubbed her small hand down his back and slid them into the edge of his underwear. "That's why we're here." She whispered. Peter slid his hands down to her ass and swiftly lifted her up, her legs naturally wrapping around him. Their lips found each other easily. He moved back into the bedroom and placed her on the edge of the bed and pressed her back and leaned over her kissing down her neck to her chest. She raised her arms over her head and let him pleasure her. "I want you, too, Peter," She whispered. "So much." Peter smiled but kept pressing his lips to the upper slope of her breast. He raised his eyes to her and moved his hands behind her to unclasp her bra. He waited. Maria nodded and small smile of anticipation formed on her full lips. Peter pulled the bra off and tossed it to the side. He looked down on her bared breasts. The mocha nipple hardened under his stare. He place his hand lightly on one and could feel the hardened nub press into his palm. The other he nuzzled with his nose then kissed the soft flesh. Maria breathed deeply, arching her back trying to press herself against Peter's mouth. He switched to her other breast, giving it his complete attention. His other hand slowly moved down her waist and grazed the waistband of her panties. His hand hesitate there for just a moment before moving down to the heated space between her legs. He pressed his fingers against the crotch and could feel the dampness that was soaking through the fabric. Maria shivered spreading her legs slightly allowing him to cup his hand to her sex. "Peter." She moaned. She suddenly pressed her hands to his shoulders and Peter quickly raised off of her. "I'm sorry, Maria. Was that too quick? I didn't mean...." She didn't let him finish. "No!" She panted. She kissed him hard, "Not fast enough." She raised her hips and quickly removed her panties and then reached for Peter's boxer briefs. "Seduce me later. I need you now!" She shoved his underwear to the floor and wrapped her small hand around his hardened dick. Peter groaned and practically threw himself on her, pushing both of them further onto the bed. His cock was pressed between them, leaking on her belly. She lifted her knees up holding them tightly to his sides. She sucked his tongue eagerly into her mouth, caressing it with her own. Maria pressed his penis down and rubbed it back and forth through her dripping slit and then lodged the head in her opening. "Go on, Peter!" she panted. "Fuck me....I want you to. I want you." "No, wait." Peter said against her mouth. He tried to raise off of her but she held tightly with her legs. She pressed her pelvis to him, "Now, Peter! I'm on fire!" He rolled to his side and she finally loosened her grip, confusion on her face. He rolled further reaching for the drawer. Oh hell, why didn't he get these out sooner. He fumbled with the condom wrapper and rolled it quickly on. "Sorry." He smirked. Maria, rolled her eyes in embarrassment, "Oh....thanks." She lay back down and raised her arms to him. Peter looked into her eyes, trying to glean from her expression if this was truly what she wanted. He was ready to burst and knew that once he thrust into her he wouldn't be able to stop easily. All he saw on her face was desire, need, acceptance, and lust. God, she was beautiful. Her hair was spread wildly over the blankets, she was flushed with arousal and her skin had a slight sheen from perspiration, her lips red and plump from their kisses. He quickly lay back between her legs and once again ran the rubber tip through her sopping slit. Finally, he couldn't wait anymore and thrust fully into her. She welcomed him eagerly, her vaginal muscles clenching tightly around his sensitive cock. They groaned together in pleasure. Maria arched and her head rolled back, "Dios mio! Peter, you feel so good. Please! Move!" She panted rolling her pelvis to encourage him. Peter couldn't hold back anymore, even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to. He raised up on his hands and began a smooth, slow in and out. He just wanted to feel the sensation of her roll and clench for as long as possible. She moved her head back to face him, her dark eyes met his. The connection was electric, they were connected by more than where their bodies were pressed together. Her arms encouraged him to lay more of his body onto her. Very soon they were chest to chest and Maria pulled his face to hers for a scorching kiss. They fed their breath, moans and groans to each other as their lips and tongues battled, heating up the core of their passion. Without realizing it Peter was thrusting faster and grinding his pelvis on her sensitive clit. Maria's moans became louder and she encourage him to move with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. She started to tremble and lost the rhythm they had