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The Burning Boat Ch. 01

By: Just_John1



The following story contains adult material. If you are offended or are less than 18 please read something else. If you are entertained by this story please vote and send me some feedback. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

John puttered around the house, slowly without any real direction. The house sat on a hill over looking the Pacific Ocean, a wide expanse of lush green irrigated grass, surrounded by the brown of the sage brush and tumble weed that was normal for the area. John walked from empty room to empty room adjusting a knick knack here a Hummel there. At 43 John was once again alone and totally unprepared for it.

John had made his fortune on the stock market a couple of years ago. He still had not adjusted to having money, he'd scrambled and worked for everything he'd gotten in life. As the money began to pour in and the stock grew, split and grew again, the modest investment turned into a living thing, needing management, constant attention, he'd become obsessed with amassing wealth. Now the thrill of it was gone, the money pulled from the stock market, more than he could ever spend.

He'd played with some of it, bought toys, boats, planes, and real estate. He bought some of the least desirable real-estate and some of the best. The worst became a housing complex, once again doubling his fortune, the best a resort complex he still had ownership in. The contest of money had lost its flavor for him, gone were most of the fancy cars, the gold digging women, the constant battle for favor. Instead it was just John, his wood shop and his house full of his past projects. 

His vehicle of favor at the present time was an old Chevy pickup truck. It had the parking place of prestige tucked between the Ferrari and the Cadillac. Its silver paint shiny, reflecting the sunlight in silvery blasts that belied its age. He wandered into town occasionally, to quietly pick up food, wood to work with, general supplies. He always paid cash and avoided most contact with the townsfolk as he thought of them. They seemed like nice people, he had the effect of turning nice people into bad people. He thought it was the only respectful thing to do to; leave them alone, and because of it he was something of an enigma to them as well.

He wandered slowly down the long grassy slope to the edge of the cliff leading to his small private marina. As he walked down the dock he chose sailing for today, stopping to release the stern line as he stepped onto the sleek sail boat. The diesel engine belched a cloud of blue smoke and then settled into a deep throated purr as he released the bow line, walked back to the cockpit, put it in gear and smoothly glided out into the open water of the pacific. 

The sun was directly overhead, bright, surrounded with a sky a pale shade of blue that faded into the dark blue of the pacific afternoon, and John marveled at the water as it turned into the deep shade as he made his way into deeper water, that complimented the sky so well. His world was quiet and peaceful... and lonely. He longed for a partner to share this vision with, this beauty, and chuckled as he wondered; is it really beautiful if there's no one to share it with? Maybe there weren't enough lonely people to make that as popular as the question of a tree falling in the woods, with no one to hear it, does it really make noise?

The sun was touching the horizon, settling over the ocean as John began to pick up the familiar landmarks heading back to the cove and the house. A little farther south than he usually went, blown off course by the gentle wind, or the currents as the water lapped against the sides of the boat, neatly but slowly slicing through the water. The rising and falling of the ocean swell a pleasant sensation.

He heard it before he saw it. A small motor boat, smoking and settling in the water. He aimed for it and rose to pull his sails, starting the diesel engine again, picking up speed. As he neared the small craft, the flames licking the engine compartment flared and John watched as the fire crept up the hull, quickly engulfing the craft. The dichotomy of the crackling fire and hissing water became a general roar of misfortune.

He saw her floating in the water, arms outstretched, suspended by the bright orange life vest and motored slowly over to her. He was afraid to call out to her, afraid that she wouldn't respond. Her head lifted and she began waving at him as he neared her, engine idling, drifting towards her now. 

"Oh god! Please help me, Please..." She was sobbing, with her hair over her face, the life vest sliding up on her arms, she looked at risk of sliding out of it and slowly sinking to the depths. 

"Grab this!" John thrust a grapple towards her and pulled her to the side of the boat. He leaned over the gunnel and she grasped his outstretched hand tightly. He pulled her up so she could reach the side of the boat with her foot and push up. She leaned over the safety rope railing and promptly fell with a plop on the deck. 

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck... I thought I was going to die."

John couldn't help chuckling and repeated his question calmly, "are you hurt, are you burned?"

"No I'm not hurt, well not badly, I got off the boat before the fire got too bad."

"What the hell happened?"

"I don't know... I was just cruising and the motor made a pop, then it started to smoke, when I slowed down the smoke burst into flame. I jumped overboard, I lost everything!"

"Its ok, I live just inshore, we'll go and call someone for you..."

She began to cry again, lowering her head into the life vest once again, her wet stringy hair falling over her face. She sat huddled around herself still sitting on the deck where she landed as John pointed the boat ahead, rounded the corner and pulled into his lagoon, smoothly sliding up against the rubber bumpers reversing the thrust of the engines to settle against the dock, and jumped lithely over the side landing lightly on the dock. Quickly wrapping the stern line around a cleat, the slight forward momentum of the boat bringing the rest of the boat square to the dock, John scooped up the bow line and tied it off before the boat began to swing back out, away from the dock again. 

John jumped back on board. "It's ok, come with me..." He pulled her to her feet and led her to the boat house, the small apartment he had that was integral to the dock. As he pulled her inside he was almost overwhelmed by the gas fumes, strong enough the make his eyes water. 

"Can we call someone? Who should I call for you?"

"There's no one to call."

"I can't call your family? A friend?"

"My family is gone and I don't have friends." And she again began to cry. "God I look frightful."

Her eyes were red, her nose was red, her hair looked like stringy spaghetti pasted to her head, she still had the gasoline soaked life vest on, the dirty off white sundress, flat white flip flops. John had to agree with her, she looked frightful and mournful. He had never seen anyone so sad before in his life, except perhaps when he looked in the mirror each morning, which was why he never did any more. But, as he looked at the bloodshot white of her eyes he noticed that it surrounded a deep shade of brown, speckled by a color that can only be described as gold. Her nose was a small nose, the classic ski slope shape, her cheek bones high and pronounced. Her chin was strong but not overbearingly so, the classic daintiness tapering to a slim neck of regal stature.

"What do you mean, your family's gone? Gone where?"

"Just gone."

"Everybody has friends."

"I don't, it's a long story."

"Ok... well, I at least have to call the coast guard so when they find your burned boat they don't search for you." He turned, thinking to himself that he sounded harsh although he hadn't meant to.

He called the number from a list posted next to the phone and she listened while he talked in boater jargon. She didn't understand a word. She hated boats, and typically disliked boaters. Her soon-to-be-ex was a boater, an asshole, cruel. She wasn't too fond of men in general right now either, and this guy was both, a man and a boater, definitely an asshole. He spent all his money on his boat, probably all of his time too and had to live in this shitty little shack by the sea. How fucking quaint.

"The shower's through there."

"I don't have anything to change in to... Shit I don't have any money, my credit cards, my clothes... Fuck."

John chuckled warmly, "you certainly have a way with words" and smiling, he walked into the bedroom and pulled a pair of athletic shorts with a draw string and a T-shirt out of the dresser and tossed them to her. "There's a towel in the bathroom."

As he left he heard the sound of the shower start and he wandered up the stairs to the top of the cliff and over the long grassy slope.

He was walking back in the apartment as she came out of the shower, her hair wet, but smooth, the tips as they dried, turning golden, the rest a light brown. The oversized T shirt draped over impossibly thin shoulders, her legs long and lean. 

"Feeling better?"

"I'm sorry, I never said thank you."

"It was no problem, can I take you somewhere? Where's home?"

"At the bottom of the pacific, I just moved into the boat this afternoon."

"You lived on that boat? It was tiny!"

"I had no where else to go. I left my husband this afternoon too."

"I remember, no family, no friends, I'm sorry. Ok, so that tells us where home is... How about a hotel, somewhere you can stay?"

Her eyes began to redden again and a solitary tear ran down her cheek. "I don't know what to tell you, I lost everything, my wallet, credit cards, my money, my clothes, everything. I can't go back there and I have no idea how to replace what I've lost..." 

"You'll stay here then... I mean if you want to. I'll spot you some money if you need, for a while, something to get you back on your feet, but you're welcome to stay here for a while if you want."

"Where will you stay, there's only one bedroom."

"Its ok, I'll stay..." he was reticent to show her the other house, to show her he had wealth, and wasn't quite sure why. "...I have somewhere else I can stay."

"I can't force you out of your house."

"It's ok, really, relax and I'll be back in the morning. We'll see about trying to put your life back together."

Laurie watched him walk out the door with confusion and some degree of wonder. The way her day had gone the guy would walk back in the door and beat her up. Her husband had finally pushed things too far and when the bruises had healed she left. Their friends were his friends and she really didn't know where to go. She took what clothes she could pack in a suit case and went down and took his beloved boat. That would really get to him, the bastard. 

She had cruised for a couple of hours, working her way up the coast, staying far enough off shore to avoid the rocks but close enough to see the coast. There had to be somewhere she could park the damned thing, at least long enough to figure out what she was going to do. Then it had started to smoke and make that noise. She had shut it down looking the long way to the shore, looking all around with no-one in sight. She heard the whump! As the engine compartment caught fire, she watched in disbelief as the flames started licking out of the engine compartment and spread with alarming speed. She took to the life vest and jumped overboard. The whoosh still came as a surprise every time her mind played it through and the fire spread over the entire topside of the boat. She figured she owed this guy her life and wondered what he'd want in return.

John woke up early as was his custom, watching the sun rise over the hills. He made coffee and pulled his ratty shorts on, a T-shirt his normal uniform for working around the house. He pondered the woman in the boat house and wondered what she'd look like today. 

He knocked on the front door and heard her rattling around. 

"Hi!" she was much perkier this morning. Gone was the despair of the catastrophe of yesterday.

"Feeling better? I brought you coffee, if you drink it that is... I have Orange Juice too if you want it." He held up the blue plastic bag and a travel cup for her inspection and approval. He was shocked when he looked at her. She had fine features, the lines of her face crisp, and fair. Her hair dry, and pulled back behind her ears, had turned a shade of gold he had never seen before and with her hair pulled back he could see her eyes had cleared, those dark brown, gold flecked eyes. He tried not to but couldn't help letting his eyes slowly run down her chin, once again feeling that the stature of her neck was regal, long, head held high, tapering into the shoulders, so thin looking, the rest of her dwarfed by the over sized T-shirt. Even just risen from bed she was the most astounding looking woman John had ever met.

He wondered how she'd fucked up that bad to be willing to take a boat. He also wondered how her ex could've been willing to let her go. Perhaps she was wanted for something, god he had no idea who this woman was. Perhaps she was a screamer, high maintenance, dumber than a brick post or any one of the reasons he had found dating so distasteful. 

"Thank you... I really don't know how to thank you..." She lowered her head and looked through her hair at him. She was shyly defiant, demure and confident at the same time. His heart fluttered, his knees weakened and he felt a connection with this woman, an overwhelming desire to protect her from what ever it was that was pursuing her, perhaps haunting her was a better choice of words.

"You don't have to thank me... I'm just glad I could help. You know, you can stay here for a while. No one really uses this place, except me... occasionally I mean. I don't live here, I just hang out here every once in a while."

"Fighting with the wife?" she asked just this side of bitchy.

"No wife." 

"The girl friend then?"

"No girl friend. Is that ok?" the sarcasm dripping from his voice. How could she be so angelic and such a bitch at the same time.

"What do you want from me?"

"Jesus! What the hell is wrong with you? I'm just trying to be nice, I don't want a fucking thing from you! Just let me know when you leave so I can lock the fucking place up. Number's by the phone, says 'John'" and he stormed out of the door muttering... "no good deed goes un-fucking-punished."

She sank onto the couch and put her head in her hands. "Why did I do that? He hasn't asked for a thing, he's been a perfect gentleman and I treat him like that mouth busting shitheel I'm trying to get away from." She looked out the window to see him step over the combing of the large motor yacht. He yanked open the engine hatch and walked down into the engineering space, stooping over and being swallowed up by the darkness.

"Ow shit!" he jumped and bumped his head as she appeared in the door to the engine compartment. 

"I'm sorry." She held her hand to her mouth trying not to laugh and trying to show concern. John smiled at her when he saw the twinkle in her eye.

"It's ok. Not your fault" He bent back down to the pump that was disassembled on the floor rubbing his head. He pushed the retainer ring back in and began to bolt it back to the side of the boat, pulling the small hoses back up to it, fastening them in place. His tone was clipped, distant, wary but his heart skipped a beat when he looked at her.

"I mean, I'm sorry for being a bitch earlier... You wouldn't understand. Can we start over again? Hi. I'm Laurie, thank you for saving me, and thank you for... well for everything. John right?"

"Nice to meet ya Laurie. Yeah John." John looked at her with the wariness of an injured cat. For the first time, Laurie saw the vulnerability in John's eyes, the hurt. Everyone has a hidden story. "Ya running to something or away?"

"What do you mean? Am I running?"

"Well, everything you have burns in a boat, you almost drown, and there's no-one you want to call. Sounds like you're running away from something or someone to me."

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"You know I could help you. If it's legal we can deal with it."

"I don't really want to talk about it." She heard the anger in her voice, unintended but uncontrollable at the same time.

"You know..." John looked away from those eyes. They made him feel different than ever before. He paused, looked down at the pump, "... You know you're awfully hard to help."

"I'm really not a bitch, its just that... I just can't talk about it..." John looked at her and saw the tear fall from her cheek. 

"Its ok, are you wanted? Cops looking for you?"

She laughed through her tears, "no! nothing like that. Well maybe, I'm hiding from my husband."

The disappointment at hearing she was married was almost a physical blow, his brow furrowed and his mood instantly soured again.

"Why the fuck would you hide from your husband?"

"He hits me. He hurt me and I couldn't take it anymore. I took his boat and ran. I was going to find somewhere to hide for a while and then, find a lawyer. I guess maybe the cops will be looking for the boat, and probably me too now that I think about it."

