Storiesonline.net
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                             Emily's Lessons
                             by Jay Cantrell

Copyright© 2002 by Jay Cantrell


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Description: A man finds himself torn between falling in love with his neighbor's niece or staying true to his beliefs.

Codes: Mf slow rom cons
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Part 1




Author's note

I began this story almost seven years and it sat unfinished for almost six years. I posted the first few chapters in 2001, and I received a lot of positive feedback. I'd always meant to finish it and post it in its entirety, but as is the case sometimes, life intervened.

During the interval from start to finish, my life took many twists and turns, not least of all was a marriage to and a divorce from a wonderful woman — a woman who just happens to have a teenaged daughter. My interaction with my step-daughter provided a whole new insight to the character of Emily and my experience with my divorce gave me a better feeling about Joe and his life before Emily.

Before I go much farther, I want to be completely clear that the relationship between Joe and Emily in no way reflects my feelings toward my daughter — either in the past or now. I began writing this before I met my future ex-wife or my step-daughter and I'm not Joe, nor would I want to be.

What my daughter, and to a lesser extent her friends, did was provide valuable insight into the mind of a teenaged girl. Emily started out as a one-dimensional, idealized composite of all the Lolita-type characters found in erotic fiction. I got to see first-hand all the different personalities a teenager has. I got to see how things I've never considered to be important can be the most important thing in the world to a growing girl. It was humbling to learn how little I knew.

Even during my marriage, I didn't forget about this story (or the other half-finished work I have posted here which is next on my to-do list). But I realized Emily wasn't a realistic representation of any young girl I met during my marriage. So I set back to work and tried to present something enjoyable but something the reader wouldn't have to stretch the imagination too far to believe.

I also found I'm a far different person and a far different writer than I was seven years ago. I'm not sure I'm better at either, but I'm certainly different. Even those who didn't read the first chapters before can probably find where I stopped. I chose not to rewrite the first few chapters. I did re-edit them and refined some of the rougher qualities of the writing.

On a final note (and this does give away part of the plot, so be forewarned), I received some pieces of e-mail when I first posted this suggesting I was focusing too much on Joe's conflict about having a relationship with a young girl. I reflected on this and I thought about changing it. But I decided, in the interest of reality (or as close to reality as we can come in fiction) to leave it as it is. I think Joe's internal conflict is a true representation of what any man would think if he were in Joe's situation — at least any man, in my humble opinion and as the father of a teenaged daughter, who doesn't need to spend some serious time on a therapist's couch.

So, although there are elements of sex involved, and I've tried to portray them as erotically as possible, if you're looking for a stroke story, this probably isn't for you.

But, if you've made it to end of this note, I hope you'll continue. I've enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it.



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Chapter 1: Meeting Emily

I'm not really sure how I got to this point in my life. I know only that I am here.

Things were going fairly smoothly for me, or so I thought, then my wife of five years decided there wasn't going to be a sixth. So I packed my things and moved to an apartment complex in a small suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.

That is where my life took a turn. That was a year ago, and I still am not sure if it is for the best.

Since about the third day I lived here, I have developed a friendly relationship with my neighbor, Susan. Not the kind of relationship I would have liked, but a close relationship nonetheless.

I guess in the past year, you might say I have lusted for her, and she has trusted me. I haven't been as obvious as I should have, but I feel the hair on my neck stand up each time she cries on my shoulder after another of her not-so-wonderful dates with a not-so-wonderful man. I have resigned myself to the fact that this is the nature of our relationship, but I still hold out hope that one day she will see me for more than just the nice guy next door.

A nice guy. I guess that is me. My name is Joe. I just turned 32, and work as a freelance copy editor, mostly out of my house. That leaves me a lot of time for thinking. But thinking never has been a strong suit with me.

I suppose you could say that I am your average, boy-next-door type. Definitely not the type a beautiful, successful woman like Susan would be interested in.

So, after a year of telling how Susan she would find the right guy eventually -- how the fact that her dates treated her like dirt wasn't her fault, how she is a wonderful person -- I was pleasantly surprised when she knocked on my door one day. She told me that her niece was coming to visit and asked if I would like to go to a baseball game Friday.

I managed to tell her that I thought that was a great idea. She smiled her sweet smile and headed back to her apartment.

I was on Cloud Nine. Finally, I would get the chance to go out with Susan, even if it meant going with her niece, too. A shot to prove to her that nice guys shouldn't be overlooked.

After what seemed like an eternity, Friday finally arrived. I went and got a hair cut, picked out something nice to wear -- casual, yet striking -- and waited anxiously for 4:30 to arrive.

Finally, it was there and there was a light knock on my door.

I opened the door, expected to be greeted by the sight of the object of my obsession.

But it wasn't Susan, it was a gangly auburn-haired girl of about 13, standing at my door holding a pair of tickets and wearing an Indians hat on her head.

"Hi, I'm Emily. Thanks for taking me to the game," she said. "I've never seen a game in person. It is going to be so much fun."

Smiling at her exuberance, I replied. "I hope so. Where's Susan?"

My smile faded quickly when she said, "Oh, she has a date tonight." She must have noticed my disappointment because the huge grin she had been wearing left and her green eyes suddenly darted toward the floor.

"I'm sorry. You thought you were going with her," she said sadly. "That's OK. I know you don't want to be stuck taking care of me."

Then she started to trudge back to Susan's.

"Hey, wait," I called after her. "Come on back here. I thought Susan was going, but hey, you can't just toss away good tickets. Let me grab a jacket, and we'll go."

Suddenly, I had 95 pounds of little girl wrapped around my neck. "Really? Really?" she shrieked. "We can go?"

So we went.

On the trip into the city, I found out about Emily.

She was 15, but would be 16 in about a month. She lived on a farm in northwestern Pennsylvania and hadn't been very much of anywhere. Spending the summer with her Aunt Susan, her mother's sister, was going to be the highlight of her life so far. Or so she said.

She told me that her parents acted like she was eight years old, never letting her go with her friends, barely letting her use the phone. It took all of Susan's persuasion to allow her to visit for the summer. And believe me, Susan can be very persuasive.

"Well, I'll make you a deal," I told her. "If you don't act like a kid, I won't treat you like one."

I was rewarded for that small gesture with one of her mega-watt smiles that seemed to light up the whole inside of the car.

Truthfully, we had a great time at the game. We did a little window-shopping, had a nice dinner and watched the game, talking like we had known each other for years.

She was such a great kid that I had no problem treating her like a young lady.

Emily was asleep when we pulled into the parking lot at the apartment complex, looking every bit like the innocent 15-year-old she was.

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Chapter 2: Sweet 16

After our baseball adventure, Emily became more of a fixture in my house than at her aunt's. Despite inviting Emily to spend the summer with her, Susan still maintained her lifestyle, working late a night or two each week, and dating on the rest.

Emily didn't seem to mind, spending the days at the complex's pool and the evenings draped across my couch watching TV or reading a book.

Occasionally, Susan would come in to visit, crying on my shoulder or complaining about what jerks all men were.

Emily would just catch my eye on these occasions and smile while shaking her head.

One evening, just as "SportsCenter" was finishing up, Emily looked at her watch and said, "Well, it's official."

Puzzled, I asked her what she was talking about.

"It's my birthday, silly!" she said. "I am Sweet 16 as of about three minutes ago."

I smiled, gave her a little hug and told her "Happy Birthday."

Then my mind started to race. Susan hadn't mentioned her birthday to me. And, knowing Susan, I doubted she even remembered.

My fears were confirmed the next morning when I asked her what she had planned for Emily.

"Shit, is that this week?" she asked.

"Uh, today. As in right now, today, this week," I said, hoping she would get the hint that I couldn't believe she would forget about this.

"Could you set something up for her? I am so busy today. Please? I will owe you one," she asked.

So, of course, I did.

The funny part was, as I was getting a cake, picking out presents (from me and from Susan) and gathering the few kids who lived in the complex to come to her party, it dawned on me that I was doing this less for the prospect of Susan owing me than for the thought of Emily being disappointed.

"She's like the little sister I never wanted," I thought to myself, chuckling.

And she was.

The party was a hit. We had cake and music, Emily seemed to have a great time, and the other kids did, too. In the middle of the party, Emily's dad called.

I just caught her end of the conversation, but it seemed that her folks had figured out their little girl was growing up.

"Daddy, it's great here. Susan and her friends are nice, and there is so much to do. I really am having a great time."

She closed her conversation by saying, "That's right, Daddy. Sweet 16 and never been kissed."

But she wasn't smiling.

After her call ended and the kids left, I gave her the present from me, and Susan handed Emily the one I slipped to Susan as she arrived.

I got her an Indians T-shirt and a pennant, but from Susan, I picked up a locket Emily had looked at when we went to the baseball game.

The trouble of heading into the city and fighting traffic all day was rewarded when Emily got tears in her eyes when she opened Susan's present. She launched herself into Susan's arms and hugged her hard. Susan's eyes were a little wet too, when she realized how happy Emily was. It was worth everything to see these two so excited. I just sat there grinning stupidly (OK, I do that a lot) at the sight.

Finally, Emily came over, plopped on my lap, and gave me a hug, too.

"Thanks. I know this came from you," she whispered. "I don't even think Sue remember what today was. But you did. It means so much to me."

I patted her on the back and whispered back, "I am glad you like it. But don't be too tough on Susan, OK?"

I figured it was time for me to head home, but Susan stopped me.

"Can you take Emily out for dinner this evening?" she asked. "This guy called and asked me out. I really want to go. I really think he might be the one."

As always, I said yes.

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Chapter 3: A New View

As Emily walked back into the room, I glanced at her and asked if she would be so gracious as to allow me to treat her to a birthday dinner.

"After all, it isn't every day a girl turns 16," I said, smiling.

As I said, Emily wasn't your typical 16-year-old. She immediately saw through my gesture, as I expected she would.

But she wasn't disappointed.

Glancing at her aunt, she just said, "I can't think of anyone I would rather spend my evening with, sir." Then she gave a small curtsey.

"OK, I am going to have a shower and get ready. I will pick you up in, say, an hour?" I told her.

I figured I was right, this should be a special day for her. And if no one else was going to make sure of it, then I damned sure would.

Promptly at 7 p.m., I knocked on the door to Susan's apartment.

When the door opened I couldn't believe my eyes.

Gone was the little girl I had known for a month. The girl who spent hours playing video games in her sweatpants at my apartment and still had a pair of Minnie Mouse slippers.

In her place was a budding young woman, dressed in a tight blue top and a short (and I do mean short) beige skirt. When she did a little pirouette, I felt the strain in my shorts as I watched her cute little behind shimmy against the fabric of her skirt.

I often have said, if I can create a 10-second delay between my brain and my mouth, I would be better off. This was one of those cases.

"Jesus, Emily. Where are the rest of your clothes!" I exclaimed. Immediately I felt like a fool. Her green eyes began to glisten with moisture, and the tears came quickly.

"You don't like it? I just wanted to be beautiful for you," she cried then began to turn and head back to her room.

I barely caught her arm as she spun to leave the room.