started. "Peter...I'm gonna...oh!" One of Maria's hands clenched Peter's shoulder the other gripped the blankets under them. She arched again and tossed her head back, "Oh....!" Peter felt her vagina clench and roll drawing his dick further in. He could barely move in or out and waited for her orgasm to subside. Her body slowly started to relax and she started to laugh. Peter hoped laughing was good. "Maria?" Maria's eyes came back into focus and she looked at him again, chuckling, "Peter the Great." He chuckled and then growled as he pressed into her again. "More?" Her breath hitched, "Oh, god, yes." She shuttered when he rubbed over her over-sensitive clit, her legs clenching, encouraging him to start again. The rhythm started again and soon Peter was on edge, "I'm close, Maria!" he panted. She clenched her inner muscles and began thrusting faster to meet him, "Then let's get you there, mi amor." Three more hard thrust into each other and Peter was coming hard, "Fuck!" he shouted. Maria jerked and shuttered briefly with a small orgasm of her own until Peter collapsed next to her, "God, your fucking amazing." he panted, nipping her shoulder. Maria laughed. ======================= About an hour later, Peter lay flat on his back, his arms behind his head completely relaxed, the sheets lay across his midsection as they discussed what they wanted to do the next day. Maria changed positions frequently, first laying on her stomach crossing and re-crossing her ankles in the air, then she crawled over and lay her head on his stomach, making circles in his chest hair and a mowhawk with the trail of hair that led under the sheets at his waist. He smiled at how comfortable she was in her own skin. She thought nothing of sitting cross-legged on the bed, where he was distracted by the moist pink slash of her pussy. Suddenly she rolled onto her back, her head near his feet, her breast flattening slightly with gravity. "God, I'm thirsty!" She said to the ceiling. She quickly rolled off the bed. "I'm going to get some water. Want something?" She was already heading for the door, her bare ass rolling as she walked away. "No, I'm good." Peter said barely moving a muscle. He sighed contentedly as she moved into the darkness of the hallway and down the stairs. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to Maria moving under him. God, she was incredible, he never felt this good after having sex with any other woman. He usually was ready to leave or just go to sleep but with Maria he wanted to stay in her company and maybe after a little rest, have another go at getting her to make that incredible sound she made when she came. He lay there for several minutes before he realized he could hear music drifting up from downstairs. Sitting up, he smiled when he realized that Maria must be playing one of the guitars down there. He made his way downstairs hoping she wouldn't stop. She started singing along with the sweet guitar accompaniment but he couldn't understand the words yet. As he got closer he could just make out the words and stayed in the shadows to listen. This part's for my love of old How the rose in your heart you hold Still, all the water in your wells won't make it grow Oh, the call of the nightingale How I love thee 'neath the ghostly sail sweet Moves like gypsy's 'neath the mist and beneath the gloom. Oh, how the river flows Under the ice and snow The keeper of the flame The Rose Captain knows my name His perfumed breath I breathed For you my dear, my love Will never leave Peter moved into the room just as she was finishing the song. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life. Maria sat in a chair with her back to the large windows, the dim starlight falling on her shoulders and hair. She held the guitar on her crossed knee, her dangling foot keeping time with the slow rocking of the song, her naked breasts swayed with the strumming of her hand and arms. Peter made the conscious effort to burn this memory into his brain forever. If he wasn't in love with Maria already, he was falling very fast. She looked up and smiled at him as the last strain of the song faded away. "I love that song. So sweet and romantic. Guess I'm just an old softy." She shrugged. She continued to strum the guitar not really playing anything particular. "This is a great guitar. Nice full tone." She commented. Slowly walking into the room, Peter said, "You have a terrific voice." He moved beside her. "Did you write that? It was beautiful." She looked up at him and snorted a laugh. "Heck, no! I couldn't write anything that good. That's The Rose Captain by Sea Wolf. I love the poetry of his songs." "I think I've heard of them. You're a Wolf or something like that?" He guessed. Her eyes widened in surprise, "Yeah. Wow, I'm surprised." She continued strumming absent-mindedly, until