She interpreted his scowl as disbelief. "Really, I waited until the bruises faded, and then I ran. He thinks he owns me, like a dog... Shit, I knew you wouldn't understand."

"I understand why you ran, I can't understand why he would hit you."

"He's mean, he'd get drunk and then he'd hit me, for not getting his beer fast enough, or not knowing what he wanted for dinner when he got home and fixing the wrong thing. We've been married for two years and he just doesn't like me anymore." It was the most she'd said in one continuous stream since he'd known her. The tone of her voice carried a lifetime of pain. His heart reached out for this angelic creature in a way and with an intensity that he didn't understand.

"Laurie, its ok... you don't have to... you don't have to say anymore if you don't want to." He brushed past her and opened the door to the salon. He reached for her hand and pulled her into the air conditioning. "Shhh... come sit... let me get you something to drink." He pulled a Pepsi from the fridge.

"What's your boss going to say when he finds me. Will I get you in trouble too?"

John laughed. "Not to worry Laurie. I'm in good with the boss."

"John, you're being so nice and I was such a bitch. Why? It scares me."

"Why would me being nice scare you?"

"I'm just so used to it being different I guess."

"I like you, I mean so far, you seem nice" he chuckled, "I mean... for the most part. I want to help."

"I don't even know you. What do you want from me?"

"You could turn the bitch thing off for a couple of days but other than that nothing."

"Who are you? Where do you live? How can you arrange all this?"

"Anyone ever tell you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?" His smile was warm and gentle and Laurie came to the conclusion that this was a nice guy with something to hide. There was a standoff tenor to John and she wondered what it was. She figured it wasn't something illegal or anything like that, but she could tell he'd been hurt. He was wary but warm if that made sense. She had an instinctive draw to this guy, like she'd never had to anyone before. She didn't understand it but it scared her and she found herself in a mental tug of war. 

"Want to go down to the beach? You look like some relaxation would do you good. Or we could try this thing out if you want..."

"Uhhh, I'll pass on the boat thing if you don't mind... The beach sounds... nice, but I'm really not ready to do the crowd thing yet. Where?"

"Its just down the walk, its private, you want to go?" and John pointed to a small expanse of white sand out of the window. The waves broke on an off shore reef or sand bar, giving way to gentle lapping swells that dissolved into the crisp white sand. The sand gave way to beach grass which ended at the bottom of a cliff. A set of wooden stairs wound their way up the side of the cliff and disappeared into a landing at the top of the cliff. Laurie had never seen anything so beautiful, the seclusion, the serenity, a lush green oasis.


The Burning Boat Ch. 01



Laurie's eyes began to tear again. "I don't have anything... I mean all my clothes, my swim suit, everything..."

"Come on then, let's go buy you some clothes then we'll go to the beach, it'll be fun, I promise."

"I don't... I don't have any money."

"I told ya, I'll spot you some. When you're back on your feet you can pay me back." John saw a new joy on Laurie's face, for the first time, he saw hope. She was almost crushingly beautiful with the new warmth that colored her cheeks.

"You'll really let me stay here for awhile? Till I get a job and a place of my own? I'll be quiet, I promise, you won't even know I'm here.

"Laurie, the place is yours as long as you want."

"I can't stay here for free, we'll work out a payment arrangement?"

John smiled. "We'll work something out... We'll talk about it later. Now let's go get you a suit before it's too late to go and relax."

Laurie rode quietly in John's old pickup. He stopped at an expensive swimsuit store in the small one street town. Laurie wandered through the store pulling swim suits down and looking at them, when she looked at the tag her eyes widened.

"John! These are too expensive. They want three hundred bucks for that suit."

"Do you like it? Then buy it. They owe me some favors, I worked on their boat. Don't worry about it." The lie came easily to him and he made arrangements to pay for whatever she bought while she was in the fitting room.

When they left the shop John pulled her into an expensive lady's clothing store.

"let me guess, they owe you a favor too?"

"Yeah, just get what you want and we'll work something out later. Really, don't worry about it. This is the only way they'll ever be able to pay me back so everyone's happy. They repay a debt and you're happy, so I'm happy."

John sat on the beach chair in the sun reading his book. A beer rested on the cooler between his and the empty chair. He looked up as he heard the other chair creak, Laurie settled back into the chair. John was again stunned at the feeling this woman generated in him. His heart racing, he felt like a twelve year old in the company of a beauty queen.

Laurie had selected a yellow two piece suit which suited her, and complimented the gold hair that flowed over her shoulders. John's gaze traveled across her face, his face a slight frown when he realized he couldn't see her eyes in the sunglasses he had helped her pick out. His gaze traveled over her confident chin, down her thin neck, to the swell of her breast and he averted his eyes. He couldn't even begin to think about her in that way. She'd been through so much and he knew she couldn't be ready for someone like him. He had no idea what her body was like and was afraid he'd get caught looking. She'd been covered up with the oversized T shirt, and now he couldn't bring himself to look.

"whatchya readin'?"

"Just a novel, mindless fodder but it's pretty good, entertaining I mean. Want a beer?"

"I'd love one!" she smiled as he pulled another beer and a coolie cup out of the cooler.

"So tell me the Laurie story..."

"You know more about me than I do about you, why don't you tell me the John story?" her tone while friendly was still slightly combative. The dichotomy was not lost on John as he laughed.

"Ok, we have no pasts to discuss. We'll start our histories with today and forget the rest. Did you work? What do you do?"

"I'm a nurse. I had a job at a hospital, but they're probably trying to figure out how to fire me now... I haven't been in or called for five days." She went on about her nursing career, how she loved to treat patients, the interaction, watching her patients get better, the pain of watching some of them not get better, the good doctors, the not so good. John listened to her passion, her silky voice, he watched the emotions pass over her face like the seasons of the year as she told him about her life's experience. She eventually told him everything about her relationship with her husband, the cruelty he showed her, the hurt she felt. Her face darkened as she talked about him and John came to the conclusion he did not like "Fred" very much. He prompted her from time to time with gentle quiet questions and she found him a good listener. She had intended to keep it all bottled up but it flowed from her and the conversation, more of a monologue, took on a life of its own. She didn't realize how badly she needed to relate her experiences to someone and John watched as the conversation took on an almost cathartic effect on her.

As she finished explaining her marital woes to John she began to fully relax and look around the beach. She saw the marina just down the beach with the little boat house, all the boats tied up at the marina, complete with fueling pier, she saw the stairs leading up the cliff that surrounded this little cove with its pearly white sand. The winding road that meandered down the one valley leading to the boathouse. She turned to look at John.

"John what is this place? Who owns it? How come you get to hang out here?"

"The owner likes me." John was still afraid to tell her he owned it, He didn't know why but he was. He thought of his recent past disasters with dating women. Perhaps he wanted to be sure she liked him for him, not his money. He didn't know why it was so important to him, but was surprised to find out that it was.

She fell silent, lost in thought as John looked out over the Pacific. "John..." her tone was quiet, barely heard over the distant rumble of the waves breaking rhythmically and consistently on the offshore reef. He looked at her. "Thank you for all of this, thank you for listening to me... um, It really sounds like I'm a mess. I'm really not that bad, I promise. I uh... well, thank you."

John was embarrassed at the emotion in her voice. "Laurie, its nothing, really..." 

Laurie stood up and John couldn't help looking at her for the first time. She was lithe, trim without being skinny. Her legs were long and smooth, the muscles underneath toned. Her stomach was flat, with a tapered waste and smooth hips that held her bikini bottoms up. Her chest complimented her body and her nipples hardened slightly under his brief inspection, the heft of her breasts pressuring the strings of her top. Not too large but with a slightly pendulous effect, their shape near perfect. John blushed as he looked away trying to catch his breath and hide his attraction to her.

"Let's go swim!"

"No, you go ahead... The water's usually really cold."

John watched as she slowly walked down to the water's edge and daintily put her toe in the water. He watched the ripples as her ass swayed from side to side, the muscles of her calves giving definition to her legs. She started to run, splashing and laughing as she entered the water, her smooth body slicing into the water as she took a shallow dive, her hair streaming from her back, running water as she surfaced a few feet farther out. She dunked her head, pushing her hair back as she once again surfaced and began to walk out of the water. 

John watched as she emerged from the water, drips running from the peaks of her breasts, her nipples hardened from the chill of the water. He saw that her bathing suit was essentially transparent and could see the darker circles of her areolas. She looked down and laughed as she realized the display that she provided John.

"Oh shit! I didn't realize..." 

John smiled benevolently once again trying to hide his reaction to her beauty. Everything about this woman struck a chord with him, her voice, her looks, her passion. She frightened him but he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted a woman.

"Are you getting hungry? We can go somewhere, or we can stay in... I'll cook us something."

"I wish I could cook you something, but I don't have anything..." Her frown, the return of pain on her face almost broke John's heart.

"I'll bring something we can fix... Take a shower and I'll be back in a couple of hours ok?" 

When Laurie walked in the boat house she noticed it had been cleaned. It had a fresh smell, all the flat surfaces were shining and there was an envelope on the table. She dropped her towel in the entrance and looked in the envelope. There was a set of keys and money. Lots of money and a note from John. She counted through it and there was $5,000 in hundreds and twenties.

The note said "Laurie, here's some money to keep you going for a while. Consider it a loan. The keys go to the caddy in front. Be careful with it, I like that car."

It was signed simply "John"

She looked out the window and saw a new Cadillac sedan, pearl white, gleaming in the late afternoon sun. She walked to the phone and dialed the number next to John on the list. He answered the phone simply saying "hello."

"John what the fuck is this? $5,000 and a car? You don't even know me! What's to keep me from getting in the car and driving off with your $5,000?"

"That would be a pretty bitchy thing to do and you promised to park the bitchy thing for a couple of days."

"Very fucking funny." She was torn between being unreasonably pissed off and a giddiness that stemmed from the certainty that she was going to be ok. "You know, you can't buy me."

"There's that bitchy thing again. If you want to leave, then leave. Call me and tell me where the car is when you're done with it."

The confusion was evident in her voice as she said "shit!" and hung up the phone. She slumped in the chair and sat with her head in her hands, the silky blonde tresses creating a little cocoon of safety as she tried to think this out. 'He wouldn't even look at me at the beach and blushed when I caught him. I practically threw myself at him, put everything on display and he hardly reacted. Every time he does something nice for me I'm a bitch to him, and he still does nice things for me." She slowly came to the conclusion that she was falling for John and was still fighting it. She knew why she was fighting it and struggled to control her emotions as she began to cry. The phone shocked her as it rang and she snapped it up and barked "what!"

"Um, uh... I just wanted to know if you were hungry. I had some stuff put in the fridge for you. Some food I mean. Call me tomorrow and tell me if you're leaving or not."

"John, please, we need to talk, can you come... I mean come to dinner?"

"You're sure?" and in response to her grunt "An hour ok?"

"Give me an hour and a half."

John knocked on the door and heard Laurie say "come in!"

He walked into the familiar surroundings, settled on the slightly worn couch and turned the TV on. He heard the swish of fabric behind him and smelled her perfume as she entered the room. As he turned, his jaw dropped. Laurie walked into the living room and John couldn't keep the expression of appreciation off his face. The black sundress followed the contours of her body exquisitely. Her curves softened only slightly by the flowing light fabric that shimmered in the light. The peaks of her breasts giving testimony to the fact that there was only Laurie under the dress, John struggled to keep eye contact and Laurie lowered her head and smiled at John demurely. "I'm glad you approve."

"Absolutely! Laurie, you're stunning!"

She walked over to the adjoining kitchen and picked up the envelope. "John, I can't take this. This is a lot of money and I know you can't afford it. I really appreciate the offer but I really can't take it."

"It would please me if you'd take it. I've been really lonely here and I've enjoyed your company the last couple days. I was..." it was John's turn to blush. "I was kind of hoping you'd stick around for a while. You're welcome to stay but I'll understand if you want to leave." He concluded lamely.

"But how can you afford this?"

"I have a fund. Its expendable and I'd really appreciate it if you took it."

"John, I just came out of a really bad relationship. I know I haven't heard the last of him and I know its going to take a lot of money to get my past... well, in my past. I'm afraid of what he'll do if he finds me, and I know what he'll do to who ever I'm with. You've been so nice to me and... I... I don't want anything to happen to you. I know it will if I stay here."

"Laurie, I'm willing to take the risk. I know you haven't been here very long, and I know I don't know you very well, you don't know me very well but... I don't know how to say this... I really like you. I like spending time with you, I like it when you smile, when you laugh. I like to look at you, you're beautiful. It's been a really long time since I've actually looked forward to seeing anyone. You've made me realize how lonely I've been." John looked at the floor. "You saved me as much as I saved you, I was just drowning in a different but equally lethal form."

Laurie walked up behind the couch and ran her hand on the side of John's face. "John, you're so sweet. Can we just be here for a couple of days, and then... well, then I'll leave... to keep you from being hurt."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lay my emotional baggage on you... Maybe I should just go." He started to rise from the couch.

"No!" the vehemence of her response surprised both of them. "I mean, John, you scare me. I was married for two years and never felt like this about him. It's strange, I've only known you a couple of days but I feel like we... fit together." John sank back down onto the couch.

She leaned over the back of the couch and kissed the side of his face as he sat there, his head lowered resolutely.

"You better stop that before I read something into it that you may not intend."

"Other than distaste, you can read anything you want into it." She raised and went to the stove, stirring the contents of the pot on the burner. He followed her a few moments later to stand behind her looking into the pot. She could smell his man smell, natural and fresh, like the sea. She longed for him to put his arms around her, to nuzzle her neck. She'd always been distant from her husband, shying from his touch. Her desire to have John hold her, caress her, was a new emotion for her and it surprised her.

"What's in the pot?"