"Beautiful? You have more than surpassed beautiful!" I told her, my brain finally working. "You look amazing. You just caught me by surprise. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"You think I look good? Really?" she asked, obviously still smarting from my initial reaction.

"Amazing," I said simply, silver-tongued devil that I am. "Every man in the restaurant will wish he was me tonight."

On the drive to dinner, I kept finding myself glancing toward her legs more and more. Then wondering if she had on panties underneath, because there certainly was no line when she turned around.

"Holy shit," I thought. "Get a grip on yourself. She's 16 years old, for God's sake. She could be your daughter!"

Once we got to restaurant, it became more difficult. As we entered, with her arm in mine and her little breasts pressed tight against my shoulder, my earlier words were prophetic.

Almost every man in the place stopped to stare and more than one got an earful from his date or wife.

As we sat down, I finally had to ask.

"Where did you get those clothes? It is not your usual look. Not that I mind," I said, as I tried to readjust my half-erection in my shorts.

"Aunt Sue had some things that were too small for her. I hope you like them," she said.

"Hey, what's not to like," I said, my lower half becoming increasingly uncomfortable as she looked at me with her emerald eyes. "Like I said, tonight is your night."

Susan had helped her with her makeup, and I must admit Emily looked absolutely gorgeous.

But, luckily, as dinner progressed, it became easier to think of her as Emily again, not as some hot little number I'd like to roll around with.

Our conversation was exactly like it always was. Easy, friendly. And we had a great time. Laughing and joking like always.

As we headed home, I could tell Emily was thinking about something. I worried that having Susan just sort of dump her off again was getting to her.

So, like a dummy, I asked.

"What's up, Em?"

She just blushed and turned her face toward the window. Unfortunately, for me at least, I took this opportunity to check out her legs again and things started to stir in my shorts.

Finally, she spoke. "You know, what I said on the phone is true."

My confusion must have been evident, because she continued.

"I am Sweet 16 and haven't been kissed."

I was flustered now, searching for anyway to try to assuage this now, in my eyes, at least, young woman's pain. I am the first to admit that I know very little about women and less about growing girls.

"Uh, Em, you've led a pretty sheltered life. I mean, it will happen," I told her, trying to find the words. "Someday you will meet the right person, and your first kiss will be the most special thing in the world."

"I know, that is why I want it to be you," she said as she turned her eyes toward me for the first time in a while.

I damn near crashed into a tree.

"Emily, you can't serious," I told her. "I am twice your age. Not only is it morally wrong, but it is illegal. Jesus."

The images of Emily's legs and ass suddenly were replaced by those of fathers with shotguns and me dancing with men named Bubba in prison.

"Do you remember what you told me the first time we met?" she asked.

Thoroughly shaken, I mumbled, "Hell, I told you a lot of things."

"You told me that if didn't act like a child, you wouldn't treat me like one. I don't think I am being childish about this. So don't act like I'm five years old."

Great, I love it when the things I say get shoved down my throat. But, I guess she was right.

"Do you honestly think I haven't thought about this a lot," she continued. "I have. I don't know about morality. I know you aren't forcing me, so I don't know what your problem is with that. And legally, the age of consent in Ohio is 16. I checked that, too."(1)

"So if you don't want to just because you don't want to, just say it," she finished, tears rolling down her cheeks.

I was silent the rest of the way home, mostly because I had nothing to refute her arguments.

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Chapter 4: First Contact

Finally, as I parked the car, I spoke.

"Sweetheart, I think we should have a talk," I told her. "Come on upstairs, and we will figure this out."

For all my might, I couldn't help but watch her butt as she walked up the stairs. And my thoughts again returned to the question of panties.

Thankfully, we soon arrived at my front door.

She spoke first.

"I'm sorry I blurted that out like that," she said. "I really like you. I get butterflies when we hug. You have made everything here so special for me. I just wanted to end my birthday in the perfect way."

"I'm sorry I reacted that way," I told her, my thoughts finally clear. "This sure has been a day for surprises. Emily, I can't tell you how much I enjoy being around you. You are very dear to me. I want you to know that."

My words made her blush a little and brought a small smile to her face. What I said next put an end to the smile.

"That is why I can't even consider what you've asked. I know that you have enjoyed spending time here. And I am glad I could be here to spend time with you. I wouldn't trade our time together for anything else in the world. And you certainly are a beautiful girl. My heart just about stops every time you smile at me."

Then it hit me. The real reason behind my reluctance to give this wonderful girl a kiss: I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I already was falling in love with her. Only the distance between us kept me from falling head-over-heels for her. For some reason, I thought it would best to be honest with her. I told you thinking wasn't one of my stronger suits.

"Em," I started, blushing. "Here is the truth. I adore you. And I know me. I know that if I were to kiss you, my life would never be the same. You would go home, and I would miss you too much. So I can't. I am sorry."

She just stood there, looking at me like I was the biggest fool on the earth. I wasn't so sure she wasn't right.

Suddenly, Susan came bursting into the apartment, mascara smeared by tears, venom coming out with each word.

"Fuckin' pricks," she started. "All men are fuckin' pricks. If I am even nice to them, they think I should screw them. I am so sick and tired of assholes."

Then she saw Emily.

"Sorry, sweetie. I just had another shitty date. You'd think I would be used to jerks. When you get older, you will know what I mean."

Emily just sighed.

"You're wrong, you know," she told her. "Some guys are just too nice for their own damned good. You should look for one like that."

She turned and walked out the door, leaving me with Susan.

"What was that about?" Susan asked.

"I promise, I'll tell you some time," I told her. "Are you OK?"

"Fuck no." Then the tears came again.

I let Susan cry herself out on my shoulder.

"Come on, I'll tuck you in," I told her when her tears had subsided.

I led her across to her apartment, and put her to bed with a soft kiss on the cheek.

"It will be better in the morning," I told her, knowing full well it probably wouldn't be, for either of us.

As I passed Emily's room, I saw a light on, and softly knocked.

When she answered, I opened the door and saw her lying on her bed still dressed, tear-soaked tissue by her side.

"I just tucked Susan in; do you want the same treatment?" I asked. "I am an equal-opportunity tucker."

"Sure," she said, tears starting again. "I thought you would never speak to me again. I thought I had ruined everything."

Seeing her so worried, my heart broke.

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her, rocking her. Telling her there was nothing that could change what I feel about her.

Then my world collapsed.

I lifted her head off my shoulder and gently pressed my lips to hers. A soft kiss, but one tinged with emotion. With one hand rubbing her hair, my other slipped down her back.

Finally I pulled away, ashamed of myself.

"You get ready for bed, and then I will come back and tuck you in," I told her, resolved to get my head straight before I came back.

When she yelled to me to tell me she was ready, I put my thoughts back in order and re-entered her room.

She was standing by her bed, in just an old T-shirt I had given her weeks before. As I started to pull the covers over her, I couldn't help myself. Just like I knew I couldn't.

I kissed her again. When my tongue touched her lips, suddenly I had a 16-year-old ball of hormones wrapped around me tightly.

Her legs wrapped around my back, her little butt resting on my erection. It was more than I could stand.

My hands tracked down her back and our tongues met. When I touched her ass, she moaned and held me tighter, her breasts pressed against my chest.

Numb, I mumbled how sorry I was, and backed out of the room.

I didn't care. The whole world could go to hell. Because I knew for a fact that I was headed there eventually.

(1) Author's note: I have no idea what the age of consent in Ohio is. It just fit well into the story here, so I made it up. Don't go feeling up little girls in Ohio because you think you can get away with it and then tell the cops I said it was alright. It isn't. OK, got that out the way.

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Chapter 5: Reflections

By the time I got myself back to my apartment, my mind was reeling. I couldn't believe what I had just done.

I had taken advantage of a 16-year-old girl. Just because I could!

As I lay on my couch, my jumbled thoughts haunted me. Pictures of Emily raced through my head. I could still feel her mouth on mine. I could still smell her perfume, her shampoo.

What was happening to me?

I truly thought I had been in love with Susan. Unrequited, yes, but love nonetheless.

Now I knew I wasn't. But was I in love with Emily? How could I be? Look what I had just done.

When I finally slept, things were no better. I dreamed I was with Emily, kissing, touching and making love to her. It was so real. I could hear the headboard of her bed hitting the wall.

Then another hand touched me, an unseen hand, scaring me so much, I awoke.

What I saw scared me more: Susan standing in front of me.

"How in the hell did you get in here," I practically screamed at her. "Why are you in my apartment?"

My reaction frightened her, I could tell.

"I'm sorry," she stammered. "It's almost noon. I was worried something had happened. You never sleep this late. I knocked and knocked, but you didn't answer. So I got your spare key and came to check."

After my initial shock wore off, I felt bad, but resolved to put the deadbolt on in the future.

"I'm sorry, Susan. You just scared the hell out me," I told her. Then I noticed how she was dressed. Or rather, almost dressed.

She had on a bathing suit that covered very little, and I was very glad I was lying on my stomach to hide the stirrings that hadn't gone away from dreams. My mind flashed back to Emily. How could I have betrayed her like that? Sure, she had asked me to kiss her. But I am the adult, I am supposed to protect her from people like, well, me.

"So are you coming or not?" Susan broke me from my thoughts as I realized she was still talking to me.

"What? Where?" I asked.

"Are you OK? You look terrible. Are you feeling OK?" She said.

I really wasn't sure.

"Yeah, fine," I told her. "I'm just not a morning person. What were you saying?"

"Well, sleepyhead, Emily and I are at the pool taking in this glorious day, we wondered if you wanted to come down and relax a little?"

I did what any red-blooded male would do when faced with the prospect of spending the afternoon sunning himself with two beautiful, under-dressed women.

I lied.

"Sorry, Susan. I have a lot to catch up on," I said. "Maybe some other time."

She looked at me funny. I wondered if she could read my thoughts.

"Oh, pooh," she started. "It's 90 degrees out there today, and it is supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Catch up then."

"I can't," I lied again, suddenly getting a little irritated with Susan. "I have gotten pretty far behind over the past month, and I didn't get to do any work yesterday."

Susan's face started to redden.

"I guess I have pretty much sent Emily to live with you, haven't I? But you two get along so well. Why didn't you tell me?" she wondered.

A day ago, I would have had an answer for her. Now I didn't.

"I really didn't look at it that way. There wasn't a problem with Emily being here. She keeps herself occupied and sometimes is pretty helpful in catching little mistakes I miss when I am working," I replied. "But, I don't know why you don't spend more time with her. She's a pretty great girl. A lot of fun."

"She says the same thing about you," she told me. "I want you to know that you put together a lot better birthday party for her than I could have. She hasn't stopped smiling all day."

I was relieved to hear that what I had done hadn't been too traumatic for her. Now if I could get over the trauma of it, too.

I realized Susan was talking still and I had no idea what she was saying.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'She's the one who kept pestering me to come and see if you were coming down, '" Susan repeated.

"Give her my apologies, but I have to catch up on some stuff," I said, and Susan finally got up to leave.

"OK, your loss," she grinned back, catching me watching her butt shimmy to the door.

Embarrassed at being caught, I blushed. "Yeah, I guess it is. Have fun."

I hoped that for the next few days, I could avoid them both and let me come to grips with what I had done to Emily.