she noticed Peter staring down at her. The intensity of his stare became palatable as her glance grazed the slow thickening of his penis. It was her turn to admire his body in the dim light coming through the large windows. Very carefully, without rising, she place the guitar back in it's cradle and looked up at him, her lips part as if she wanted to say something. It took all of Peter's willpower to stand still and let her gaze roam over his body. Finally, their eyes met and a mischievous smile curled her lips as she slowly slid to her knees before him. He hardened noticeably as he watched her kneeling before him. She raised her hands so that she was lightly stroking his firm stomach and then raised them higher to run them over his chest, brushing his hardened nipples, rolling them slightly with her fingertips. Peter's breath hitched in his chest as he felt her breath fan across his hard cock. Her face was so close to it, he wanted to rub the tip across her lips but he resisted. For how much longer, he wasn't sure. Her hands lowered to his hips then to the muscled indention where his torso met his hips as she sat back on her heels. Finally, she raised slightly and swiftly licked the tip of the shiny dripping head. Peter's shoulders rolled with the sensation and the tension of not moving to make contact. Maria took mercy on him and engulfed the sensitive head in her warm moist mouth. His hands moved to lightly stroke her hair. He wanted to grab her head and force himself further into her perfect mouth but he refrained and allowed her to go at her own pace and pleasure him in her own time. Maria's tongue was working magic on his throbbing dick. She licked from root to tip then engulfed the head, her capable hands carefully twisting his shaft and rolling his balls expertly. How he stayed standing, he'd never know. His knees were trembling and he staggered back out of her reach before he busted his nut. He reached down and lifted her to her feet and pulled her to him, "Ride me." he said pulling her back toward the large soft sofa in front of the fireplace. He reclined on the sofa, his hard staff standing straight up, glistening in the dim light from his precum and her saliva. She smiled widely down at him and straddled his hips letting the head caress her moistened, swollen cunt lips. She didn't sink down on him but leaned forward and kissed him hard, her hair curtaining around them. He grasped her head, his hands fastened in her hair and ravished her mouth with his tongue. She sat up quickly, flinging her hair back and sinking down on him hard. "Fuck!" She moaned loudly. Peter grasped her hips pressing firmly into her. They didn't move for a few seconds, adjusting to the intensity of their connection. Maria's eyes fluttered open, her chest expanding with deep breaths. "Dios mio, you feel so good inside me." She panted. "You fit perfect. You fill me so good, Peter." Warmth spread in his chest at her words. He could feel the love filling him up and he struggled to keep the words from pouring out. "Maria, I ..... I need you...I need you to move. Ride me, baby." She smiled and chuckled rolling her hips slowly, grinding against him. "You want me to ride you?" She lifted slightly and dropped down. "Like that?" She rested her hands on his chest and lifted up again, clenching her muscles around his sensitive cock and then dropped again, rolling her hips. "Like that, baby?" She said again. Peter thrust up to meet her his hands cupping her bouncing tits. Slowly they started to gain speed and soon she was bouncing hard in his lap. He thrust up into her, he knew he wasn't going to last long with the intensity of their coupling. He pressed his hand to her pussy, his thumb rubbing her clit hard and fast. Maria jerked and rolled her hips faster. She grabbed his wrist and held it hard against her vulva. She gripped his other hand that was clutching her tit. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..." She chanted as she hit her peak. She clenched and shuttered over him. "Oh, gahhhh...." She moaned and soon Peter was moaning with her. His hips jerked hard against her as he filled her, their juices flowing between them. Maria sat still above him panting, her eyes closed. She curled herself onto his chest in slow motion as if she was afraid to break the spell. Peter gently stoked her hair and back with weak hands. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. "Peter?" she whispered, barely a breath. "Hm?" He grunted. "You...you're amazing." She sighed. His arms tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head as emotion filled him. "Maria...?" He whispered sleepily. "Hm?" The sound coming out soft and sleepy. "Maria...I...love you." He mumble before succumbing to sleep. "Thank you." she whispered before falling deeply asleep in his arms.