"Spaghetti sauce. I've seen you handle a boat, fix things, and you do every thing well. This is your final test. If you can handle eating spaghetti without getting any on me, or you... well, then, you are the best thing since sliced bread." She giggled and then sucked in a breath as his hands slid around her stomach. He started to withdraw mistaking her gasp as disapproval but she grabbed his hands and pulled them around her. "I can't tell you how much I wanted you to do that." She whispered to him.

His head fell slowly to rest on her shoulder, his lips caressing the skin of her neck. "hmmm..." and he laughed as the spoon fell out of her hand to hit the floor flinging spaghetti sauce on his shin and over her shoes. "Ow shit! That's hot!" and she laughed as he grabbed a towel and wiped the sauce off his leg, hopping on one foot. "Ok, does that mean I fail, or do you fail?"

She laughed again as she wiped the sauce off her shoe. "You definitely don't fail."

He stepped forward putting his arms around her and bringing his lips to hers. Her lips felt soft but firm as she kissed him back. He whispered, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"Stop apologizing" and she initiated the next kiss, pressing her soft lips to his they parted and his tongue slowly slid into her mouth. 

They pulled apart both breathing heavily a few moments later. "Laurie, I have something to show you. It's only fair and I want to be totally honest with you. There's something about me that you have to know."

"John, shhh... I don't care." 

"That's why I want to show it to you."

"kiss me..." his hand slid up her back and she slowly turned in his arms, his hand dragging around to her breast, her head falling back on his shoulder and she held his arms. Her nipples hardened instantly in his palms as his hands slid over her modest breasts, lifting, weighing them, massaging gently.

"You have no idea what that does to me..." 

He pressed forwards and she felt the shaft of his hardened member against her ass. He felt her cheek tighten as she smiled. "but, I know what it does to you." He chuckled quietly in her hair as he once again kissed her neck.

He forgot all about showing her anything as she pushed his hand gently lower. He felt the slight rise of her belly and then the curve that led to the joining of her legs. His fingers pressed the fabric between her legs and he marveled at the feel of her hardened clitoral shaft through the thin fabric. He felt the tensing of her hips as she pressed forward into his hand, her eyes closed, a guttural moan let him know he was doing something good. His fingers slid slowly downwards, gathering the hem of her dress and pulling it upwards. He noted how wet her panties were as he slid his finger inside the elastic of her leg opening. As his fingers slid between her lips he was surprised and excited at the amount of moisture that collected there. He gathered some on his finger tip and began to rub small lubricated circles on her clit. His touch was feathery light.

"Hmmm. You feel really good babe..."

"oh god John... That feels so good. It's been so long."

His fingertip slid inside of her to gather more of her natural lubricant and he felt it run along his finger to pool in his palm. Her hips were rocking to the rhythm of his ministrations, and her body began to vibrate. He knew she was approaching orgasm that fast.

"John! Stop!" she twisted out of his grasp and stepped away. "oh my god! You do that well."

"Why didn't you let me finish?" John said with a hurt expression on his face.

"Because..." She looked down. "Because... I'm different. My husband always told me I was gross, he stopped touching me over a year ago. He made me... Service him and if I... um... if I had an orgasm... he hit me."

"Why the hell would he do that? God what an asshole!"

"Yeah, he's an asshole, but... he's right."

"What do ya mean he's right?" John was incredulous. How this guy could've abused this wonderful creature to the point where she was convinced she was 'gross' left him speechless.

"I'm gross... I... I..." A tear slid down her face dropping off the curve of her cheek.

"What? I can't think of anything you could do that would gross me out..."

"I... make a mess when I... you know... orgasm..."

"You make a mess? I don't understand..."

"I get really wet..."

"That's a good thing! Laurie, do you understand that that's a sign that I'm pleasing you. That tells me I'm doing a good job, the more the merrier."

"You don't understand... I've been so up tight about it for so long..." She put her face in her hands and he watched as her shoulders began to shake.

"Hey, hey... Relax Laurie, we don't have to do anything you don't want to... Hey babe... Come on its ok... I love you warts and all..." He amazed himself as he came to the realization that what he said was true. The level of passion he had for this woman as he held her and she sniffled was greater than any feeling he'd ever had before. "Come on honey... it's ok... really..." 

"I want to... I want to feel you. I want you to finish what you started, I want it all but I'm scared. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I'll frighten you off."

"Never going to happen." He slid his hand lower and once again felt her incredible wetness. He wondered how it would feel to be in her, with that wonderful wetness around him. He began to caress her clitoral shaft once again and felt her hips react almost instantly. "It's ok to feel good honey. Let it go..." 

"Oh god John... So good, so close... Stop... please John stop..."

She didn't have to tell him she was close, while her mouth said stop her hips continued to fuck his fingers. He felt her walls collapse on his fingers and the moisture pooling once again in his palm. Her hips shuddered and pressed forward against him, giving him a rush of pleasure as his hardness nestled the back of his hand, his ministrations giving both of them pleasure. He felt a rush of her fluid as her walls contracted rhythmically and her legs gave way. He supported her with an arm around her back, her head resting on his shoulder as she gave in to the sensation of her orgasm.




The Burning Boat Ch. 01



"Oh god John... oh, oh, John..." his palm continued to shuffle against her clit and he felt her reach her second peak, crashing over, he pulled back to look at her face, scrunched in that mask of pleasure that resembled pain, her eyes fluttering as she lost contact with anything other than her pleasure. Her arms were tight around him squeezing hard as she slowly came back down. He slid his fingers out of her and hugged her close to him.

Her breathing rushed in his ear as she tried to settle. 

"John, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"I... oh god that felt good... I couldn't stop it. You wouldn't stop."

"Laurie, I wanted you to feel good. I wanted you to cum."

"I think I love you." She laughed.

"Its just post orgasmic bliss my sweet."

"I didn't gross you out?"

"Of course not! It was one of the most erotic things I've ever experienced. I like making you cum and I want to do it again, and again and again... Besides..." he licked his fingers. "You taste good!"

He looked down at the congealed now smoking mass that had been spaghetti sauce. "I think this is done... no test tonight. Laurie, please... come with me... I really have to show you something."

"I knew this was too good to be true. What about you? Wait, let me clean up a little. John!" She kept him from pulling her to the door, laughing at this image she had of a little boy waiting on Christmas morning for his parents to do the mysterious stuff they did before they'd let him come down the stairs to his presents.

"I can wait." And he settled back on the couch clearly indicating that waiting was something he really wasn't very good at.

When she came out of the bathroom he took her hand and pulled her to the door. 

"Where are we going? John, I don't want to go out in public. I don't want to go to a restaurant... Please."

"We're going somewhere private."

He drove quickly with obvious familiarity over the long winding dirt road that led up the valley and took a left at the 'Y' going between the trees. The road followed a long winding path through the trees until they opened up on a field of green. The sun was settling and she could see the expanse of the main house as they approached. She saw the lights in the living room, the chandelier in the entry foyer through the glass beside the ornate door as they stopped in front of the expansive house.

"John, what are you doing? I don't know these people."

"Yes you do. This is my house."

You're house? But, but... You told me that you... I mean you said you lived in the boat house."

"No, I told you I stayed in the boat house. You assumed I lived there."

"But you told me you knew the owner!"

"I do! No one knows me better than me. Come on... I'm famished. Hey George!" He yelled as they walked in the heavy wooden front door.

A young man walked into the entrance foyer. "Is Miranda still here? I'm hungry." Laurie looked around her and saw close up the chandelier in the foyer, the polished marble, the oak staircase that led upstairs. Her eyes followed the edge of the railing of the landing upstairs ending in a hallway she couldn't she down.

"Yes sir, she's in her room."

John walked to the intercom on the wall and pressed a couple of numbers. "hey Miranda, you doing anything right now? I mean, I know it's late but is there any chance you can scramble up something to eat on short notice? I'll owe you a major favor."

"Mr. John, you already owe me lots of major favors but I can put something together. I'll be right down." Her mirth was apparent even through the mechanical sound of the intercom.

"You'll like Miranda. She's the best there is. Miranda, there's two of us, so your normal won't be good enough. Of course your best probably won't be good enough either."

He laughed as she responded, "the worst I can do is too good for you Mr. John."

"This is all yours? How do you afford it? I mean what do you do? Have you been on vacation? When do you work?"

"You ask a lot of questions don't you? Let me show you around."

"This is your sordid little secret? Why didn't you tell me?" The realization hit her as the question came out. "You didn't trust me."

"I don't trust anybody... Another one of those long stories we've been trying to avoid. Come on let me show you around." He pulled her into an enormous living room plushly carpeted, she felt her heels sink into the rug. She looked around and saw an ornately carved desk made of fine dark wood. The chair in front of it was austere in its simplicity. 

"Wow! That's beautiful. That must've cost a fortune."

"Nah it didn't cost much, but it took a long time."

"Did you make that?"

"Yep!" He pulled her into a darkly paneled room with a large flat TV on the wall surrounded by shelves and a large leather recliner chair. "This is my library. I built that too." He pointed at the mirror finish on the dark wood of the table in the middle of the room. The legs were finely sculptured in a Louis XIV style. He pulled her to the wall and pulled on a recessed handle opening a panel that led to a set of stairs. He flipped the light on and they walked down the curved stairs. The room had a feeling of moisture and smelled of fresh wood.

"This is my shop. I spend most of my time here." She looked and saw an amazing array of saws, drill presses, a large work bench on the wall made out of roughly hewn 2X4's. 

"John, this is amazing... I, I don't know what to say."

"Wait there's more."

He pulled her back up the stairs and into the kitchen. Miranda was standing in front of a large stove with a pan giving off steam. A lovely young woman, tanned and trim, beach bleached blonde hair. "This is Miranda. She thinks she can cook but I'd be careful if I were you."

He laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him. There was an obvious fondness between the two.

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

Laurie stood uncertainly leaning against the door jamb watching as Miranda dropped four pieces of meat filets into the pan. 

"Hi!" 

"Hi, I'm Laurie. John... um, saved me."

"You're the girl in the boat house?"

"Yes." Laurie replied shyly.

"You must be something special. Mr. John doesn't bring women here."

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. John has had a bad time of it lately, the past couple of years I guess. I've been really worried about him. He mopes around here all day tinkering with his boats when it's warm and woodwork when it gets cold. He hasn't been out with anyone in a really long time. As a matter of fact I can't remember him going out at all. He's been really excited about you though. You can tell, he's happy when he gets up, gives him something to look forward to."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'd be really disappointed if you hurt him. He's a really nice man."

"Are you... um... is he special to you?"

Miranda laughed. "I tried to throw my hook in that pond but he wasn't interested. I never did figure out why not. We're just friends. I cook for him and he gives me a place to stay while I go to school. I graduate next spring but he said I could stay for a while if I want. I can't imagine leaving him. He's so sad all the time."

"What do I do to keep from becoming just friends with him?"

Miranda laughed again, an altogether pleasant sound and Laurie found herself instantly liking this young beauty. "Sounds like you've got it for him too..."

"I do... I don't know why but I really do."

"Just don't hurt him. I'm harmless but I'd watch out for George. He's not."

John walked back into the kitchen. "Don't believe a word she says, she's a compulsive liar." And laughed again as she once again stuck her tongue out at him.

"Those aren't lies Mr. John they are creative fabrications if you ask me."

"what ya fixing Miranda?"

"Veal. Marsala... with noodles and broccoli"

"I really hate to admit it but she does fix a nice marsala. Do we have a couple of minutes? I wanted to show Laurie around."

"You wanted to show a girl the house? Is it snowing outside? Mr. John! I'm surprised at you!" She laughed again as John blushed and pulled Laurie out of the kitchen into a hallway. The hallway ended in a set of curving closed steps. Laurie walked into the master suite of the house and was again stunned at the expansiveness of the room. Tastefully decorated with over stuffed furniture and a 4 poster raised bed against the far wall. The décor was dark, burgundy the prevailing color with highlights of green, the room was warm and comfortable. A couch sat in front of a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall and another stairway led up to a closed door near the ceiling. 

"This is my room. The bathroom's in there."

Laurie walked into a bathroom done in reddish marble. The fixtures of gold were polished and gleaming in the light from the lights above the mirror. The corner was tiled and had a slight ridge surrounding it, with three nozzles that came out of the walls, another gleaming gold nozzle came out of the ceiling a drain off centered in the corner.

"That's a shower?"

"Yes. Here's the tub." John pressed a button on the wall and one of the side panels of the shower slid sideways to display a large tiled tub, replete with more gleaming gold fixtures.

"Oh my god John! I've never seen anything like this before."

"There's one more thing I want to show you then we can go eat. Come on." John grabbed her hand and pulled her up the small curving stairs, opened the door and pulled her onto the platform. She saw a hot tub, encased in a well manicured teak deck, setting in front of a large set of floor to ceiling glass panels. John pushed another button set low on the wall. Laurie realized it was more convenient from inside of the tub than from where they were standing. The glass panels moved silently sideways disappearing into the wall and Laurie felt the gentle pacific breeze blow in, looking out on the open expanse of the pacific, the sun setting in its shades of maroon, and orange, replicated on the slightly ruffled surface of the sea. As the windows stopped inside their space in the wall Laurie could hear the distant rumble of the waves still breaking mournfully against the off shore reef, and could just see the whiteness of the disturbed water as they continued in their futile struggle against the shore.

"John, this is so beautiful. I... I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll stay a while... I'll give you a room, Miranda and George will get it ready or you can stay in the boat house if you want. I'd really like to share this with someone and would like it if you'd stay." He had his back to her looking out over the Pacific but she could hear the pain in his voice, the fear. She realized then how much her being there really did help him and her heart broke for him.

She walked up behind him and put her arms around him. He could feel the heftiness of her breasts as she pushed up against him. "John, you're so sad." She kissed his neck. He took her hands in his and pulled her tighter against him.

"I'm not when you're here."

"Come on... Miranda's cooking we have to eat it."

She pulled him back down the stairs, across the room, down the second set of stairs and into the Kitchen. Miranda was just getting plates and silverware out.

"In the dining room Mr. John?"