I should have known better.

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Chapter 6: The Confrontation

After Susan left, I wandered to the shower to try to wash away some of the guilt I felt. It was still there as I dressed in a pair of shorts, combed my hair and brushed my teeth.

The fact that the shower didn't ease my mind didn't surprise me much.

The fact that Susan was sitting on my bed when I came out of the bathroom sure did.

"Holy shit! What is it with you, just walking into people's houses?" I asked, more than a little miffed at the situation. "You think you can just wander in here any damned time you feel like it?"

"I talked to Emily, she told me about last night," she said simply. "When I told her you weren't coming down, she started to cry. She's been so happy all day, then out of the blue, she's bawling."

I wished I could crawl into a hole.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," I started, the visions of shotgun-toting fathers and more-than-friendly cellmates back again. "I, uh..." I couldn't finish before I started to get overwhelmed.

"I think it is just about the sweetest thing I ever heard," Susan exclaimed.

Now I knew things were not right.

"Just what did she say?" I had to ask.

"I told her truth," a voice from behind me said.

I spun around to see Emily standing in the doorway to my bedroom. She was wearing a green one-piece suit that almost matched her eyes, except her eyes were red from crying.

"I told her that after you tucked her in last night, you found me crying because. You talked to me, asked me why I was upset. And I told you why: I had never had a real kiss. You gave me a kiss to make me feel better," Emily continued, now starting to smile.

"Uh, yeah," I stammered. "I guess that's what happened."

"Is that why you didn't want to come down, Joe?" Susan asked. "Because you feel guilty about kissing Emily? You shouldn't, you know. You gave me a kiss to make feel better right before that. Are you guilty about that?"

"No, Susan. I'm not feeling bad about that," I told her. "We're friends."

"Are we not friends, Joe?" Emily asked, and I could tell the waterworks were going to start again.

"Of course we are," I tried to calm her. "I hope you know how much you mean to me.

"I, Susan, can I talk to Emily, alone, for a minute?"

"OK, but no funny stuff you two," she said, with a big smile. Susan was enjoying this. She had no idea what I was feeling toward her niece.

As she walked out of the room, Emily could tell something was wrong, simply because my eyes didn't follow Sue's butt like they always do.

"You're really mad at me, aren't you?" she asked, now fully in tears again.

"You? Sweetheart, I couldn't be any less mad at you if I tried," I told her, honestly. "I'm mad at ME. I took advantage of you."

As I sat at my desk, trying to figure out what to say next, Emily came and put her arm around me.

"Do you really think that?" she asked, quietly. "Because you didn't. If anything, I took advantage of you. Susan and I both do, every time we get the chance. Turn around here. Please?"

I complied, and she sat down on my lap and put her head on my shoulder.

What she said next, I'll never forget.

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Chapter 7: Revelations

"I know how you feel about Aunt Sue," Emily started. "And, maybe, someday she will feel the same about you. Maybe. But, even if she starts having feelings for you, she will still take you for granted. That's how she is. Don't you know that by now?

"But, you, well, I feel the same way about you that you feel about her. And there is no way you could take advantage of me. First, it is not in your nature. Second, I wouldn't let you."

I couldn't believe these words were coming from a sheltered 16-year-old who only managed to get her first kiss 12 hours earlier.

I started to speak, but she stopped me.

"Let me finish. Then you can tell me to go to hell or whatever you want. But I have to say this," she continued.

"Last night was wonderful, just like I knew it would be. It was wonderful because it was you. Anyone else wouldn't have made me feel the way I did. You know what I did after you left? I just lay in bed, thinking about how great it is to be me. For just a few minutes, I knew that I was truly loved.

"The only reason I was allowed to even come visit Susan for the summer is because my parents wanted me out of their hair for a while. Susan is the only member of my family to get out of our little town. The rest grow up, get married, have kids and die within five miles of where they were born.

"I am NOT going to do that. I am not going to be like my Mom. But, I am not going to be like Aunt Sue, either. I am going to be me.

"And I only started to find out who I am because of you. You have no preconceived notions about me. You let me be me, whoever I want to be at that moment. You let me be silly, you let me be mad. You let me be a kid when I need to and an adult when I want to. That's why last night HAD to be with you. It only fits that the man I love is the man who gave me my first kiss.

"And second, too," she added, blushing slightly. "And I want there to be a third and a fourth and a thousandth. All from you. I used to dream of kissing movie stars or baseball players or, sometimes, even a cute boy from school. From the first time I met you -- when I hugged you before we went to the game -- you are the one in my dreams kissing me, holding me. And yes, even making love with me.

"So, there you are. I said it. I hoped I wouldn't have to tell you all that. I hoped that you would just somehow know it. But, I can tell from the way you act today, you don't. Now you do."

Before I could answer, Emily leaned up and gently pressed her lips to mine.

"At least if there can't be a thousandth kiss, I got a third one," she said, placing her head back on my shoulder.

Finally it was my turn to talk.

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Chapter 8: Responses

"Where do I start?" I asked. "You know that I care deeply for you. The reason I spend so much time with you is for that reason alone. I love you when you're silly, when you smile. I love the way you chew on your lip when you are thinking.

"Yesterday, I was pretty sure that I thought of you like a sister. Now I don't, that's for sure. But it'll take me a while to figure out what I feel. Look at this from my angle for a minute. OK?

"What happens when Susan finds out? What happens when your parents find out? Most importantly, what happens when you leave? Since, like it or not, I am an adult, I have to think about those things. Your first kiss is supposed to be special, and I am glad you enjoyed yours. It was special for me, too.

"But, I am worried about what else could have happened last night. That is my biggest fear -- someday, whether it is today, next month or five years from now, you will end up regretting what happened. That would hurt me more than you could know, and that is why we have to really consider the consequences before we let emotions go unchecked."

When I finished, I looked down for Emily's response. It wasn't what I expected. She was smiling.

"Do you realize that you just said you love me?" she asked. "And I know you mean it, too. While you were worried about what else might have happened, I was excited by it. Your hands, your mouth, everything felt so wonderful. I hope you know that I didn't want to stop where we did. Or where you did, I guess.

"And, just so you know, you aren't getting off the hook. We'll talk about some things, but some things I just want to be able to do. Things like this..."

With that, Emily's mouth met mine again, but this time, her tongue started to trace the outline of my lips. Her hands dropped to my arms and pulled them around her.

As much as I knew I should stop, I couldn't. It was last night all over again.

Only this time, Emily was not the recipient, she was the instigator. The role suited her well.

As my mind went blank, I felt Emily's hands on my neck, pulling me into a fierce, almost primal kiss. There was nothing gentle about either of our actions. At least my mind worked well enough to rectify that.

My fingers began lightly tracing the corners of her jaw, tickling her neck, before my hands moved around to the back of her swimsuit. I could feel Emily's hard little nipples pressing into my chest as our tongues played tag.

Her breathing was shallow, almost ragged. I knew mine was, too.

Finally, we broke for air, but our hands didn't stop. As we sat there, looking into each other's eyes, my nails gently massaged the muscles in Emily's back. She laid her head back on my shoulder, and I moved one of my hands to stroke her hair as Emily planted small kisses on my shoulders and neck.

It was this -- our faces flush, our hands and mouths exploring, sitting almost coupled together in my desk chair -- that Susan found when she walked in

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Chapter 9: Standing Up

"Well, I guess you two got things ironed out," Susan said, somewhat bitterly. "Perhaps I should ask just what's going on here."

I was like a deer caught in the headlights, too stunned to speak, just glad that she hadn't walked in 10 seconds earlier. I soon found out she might as well have.

Emily, never at a loss for words, was caught off guard, as well.

"Never mind," Susan said. "I know all too well what's going on. Emily, go home. I'll have a talk with you later. Right now, I think I need to have a little chat with our neighborhood pervert here."

If Susan wanted to get Emily into a tizzy, calling me that was just about the best way to do it.

"Pervert? Pervert!" Emily screamed. "Little Miss Go-To-Bed-With-Whatever-Has-A-Dick has the nerve to call someone else names. If that doesn't take the cake. No, Susan, I will NOT go to your apartment. In fact, I am home. Right here. So you might as well get used to the idea."

Susan turned a shade of red I hadn't seen before, and, as a precaution, I moved Emily off my lap in case Susan tried to strike her.

"Susan, just calm down for a second," I told her. "You're right. We all need to talk. But yelling and calling each other names isn't going to help anything."

"Calm down? I walk in right after you have finished molesting my niece, and you want me to stay calm," Susan exclaimed. "You're damn lucky I don't call the cops. In fact, I think I am going to."

"Wait, please. Let's talk for a minute," I told her. "The cops will be there if you still want to call them in a little while."

Emily was just about at the end of her rope. I could see a new look in her eyes: Rage.

"Let her call them," she said. "They will tell her what I told you yesterday. I am over 16, so this isn't a crime. The only crime is my aunt thinking she can live my life for me. You and Mom aren't very different after all. Are you, Sue?"

That salvo from Emily got Susan's attention, and I was beginning to suspect I would have to try to stop her from slapping her niece.

Not willing to risk it, I had heard enough.

"Knock it off, both of you," I bellowed. "Susan, do whatever you're going to do. Either call the police or sit down and listen or just go home. Emily, you either sit down and be quiet or you can go back to Susan's, too."

The both turned to look at me, especially Susan because in the year she had known me, it was the first time I truly lost my temper with her.

"OK, that's better," I said. "Now let's go to the living room, and we can talk like civilized adults."

The adult comment brought a small smile from Emily, who was glad I grouped her in that category. Of course, it also brought a snort from Susan. Either 'adult' or the fact I considered myself civilized. I wasn't sure which, and I certainly wasn't going to ask.

Once we got out front, I spoke again.

"Susan, I realize it is a shock to you, but you should know that it is a shock to me, too. And I certainly understand the way you reacted.

"To be honest with you, this morning, I had much the same feelings about me as you do right now.

"Right now, I don't. Whether you or your family or I, for that matter, like it, Emily is an adult, in all ways but her age."

I couldn't resist being a jerk, so I added, "If you had spent more than a passing moment with her over the past few weeks, you would have known that."

OK, that was a stretch. I had spent practically every waking moment with her over that timeframe, and it hadn't dawned on me.

"I am convinced that she knows what she is doing and what she wants," I continued, although wondering if it was my little head doing the thinking. "There are parts of it I am comfortable with, but there are parts of it I certainly am not.

"As for molesting your niece, you can kiss my ass. I won't even dignify that with a rejoinder. For that matter, for any other harsh comments you have, you can kiss my ass for those, too.

"One of the best things she said to me, outside of the fact that she realizes that we love one another, is how mad it makes her when you treat me like this. Well, she won't have a reason to be mad again.

"You want all the privileges of Emily being here and none of the responsibilities. Here's something you should consider: You, more than anyone outside of Emily herself, are responsible for me falling in love with your niece."

Susan reacted with a flash of anger, then pulled herself together.

"What do you want me to say?" Susan asked. "Do you want me to say that I'm happy with this? I'm not. Do you want me to say that I approve? I don't.

"Joe, I trusted you. Of all people I thought would never do something like this, it was you. And Emily, I trusted you, too."