"Can we eat in here John? Miranda have you eaten?" Miranda looked to John and he smiled and nodded his head in acceptance and approval of her invitation. Miranda set three places and John watched the two of them talk over the meal smiling contentedly, watching Laurie as she talked.

Miranda rose to clear the plates. "Miranda, that was the best veal Marsala I think I've ever eaten!"

"Don't compliment her too much her head will swell."

Miranda laughed and Laurie pulled John by the hand to the stairs blushing at Miranda's surreptitious thumbs up. As they crested the stairs Laurie took John into her arms and kissed him. Her lips brushed his gently and she whispered to him, "John, thank you... This is all so... wonderful. Now, its your turn."

She kissed him again and gave an inward smile as she felt his member begin to press out against her leg. She pressed against him and grunted quietly as his cock moved and tapped her sensitive clit. His hands held her closely as their tongues wrestled in the warm wet confines of her mouth.

She slid her hand down between them and grasped his growing hardness through his shorts. Her hand traced up and down its length as her head fell to his shoulder, her hips back giving her the room to caress him. His hands slipped around to her chest, feeling her nipples grow hard against his palm once again.

"Laurie..."

"Shh John... I know..."

"Thank you... thank you for... being here..."

"Shh... Relax, feel and enjoy."

She undid his belt buckle and button, sending waves of pleasure through John's body as she reached inside and grasped the velvety smoothness of his hard cock. The skin so soft with a solid hard core. She pulled him slowly across the room, her hand behind his back leading him, his direction being guided by his throbbing cock. She pushed him back onto the bed and lay down beside him.

She compared the difference between John's cock and her ex's. She didn't mean to but it just kind of happened and it gave her a start. John's cock was the natural hardness that comes from tenderness, passion, her ex's never got fully hard until right before it spewed into her mouth. John's cock was longer and felt heavier in her hand and she wondered what it would feel like as it slid into her tightness. She unbuttoned the buttons of his shirt kissing the exposed flesh as she slid down his torso. 

John lay on the bed feeling Laurie kissing down his chest. Her hand still lightly caressing his cock, tugging his shorts down, pulling boxers and shorts all in one move. She kissed the skin of his lower belly and chuckled as he flinched.

"Laurie... Laurie... you don't have to..."

"John, I want to... then, I want to make love to you. I want to feel you in me, but please, let me do this for you."

John's head fell back as she took the head of his cock into her mouth. She sucked on the head as her tongue caressed the sensitive spot on the underside, her hand stroking the hardened length, wrapped around his girth. She pushed her head down gripping him tightly as her lips pushed her hand further down his shaft. He hit the back of her throat and she gagged briefly before starting the slow inexorable and intensely pleasurable trip back up his length.

"Ohh Laurie!" John's hips flexed involuntarily feeding his cock back into her warm wet mouth. She began bobbing her head on John's cock, tracing her path with her hands, increasing the pleasure emanating from his cock. He began pumping steadily, and Laurie could feel the toned muscles of his ass as he pushed into her mouth. 

"Laurie stop! I'm going to... Oh, I'm going... Stop..."

She released him from her mouth and watched as his cock expanded in preparation of exploding. His body was tensed, every muscle vibrating as he hovered just over the edge of no return but not yet in the free fall of ecstasy. She looked at his face as his eyes rolled back and his neck tensed. She slowed her strokes and kept him just over the edge for a moment, enjoying his impending crisis, then, wanting his pleasure she sped her strokes up once again. She watched as the first stream erupted, flying through the air to land on his chest and she quickly ducked her head feeling the next burst hit her tongue as she once again took him into her mouth. She heard his groan as her tongue once again danced on the head of his cock under the relentless attack as his cock shot his cum with reckless abandon. 

She pulled back as his body began to relax and the pulses of cum slowed. His breathing was still staggered as she lovingly stroked him, careful not to touch the oversensitive head.

"Oh my god Laurie! I've never... Never like that... oh my god!" He chuckled as his head once again fell back and Laurie crawled up to once again lay beside him. It was a strange sensation to her to want to cuddle, to be able to laugh in bed. She molded her body to John's getting as close as she could.

"You taste good too." She smiled and lay her head on his chest.

They lay there in silence for a few minutes and Laurie listened to the steady rhythm of John's now settled breathing. She tried to imitate the sound of the Pink Floyd movie as she said "wanna take a bath?"

John chuckled. "A bath?"

"Well a soak. I've never been in a hot tub and my guess is that you're going to need a couple of minutes to recover." She laughed and John rolled over pulling her hand, helping her from the bed. He slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders and looked at her hungrily as it slid to the floor.

"My god Laurie, you are beautiful."

Laurie blushed and looked down, her hair falling across her face. John reached up and moved it gently, leaned in and kissed her quietly. He pulled her with him to the stairs and they walked up to the hot tub room. The room was suffused in a blue glow from the underwater lights. John set the timer and turned the heat up a little and the room filled with the sound of bubbling water.

He watched as Laurie climbed in and he stepped over the ridge, his foot searching for secure footing as he lowered himself into the water. They sat quietly looking off into the pacific, only a couple of distant ships' lights to break up the darkness. Laurie slid over next to John and ran her hand under his arm. 

"Hmm, this feels good."

"You should try over there, where the head rest is, its like a recliner. There's bubblers and jets that will relax every muscle in your body."

Laurie waded across the small pool and settled into the chair. As she lay back her breasts just broke the surface of the water. Her nipples soft, her orbs gently swaying with the movement of the water. John sat quietly and watched her, his eyes once again followed the trail of her forehead, her classic nose, her confident chin, the smooth lines of her neck. He took the opportunity to look closely at her breasts, the freckles that lined her cleavage, the soft round curves, the highlights of her nipples. As he watched they began to crinkle and lengthen, visually hardening. He glanced at her face. She was watching him visually drink her in and she was surprised to find that it excited her.

"You approve?"

John mistook the question as a sign of disapproval. "I'm sorry Laurie." He looked away once again watching the distant lights on the Pacific.

"John," she said quietly, "You can look all you want. I like it when you look."

"Laurie, I'm sorry, I know I keep apologizing, but... but I don't want to... I know you've had a rough time, and I... I don't want to make it worse."

"John, shh."

"No, really. I find my self drawn to you. Shh listen to me a second" he interrupted her as she tried to once again tell him it was ok. "Its been a really long time since I've cared about anyone. I mean really cared about them. Everyone was always a mark, a negotiation strategy, something to be manipulated. I found that I disliked people and they disliked me. I couldn't stand to be around anyone anymore. That was five years ago. I sold my stock, sold my interest in all my businesses save one, and moved out here. I haven't dated, haven't really talked with anyone in years. Miranda and George are both great but I've never really had a meaningful conversation with either of them since I moved out here and hired them. 

"It was really my fault. I didn't want to deal with anyone. I set the tone of our relationship for a long time. It's only been recently that I've finally gotten through to Miranda and I don't think I'll ever get through to George.

"Then you show up and I can't think about anything other than getting a chance to talk to you, to caress you, to hold you. I hardly know you but I'm drawn to you. I've been so afraid of people for so long but I find myself wanting to love you. I know what you've been through and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me. I would be afraid if I were you too. As afraid as I am.




The Burning Boat Ch. 01



"I guess I'm asking you to take a chance with me. To give me some time to show you I can open up my heart to you, as scary as that is for me. But I need to know that you'll try to open your heart to me too. That it's ok for you, that you're willing to give it a chance. 

"This is the scariest thing I've ever done. I'm so afraid of scaring you away."

"John, I was trying to tell you, I've already fallen for you, my love. I guess I knew that the first day you brought me here, I mean to the boat house. You were so caring, concerned and polite, it was the first time anyone's really cared about me in a very long time.

"I know we can't stay here in seclusion for the rest of our lives. I'm going to have to deal with my past, to clean up that mess sometime. I can't run from it forever and I never really intended too. I was scared too. I left everything I know, everything I own, except for whatever's out there in the boat still, and I guess I lost that too. 

"I know I can support myself, I can find a place to stay, I have a transportable skill and enough experience to find a job anywhere. I never knew if I'd be strong enough to do it emotionally though."

"Oh shit, I know where this is going." And John leaned back with a sigh of defeat.

"John, stop. Don't finish my sentences for me.

"Anyway, then I find you, this sad and lonely soul sitting here in your little secluded cove rescuing damsels in distress." She smiled briefly. "You are a wonderful man John, you've been so nice to me, even though you tested me, and I hope I passed." She paused as he nodded enthusiastically. "I know I have the strength to do this on my own but I don't want to. We have so many things to discover about each other, some good, some... bad I guess. Part of what we'll do is clean up my situation. I'll lean on you heavily and I'm not promising you that it'll last forever, but I'd like to stay with you for a while... Here I mean, not the boat house. If you'll have me."

She rose from her laying position and waded back across the small pool to John again, her nipples dangling in the water as she leaned over to kiss him. He reacted almost violently, his arms encircling her, pulling her to him, his lips leaving hers to pull her tighter to him. She turned and settled on his lap her back to his chest and leaned back into him. 

She wiggled a little, then turned some in his lap.

"What's the matter? Aren't I comfortable?"

"Yes you are, but there's this jet of water... Here feel it." She pulled his hand down to her thigh and he could feel the gently pulsating water against the back of his hand. 

"I can adjust that for you... Let me up."

"Not on your life! You aren't going anywhere John Q... God! I don't even know your last name!" She laughed. "I'm here naked with you, professing my love for you and I don't even know your last name."

"Balsano. John L. Balsano."

"Laurie Sheckler, soon to be Laurie Johnson again."

"Nice to meet you Laurie-soon-to-be-Johnson." He smiled and kissed her neck right behind her ear. She shuddered and he pulled her thigh open slightly. She sighed as the jet pounded gently on her womanhood. She wiggled, moved her hips and found that the rhythmic water massage was making her tingle, her nipples puckered again to their full hardness. She moaned quietly.

"This is nice isn't it." John asked.

"It is John... but that jet is doing some things to me... some really good things."

"Good things? What do you mean?"

"I mean... it's caressing me... Down there..."

"And it feels good?"

"ohh... John... It feels really good." She sunk back a little farther as John reached around to her breasts, rolling her nipple gently between his fingers. "John... I mean it feels really... uhh... good..."

"Is it going to... make you cum?"

"I think so... ohhh..."

"relax... Enjoy it..."

John held Laurie tightly as she squirmed and moaned. Each moan with slightly increased urgency. He want to reach down and feel her but knew she was lost in her own pleasure. He could feel each time through the twitch of her body when the rotating jet passed over her clit. He felt her hair as her head turned, as if she was listening to some unknown call in the distance, her body tension rising slowly.

"Ohh... John, I'm so... ohh so close... Just a little... a little more... a little harder... Ohh I'm on the edge John... I want to... oh please... I want to cumm... Please..." John leaned back and opened the air nozzle that increased the thrust of the jets feeding compressed air and speeding the velocity of the water as it left the jet. It was enough to put her over the edge as she dissolved in spasms of pleasure. 

"ohh... ohh! Oh god John! Ohh... oh fuck oh fuck..."

Her breasts were firm as they bounced, the muscles of her chest and the force of her arms closing over her breasts as she orgasmed bringing them together. Her hands reached out and clutched at nothing but air as she crested for a second time, the twitch of her body dislocating John's cock so it popped up as it hardened against her. She ground down against it under the relentless attack of the sensuous water jet shuddering through each wave of tingles as they emanated out of her body and her pleasure was shared with John.

As she began to settle down, John reached back and closed the air nozzle, decreasing the severity of the water. His hardened cock nestled between the cheeks of her ass, up almost to her back. She leaned forwards and John held her not willing to let her go yet. 

"John... Let me... Please... please let me please you..." 

She reached down between them and rose slightly as she placed the bulbous head of his cock at her opening. She sighed and he groaned as the first little bit entered her. She slid down slowly until he was fully seated in her, his cock reaching depths that had never been reached, a fullness she had never felt before.

"Oh my god John... That feels so good. You feel so good..." John clenched his ass to thrust slightly into her. "Oh John... wait... Let me... let me get used to you... Oh darling..."

John held her as he sat quietly, trying to control his urge to pump into her, to take this woman with all his strength. He wanted to be buried deep within her, to become a part of her, to accelerate her pleasure. She began gently rocking on him, her back still to him, kissing his cheek by laying her head completely back on his shoulder. This had the effect of completely opening herself to him, a sacrificial offering on the altar of ecstasy. John lightly rubbed her body, caressed her breasts, his finger dipping to roll the nubbin of her clit as she slowly lowered and raised her body on him. The warm cocoon of the hot tub increasing the sensuality of the moment as the two bodies became one.

"John, do you want me... do you like fucking me? I love your cock... it fills me... it's... ohh it's going to make me cum... Cum with me John, cum in me..." Her body sped it's slow rhythmic rise and fall, her hips moving forwards and backwards creating an incredible friction, softened only by the wet nectar trapped inside by the girth of his cock. He no longer tried to control his hips as he began to thrust inside her, his cock growing that last little micron, becoming that last bit harder as the cum raced up his shaft. 

The changes, as minute as they were, were not lost on Laurie. "Yess... baby, yess... cum with me... cum with me..." her talk starting as a quiet chant, becoming less coherent as she rose to her pinnacle feeling his thrust and shivering as his body froze and his cock exploded deep within her. His body twitched with each burst that flowed from him, her body tremors, the squeezing of her pussy on his length sent additional shudders through him. Eventually his body calmed and settled back down onto the bench of the tub still buried in her, the quiet subsiding shudders as he came back down to earth, making her groan quietly. 

"John, I've never... had that happen. I mean at the same time... before."

"Laurie," John whispered. "I love you."

Laurie smiled as she lay back against him once again with the total body slump that can only happen after orgasms intense in nature. "I love you too John... Take me to bed. Please."

John helped her out of the tub and draped a towel around her. She twitched when the he rubbed the soft cloth over her breasts and followed him, hand in hand down the stairs. She fell asleep quickly while John lay next to her, a warmth in him he had never felt before as he watched her slumber progressing into a dainty snore. He smiled as he realized the depth of his happiness and fell into a deep sleep.

John woke with a start as George came running into the room. "Mr. John Mr. John! A constable Mr. John! He's at the door... come quick!"

"George! It's the cops for crying out loud! You were born in Chicago not London. Jeez!"

Laurie's eyes flew open. "oh shit! What's going on?"

"Just relax sweets. I'll deal with this."

Laurie watched as John pulled his shorts on, watching the muscles of his back ripple, the muscles of his arm as he slid the shorts up his legs. She pulled the blanket up to her chin her eyes beginning to focus.

"John... Its me. They want me. Oh fuck I knew this was too good to be true, to good to last."

"Babe, relax. I'll deal with it. There's nothing we can't solve."

John approached the open door framing a large man in the gray uniform of the area. "What's up officer?"

"Good morning sir, we've had a report of a missing person and you reported a boat that sank and a woman you rescued just off shore. We were wondering if there was a connection."

"Who are you looking for?"

"A Laurie... umm, Sheckler."

"She's safe."

"Is she here? We need to talk to her."

"Regarding what?"

"Apparently the boat she was in was stolen. From a Mr. Sheckler. He wants to press Charges."

"You'll have to talk to her attorney. I'll have him contact you. Can I have your card please?"

"Sir, I'll have to speak with her right now. If she's here it'll make things a lot easier."

"I understand you're only doing your job officer but if you want to enter my premises, you'll have to have a warrant. My attorney will be in contact with your office. Thank you, good day."

John gently but forcefully shut the door on the officer, turned from the door and walked back into the house. Laurie came down the stairs again dressed in her black sun dress from the evening before her hair disheveled from her sleep. "John, I've got to go. I have to leave!" The panic was evident in her face.

"Laurie honey, settle down and wait a minute or two. Let me make a call and I'll take you to the boat house so you can change. We'll have to see an attorney this morning."

He looked the number up and chuckled to himself at the age old joke. "Dewey, Fuck-em and Howe." The phone rang. Laurie only heard John's side of the conversation.

"Hey Lana, is your fearful leader in? Ok I'll hold but tell him to hurry. Not I don't want him to call me back tell him to put whoever he's talking to on hold and take my call." Pause. "Ok, I'll hold." Pause. "Bob, what's up? Yeah I have an issue that I can actually use the services I pay religiously for every month. I have a friend... yeah she's my... girlfriend." He smiled as he listened to the question. "recently, thanks, yeah I like her a lot. She had a husband that abused her, she took his boat and ran and it caught on fire and sank. Now the fucking cops woke me up this morning looking for her. Contact them, tell them you represent her and then charge this motherfucker with spousal abuse or whatever you have to to get him to back down would you?"

Another pause.

"I don't want her to have to go down there. She's been through enough. Call me when you know what's going on." The final pause... "Come on out to the house and she'll sign what ever papers you want... I mean if she wants to that is. You'll have to talk to her... Fuck you Bob... You know I'll cover the bill, I've already covered the bill six times over just paying your retainer... you asshole. An hour? Give her an hour and a half, she's pretty freaked out."

"John, I can't deal with an attorney. Shit I knew he'd find me. How can he press charges? My name's on the title too. It had to be because the bastard doesn't make enough to finance it on his own."

"Laurie, lets go to the boat house so you can change and we'll come back and deal with this. Don't worry about Bob, he's really a good guy, I like him, and he's the best attorney there is."

"John, how am I ever going to repay you for all of this?" She slumped on the stairs and put her face in her hands. John's heart broke as he watched her shoulders shake through her sobs.

"Laurie, I don't want you to repay me. I just want to help. Come on." He took her gently in his arms, pulling her from the stair she sat on and with his arm around her guided her out to the pickup for the ride down to the boat house. George watched as they walked out of the house, wanting to help somehow. This girl frightened him, not because of anything she did but because of the change in John. He worried what would happen if she decided to leave, if this budding romance didn't work out. John seemed so strong but George knew how fragile he had been.

Laurie came out of the shower dressed in a short white sundress with a floral pattern. The straps that ran over her trim shoulders were spaghetti thin and John followed them to the top of the V over each breast, the neck line plunging between the pleasant swelling of her breasts. The top of the dress functioned as a halter top, outlining and supporting her breasts, tucked in to highlight the flatness of her torso. It flowed over her modest hips and the sculptured hem line was well above her knee.

"Wow! You're gorgeous! Bob isn't going to know what to think."

He expected a look of happiness on her face but saw that she was once again near tears. "I bought this the other day. The only other clothes I have is a couple of pairs of shorts and the blouses. I don't know what to do..." Her bottom lip quivered and John wondered how she could be so confident in the way she held herself, her nursing duties as she explained them the previous day, but be so unsure when it came to her self image. He thought about what this bastard had to do to her to get her to this point and he felt a nearly uncontrollable rage.

"Babe, you look great, Don't worry about it. We'll get Bob taken care of and then we can relax. What ever you want to do. Perhaps you want some more clothes, we can go shopping or something..."

"The 'or something' sounds nice." And she smiled demurely surprising him.

When they got back to the main house Bob was there waiting for them. He met them at the door in his formal dark suit carrying his Lawyer's briefcase. "Let's go in the den Bob."

John sat behind the beautifully crafted desk and Bob and Laurie settled in the chairs in front of the desk. "Bob, this is Laurie. She's special to me and I want you to do anything you can to help her. Laurie, I'll let you meet with Bob and call me when you're done?"

"John, please stay."

John sat and listened in silence as Bob asked questions and Laurie answered them. He heard the whole sordid story and learned how "Fred" had hurt Laurie. He began to understand what she'd been through, how this bastard had systematically torn down her self esteem, how he had beat her, hurt her, abused her. He resolved that if he ever had the opportunity to meet this guy in a dark alley only one of them would walk out of it under his own power. He didn't realize how prophetic his thoughts were.

Laurie's emotions ranged from sadness, to embarrassment, through anger to despair. His heart went out to this beautiful creature, and he wanted to protect her from ever being hurt again. He watched as Bob took notes walking her through the information he needed, and John was surprised at the tact and sensitivity Bob had used. John had seen Bob be absolutely ruthless in his business transactions in the past and this was a new side to Bob that John had never experienced.

Bob finished by telling Laurie he had what he needed and Laurie signed some of the papers. He stood to leave.

"Laurie, you're going to be fine. The charges on the boat will be dropped by this afternoon and I'll have my office draw up the divorce papers. I'll have someone stop by to get your signature later in the week. I'll deal with the police department, you just relax but stay near a phone. Where can I reach you?"

Laurie looked at John questioningly.

"Use this number, the boat house, or my cell phone. I'll make sure she's reachable. Why don't you try to come down next week, we'll go out and try to catch some fish, if you have the time."

"Sounds great John, I'll call ya."

John walked Bob to the door and shook his hand. "Bob thanks... I really appreciate this."

"She seems pretty special John, seems like she needs someone like you. Treat her right, she's had it rough."

"you ok?" John asked Laurie.

"I can't believe all of this... its like a dream."

"It'll all be over soon... Bob's good, he'll get it taken care of."

"You don't understand... You keep rescuing me when things look the bleakest. The only thing you've asked me for is friendship. You have more than that from me."

John blushed missing the hidden smile from George. "ok, sweets, what do you want to do while we wait for Bob to call back? Beach? Boat? Pool? Your choice. Want to go shopping"

"You don't have anything to do other than baby sit me? 

"I don't have anything I'd rather do than spend time with you."

John lay back in the chaise lounge next to the pool and turned the TV under the bar on. The pool was the central piece to the sprawling house, surrounded by the four wings of the house. The main wing rose three stories and the three other wings of the house gave a quite the pool a quiet alcove. John glanced at the streaming waterfall, seeing the imperfections in the concrete sculpture he'd built, colored to replicate rocks. The pool water was dark blue, and the concrete rocks gray. A roof overhung the bar, built into the south wing a flat screen TV behind the bar and one built into the face of the bar at the perfect height to be watched while laying in the pool chairs. The overhang of the roof and the bar shading the TV to make it viewable. This was one of John's favorite places to be, the quiet solitude enveloping him in a sense of security. He was anxious to share it with Laurie.

He flipped through the channels for a while trying to find something interesting to watch. Laurie came out of the house in a new bikini swimsuit, almost a shiny orange color, not bright orange but a burnt orange John thought. It was tied between her breasts and on each hip bringing attention to the valley between her breasts and augmenting the seductive shake of her hips as she walked. 

"Hey babe! My god you look good enough to eat!"

Laurie laughed. "you may get your wish if you keep that up. John, I want to start paying my way here. Miranda went out and bought me a whole bunch of clothes this morning. I'm not sure how she knew my size, but I have a whole closet full of clothes. She bought me makeup, even picked my brand, everything. I can't keep just taking things from you."

"Laurie, you don't have to worry about it. If you want to work, then great I'll help you, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"I can't keep sponging off you John."

"Hush, let's just enjoy the day and we'll worry about it tomorrow." The phone rang and John went into the house to get it. He was gone for about 15 minutes before he returned.

"That was Bob, apparently things are settled between you and Fred now."

"What do you mean 'settled?'"

"Fred's only real concern was the boat."

"John what aren't you telling me?" Laurie noticed the discomfort in John's eyes.




The Burning Boat Ch. 01



"I guess we really can't just leave it at that huh? Well, when he was contacted by the police he was livid, that you left him and that you 'stole' your boat. When Bob called him today and explained the counter suit that you were prepared to bring against him, the fact that it meant almost certain jail time, Fred was a little more understanding. I have to tell you this though, he threatened both of us. Physically, I don't know him so I don't know how to interpret the threat."

"John, this guy is really scary. He's been hurting me for so long, I was afraid he was going to kill me. We need to take this seriously."

"Do you want to go away somewhere? Do you want to go to my hotel?"

"I just want to stay here with you." Laurie stood up and walked over to John, her arms going under his to circle his back, curling upwards to pull his shoulders forward to her, her head resting on his shoulder. "I know we can't just stay here forever, I want to travel with you, go places, see things, have experiences with you, but right now I just want this... Just you and me..."

John chuckled quietly and added dryly, "...and Miranda and George."

"John!" Laurie laughed. "They've been so nice!"

"Yeah, but I can't do what I want to right now..." Laurie felt John's hardening member begin to make contact with her belly as she moved closer to John. 

"You can do anything you want to, whenever you want to with me."

"Only when you want to Laurie..."

"That's my point John, I've never felt the things I felt last night, I've never been able to really enjoy... sex... before last night. I wanted you in the middle of the night, I wanted you this morning before the police came. I want to experience it all with you. I want you to show me things, to teach me things, things I've never done, never thought about. I actually had a hard time concentrating when Bob was here because I kept thinking about crawling under your desk and stroking you. My god, not only have I never said anything like that before, that thought had never crossed my mind before, with anyone!"

"anything? Anytime?"

"let's make a pact. Anything, as long as it doesn't hurt. I've had enough of that to last me a lifetime. Anytime."

"both ways? You can do anything anytime too... right?"

"Yep!"

"Laurie, I'm concerned about you becoming... well, I don't want you to feel like I'm just using you... as a thing, like Fred did."

"Its different with you. I want you to touch me, I want you to feel good, and I know that you want me to feel good too. I can tell... you want to do something right now."

"But what about George and Miranda?"

Laurie laughed... "I'd prefer it was just you and me right now but we'll see in the future."

John laughed. "You're incorrigible! I mean, I meant... they'll see."

"They'll either have to get used to it or look the other way. I don't care."

"I think that'll take a little getting used to for me too."

John and Laurie kissed and John lay down on the chair by the pool. Laurie walked over to the pool and slid in quietly swimming in small circles, doing that swimming stroke that only women can do, where her head stayed above water and she only created very small ripples in the water. John watched her through almost closed eyes as she floated, her breasts just clearing the water as she rolled over on her back to float sedately. He watched as the water ran down between her breasts, followed the slight creases that led down into her swimsuit bottoms as she pulled herself out of the water and laid down on the chaise lounge next to John's. 

He leaned over and ran his hand lightly over her cool wet skin. Tracing the path the water had taken down her flank. As his finger touched the ridge of her bathing suit she flinched and smiled. 

"That tickles..."

His finger slid into her suit and traced lower, lower still. He watched the back of his hand through the suit as his fingers found her pubic mound, the sparse hair there, sliding lower to find her already wet, her lips puffy. As he rubbed her gently, her hips began to move just slightly and he watched as she pressed herself against his hand. His middle finger found her clitoral shaft and began gently moving it from side to side, first gently and slowly then with increasing speed and pressure as her breathing accelerated. He watched as her nipples hardened and her back began to arch.

"Ohh... oh, John... that feels... uhnf! That feels so... so nice..."

John continued his manipulation of her clit as she built quickly, the fever of pleasure making beads of sweat break out on her forehead to mix with the water still remaining there. He enjoyed watching her as her breathing patterns continued to rise interspersed with moans of passion, getting louder and less coherent as she rose to her pinnacle. She crested in the harsh light of day under his close observation. He watched as the tendons in her neck stood out, her breasts shook as she arched her back, the tense muscles in her legs, her fingers clenched. Her legs fell farther apart opening herself to his touch, his every want, giving herself fully and completely to his whim. When she passed over the pinnacle of her passion and the orgasm raced through her body she shuddered with tremors that pulled her legs towards her chest, her head raised from the chaise lounge, her hair trailing behind the rhythmic thrusts that signaled her pleasure. Her body twitches slowly decreased in severity and she slowly fell back to a position of rest, her chest still rising and falling with her labored breathing.

"How could anyone not like that?" Laurie asked John breathlessly.

"You are so beautiful... especially when you cum."