Emily answered before I could. I'm glad, because she made a lot more sense than what I would have said in anger.

"Aunt Sue, what have we done to abuse that trust? So far, we've just kissed. I'm not saying that is all we'll do," Emily said, and glancing at me, continued. "It might be. Joe and I will decide that at some point.

"Is it the age difference? Dad is 13 years older than Mom. Granddad is almost 17 years older than Grandma. Or is it because you think I am stealing your safety net? Because I am not."

The anger that had once graced Susan's face was now a blush of embarrassment.

"You ARE a very thoughtful girl," Susan told her. "But, I just worry about you. And, honestly, about Joe's motivation."

Looking at me, she said, "I know your divorce hit you hard. And I know you haven't dated much, if at all, since you moved in here."

Emily came to my rescue, once again.

"Suze, he was waiting for you," she said, her eyes downward. "Waiting for you to realize HE is the guy you're always looking for."

As Susan stared at me, I felt compelled to finally speak.

"I guess that was true," I told them both. "But, it really isn't now. This is not about getting you to notice me, Susan. It was at first, I will admit. Now, it is about what I have been feeling for Emily. I didn't recognize it at first, mostly because it was so different from what I felt for you. But, early on, I stopped spending time with Emily as a means to impress you, and started spending time with her because I want to."

I tried to explain to Susan that this was not a plan. There was NO motivation. It just happened, as things sometimes do. I realized after a few minutes, that I probably wouldn't ever be able to explain it to her adequately.

Shaking my head, I finally gave up.

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Chapter 10: Up Front

My giving up was just the signal for Emily to get started. From that day forth, I have thanked my stars for that.

"Aunt Susan," Emily said, "We need go have a talk. Alone."

As she took Susan by the arm and walked out of my apartment, I truly feared it would be the last time I saw Emily.

I don't know exactly what was said in Susan's apartment. I do know that about 2 hours later, Emily knocked on my door (at least someone in that family knows politeness).

When she came in, she hugged me warmly and kissed me on the cheek.

Then she gave me her version of what she had said to Susan.

"I just asked her some questions," Emily began. "That seemed to be the best way to get my point across.

"I asked her about the first person she really cared about. How she felt. What she thought.

"I asked her about her first kiss. When it was, who it was with. I also asked her about her first time, you know."

Emily was blushing a bit now, for all her intellect and poise, she truly was a 16-year-old girl.

"I already sort of knew what she would say," Emily continued. "So, I told her about some of my friends.

"My parents don't let me date, but I have friends who do. Some of even had sex. Nearly all my friends say the same thing. Their first kiss was exciting, but they don't like the boy now who they kissed first.

"Either he was pushy, or he told all his friends. Or, a couple of them, he just turned out to be a dick.

"None of my friends even talk to the first boy they kissed. And only a few of them speak to the first boy they, um, screwed, let alone still date them or plan to marry them.

"And, with my friends, it is the same way about sex. They mostly hold the same opinion. It wasn't as special as they thought it would be. For some it was at a neighbor's party, one was in a car, another in the woods. And they all say that if they would have known how it would turn out, they would have waited."

Now, I felt it only right to interrupt her.

"But, Emily, we know how we will end up, too," I told her, gently. "In a month, you will go back home. Do you really think that your parents are going to let you call me? Or write letters to me? Or visit me? That, outside of my own personal failings that I don't want to subject you to, is why I am so reluctant to let my feelings show."

"But, that's why I'm sure this is what I want," she said. "I don't know how far we will go. I trust you to let me set the pace. And, you don't know how we will end. You only know how this chapter will end. I know I am going to have to go home soon. I really don't want to, but I know I have to. That doesn't mean I won't be back. I will. One of the things I have been doing on your computer is looking at colleges close to here. The University of Akron is close. Cleveland State is close. Case Western Reserve, Baldwin-Wallace. There are 30 colleges I can apply to. If we decide we want me to. If I double up on English and social studies, I can even graduate next summer.

"I know you think like Susan does, that I am only 16, I shouldn't be deciding my future in haste. Or lust, for that matter," she added with a sly grin.

"But, the decisions I have made, the important ones, are ones I can change later. If things don't work out, then I stay in high school and graduate with my class. If things change later, I transfer to another school."

"But, there are some decisions you can't take back," I told her. "Those are the ones you have to be really sure about. Like it or not, you only will have one first love, which means only one person will be the first person's heart you break or the first person who breaks your heart.

"I can't for the life of me figure out why should want to take that chance with me."

"Because you think like that," she told me. "Because you worry about things like that. Because you always think of others first. Mostly, because I love you."

I just looked at.

"Now don't give me that look. I heard the same thing from Sue that you are going to say," she said. "How do I know what love is?

"Do you really think I don't know what I am feeling? From the time I leave you, until I see you again, something is missing. When I go to sleep, I think of you last and have great dreams. When I wake up, I think of you first and have a great day. What do you think that is if it isn't love?"

I knew I really didn't have much of an answer for her. I knew that I felt that same way, and I was pretty sure it was love on my part. Why wouldn't it be the same for her?

"When I finally convinced Susan you weren't taking advantage of me, I didn't realize I would have to convince you again, too!" she stated.

Finally, she got to question she need to ask.

"Joe, where do we go from here?" she wondered.

"Well, I guess it is up to you. If you want, we can return to the way we were before. It might be awkward, but we were friends first. If you want, we can let this play out," I told her.

Her answer wasn't a surprise. I was shocked when I felt relief with her reply.

She simply said, "Susan understands what I am feeling. And she knows that you are too much of a gentleman to force me or coerce me or hurt me. So, I guess we just play this out for a while."

Our first evening together was magical.

I was a bit concerned about taking her out, then I realized that we could pass either as brother and sister or (gasp!) father and daughter in public. I also knew that Emily would be considerate to what other might see as inappropriate, Susan notwithstanding.

I was right.

While she dressed a little more conservatively for our second date than she did our first -- Jesus, was that just last night? -- she was just as beautiful as ever.

We went to another, less trendy, restaurant, and I was elated that our relationship hadn't really changed, just grown.

Our conversation ranged from music -- I promised myself that I would introduce her to Harry Chapin and Jim Croce and promised her I would try Staind and Everlast -- to books to how Cleveland probably wouldn't with the pennant without better pitching.

The more we talked, the more we realized that we had so much in common, but still had unique things to share with each other.

After dinner, we decided on a movie, and as we held hands in the theater, I felt something I hadn't felt in 20 years. It was as if I was wrong in what I told Emily earlier.

To me, this was first love all over again.



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Part 2


Chapter 11: Poolside Adventure

As with so many things in my life, there was no way this could be as easy as it seemed it was going to be. For all of her maturity, Emily was still a teenager. For all my good intentions, I was still a man with little or no direction in my life. And with all of the other, Susan was, of course, still Susan.

The revelation that I was waiting for her to realize I was the guy for her seemed to open her eyes to me. Or, maybe Susan thought she could show Emily just what I jerk I could be if she seduced me. Whatever the motivation, for the next three weeks, I was the object of Susan's attention whether Emily was around or not.

In the year we'd known each other, about the only times Susan and I had touched was when she was crying on my shoulder. Now, it seemed I couldn't be within four feet of her without her feeling compelled to lay her hand on my arm or leg or to brush up against me with her impressive chest. Susan still visited almost daily, but instead of sitting across from as before, she now sat as close to me as possible on the couch.

I'm not as stupid as I appear (thank God!), so I was pretty quick to pick up on Susan's actions, even if I couldn't pinpoint their underlying motivation. But because she also began to spend more time with Emily away from the apartment, I surmised perhaps she was just trying to be nice and didn't really know how to accomplish it without flirting.

The next three weeks passed entirely too quickly for Emily or me. We still spent time at the pool. But we also went to dinner on occasion and spent time out and about, as it were.

Our physical relationship still continued to revolve around kissing and cuddling. I rationalized keeping things slow by reminding myself she would be leaving in a little while and nothing we'd done so far could be imagined as anything outside of the norm of a teenage girl's first romance.

Of course, it had been almost 20 years since my first date (hell, it had been almost 10 years since my last date with someone who wasn't my ex-wife), and it appears that much has changed during that time.

Although I'd promised to allow Emily to set the pace, I'd had to rethink that promise on more than one occasion when it became obvious that Emily's body was ready for things physically I wasn't convinced she (or I, for that matter) was ready for emotionally. It's fortunate I've always been a take-things-slow kind of guy. Although it wasn't easy on either of us, I began to see it was more difficult for Emily than me.

About a week before she was scheduled to leave, Susan's actions and Emily's frustration reached a boiling point. We were playing around in the pool like we normally did. Nothing overtly sexual, just maybe letting our hands wander or linger a little longer than absolutely necessary. Mostly, we were acting as though we just a normal girl and guardian.

Susan, on the other hand, wasn't being as discreet. Although the first summer I lived here (and really until about the last two weeks) I'd never seen her actually in the pool, now she went into water whenever we did. All last summer, she'd put on her fire-engine red micro-bikini and come down to have all the men and boys (and maybe a few of the woman and girls, too) drooling over the way she filled it out. I'd asked her why she wouldn't swim and she told me her suit was for show, not for use. Now, she still wore a small bikini but it was fully functional. She joined our games, too. She'd try to dunk one or the other of us and we tried to dunk her right back. But some of her touches weren't as innocent as they appeared. She would jump on my back and mold her body to me. Once, she jumped on my front and did the same thing grinding her bikini-clad pussy right on my cock. When we wrestled in the water, she almost always managed to find my pecker. Granted, wrestling with two beautiful women in the water had me more than a little excited, but I'm not exactly John Holmes so it still took a little groping to find it. But she always found it. Then she'd giggle and swim away.

Emily had traded in her green one-piece suit for a tankini — a two-piece suit with a modest bra and full, though tight, boy-like shorts as the bottom. Many of the teenaged girls in the complex wore them, though none as well as Emily, I should admit. The girls always rolled the top of the shorts down to their butt cracks for maximum exposure, I guess. While we were in the pool, Emily started to roll hers down, but didn't stop at her butt crack. She kept going and going until the top of her pubic hair showed at the top (Yes, it was as red as her hair, but not as sun bleached).

I admit it. I was excited, but also embarrassed. There were other kids around, some a lot younger than Emily, along with other adults and Emily was practically showing her twat to the neighborhood.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at her. "Your ass is hanging out and you're looking like the complex tramp!"

Emily just smiled, but didn't move to roll her suit back up.

"The complex tramp is laying in the sun over there," she said, motioning to where Susan was laying on a lounge chair with her butt in our direction and her legs parted just enough so I (or anyone else around) could see what treasures lay between.

"I just wanted to show you I've got the same equipment as she does. I'll keep rolling 'em down if you don't believe me. In fact, give me your hand and I'll prove to you I've got everything in the right place down there."

Emily was smiling, but there was a look in her eyes I'd never seen from her. Sure, I'd seen it before from other women, but not from Emily. It was a mixture of sexual frustration and jealousy.

"Oh, believe me, I know what's down there," I said. "And you should know that Susan has nothing on you anywhere. You're beautiful, and I swear you have nothing to worry about from your aunt. Roll your pants up and we'll find a private spot to talk."