"What about you? You keep making me cum and I keep asking you but you never answer me..." 

"My turn will come... when it's time."

John settled back in the chair his erection was obvious and Laurie leaned over and patted it. John grunted with the contact, the sparks of pleasure rushing through his body. Laurie pulled his suit down and freed his cock from the confines of his suit. She lightly ran her hand up and down his length and watched John's face as his eyes glazed over. She gripped him in her hand and began to stroke him, watching as the tenseness now took over his body. Her hand cupped his testicles then again rose to stroke his hardness. She marveled at the hard structure of his erection and the velvety smoothness of his skin as she increased her pace. John's hand rested lightly on her thigh.

"Now it's your turn John..." Laurie watched as the head slipped into her hand, disappearing into her fist, purple in his excitement as her hand slid down his length and it was once again exposed, the clear liquid that seeped from the tip, being gathered each time her hand slid over the head, lubricating her strokes. His muscles vibrated with each stroke, the tension increasing, his cock gaining hardness, his hips now moving with the exquisite sensations, forcing his cock into her grip. Laurie was amazed at the changes in John's body, never having been able to witness from an almost removed point of view the impending orgasm of someone she really cared about. She eagerly anticipated the explosion, but was still surprised when it happened.

"Ah! Oh god! Ohh..."

John's body went into a paroxysm of pleasure as his cock swelled and the first burst of sticky whiteness jetted out landing on his chest. Laurie watched in rapt fascination as his testicles pulled up tight into his body. She felt the tingles go through her body as if she were the one cumming and watched the rhythmic contractions of John's cock with each spurt of cum. She watched it settle into a bubbling mass sliding down the length of his cock, over her fingers, settling in the hair that surrounded the base of John's cock. John's body twitched with each pass over his now too sensitive head and she leaned over to take him into her mouth, her tongue staying clear, only her lips contacting him as she dipped her head and pulled back. His taste was slightly bitter but not unpleasant as her tongue collected his essence. She pulled back and leaned over to kiss John and he tasted himself on her lips and tongue as they kissed deeply.

"I like that!" she smiled at John. "I've never actually been able to... to watch it happen. I want to do it again and again!"

John laughed. "You're going to have a wait a little while..."

"John, this is wonderful. This is everything I've always dreamed about, wished for. I wish it could always be like this."

"Does it have to change?"

"You'll get sick of me after a while..." Her expression was wistful, distant as she settled onto the chair next to him, wrapping her leg over his. "But until then, I want to try everything. I want to do everything with you, your most hidden fantasies, your most wanted desires, everything."

John smiled as he drifted off, this amazing woman close to him, already becoming a part of him.

John awoke to the setting sun, alone in his chair. He didn't remember Laurie getting up and leaving, couldn't remember how long he'd been laying there. His skin was prickly with overexposure to the sun. He looked at the TV and watched as the woman on TV explained about the storm out to sea. He looked at the computer models they showed and was mildly surprised that one of them passed of his general area. He listened as the weather woman explained the steering currents, upper level sheer, and the potential for it to be pretty serious when, and if, it came on shore. The red line appeared at the bottom of the screen indicting that a Hurricane Watch was now posted for the viewing area meaning the tropical force winds could be experienced in the viewing area within 36 hours.

He rose from the chair and walked in the house looking for George. 

"Hey, George! Looks we could have a bit of a blow coming in soon. Can you help me secure the boats tomorrow? I want to get started early. The News said this could be a pretty bad one."

"Certainly sir!"

John chuckled at George's British accent. He always had a British accent and used British speech patterns but he was born and raised just outside of Chicago. He wondered when George had picked up the British habit. 

Laurie was laying on the bed in John's room watching the news on TV. She sat up as John walked in.

"John, have you ever been through a hurricane before?"

"We had a weak one come through a couple of years ago but it isn't often that a hurricane will turn back into the coast around here."

"The news said that it could come right through this area... What do we do?"

"We'll watch it closely and I'm going to secure the boats tomorrow morning. If it still looks like its going to hit shore I'll board up the boat house and we'll close the storm shutters on the main house and ride it out. This house was supposed to be built to withstand it. We have a backup generator and we'll be safe in the woodshop. It's underground."

"John, I'm scared."

"I know babe... It'll be ok."

John lay down besides Laurie taking her into his arms. He put his head down on her shoulder and held her tightly as they drifted into an uneasy sleep.

When Laurie woke up John was gone. She walked the house looking for him checking in the woodshop, the Kitchen, his den. There was a hot pot of coffee in the Kitchen but she couldn't find him anywhere. When she walked back into the bedroom she noticed the note on the nightstand. 

"Laurie, I went with George and Miranda to the boat house. If you want to, you can come down too. The keys to the cadi are next to the phone in the Kitchen, take a right when you get to the dirt road and follow it till you get to the boat house. Feel free to just hang out if you want.

Love ya, 

John"

Laurie pulled on a pair of her new shorts and a white blouse that tied just below her breasts. She drove the Cadillac carefully down the driveway and along the uneven dirt road. When she got to the cove she saw that the smaller boats were now sitting on trailers and John and George were working with ropes on the big boat. John was sweating as the muscles in his arms rippled while he pulled a rope taught. She sat in the air-conditioning watching John work duplicating ropes on the boat securing it fast to the dock.

"Hey! You've gotten a lot done!" 

"Hey sleepy head! Sleep well?"

"I woke up in an empty bed this morning... I find that I don't like that."

John laughed. "Sorry sweetheart, I watched the news this morning and it looks like that storm is coming here, or at least close by. George and I have been here since the sun came up. I just have to drop storm anchors for the big boat and secure the dock so if it floats off the stays it won't go anywhere."

"Don't you have to close up the boathouse?"

"If that storm does what they say it'll do it doesn't matter. The storm surge will wash it away before the wind gets here anyway. Look at the waves already."

Laurie looked over at the beach and was surprised to find three foot waves breaking on the white sand. She looked out to the reef and saw monsterous waves crashing, setting up again and crashing again, their remnants becoming rolling swells that reared up to come crashing flat onto the sandy beach. She looked to the blue sky and could see a couple of wisps of clouds flitting across the sky, giving the illusion that they were swirling around some central point.

"John, that's so sad... That's where..." and Laurie blushed as her face said what she was too embarrassed to in front of George.

"I know... I'm sorry. I've seen the waves come in this cove before and its not pretty. If you want to help Miranda is in the boat house trying to get all the valuables out and to the big house before the storm hits. News says it should be here tomorrow afternoon."

Laurie walked in the boat house and met Miranda with an arm full of boxes on her way to the pickup truck. Laurie walked through the house. It had only been a couple of days and it surprised her how much this little house meant to her. It was almost like it was her birthplace, her re-birth place. Laurie and Miranda spent the day securing as much as they could taking small trips but lots of them. Laurie found that she really liked Miranda, that her first impression was right as they chatted during their work.

"So how did you meet John?" Laurie asked.

"He's kind of like an uncle." Miranda replied distantly.

"How can he be 'kind of like' an uncle... He either is or he isn't."

"My dad worked for John in one of his businesses. There was an accident, my dad survived the explosion but was badly burned. John was there when Dad got the hospital and promised to take care of our family. Dad told me before he died a couple of hours later. I didn't really know what was going on, I was too young but Mom told me that John paid off her mortgage and every month there was a deposit in our account. We weren't rich but we weren't poor either. And there was a fund for my education, that's paying my tuition. My living expenses... well, living here takes care of that. I guess you could call that an uncle can't you? I'd like to think of him as an uncle, my mom passed away last year and he's the only family I have left."

"You can call him anything you want." Laurie's reply was almost a whisper. Her heart skipped a beat as she marveled at John.

When Laurie walked out of the house she felt a steady breeze and she looked to the sky. It had become overcast with swirling clouds moving steadily across the sky. She shivered as she thought about the storm to come. John was stepping out of the pickup truck, having taken the last trailer up the road. 

"Where are you taking all the boats?"

"Up near the big house. I had to tie them down and I wanted them away from the cove."

"what about the big boats?"

"As long as the storm surge isn't more than 20 feet we're ok. If its more than that the dock will float loose and they'll get smashed against the rocks. There's nothing more we can do. I'm sore, and we need to shut the storm shutters, I want to watch the news and see what's going on."

Laurie sat next to John on the couch watching the impending storm coverage. A category 4 hurricane with steady winds of 145 miles per hour, it was expected to decrease in severity a little before coming on shore. The expected center landfall was about twenty miles south of them.

John stood up and took Laurie's hand. 

"Come on babe let's go look."

She heard it even over the growing wind. It was a wind now, and steady. When she got to the edge of the bluff and looked out over the pacific it was angry and gray. The waves broke and swelled off shore, the fluffy white froth whipping in the wind. She looked down and the waves were no longer breaking on the reef but, were rolling in steep walls of water to crash on the rocks below. The white sandy beach where she'd enjoyed the afternoon was now underwater as was the beach grass that led to the cliff. The water ran under the boat house and she watched as a wave pushed through the boards of the dock running its length to emerge from the close end and crash against the rocks, the white sea froth whipped by the wind up and over the cliff disappeared as it flew away.

"I've only seen this happen once before."

To Be Continued...



The Burning Boat Ch. 02



While pacific hurricanes rarely come on shore and almost never in the US, usually the steering currents force them on shore on the Baja Peninsula or steer them off into the pacific, it can happen. The cooler water streaming down the coastal currents will degrade the severity of the hurricane, slowing the winds, decreasing the rainfall but, depending on the strength to begin with, the effects of the hurricane can still be severe. John was pondering just those effects and was hoping that the hurricane would decrease and be a non-issue. On the other hand even if it dropped to a category 1 hurricane, 95 mile an hour winds are nothing to play with. 

John watched the news sitting on the couch with Laurie, thinking about what else he could do to protect his house. The shutters were closed, the marina as buttoned up as he could make it, all the patio furniture was put away. He had nothing to do but sit and wait. He hated being reactionary and preferred to take charge of the battle, to be proactive.

Laurie looked at John. "I can't believe this. Just when I was getting to be happy, something like this comes along and blows it all away. Why?" 

John knew it was a rhetorical question, but felt compelled to answer her anyway, to say something reassuring. "Laurie, its going to be ok. Does the house really matter? The only thing I couldn't replace is you and I promise you'll be safe."

The outer bands of the storm were buffeting in from time to time. The winds announced their arrival and the sound of the rain smashing on the side of the house confirmed their menace. Laurie hugged John's arm as a particularly strong gust of wind shook the shutters.

"I've gotta go tighten that down Laurie... I'll be right back."

Laurie felt a chill as John rose and walked into the den to fight with the offending shutter. She knew it wasn't just from having the warmth of John removed from her side. She rose and watched as John struggled with the shutter, closing the latch tightly and then standing there to watch as the next gust of wind came in. The shutter stood quiet now, succumbing to John's will, except for the wind that came whistling through the small gaps.

"John, I'm scared."

"I know sweetheart, we'll be ok. Tonight there's just some of the outer storms rolling through, tomorrow the real storm gets here, but from what they're saying the storm will be less by then."

John closed the window and led Laurie up the stair to the master suite. He sat down in his T shirt and shorts, soccer shorts with a draw string and she pulled her new and slightly starchy robe closed as she settled on the couch next to John. John leaned over and rested his head on Laurie's shoulder, whispering into her hair as he nuzzled her neck.

"Laurie, I love you... I really do love you..."

Laurie felt protected in his embrace and held him tightly. She loved this man so much, loved the way he handled himself, loved the way he always tried to protect her, loved his smell, the feel of his arms, the depth of his passion.

"John, please don't let anything happen, please..."

"Shh baby... everything's going to be ok... Relax, rest." 

Laurie lay her head down on his lap and rolled onto her side, watching the TV as his hands kneeded the muscles of her shoulders. 

"You're so tense sweets..." His caresses became a massage as he rubbed her shoulders, running down the fabric of her robe to her back, seeking out the tight strands of muscles and rubbing them into submission. Laurie could feel the fear leave her body as the relaxation poured in and succumbed to his wishes. Her eyes closed slowly and she drifted into an uneasy sleep, her arm draped over John's leg.

John watched her drift off, her beautiful eyes slowly being hidden by eyelids with visible weight. They closed slowly and John sat and watched her sleep by the dim light of the TV. 

He didn't remember a conscious decision but found his hand sliding down her chest, grasping her breast, running lightly over the skin under her robe and light summer night shirt. He felt her nipple harden under his attention, her skin so soft as to be almost unbelievable. He pulled his hand back as soon as he realized what he was doing. Here he was waiting for a hurricane to come through, something that never happened, with his... well, girlfriend, who was terrified and he was caressing her, or if she wasn't awake was it molesting her?

He adjusted slightly to give his growing member room and her hand slid down to his arm and pulled his hand back to her chest in her sleep holding it close to her. He couldn't help it, the weight of her breast was something that fascinated him, the reactive nipple was something he just couldn't leave alone. God! This woman had gotten to him in a way he didn't think was possible.

"hmm..." quietly through her slumber, she rolled over to lay on her back. His hand separating the robe as it slid down over her stomach. He felt so guilty but couldn't stop himself. This girl created so much desire in him, even in her sleep. He loved to make her feel good and just couldn't stop himself. His hand found the hem of her night shirt at mid thigh and slowly slid up under the fabric, bunching the material as his hand slip upwards. He gently allowed his hand to trace her, feeling the tight compactness of her lips held tightly by the silky panties she wore. He loved the feel of her, knowing he was feeling what she felt like before any excitement, before the changes that occurred as her body prepared itself for sex.

Her pussy was firm, the sparse hair there tightly packed, her legs slightly spread, one knee bent, the other leg was laying on top of it. John slowly rubbed her where he thought her clit would be and felt it grow to life under his fingers. He traced slight circles and her legs fell farther apart and his fingers felt the first drop of moisture seep between her rapidly swelling lips. He used the moisture to coat her clit as he made gentle circles, worrying her clit back and forth just enough pressure to feel the shaft move slightly from side to side.

"hmm..." Laurie seemed to be still sleeping. He hoped she was dreaming of him as his finger tip dipped lower, her lips separating under his touch. He felt her opening and slid the finger tip in slightly, feeling her growing moisture of need. His finger slid deeper, a second finger joining, moving slowly as she roused, her breathing patterns accelerating, her hips beginning to pump slowly, moving in a quiet, erotic dance of lust on the couch.

His fingers found the fleshy spot inside and began to do the come here flutters on her special spot inside, the angle of his arm pressing his palm against her, caressing her clit with the subtle movements of the tendons of his fingers. He lost the sense of sight as his entire world came down to the feelings of her inner walls, the movement of her body the quiet sounds she made, a low groan of appreciation. He was startled out of his reverie as she groaned.

"John... what are you doing?" A feeling of shame came over him and he began to withdraw his fingers. She grabbed his wrist and pushed his hand down forcing his fingers back into her moist tunnel. "Oh god John, don't stop... I said you could do anything, anytime... and it feels soo good."

John looked down at her, her angelic face, her nose scrunching up as her hips increased their movement, the fine chin, regal neck as her head pressed back into his lap. Her breasts forced outward and John saw the hardened nipple through her shirt, the robe falling to either side of her body. 

"Oh, John... please... please... I'm going to... ohh I going to cum..."

John felt the gathering moisture between his fingers as he once again initiated the caressing of her spot, juices pooling deep inside of her. Her hips were moving, impaling herself on his fingers as he continued to increase the pressure inside, pressing his palm tightly against her mound to massage her entire pussy and with it moving her clit back and forth. 

He felt the pressure of her head increase in his lap, subtle tingles emanating from his hard cock as she pressed against it, her shoulders lifting, breasts thrust out, pressing her clit harder against his hand. He watched as her body froze, her ass lifted from the couch thrusting her pussy on his fingers to the maximum possible, chasing the tingles of her impending orgasm. She shuddered, her body dropped and he felt her inner walls implode on his fingers, the forewall of her pussy pushing against his fingers, forcing the fluid of her orgasm to pool in his hand. Her body shuddered, relaxed and shuddered again as she came violently.

Her mouth was open, sucking air in as fast as she could, her chest colored with the sensation, as she pulled on her breasts, tweaking her nipple through the soft cotton, pulling the collar of the night shirt lower, exposing the slight freckles between her breasts. 

"ahh! Oh! Ohh... ungf..." each sound an explosion of tingles, a shudder of her body. John had never seen anything so erotic, had never seen a woman lose herself to the sensations that deeply before. He slid his dripping fingers from her center and her eyes popped open. "no... don't stop... please..."

John watched as her hand slid down, her fingers zeroing in on her clit instantly, quickly flicking it from side to side and she rose up the slope of ecstasy quickly, her body once again shuddering in release as her legs flopped open and her hips continued to fuck an unseen cock. John slid his fingers back into her and found her spot quickly. Her eyes opened widely, then rolled back into her head as she grunted with the intensified orgasmic chill racing through her body. 

Her moisture escaped from around his fingers as her pussy clenched hard, the inner walls pushing the moisture to her opening in a wave. Her finger tips a blur as she continued her pleasure on her clit. Her upper thighs were soaked, and the moisture dripped from John's fingers as she collapsed completely back onto the couch as if the air had been let out of her. John saw the total relaxation in her body as she settled.

"A girl could get used to that ya know..." her words were breathless and airy as she tried to regain her breath, her body continuing to shudder in slight aftershocks, her nipples still standing out in relief under the cotton of her night shirt. John felt such strong emotions for this woman. God she was beautiful, exciting, smart and just everything John had longed for for so long.

"Your turn?" Laurie smiled as her hand went up over her head to awkwardly rub his hardness again. 

"You don't have to Laurie... I'm... I'm sorry... I couldn't help it. I just, started to feel you and... um,"

"Its ok John, it felt wonderful." She rolled over, her hand gripping him tightly as she stroked him. "I've never done that before you know..." 

"Huh?"

"I've never... made myself cum in front of anyone before... You know, by myself... I mean you helped but..."

He watched as she blushed. "I liked it. I liked showing you."

He quietly responded "I liked watching. I want to do it again, but all you this time."

"Can I watch you... Now I mean?"

"Me? Now? Um uh..."

"Come on John, please?" She took his hand and placed it on the lump in his shorts. He started to rub slightly up and down. She sat up, turning over, resting her ass on his knee. "Come on John... do it right, Please?"

John slid his shorts lower, his cock bobbing with the beat of his heart as he slid his shorts down off his hips, over his knees to puddle around his ankles. "Are you sure about this?"

"Please John..."

He slid lower on the couch, taking his cock into his hand and stroking it. Laurie loved the sight of his strong forearm, the tightness of his grip, the little twist he did as he slid over the head. She watched as the tendons in his neck tightened and she slid up slightly, leaving a trail of her juice on his leg and she drug her clit over the roughness of his hair on his leg. She leaned forward which accomplished more direct contact of her clit and put her head on his shoulder. She rocked on his thigh as she whispered in his ear.

"John, this is so hot. I want to watch you cum... I want to watch it spurt baby, do it... cum for me..."

She watched as John's body tightened, the firm ridges of his abdominal muscles in clear relief as the sensation took over. She watched the now almost purple head of his cock and imagined it expanding as he began to grunt, leaning back deeply into the couch. She watched closely as his hand began to get jerky, losing the smoothness of the stroke and he thrust from the couch as a long rope of white cum burst from his cock to land on his chest. She put her hand over the head of his cock and smiled as he grunted and thrust against it, surprised by the force his cum had as it shot into her palm. 

She leaned over and rubbed the head of his cock with her tongue, the cum now bubbling out, falling down over his slightly moving fingers, she shuddered with a small orgasm brought on by the slight pressure on her clit and the pure eroticism of the moment. He jumped with each movement of her tongue and she figured that perhaps it was as sensitive as her clit right after an orgasm, opening her mouth to take him in, his hand fell limply to his side. She suckled gently as his body began to relax, his taste on her tongue, coaxing the last few drops from his rapidly deflating cock.

"I came with you John. That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

They both jumped at the sound. A loud ripping sound, the sound of tearing wood.

"Oh shit John! What was that!"

"Go in the shop Laurie, go now!"

"Laurie jumped up and ran down the stairs to the shop, looking up she expected to see the wooden joists of the house moving. She huddled in the corner pulling her robe tight around her and listened intensely, waiting as she expected the house to begin to come apart. She wondered what it would be like to watch the roof be torn from the house, to watch the walls crash down and wondered if she would be sucked out of the house.

What she heard surprised her and wasn't at all what she expected. Raised male voices. She stood up and slowly, dreadfully, walked to the stairway.

"I want my bitch!" "She's not your bitch asshole, get the fuck out of my house!"

"Fuck you. Where the fuck is she?"

"Somewhere safe, leave her alone, and I'm warning you for the last time, get out of my fucking house!" John's voice raised to an ugly shout.

"Make me, you pipsqueak motherfucker."

"Remember you asked for this."

Laurie turned the corner and saw that brute of her ex standing in John's den, pieces of the broken shutter and window behind him on the floor. Just the sight of him sent a brutal chill down her spine and she dropped to her knees.

"Leave him alone Fred." Her tone was quiet, but her words were forceful. The two men squaring off turned to look at Laurie as she kneeled in the entrance to the room.

"Where the fuck you been... What did you do to my fucking boat. I'm going to fuck you up so bad when I get you home, woman."

"She's not going anywhere, asshole."

"And you're going to stop me?" Fred laughed with a snort and a sneer. He was a lot bigger than John, heavier and had the muscles of someone that worked hard for a living. Laurie was convinced that he would break John in half and couldn't watch that happen. This man had given her so much in such a short time, hope, love, peace. She knew it would end, it was too good not to, and she knew she couldn't live without him. She was sure that Fred would kill her if he got her to the old house, but, perhaps she could save John, and in the end, without John she just didn't care. She hoped it would be quick.

"I'll go with you... Just don't hurt John."

John looked at her in amazement. "What?!?"

"John, he'll hurt you, then he'll kill me. This is the only way for one of us to get out of it alive."

"Laurie, he's not touching you, and you're not leaving with him."

"And you're going to stop me you little fuck? I'll break you in half."

"Go ahead asshole, take a shot."

Fred launched himself across the room at John, fury in his eyes. He was sure he was going to smash this little bastard, the one that took his wife. He was going to settle this the way he always had, a couple of swift punches, the guy'd go down and then he could kick him into submission. He wanted to kick the very life out of this little fuck.

It didn't quite go the way he planned.

John sidestepped the first rush, pushing Fred in the back as he went by, adding to his momentum and Fred slammed into the end table, falling amidst the crash of breaking wood. When Fred stood back up the fury, and now hatred, was visible in his eyes. 

He rushed John again, a little less forcefully. John nimbly sidestepped again, swung his foot around his back connecting with Fred's shin at the same time his arm came up hitting Fred squarely in the middle of the back in a move called a sweep. Fred's feet went out from under him and he hit his head on the table on the way down, with a resounding clunk.

John said quietly, just over the whistle of the wind coming in from the broken window, "I'm giving you one last chance to leave, leave now and never come back, never make another attempt to contact Laurie, she's dead to you." His voice was quiet but the menace in his voice was enough to get through even to Fred.

"She's dead alright, right after I kill you fucker."

The only thing more dangerous than a belligerent bully was a frightened one. He knew if he tried again he would be in a fight for his life. He rose, blinked at the blood coursing into his eye from the gash that the edge of the table made. He approached more slowly, put his hands up and watched John go into a 60/40 stance, hands raised, open palmed, in the manner of Chinese martial arts. 

Fred swung, his massive arm aimed at John's head, and while John's arm came up in a block it wasn't enough to prevent all contact, Fred felt the satisfying contact of his fist with John's face and heard the grunt as John stumbled back. He stepped forward and again swung his massive arm. This time there was no satisfying clunk of hand hitting face, just an explosion of pain as his chin met the rapidly swinging elbow. He felt his teeth give way as if it was in slow motion, he felt the bones of his jaw and cheek snap like a chicken bone. He saw stars and as his knees began to give, in confusion, he felt another explosion of pain as the knee contacted his balls. His stomach knotted and he threw up before he hit the ground. 

He looked up and through the fog, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth, his world closed to a small gray point which flickered out with the loss of consciousness.

John stood over him, every muscle tense, waiting for the first signs of movement. 

"fuck. Call the cops. George!"

George came running in the room and came to a dead stop as he entered the room. He took in Laurie, still kneeling, her hands over her mouth, her beautiful eyes wide in fear, John standing in his stance over the prostrate form of the unconscious Fred, the broken window and the howling wind and rain, curtains blowing in the wind.

"George, call the cops. Now! Shit, call an ambulance too!"

"In a minute sir." George pulled the wire out of the phone and tied the unconscious man's hands behind his back and then walked to the kitchen.

John walked over to Laurie and gently pulled her shaking body to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and held her, listening to her sobs.

"John, I thought he was going to kill you... I.. I thought he was going to kill us... Oh god!" she buried her face in his shoulder and her body was wracked with heaving sobs. 

Miranda was the next to enter the room and she looked at the ugly welt on John's cheek, rising already and beginning to darken, to color, as the bruise began to form. She looked at Laurie crying in John's arms and heard George walk back into the room.




The Burning Boat Ch. 02



"They said they're having some trouble with downed trees but would be here in a minute sir, as fast as they can get here."

He nodded to Miranda who gently peeled Laurie from John and pulled her into the kitchen. 

"Let me see that sir." George was trying to get a good look at John's face and the ugly growing bruise. "We need to get some ice on that." 

George sat John in the recliner keeping guard on the still unconscious Fred and returned with a plastic bag of ice. John grimaced as the ice contacted his cheek. 

The police arrived moments before Fred regained consciousness. His mouth didn't close correctly and one puffy side of his face drooped slightly. After hearing John explain that he met this guy climbing in his window, the fact that he was an abusive husband coming to get revenge, and that, for once, the good guy won, the cops were not gentle as they removed the phone wire and replaced it with standard police cuffs. Each time they moved Fred he groaned in pain. The ambulance arrived and John held Laurie as they watched him, strapped to the gurney, being carried out of the house. John stopped the stretcher by putting a hand out and leaned over and whispered to the groaning semi-conscious man.

"Next time, I won't be as gentle. Go away, never come back."

Laurie couldn't hear what was being said, but she saw the fear in Fred's eyes, she knew she was finally free of him. Now, if they could survive the next 24 hours she might actually have a chance at happiness. She held John tightly and watched the last blinking light work down the driveway, turning left to the highway. She lay her head down on his shoulder.

"Laurie, you don't have to worry about him any more. I talked to the police supervisor and he told me they were going to charge him with attempted murder. By the time they get done with him, he's going to live in a very small room for a very long time." 

"John, thank you..." a tear ran down her cheek. "I keep saying that, but you keep doing things for me."

"I love you Laurie..."

Laurie couldn't speak and held John closely as he closed the door against the wind and rain. 

"I've gotta board up that window before everything gets soaked or the wind tears off the roof." But as he walked in the den he saw that George had already beaten him to it. He'd have to repair the screw holes but the wood was as secure as it could be made. He led Laurie up to bed. With the excitement of the evening wearing off, the adrenaline gone they both dropped off into a deep sleep, the rising wind going unheard.

John woke to the sound of the wind, a roaring he'd never heard before. He leaded over, hit the remote and nothing happened. He looked at the clock and it was also dark. He slid out of bed quietly and carefully trying not to wake Laurie.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to turn the power to generator. The electric's out."

"I hate waking up to an empty bed John..."