Emily gave me a kiss on the cheek and put her shorts back to almost normal. I had to wait a minute or two before I could follow her out of the pool, though. I followed her up the stairs to my apartment and about halfway, she rolled her shorts down again, this time to the bottom of her ass cheeks. I couldn't help it. I grabbed her hips and playfully bit her on the butt.

"That's a good look for you," I told her, not fully joking.

By the time we reached my door, her pants were back up and her playfulness had turned 180 degrees.

"What are we going to do about Aunt Sue?"

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Chapter 12: What About Sue

I had no ready answers, but I understood where Emily was coming from. The relationship between Susan and I had gone from having no sexual overtones on her part to having nothing but sexual overtures from her almost overnight. Although I hate to admit it I was enjoying the attention. Emily had everything Susan had, of that I'm sure. But she also had goodness and a positive outlook Susan either never had or had lost over the years. In short, Emily was everything Susan was and more.

This was the first thing I told her, and it earned me a warm, if fleeting, kiss.

"She won't give up, you know," Emily told me. "The reason Sue moved here was because she'd busted up all the marriages she could in our hometown. There were no more prizes left to win. She sees you as her next prize."

I can assure you, I'm no prize. That much is certain. But, again, I had noticed Susan become more aggressive each time I pulled away.

"It's not like we can just sit her down and tell her I'm off-limits," I told Emily. "She already knows how I feel about you and it's not making any difference."

Emily cocked her head to side.

"Does she know how you feel about me? Do you even know how you feel about me," she asked. "I used hang out some while you worked or laze around watching TV. Now, when we see each other, it's a production. We have to go somewhere or be doing something. I see you less now than before we started dating. I used to spend most nights over here. I had half my clothes here. I don't think I showered at Sue's more than five times the whole summer."

I was tempted to make a smart-assed comment about the showering thing but figured I'd better not.

Emily must have read my mind because she answered, "Good choice."

But she was right. Although not all of it was my doing.

"Em, things were bound to change some once we came out the closet, so to speak," I told her. "Susan is still worried you're going to end up hurt in some way. So am I. I don't have a real good track record with women. But I do miss you being around. I don't see why we can't go back to spending more time doing the things we used to."

"Don't bet on it," Emily replied cryptically.

As if on cue, Susan opened my door and came in. I swear I've got to start locking that damned thing!

"Aunt Sue, what a surprise," Emily said, sarcasm dripping with each word. "I was just wondering how I'd managed 10 minutes alone with Joe."

Susan reddened, but brushed it off.

"Hey, a lot can happen in 10 minutes if you play your card right," Susan said. Then, looking for a co-conspirator, added with a smirk, "Isn't that right, Joe."

I was suddenly very tired and I was done with games.

"Susan, it's obvious you've been going out the wrong guys. It's no wonder you come home crying after every date if 10 minutes is all it takes," I told her. "But, I can assure you, with Emily and me, it takes much longer than 10 minutes. I mean, I spend 10 minutes just kissing each ear."

Susan stiffened, but recovered quickly.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice you earlier," she said. "I could have saved myself a lot of heartache."

I'm pretty sure she was sincere, but it didn't matter.

"Susan, all you're doing now is creating heartache," I told her. "Unnecessary heartache for Emily and for me because what's done is done. I'm willing to a friend to you — the kind of friend I've always tried to be to you. But not like this. It's really a better thing we didn't connect romantically because I've never been very good with drama and you seem to need drama to exist. Emily and I've tried to come up with a way to say this and not hurt your feelings, but I'm too tired for that and you're too oblivious for that so here it is: If you want me as a friend, then I'll be your friend. Hell, you're about the only friend I have here. But, if you want to try me as boyfriend or fuck buddy or whatever, then I can't be a friend to you. I'm not even going to try. I thought it was only me so it wasn't a big deal, but now I see your actions are hurting someone I love. So it IS a big deal and it's going to stop. Now. Either you tuck your tits away and we can all go forward together. Or you keep acting like you've been acting the past couple of weeks and you can't be a part of my life anymore. At this point, I really don't care which one you choose. But you've got to choose immediately."

Thunderstruck, Susan looked at Emily who was gazing at me with what I thought was pure adoration.

"Is that how you feel, too," she asked Emily.

Emily thought for a moment and answered.

"No, not entirely," she said. "I want to scratch your fucking eyes out. You've done everything but pop naked out of Joe's refrigerator. You walk into his house uninvited. You rub up on him like you're his cat. I thought today at the pool you were going to try to hump him in the water when you wrapped your arms and legs around him. He's my boyfriend. If I thought he wanted to be with you, I'd let him go to you. Hell, I'd walk him to your bedroom if I thought that would make him happy. He's right. Things have to go back to the way they were. I'm going to change clothes then come back over here and lie around and watch TV. Susan, if you have anything you'd like to discuss with Joe, I'd prefer you go back to the pool and wait until I come back. I know Joe loves me — and I think you do, too — but I don't trust you. And I know you don't take no for an answer and I know you don't care who you hurt to get what you want. There I think that about covers it."

Then she stood, took her Aunt Susan by the arm and guided them both through the door.

-------

Chapter 13: Lesson One

I took a shower to try to clear my head. What did Emily mean when she said we needed to go back to the way things were? Did she mean completely back or just to recreate the tension-free environment we used to live in?

I dried off and stepped from the shower to find my answer.

Emily was lying on my bed, still in her swimwear. Well mostly in her swimwear. She had rolled the bottoms down again. This time they rested across the tops of her thighs. Her pussy was free from its Lycra constraints.

Since I was naked, she didn't have to even ask if I liked the view. My cock sprang to life like it used to when I was a teenager.

"Emily, my God, you're beautiful," I stammered as I made my way to the bed. I kneeled before her kissing her moist mouth. I felt her tongue lick my lips, so I opened them to accommodate her. I had to touch her. And when I ran my hands over her stomach, down to her pussy, she whimpered into my mouth.

God she was wet. I gently stroked her mound eliciting more responses as her hand made its way down my chest. I held her hand, ending its journey.

"This is all about you this time, my love," I whispered.

I reluctantly removed my hand from her red-haired treasure trove but only to free her young breasts from her top. As my lips traced their way down her neck my hand found its way back to its warm goal between her legs. I circled her nipples with my tongue and I repeated the circles with my finger on her clit.

Emily was about to jump out her skin. But before she did that I had her sit up to remove her swimsuit. She lay before me, naked in all her glory as I burned the image into my brain. I couldn't speak, but luckily words weren't needed. I began to rain kisses all over her face, neck and shoulders. I couldn't believe this goddess was naked in my bed and I wanted to pay the proper homage.

I nibbled across her shoulders, down her side and across her tummy before working my way back to her breasts. My fingers had been lightly teasing her tiny nipples and they stood up like eraser tips. Emily let out all the breath in her body when I gently clasped her nipple between my teeth and let my tongue play over it. I repeated the gesture on her other small breast, but I couldn't wait any longer. I had to taste my Emily.

As I slid my tongue down her tummy, her aroma was intoxicating. I could smell the chlorine from the pool, but it didn't matter. I had to slip my tongue into her folds to taste her.

"Joe, honey. I haven't showered yet. You had the bathroom door locked," she whimpered.

"It's OK. Believe me. It's OK," I mumbled. There's no way I could stop now. Not so close.

When I was between her thighs, I gazed upon glory itself. I've never seen anything nicer in my life. I wanted to make this the most special moment in her life so far, so I composed myself and took my time. I started by letting my tongue catch some of her nectar that had begun to ooze down her slit. The flavor was like ambrosia, making my composure waver again.

While my tongue traced the contours of her pussy, my thumb found its way past the lips and I gently began stoking her clit. At my touch, Emily let out a gasp and tried to slide herself closer to produce more contact.

But I wouldn't let her. Time and again she tried, only to have my thumb ride with her, keeping the contact to just a teasing minimum. Finally, I relented, but when she pushed forward, she didn't meet my finger. She met my tongue waiting to drive her to pleasure heretofore unknown to her.

And drive her I did. Minute after minute, I lap and suck and her clit, driving her closer and closer, only to pull back. I watched as she began to circle her nipples with her thumb, increasing her stimulation. I inched the first knuckle of my finger into her tight pussy before I met resistance, so I went no farther, but I didn't retreat. I kept her on the edge for what seemed like hours. I was so aroused I could feel the pile of precum I'd left on the sheets below me.

At last, I felt she could take no more and I dove in for real. She was so ready, it took only a few seconds before Emily grasped the back of my head, let a string of "Oh, Gods," and treated me to first orgasm she'd ever had that didn't come from her own hand.

Then my angel collapsed on the bed like a dishtowel. Her body limp and her eyes glassy, Emily looked at me and just said, "Oh, my God!"

But her dreamy smile took my breath away.

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Chapter 14: Dirty Girl

I held Emily for a few minutes as she regained her strength. I'm sure I didn't help her by continually nibbling her neck and teasing her nipples.

"Did you enjoy that," I asked coyly. "I really couldn't tell since you didn't seem to get into that much."

She knew I was joking, though, and rolled on top of me, plastering her mouth to mine and probing my molars with her tongue.

Her slit was still drenched and, as she rubbed her clit against my hard cock, I felt another small tremor go through her body.

She sat up, still straddling my waist, the head of cock nestled inside her pussy lips. I was sure with one push, I'd be inside her. The thought was driving me insane. She looked so gorgeous sitting there. Her perfect breasts and tiny nipples jutting forward. I glanced down to where she sat across me and I could see her swollen lips through her sparse red hair. Jesus, I wanted to be inside this angel. I let out a deep sigh and smiled up at her.

"You look amazing," I told her. "I want more than anything to make love to you. Right here, right now."

She smiled, the lowered her lips to mine and gave me a kiss that almost curled my toes.

"I want to," she said. "But I think we should wait."

I knew she was right, and I'm sure I hid my disappointment. It was easier to hide when she said, "But there're other things I can do to make my man feel good. Come take a shower with me."

OK, a half hour ago, I'd already showered pretty thoroughly. But I was pretty sure this one would be even better. I couldn't have been more right.

I watched my sweet girl walk to the bathroom and I noticed her thighs still glistened from a mixture of our secretions. If anything, my dick got harder.

"Do you want a shower or a bath," I asked when I finally left the bed.

"A shower definitely," she replied. "I'd probably drown in a bath."

It took only seconds under the spray to see why she was worried. Almost as soon as the water was on, she sat on the side of tub and began stroking my cock, almost mesmerized by it, it seemed.

I'm about average as far as cock size goes, but I looked like a porn star with Emily's tiny hands wrapped around it. I had precum literally dangling from the end of it as she gently fondled my balls. Emily looked up, almost embarrassed.

"I want to suck you, but I don't know how," she said. "Let me know if I do something wrong, OK?"

I had just begun to nod when Emily's tongue darted across the head of my cock. My world spun out of control when I felt her hot mouth tentatively take the first inch or so in. What Emily lacked in experience she made up for in enthusiasm as she gave her first blowjob to me.