John chuckled and felt the bruise on his face as he grinned. It hurt. The bastard was stronger than John thought he'd be. He resolved never to let his opponent have more than one try again. The power soundlessly blinked over as the gas powered generator kicked in. When they first built the house John had trouble with the power going out all the time and had installed a generator that ran on natural gas. It was big enough to power the whole house and he had two weeks worth of fuel. 

The lights blinked on and John wandered into the den. The smashed end table still lay beside the recliner, the wind still whistled in the gaps around the broken window. He walked up stairs and Laurie startled him.

"Oh my god! Look at your cheek!" She kissed him softly but it still made him wince. "We've got to get that looked at John, you need an exray, you might've broken a bone."

"I'll be fine Laurie... I've had worse."

"I'm a nurse. I know better, when the weather clears you're going to have that looked at."

John smiled. It really felt good to have someone that cared about him. It had been so long since he could recall the warmth of caring. "whatever you say sweets. I need to watch the TV and find out what's going on."

As the TV clicked on John was pleased to see that the cable still worked. He wondered why the cable always seemed to stay on but the power went out. Maybe they should talk to each other, or perhaps the power company should hire a couple of the cable guys to teach them how to do it.

"The storm is still moving towards the coastline and has decreased in strength as predicted" the weather guy announced, seemingly proud that he'd finally gotten one right. "the center of the storm is moving very slowly and is expected to come ashore early this afternoon and should accelerate once it's made landfall. The worst of it should be over by 11:00 tonight but between now and then, the coast will see storm surges of 8 to 12 feet, and winds exceeding 110 miles per hour. The strongest winds will be gusts in the rain bands..." He pointed to the bands of yellow and red that surrounded the concentric eye of the storm. It was a very impressive geometrical storm. John looked at the wind map and saw that the tropical force winds were already there, with hurricane force winds not too far away.

"Hey, you want to go look at the beach?"

"You think we're safe?"

"I don't think we will be an hour from now but I think it'll be ok now. Come on sweets. We'll take the pickup."

Laurie pulled a pair of shorts on under her night shirt and they rode over the grass in the pickup to the edge of the cliff. The cove was a boiling mass of angry water. The swells were well over 12 feet and crashed with a boom against the bottom of the cliff. John looked at the boats which bobbed at their places tied off to the dock. He was glad he had tied them up and put storm anchors out. The dock was coming apart under the attack of the storm. Several planks were already missing and the rest of it swayed under the force of the waves as they ran the full length of the dock crashing on the cliff. The boat house was slowly coming apart as well, the waves crashing against its sides, peeling the siding off, forcing its way into the house.

Laurie had to yell to be heard over the force of the wind. "we're going to lose the house honey!"

John actually smiled. It was the first time he'd ever heard her being possessive, as if she actually believed that she belonged here, was a part of this place.

"It's ok, we'll build a new one... together... It'll be fun!"

As if to punctuate his sentence they watched in segments through the windshield wipers, as a large wave hit the side of the house. John watched as it twisted slightly, raising a corner of the roof. The wind had been waiting for just such an opportunity, and John lept from the truck in frustration but could do nothing but watch as a small section lifted up and tore away, then with a firm foothold the wind attacked the rest. It lifted as a large sheet and sailed up away from the house shattering with a roar against the cliff. Pieces of wood flew up and over the cliff while the big parts sank slowly into the boiling caldron of the cove.

Laurie's arm slid under John's as she joined him and they stood on the top of the hill watching together. The next wave took away a portion of the wall and the whole house began to lean as if made out of cards. It began to slowly fall to the side when the next wave hit and knocked it off its foundation. John saw the bed room, the bed and a portion of the family room, including the couch where'd he'd first felt Laurie's touch, slide into the sea. He felt melancholy as he watched the old house die. In a few moments it was over, the house was gone.

He pulled Laurie back into the pickup truck and looked at her as she wiped her eyes, her lower chin trembling. 

"Its so sad John... Just a couple of days ago we were there. We weren't there long but I will miss that house so much. What are we going to tell our children? We'll never be able to show them where we had our first kiss."

John just smiled as he drove back to the main house. He stopped several hundred yards from the house.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for anything loose." The roof held tightly, the siding looked fine, everything was tight. He hoped it would stay that way.

The four of them sat in the woodshop listening to the wind grow and howl in its anger trying to get to them. The wind had become a living thing, screaming it's rage, the house creaking, rocking as they sat huddled in the basement. Laurie looked apprehensively at the concrete wall of the cellar, almost expecting it to give way. Although it stood defiantly against the wind Laurie felt she could see it move with the battering pressure. Hurricane force winds had been on them now for almost 6 hours and they expected it to reach it's peak as the eyewall came ashore right across their beach in the next few minutes. As Laurie huddled next to John, the wind slowed as if taking a breath before its next and mighty attack on the house, but it didn't come back, but died off quickly, and the silence was almost scarier than the roar.

John stood up and walked to the top of the stairs, putting his head against the door listening. He opened the door and Laurie, Miranda and George rose and followed him through the door. The inside of the house showed no effects of the storm, the wood in the window of the den still stood proudly. John walked to the front door of the house and looked out.

"George, we're going to be planting trees again." 

As Laurie walked out the door, she saw a bright blue sky surrounded by an ugly gray swirling fog. She was startled by the silence, no chirping crickets, no singing birds, no noise of cars or planes, just the continued roar of the waves at the beach. John took her hand and pulled her over the long grassy slope down towards the beach. The large boats that were left were bobbing at the end of their tethers, all evidence that there had ever been a dock were gone, the boats secured by only their storm anchors.

The waves in the cove were monstrous and angry. As they rolled in to the cliff they exploded with a deep booming sound similar to hitting the side of an empty 55 gallon drum. The water was gray and deep, all vegetation at the edge of the cliff had been stripped away, even the small trees. John and Laurie stood in rapt fascination watching the anger of the storm beating itself against the firm unmoving force of the cliff as if in a battle that all knew the water would eventually win, but appearing as if the cliff was the short term victor.

John looked out to sea and the far side of the eyewall was a visible wall coming closer at an alarming rate, the sky's were dark, the sun low in the sky now obscured by the approaching clouds, and John realized that the storm moved faster than anyone expected, it was here early, four hours early. John turned and grabbed Laurie's hand, pulling her in almost a trot as the feeling of overwhelming dread came over him. He felt as if someone had a gun aimed at his back and was afraid to turn around and look at the approaching downside of the storm. He knew the worst was coming in that visible wall of death.

He looked up at the house as they ran across the front lawn and everything was surprisingly in order, until he noticed that the awning he had so carefully secured had come loose and now was nothing but a couple of anchoring bolts keeping nothing attached to the wall. John felt the first puff of wind as he entered the door, pulling a breathless Laurie in behind him.

"George! Miranda?! It's about to start again, let's get downstairs!"

George had prepared a resting area downstairs, a double mattress for John and Laurie, made up like a bed in one corner and two single mattresses, one for him and one for Miranda, in the opposite corner of the room. They sat quietly, listening, waiting for the wind to start. It started as a slight rumble, then, built with the speed of an oncoming train. They huddled in the dim light and sat in silence as they listened to the wind and the creaking of the house, each of them waiting for the first signs that the house was giving in to the force of the wind.

John and Laurie lay down in the spoon position, on the double bed, with Miranda and George finally resting on the opposite side of the room. George finally succumbed to the exhaustion and his snores were barely heard over the roar of the wind. John drifted off with his nose buried in Laurie's hair smelling the alluring feminine smells of shampoo and perfumed soap. 

Miranda looked longingly at John, comfortable snuggled up to Laurie. She listened to the wind, different than the sound of wind she was used to, not a high pitched whistle as the wind blew through the trees, but a loud roar, lower, like a train but decreasing as the storm wore itself out. She wished John's arms were tightly wrapped around her keeping her safe. She ran her hand down her 21 year old body, feeling the firm breasts, the flat stomach, firm thighs. She wondered why John had never wanted to feel them. Her hand traveled up to feel the silkiness of her panties, the wisps of hair, her enlarging clit under the wispy fabric.

She'd had a thing for John since she was a little girl, since her father had passed away. He was "uncle John" but she had always had a crush on him. When she moved in here she thought she had a chance, but finally came to understand that John had a different kind of affection for her.

She watched John closely, and noticed some slight movement as he nuzzled Laurie's hair. She looked down and saw his arm draped over her, his hand sitting on her stomach just beneath her breast, tightening as he pulled Laurie closer. She longed to feel that grip, to feel his hand move up over her breast, down between her legs where her hand presently was, massaging gentle circles on her clit. She looked at Laurie and saw a small smile beginning at the corners of her mouth. Laurie was so beautiful, and she and John fit so well together, Miranda could understand John's attraction, and her admiration for Laurie grew.

Miranda watched as Laurie's head went back and when she once again looked, John's hand had now cupped her breast. Miranda could see the hardened nipple as it was being rolled through the fabric by John's fingers. Laurie's leg rose slightly as if... Miranda was shocked to find that John was fingering Laurie.

It seemed strange until she realized that she too was feeling a sense of euphoria as the winds had calmed significantly. They were still audible but the urgent angry roar had decreased to something she understood, a steady stiff wind, the whistling kind. She lay there mesmerized by the expressed pleasure she read on Laurie's face, her eyes closed, her head leaning back, her long neck tense. 

Miranda's fingers pressed against her clit, rubbing circles she fantasized were being painted by John as she watched him pleasure Laurie. She watched Laurie's leg raise, looping back over John's and she saw the moment he entered Laurie clearly expressed on Laurie's face, the slight grimace as the pleasure overcame her ability to hide it. Her hips moved slightly as she bumped forward slightly with each thrust. 

Laurie's eyes opened as John gently thrust into her. Laurie loved the fact that John wanted her, needed her and she reveled in the pleasure of feeling his length slide gently inside of her. She felt the fullness and the challenge of staying quiet, across the room from Miranda and George increased her pleasure, the sheer naughtiness of it. She adjusted her hips to give John a clear path for his thrusts, shuddering at the tingles generated as John's hard cock pulled her clit down to rub along his well lubricated length with each in thrust, and the anticipation as John pulled his length almost all the way out preparatory for the next thrust.

Laurie opened her eyes and looked directly into Miranda's as Miranda watched. Miranda's face was also a mask of pleasure as she fingered herself. Laurie stiffened, then relaxed making the conscious decision to let John have his pleasure, and watched the smile cross Miranda's face as Miranda understood as well. Miranda watched as Laurie bit down on her lower lip trying to stifle the moans, breaking eye contact to look briefly at Laurie's breasts, still gripped by John's hands, his forearm rippling as he continued ot fondle her nipple.

The two girls, one older than the other watched each other climb the hills of pleasure. Miranda's nipples rubbed against the fabric of her shirt as she watched each thrust transferred to Laurie's face, watched her body move forward as John thrust deeply into her, watched Laurie try to hold back her orgasm. John's hand squeezed Laurie's breast as he approached his orgasm.

Laurie watched as Miranda began to cum, her eyes closing to slits but still focused on the pair fucking across the room. Miranda squeezed her breast as she came and the act put Laurie over the top. Miranda watched as Laurie's eyes rolled back and her mouth came open. Miranda just barely heard Laurie's groan as she crested and watched her body shake with each thrust, getting lost in the shudders of orgasm. The sight put Miranda over the top again and she lost herself to her second orgasm watching Laurie cum.

As her eyes opened she watched as Laurie lurched once, then again and she could almost feel John cumming deeply inside Laurie. Each thrust timed with a spurt of his white seed deep within her, coating her cervix, her walls, getting lost in her juices. She was amazed at how erotic it was to watch the final throes of the act of sex, as the woman gave herself to his pleasure. Miranda watched but didn't hear as Laurie whispered quietly to John, the lips clearly said "I love you too..." and Miranda was happy for John. Miranda smiled at Laurie who smiled shyly back, a womanly pact between two women, an acceptance of approval and a promise of love. A bond was struck between the two, knowing that the core of that bond was their mutual love for John.

Epilogue

The storm eventually burned itself out, and had decreased enough by the time that it hit land that the only real loss John suffered was the loss of the dock and the boat house. Laurie helped John clean up, it took three days before power was restored. When everything had settled from the storm life began a steady course. Laurie found herself happier than she had ever been with John and they led a full and happy relationship. They were married in the months to follow the 500 year storm.

Laurie found a part time job nursing at the local doctor's office and introduced John to many of the locals. She ended up having two children sired by John, both boys, and he threw himself into their lives, spending many days on the baseball and soccer fields, coaching, grooming fields and generally being a part of their lives. He was always there for the community, becoming fast friends with many of the locals, hosting community parties, and yes, fixing boats at no cost save a blouse or a woman's swim suit. He became a treasured member of the community.

Miranda stayed at the house through her college years and then after, for a couple of years until she too found her life mate. Her relationship with Laurie was always close and they became the closest of friends. The big test that Miranda's future husband had to pass was acceptance by Laurie. Miranda was given a modest beach house not far from John and Laurie's house as a wedding present, but she was often found at the big house in the wee hours of the night laughing, chatting and cooking with Laurie and John.

Fred ended up with a large cell mate with which he tried to settle his differences in the same manner he had always settled them. He died, gasping for breath with a shank punctured lung, alone on a prison shower floor, watching his life blood leak down the shower stall drain. A fitting end to a wasted life.




The Burning Boat Ch. 02



George stayed at the house, ostensibly in the position of the butler, but truly as the lifelong friend of John. It was a sad day when George helped the Laurie and the kids bury John, having lived a long and rich life. George knew that Laurie would follow John shortly, the depth of her loneliness without John was hard to watch. Laurie passed away in her sleep a smile on her face and George was certain that John had come to bring her back to him. 

The End

*

I hope you enjoyed the tale of Laurie and John and that intense first week. Please, if you enjoyed this story, vote and send or post a comment, if you didn't enjoy it, well... you're probably not reading this anyway but if for some reason you are, I welcome all constructive criticisms. 

JJ1