After a few seconds of slow sucking, Emily began to really get into it. Her tongue seemed to be everywhere at once and her hands managed to keep perfect time with her bobbing head. At one point, I took one of her dainty hands and put it on my balls and showed her to play with them. Emily even surprised me when she let my cock out her mouth at one point and began to suck on my cum-filled balls.

But what made it best was the look on her face. It wasn't a look of concentration; it was a look of love. She kept her eyes locked on mine even when I bent forward a little bit to begin rubbing her beautiful breasts.

As I tweaked her nipples, Emily really got into it and I knew it would be just a few seconds until I flooded the room with cum. Emily seemed to sense it too as her hand got faster and her sucking got more frantic.

"Honey, it's time. If you don't want it in your mouth, you'd better stop now," I managed to get out.

But my little angel kept right at, looking up at me with those beautiful green eyes as I filled her mouth with cum. The first shot didn't surprise her, but the second, third and fourth ones did.

She choked a little on the second spurt, and the third and subsequent volleys landed on her face, in her hair and down her chest. As I leaned against the wall for support, Emily launched into a fit of giggles made even funnier by the wad of cum hanging from her chin.

She stuck her face under the spray and rinsed her mouth out right before I got close enough to kiss her. I've never been one for kissing too close after a blowjob, but I figured Emily certainly deserved my praise in the highest form.

"Maybe a bath would be better now," she giggled. "Since I've got to wash all your stuff out of my hair."

Emily asked if I thought she did OK and I assured her it was the most intense thing I've ever felt. As we relaxed in a nice, warm bath, I took extra care to wash her hair and to play with all her naughty bits. Two minutes of having her naked against me in the shower and my cock was as hard as organic chemistry again. I used my fingers to give Emily another orgasm, albeit not as strong as the first one. She was still whimpering and grinding her ass against my cock.

"Um, that feels nice against my butt," she said as she turned to me for a kiss. "I'm sorry we can't, you know, do it yet. I don't want to have to worry about condoms or pregnancy, so I think we should wait until I get on the pill. I hope you don't mind but that might mean Christmas break."

How could I mind? I hated condoms and I hated the thought of ruining Emily's life with a teenaged pregnancy more.

"Sweetie, we'll wait as long as you want," I told her. "I hope we have the rest of our lives to make love. I can wait awhile — if you can."

Emily told me it wasn't like she wanted to wait ("We'd have been doing for months now if I had my way!") but since we still could use our hands and mouths on each other the risks seemed to outweigh the rewards. I didn't want to encourage too much, so I just let her continue thinking that. I figured I could cure her of that fallacy as a Christmas present.

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Chapter 15: Family Reunion

The next few days, Emily and I tried about every form of oral and digital sex imaginable. I found out my little angel has a definite naughty streak — one about a mile wide. Emily seemed to enjoy exhibitionism (must be a family trait she shared with Aunt Susan) and I even got my first blowjob while driving since I was a teenager. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish because I feared blacking out and killing us both. So Emily finished me off in the parking garage before we headed upstairs to my apartment. At the pool she'd pull the leg of her swimsuit aside and stuff my cock inside until the head gave her the friction she needed for a small cum. I swear, I thought I might have created a monster.

Susan decided that being friends would be enough for now and actually seemed to become a pleasant person to visit with. She didn't date very much now, but we all had dinner together a couple times each week and she made sure she had time to spend with Emily. The three of us even managed to catch an Indians game together the last week of Emily's visit. I couldn't help but wonder how different my life would be if she'd gone to the first game with us, too. Somehow, I think Emily and I would have found each other. It just seemed meant to be.

Emily wanted me to teach her how to drive, but I figured that was something every father dreamed about and I wasn't about to take THAT away from him, too.

But that finally brought about the question that had been at the back of my mind for weeks now. What are we going to say to her family?

I wasn't entirely sure Susan hadn't already told them, but I suspected since no irate parents had arrived at my door she hadn't. I finally asked Emily and Susan on the way back from the game if they had anything in mind. I was floored.

"I've already told them about you," she said.

I asked Emily if she'd told them everything and she just shrugged.

"I haven't told them I like for you to stick your finger up my butt right before I cum, but I told them everything they need to know," she replied.

I heard Susan choke on something in the back seat as she gasped, "Emily, you're so dirty. That's awesome!"

Not willing to let the conversation be sidetracked, I asked Emily if everything they needed to know included my age.

"Sort of," she said. "I told them you were older. When mom asked how old I just told her not to worry, you weren't as old as she was. She was more worried about you treating me right and me not getting 'knocked up' as she put it to ask many more questions.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow when they come to pick me up."

I guessed we would at that.

Emily shared my bed for the last time that summer and it was wonderful. I massaged her with lotion and ate her to another earthshaking orgasm. I even made sure to finger her tight puckered asshole right before she came. I think that's what sent her over the edge.

She even talked about letting me fuck her in the ass, but we finally decided an introduction to anal sex the night before a five-hour car ride probably wouldn't be prudent.

Far too soon, the alarm clock was buzzing and it was time to get everything ready for Emily to leave. I wasn't sure if I should wait in my apartment until Emily's parents showed up or if I should be with Emily when they got there. I figured it wouldn't make much difference either way so I decided to spend as much time around my angel as I could.

Susan didn't seem too concerned. But I was still nervous as a whore in church. I'm pretty much a composed guy, but today I was pacing and jabbering and generally making a nuisance of myself. Or I was until Emily told me to cut it out.

Finally, about noon, there was a knock on Susan's door and the moment had arrived.

Susan opened the door and a man in his 40s came in with a woman who looked in her 20s. It's obvious that she was Emily's mother and Susan's sister. And she was a knockout.

Emily and Susan gave both of them a hug and I stood there looking like a leftover piece of pie. But soon the family reunion was over and Emily walked over and took my hand.

"Mom, Dad, this is Joe."

Emily's mother and father just stared at me as if I'd grown a third eye in the middle of my forehead.

"Uh, nice to meet you folks. You have a wonderful daughter," Yep, I sure am a charmer.

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Chapter 16: Until We Meet Again

"Emily, you told me he was older," her mother started. "But you promised he was younger than I am. I'm not sure you're right."

Well, it was better than I expected, but I wasn't sure I was younger than her mom, either.

"Well, I'm 32," I stammered, hoping to contribute something. "Look, folks, I know this is awkward, but I really do care about your daughter."

Her father glanced at her mother, then at Susan, then back at me. Finally, he looked at Emily.

"Well, at least you come by it honestly," he said. Then he smiled.

Emily seemed to be holding together nicely. Or I thought so until I felt her relax when he smiled at her.

"Joe, I was almost 30 when I met Janie," he said. "She was almost 16. I knew from that day forward I loved her. It took me a little while to convince her that she loved me. But I don't think you have any complaints. Do you, dear?"

Janie's smile told me that even if she complaints, there were very few of them.

"It was the other way around for us, dad," Emily said. "Joe was so concerned about my feelings and my well-being I almost thought it was a lost cause. It took me two months of work to get him to come around."

Emily's dad just laughed. "Well, it took me a bit longer, but Janie was only 17 when we married. So I guess not much longer. Sit down and tell us a little about yourself."

So I did. It was a fairly short conversation. I mentioned that I had been married before and Jim (Emily's dad) said he had, too. He called it his starter marriage. Emily and I told them about the summer, but they had heard most of it before during their routine chats with Emily.

"Emily, I think I should be honest with you," he began. "I wasn't crazy about you coming here this summer. Susan, well, hell, you know I've never trusted your judgment. Now, don't be mad. It's not like I've made it a secret. Honey, we just didn't know what to do with you. I knew you were growing up. Your mom knew you were growing up. And I saw the way the boys around town were starting to look at you. And the way the men were looking, too. I've never regretted marrying your mom. And I don't think she ever regretted marrying me. But, at the same time, our lives might be a whole lot better if we'd waited until at least she finished college to start having kids.

"Now, sweetie, don't look that way," he continued. "I've never regretted you either. But, I want more for you than to hook up with some dumbass kid from home or one of the losers that work at the Wal-Mart. I wasn't really expecting Joe. But, then, I guess Joe wasn't expecting you, either. I don't know if you've talked much about the future. OK, I can see by that glance you have. Well, it ain't gonna be all peaches and cream. I want Emily to go to college"

Jim smiled when I told him a college degree was a prerequisite for anyone I was going to spend the rest of my life with — and when I told him that Emily valued it more highly than either he or I did.

He told us there are going to times when people think I'm out with my daughter.

Emily just laughed and said, "Been there, done that."

Finally, Janie dropped the bombshell.

"Then there's sex," she said as Emily and I both blushed. "Joe, you've been married before, so I'll assume you've had sex before. Emily, for my sanity, I'm gonna assume you haven't."

Emily assured her that she could still wear white on her wedding day (although I guessed she'd have to wear black underwear and a black bandana around her mouth, but I kept my mouth shut).

"Joe, this may shock you," she said. But, you remember when you were 16, right?"

I assured her I did and I also told her that Emily and Susan often accuse me of acting like I'm 12.

That got a chuckle from everyone, but Janie continued.

"Well, girls at 16 think about sex all the time. Just like you did."

I glanced at Emily like this was a shocking revelation, which also brought a laugh.

"Well, I was ready to marry Jim far before he believed I was," she said. "I was more than ready to get away from making out and petting before he was. But, the first time we did it, well, you came along Emily. I don't want that for you."

I just looked at the table. Unfortunately, my reaction gave her parents the wrong impression.

"Oh, my God," Janie said. "You're already pregnant aren't you? You said you hadn't had sex yet."

Emily rushed to assure her she wasn't pregnant and we hadn't had sex.

Then Janie turned to me.

"Why are you looking so guilty, then," she asked. "Well, we haven't had sex. But we've wanted to. We've discussed it and Emily thought with the hassle of condoms and the threat of pregnancy, the risks outweighed the rewards."

I thought Susan, Jim and Janie would wet their pants. I couldn't help it, I laughed, too.

Emily was starting to get pissed.

"What's so funny," she asked. "Is it a joke I'm not in on? If it is, I'm all ears."

"Oh, my darling girl, when the time comes, you are going to find out just how wrong you can be," Janie said.

Emily looked over at me and started to say something, then thought the better of it.

"Yeah, it gets better," I finally told her. "I just didn't want you to throw caution to the wind and ask me to prove it."

My answer got me a slug on the arm from my beloved and I made a mental note never to really piss her off.

"Just great," she said with a mock pout. "Now I've got at least three months to ponder this."

After we talked for a little while longer, Jim and Janie decided it was time to go. I really expected them to have a little more difficulty accepting this. But the difference in their ages and their obvious compatibility seemed to smooth things over.

Before Emily left, I gave her a life-sized teddy bear so she wouldn't get lonely and a prepaid long-distance card so she could call me.

Jim let her keep the bear, but gave me the long-distance card back.

"Don't worry about that," he said. "She can call anytime she wants."

Then, they were gone and I wondered how I ever managed before I met my sweet angel.

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Chapter 17: Long Distance

My ex-wife and I began dating in college and we were apart for holidays and summers for the first three years we dated.

After the first summer, we found it just didn't work. Our lives were separate. When we'd visit the other, one of us would have to drop everything and make time for the other. It led to a lot of resentment from each party — the one who drove all the way to see the other and the one who was expected to put the rest of the world on hold for the time the other was there. After the first summer, we decided to split up during the long breaks. We'd see each other when we could, but if we couldn't, it was OK, too.

That worked pretty well the second summer, but things were noticeable different when we got back to school. Mary, my ex-wife, had a nagging suspicion that I wasn't faithful to her — not that that was a requirement either of us had in place. It took about a month before she finally exploded during a routine argument about something silly (I've always been amazed how women keep all their grievances — real and imagined — bottled up like strawberry preserves in a closet in their mind. Then the first chance they get, they throw everything from the closet at you).

I told Mary that yes, I'd run into an old girlfriend from college and she and I went out a few times. I knew from talking to her that she had dated guys from home during her summer, too.

"I went out with one guy, one time," she screamed. "And I didn't even let him kiss me. I only went out with him because my friend wanted to double date. And you screwed anything with legs in Hanover (my hometown)."

I couldn't quite figure out how going out a few times with an old girlfriend translated into screwing anything with legs, but why be rational. I mean, it was an argument and there were strawberry preserves flung all over the room.

It took a long time and a midnight call to Christy (my old girlfriend) before Mary was reassured that I didn't screw anything with legs and I didn't screw anything without legs during my summer.

But by the third summer we knew we didn't have an answer either way. Proximity is a definite key to building a strong relationship. Especially when there is a lack of trust involved.

So, we went back to the way we did things the first summer and just let the resentments build again. Oh well, at least we had something fresh to fight about when school rolled around again. But when we divorced, the strawberry preserves came flying again and I found some of problems from the final summer never were resolved.

When Mary and I graduated college, I was relieved beyond belief that never again would I have to go through a long-distance relationship again.

Yet, here we go again.

Just like with Mary, the first couple weeks Emily and I were apart we spoke every day, sometimes two or three times a day.

Then we missed a day, then a couple of days. Then, the first week of October, it was six days between her calls. Finally, I did something I hadn't done before — I called her. When her dad answered, I could hear a loud discussion in the background. In my house, we call it a fight, but more refined people use the term discussion.

"Well, we were just talking about you," Jim said. "How are things up there?"

I told him things were pretty good and that he could have Emily call me back at a more convenient time if he wanted.

"No, now's good," he said. "In fact, we thought she'd already called you. We just found out a little while ago she hadn't. I'll put her on."

I knew the news wasn't good from the tone of his voice. But the sound of Emily's just confirmed my suspicions. She was crying when picked up the phone.

"Hey, Em, everything OK," I asked, knowing full well it wasn't.

I was greeted by silence. So I asked again.

"Joe, I'm so sorry," she sobbed

A boy at school had asked her out. They'd been dating for about two weeks.



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Part 3


Chapter 18: Susan's Revenge

I fought the urge to be angry. I tried hard, but I found I was mad as hell.

Finally, I told her I needed to get my thoughts in order before I said something I couldn't take back and I asked if I could call her later tonight.

I was stunned when she said she was supposed to go out again tonight, but tomorrow would be OK. I told her to call me tomorrow whenever it was convenient and I asked her to put her father on the phone. She handed the phone back to him like it was stolen.

"You know, Jim, I sometimes forget she's 16," I said. "I don't want to be mad or hurt, but I find I'm exactly those two things."

He said he didn't blame me and he asked I wanted him to make her stay home tonight.

"I appreciate that, Jim," I told him, though I wasn't sure if I did. "But that won't do either of us any good. You know, I'm not really mad at her wanting to see people her own age. I only wished I'd found out before instead of after the fact."

Janie had picked up the other extension. She told me they had made that a requirement before they agreed to let her go. It was only today they realized she'd lied to them.

I thought I could trust Emily and I knew her parents would be watching her like a hawk. I wanted her to have the normal high school experiences girls everywhere have — well, at least girls who aren't dating men their mother's age.

I wasn't sure how to communicate this to Emily without sounding like I was the one who wanted to go trolling — especially with dear, willing, succulent Susan next door. At the same time, I expected her to use common sense and not hang around "those dumbass boys from town" as her father so eloquently put it a couple of months ago.

"Is this boy one of the ones you'd talked about," I asked him.

I didn't feel any better when he replied, "Let's just say if dumbasses had a country, he'd be king."

I told him to do what he thought was best but not to do it on my account. I'd be fine however things worked out.

"Well, at least I can tell when you're lying," was all Janie said before they hung up.

I spent a good portion of the day at the apartment thinking (have I mentioned this was never a strong suit of mine), before deciding a walk would do me some good. I'd made it about three blocks before Susan turned the corner.

"You look like your puppy dog died," she said, but she realized what happened as soon as I shrugged. "You're kidding me. Janie told me she was going to go out with some creep, but she thought you'd talk her out if. She never called you, did she? Come on, let's have a drink and you fill me in before I drive to Pennsylvania and paddle Emily's ass."

So, we stopped in to a bar around the corner and I told her what I knew, which I realized wasn't a whole hell of a lot. I also filled her in on some of the details of dating my former wife and our summers apart and why I was so upset. It felt good to talk to someone about it and as we walked home I began to realize Susan wasn't so bad.

"OK, so Emily sees me hitting on you and she gets all upset during the summer," Susan said as we sat on my couch. "Now, she's sneaking around behind her parents back and your back and she expects you to be OK with it? Just a second. I know I was a pain in the ass all summer. But I think I can help."

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

"Hey, Jim, it's Susan. Has Emily left yet?" she asked. "Good, let me talk to her for a second. Hey, Em, it's Aunt Susan. No, I'm not going to start on you, too. It's your life, do whatever you want. I just wondered if Joe was officially back on the market."

I could hear Emily yelling through the phone as Susan held it away from her ear.

"Yeah, I thought you'd say that," she told her. "Maybe you should think about what that response means yourself. Wow, I guess I am going to start on you, too. Huh? Who'd of thought? Anyway, have a nice date."

With that, she hung up.

"Five, four, three, two, one," she counted down on her fingers.

The phone rang and I just looked at her.

"I'll be going, but I want all the details later," she said and left.

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Chapter 19: A Different Kind of Lesson

I answered the phone only a second or two before the answering machine would have answered.

"Joe, I'm so sorry," Emily cried. "I didn't even think about anything past me. I'm supposed to go in a minute, but I'll cancel if you want."

I told Emily I was never one for ultimatums and I wasn't going to start issuing them now. And I wasn't about to start making decisions for her.

"Just a minute," and she put the phone down.

I heard her talking to someone in the background. Then I heard her say, "Well fuck you, too!"

"Sorry, I'm back," she said. "That didn't go well."

I asked if she thought this might go any better and she started to cry again. I know it was petty and vindictive, but I thought she needed to see that actions have consequences and you have to face those consequences from time to time.

I wanted to see if she'd lie to me, so I asked her why she called now when her date was already there.

"Sue called to ask if it would be OK if she went out with you," she said. "I told her hell no that you were my boyfriend."

I told her I bet her other boyfriend found the conversation enlightening, but she replied not as enlightening as she had.

"You must hate me," she sobbed, but I assured her I didn't hate her.

"Emily, I don't expect you to join a nunnery," I explained. "And part of this is my fault because I couldn't come up with a way to tell you a few things. Things that might have made this transition easier.

"For that I apologize. But that doesn't make what you did any better for me or for you. You lied to your parents and deceived me. Most people who do that once don't get a chance to do it a second time."

I heard Emily gasp at the other end of the line.

"I said most people, Emily," I said. "Obviously the fact I'm on the phone with you means you're not most people. But, if there's a second time, I will not promise the opportunity for a third.

"Em, I know you're a kid in high school. Let me finish, please. I hope you're going to do all the things high school kids do — go to homecoming, to football games, to proms. And I know you're going to want to do them with people your own age. There are two things about this that hurt me. The first is that you didn't tell me and tried to hide from me. The second is the kid you were going out with is one of the dumbasses your dad warned you about. Before you defend you choice, his final words to you were 'Fuck you, you little cocktease.' That pretty much lands him in the dumbass pile and shows you where his interest lay, if you'll pardon the pun, in the first place."

Emily said she going to get some tissues and when she returned she said, "First, I'm not a kid. Second, I didn't realize you could hear the conversation. I guess you think I did stuff with him, huh?"

I assured Emily that whether or not she did stuff with him was immaterial.

"We've never discussed exclusivity," I told her. "Although I would hope you'd have enough sense not to do something with a boy who'd say things to you like he did. But, as I think you've heard once tonight, it's your life, do whatever you want. All I can add is the reminder about consequences. And I'm not talking about me in any way. I'm talking about how your reputation and self-respect will suffer if you do decide to do things with guys like that."

Emily had realized that I had been privy to Susan's call, and she wasn't happy.

"What a hypocrite," she yelled. "You talk to me about deception and deceit. Then you have Aunt Sue do your dirty work. That's bullshit."

I cut her off quickly.

"I had nothing to do with Susan's call," I told her rather brusquely. "I neither asked her to nor expected her to. I was in the room when she placed the call and I can't say I'm disappointed with the results of her call. But it wasn't my idea and I wouldn't have handled things that way. That's not my style."

Emily wasn't mollified, but it appeared she accepted my explanation.

"So, you're saying you don't care if I go out with other guys," she said. "Is that right?"

I told her of course I cared, but there was little I could do to stop it. What I cared most about was making sure was going out with a boy for the right reasons, not because she needed someone to help her get off.

"You think that's it," Emily said. "You think it's all about sex?"

I asked her to explain specifically what she'd liked about the boy she'd dated.

When she had no answer, she sighed.

"Maybe you're right," she finally sighed. "Maybe I'm lonely. I got used to having you around and not just for sex stuff but for other stuff. To go to movies with and watch TV with and spend time with."

I knew what she was talking about, because I felt the same loneliness.

"Em, again, I'm not talking about staying home every night and have your whole existence be a telephone conversation with me. That's unrealistic and it's unfair. To both of us. I hate to admit this, but that's what I've been doing. Today was the first time I'd seen Susan in a month and she's pretty much the only friend I've gotten around to making since I moved here a year ago."

Emily was quick to the point.

"I don't want you seeing Susan," she said. "That's final."

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Chapter 20: Clearing the Air

I had to chuckle.

"Well, final or not is really my decision, I'm afraid," I told her. "But, look at it this way. If Susan didn't put you're happiness in front of hers, at least tonight, would she have made that call? Do you really think she wouldn't have just tried whatever she wanted to try?"

Emily conceded the point, but still was defensive.

"So, what am I supposed to do," she asked. "You're the wise one with all the answers."

I tried to explain that I wasn't even sure I knew the questions, let alone the answers. So I tried a different tact.

"Emily, first and foremost, I want what's best for you," I told her. "There may come a time when you decide what's best for you doesn't include me. I think so long as you're honest and upfront with me, I'll be OK with that. I don't expect to be consulted on your decisions, but I do hope you'll at least keep me informed of them. As I will try to keep you informed of the decision I make that affect you. We had a very special time together. One I'll always cherish regardless of where this leads. But this is what I was talking about when I told you about the first person's heart you'll have the chance to break and the first person who'll have the chance to break your heart. All I ask is that you remember there is another heart you're responsible for now. You took responsibility for mine when you told me you loved me as I've taken responsibility for yours."

I could hear Emily sobbing on the other end.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," she told me. "I truly didn't. It just felt so nice to have someone interested in me. I know you're interested in me. I know you love me — or at least you did — I fucked up. OK? There, I fucked up. So, if I want to go to homecoming with a guy, do I have to ask your permission?"

I assured Emily first, that I still loved her, and second that I wasn't her father.

"But, are you going to break up with me if I want to do, you know, stuff with someone else," she asked.

I wasn't sure of that answer myself, so I turned it around.

"I don't know, Em," I said. "Are you going to break up with me if I have sex with someone else? Even someone else not Susan."

It finally hit home, I think.

"I don't think I'd like you going out with someone or doing that without telling me first or breaking up with me first," she said. Then it dawned on her. "Oh, my God. If you started dating someone seriously and didn't let me know, I don't think I could handle it. And that's what I started to do. I wouldn't listen to anyone who tried to tell me that's what I'm doing. Even my friends told me so. So, are we, um, OK? I think I have everything straight in my head now."

I told Emily we were just fine. And that I'd try to call tomorrow.

But I wasn't sure if we were OK or not. As we hung up, I realized for the first time in a long time that I was dating a 16-year-old.

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Chapter 21: An Evening at Susan's

I knew it might create problems, but I need a fresh perspective on things. So I turned to the only person I knew of who might be able to help me out: Susan.

She must have been expecting me because she answered the door almost before I was able to knock.

"So, are you still going to be my nephew-in-law," she asked. I think she got her answer when I didn't laugh at her joke. "That bad, huh?"

I told her it wasn't bad, just different. I told her tonight, for maybe the first time, Emily acted like a kid. I wasn't real fond of kids when I was one, so I really wasn't sure I'd be able to handle one now.

"It's like a whole different person, Susan," I told her. "It was just like the composed, mature young woman who sat in the kitchen two months ago has been kidnapped and replaced with a snotty, know-it-all teenager. I don't know why I didn't expect that. But, it seems I certainly should have."

Susan just smiled, knowingly.

"It's like that with most girls," she said. "They conform to the expectations of those they're most eager to please. Emily knew she had to act with a certain grace and dignity around you because you're an adult. And you were the person she most wanted to have notice her. Plus, you treated her with respect and let her make adult decisions so it made it easier for her to show her maturity. She hasn't lost that maturity. It's just now she's around her mom and dad and kids her own age and she doesn't have to use it as often. When I was a teenager it was like I almost had a split personality. My friends saw me one way, teachers saw me another, my parents saw me a third and people who just met me saw me a fourth. Because I acted differently around each of them. I don't think that's uncommon. And I don't think it's unhealthy. I think as girls grow they find parts of each personality and put them together to make who they finally are. If it's any consolation to you, and I'm not sure it is, but I think the Emily we saw this summer is most like who she's always going to be. And I think the fact you showed you cared about her no matter how she acted helped her to grow a lot during the summer. You treated her the same if she had on fuzzy slippers and was trying to break dance or if she had on a nice outfit and you guys were out on the town. I think now that there are different expectations from her she's having a little bit of trouble getting everyone to accept the person she's trying desperately to grow up to be."

I admitted it was some, however slight, consolation, but I wasn't sure I had to right to ask Emily to conform her personality to fit the way I'd come to expect her to act.

"That's no more fair to her than you being expected to act one way for your parents and another for your friends," I said. "I don't act that way, do I?"

Susan assured that with me what you saw is what you got.

"But I'll bet you weren't always that way," she said. "Think about your first girlfriend's mom and dad. How did you act around them? Or your best friend's parents? Or your ex-wife's family? I doubt you're around many of them these days, but do you still act the same around your best friend's folks as you did when you were younger?"

I admitted that I didn't. My best friend's mom always said I had an "Eddie Haskell charm."

"She used to mimic him, saying 'Gee Mrs. Detwiler, those cookies sure smell great' even when they smelled like armpit," I joked.

Susan told me that's exactly what she meant. "I've seen parts of that charm," she said. "It's not so much Eddie Haskell anymore, but it is disarming. So you took some of who you used to be around her, some of who you used to be around others and put it all together. If you run into an old friend on the street, how often do you tell yourself, 'Wow, he's not like I remember him?' A lot I'll bet."

I told Susan that was exactly what I'm talking about. I didn't realize I would have witness all the changes in personality from a distance. I honestly didn't know if I had the patience to wait for all the shitty personalities to disappear before the good ones came out — if they came out at all. It was something I'd have to decide as time passed I guess.

But, back to the present, I asked Susan to gauge some of the things I'd told Emily to see if they made sense.

"I tried to explain, and I did a horrible job, that I didn't want to be included in her decisions, only informed of them beforehand if they affect me," I told Susan. "The part that was hardest to get across to her was that a decision to date someone seriously affects me tremendously."

Susan laughed and told me I should have asked Emily how Emily would feel if I decided to go out with her.

"I was told that I wasn't allowed to see you and that was final," I told her.

Susan chuckled again.

"And yet, here you are. If I didn't know better, I'd think there was hope for me yet."

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Chapter 22: Plan A

Emily didn't wait for me to call on Sunday. I'd spent most of the night wondering what to do about her and still didn't have the faintest clue. I loved the young woman who was here this summer. But I wasn't sure if I could put up with the little girl I'd talk to on the phone the past couple days. About 5 a.m., I finally called it a night (or morning) and went to bed.

Far too soon, I was awakened by Susan's hand on my shoulder. Me and the fucking door again.

"Should I even ask why you're here," I said. "Or why you feel it's ever necessary to enter my house when I don't answer the door."

She just shook her head.

"Nope, no use in asking at all," she said. "But I'll tell you anyway. Emily has been trying to call you since 7:30 this morning. After about the first 100 times, she got the idea you might not be home and guess where she thought you might have spent the night. Like I should be so lucky. Anyway, she's on the phone again so I told her I'd come to try to wake you. If I don't sleep, you don't sleep."

I inquired as to the time and was told it was shortly after 9 a.m.

"OK, tell Em I'm gonna piss and brush my teeth and I'll give her a call," I said.

Susan said she would.

"But, I think she's still convinced you're in my bed."

Great, more time talking to the little girl. I was thinking maybe it was time to just call things off with Emily.

About 15 minutes later, I decided to bite the bullet and I called Emily's house. She answered on the first ring.

"Wow, a 20 minute piss. That musta been quite a stream," she said.

She sounded cheerful, but I wondered if that was another act.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep a whole lot, so I wanted to get some coffee in me before we talked," I told her.

She said she was glad I did because she didn't want me dozing off because she had some important things to say.

I let her know I was all ears.

"Well, first, I spent a lot of time thinking last night, too," she began. "But, I guess I don't need as much sleep as you old folks do. Or maybe my decisions were a lot easier to make than the ones facing you. If you'll let me go first and promise to hear me out, I promise to do the same for you. Is that OK?"

I told her that seemed like a workable plan.

"You called me a kid last night and it pissed me off," she said. As I began to interrupt she silenced me with "You promised." And I knew I had.

"OK, I was pissed off when you called me a kid last night until I remember one of our first conversations. You promised me if I didn't act like a kid you wouldn't treat me like one. I was acting like a kid and you called me on it. I appreciate your candor and I appreciate that you care about me enough to tell me that. But you were wrong. I wasn't acting like a kid. I was acting like a spoiled brat with a new toy. That toy is my pussy and I wanted to make sure everyone knew I had one. Well, I'm pretty sure everyone knows I've got a pussy now even if nobody else got to play with it. I don't know why I was acting that way or why I treated you that way. And since I don't know why I was doing it, I can't promise to never do it again. I can promise to watch myself and listen to you and others who care about me if I start to behave that way again. For my behavior both yesterday and for the past few weeks, I want to apologize to you."

I interrupted to tell her no apology was needed, but she said she thought I was owed one and she was willing to admit when she was wrong. I wasn't convinced yet, but this conversation held promise that I might have to rethink my earlier decision.

"I also placed some unfair demands on you last night. I doubt you listened, and I hope you didn't, but Susan is your friend. And I may not trust her just yet, but I do trust you. You've treated me with respect from the first moment I laid eyes on you. Even yesterday when I know you wanted to crawl through the phone and shake me until my eyes popped out you still treated me with respect and fairness. You listened to my brat act and let me explain my side fully. You didn't condemn me or try to punish me. You did your best to treat me as an adult even though I didn't act like one. For your love and understanding, I want to thank you."

Again, I interrupted to tell her thanks weren't needed. But she said in the past she didn't thank me often enough and she didn't want to make the same mistake again.

"Finally," she said, "I've come to the conclusion that long-distance relationships don't work especially for someone who is just starting to date and for someone who has had them fail in the past. You said last night that long-distance relationships take trust and commitment. I think I've proven there's no reason to trust me and that I've failed in the commitment I've made to you."

It's funny, 15 minutes before, I was ready to say the exact same things. Now, I felt my heart breaking and a tear rolling down my cheek. I didn't have an answer for her, so I just let her continue.

"That said, I'd like the chance to regain your trust and to prove my commitment to you, but at the same time, I do want to do all the things you said you wanted me to do. Things like going to homecoming and to school dances and to prom. I've spoken with mom and dad and with Aunt Sue and we can find only one way to rectify the two problems. And that's for me to go to those things with you — if you'd be willing to take me to them."

Well, first off, it sounded like she had thought a lot about those things. But, and there's always a but, I had a miserable time going to those things in high school. Did I really want to relive those times again? It was worth a shot, I supposed.

"Angel, are you sure you want me to go to homecoming with you," I asked. "I mean, I'm a little long in the tooth and you might have more fun with kids your own age."

I guess she'd anticipated my response because she didn't hesitate.

"Do you remember all the times we played miniature golf and went go-kart racing this summer," she asked.

I admitted that, old as I was, I still had a pretty solid recollection of a few months back. Luckily, she took the humor as it was intended.

"We had fun," she said. "We laughed, we joked. It was a blast. Last weekend, I went mini golfing with kids my age. It wasn't nearly as much fun. When you and I would go to dinner or watch TV it was so much more enjoyable. I'm truly sorry it took this to make me realize I wasn't lonely. I was lonely for you. Just go to the first one with me, if you can. It's in a couple of weeks — on Halloween. Sue said she drive over with you. If it's terrible, we'll leave and come up with another plan. But, Joe, right now, it's the only plan I've got that keeps me where I want to be — with you."

Somehow, I felt the tears on my cheeks again. It must be allergy season.

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Chapter 23: Memories of Mary

It's funny. The first thing I pictured when I told Emily I'd honored to be her escort at homecoming was the look on my ex-wife's face if she were to find out I was taking a high school junior to a dance.

My ex-wife is weird. I mean, she married me after all. But she's very sentimental. And she called me at Christmas last year to catch up on things and to make sure I was doing alright. I'm an only child and my parents both died in the past five years, so it was nice to talk to her. We spent a couple of hours on the phone and she told me that she was OK at Christmas, but she was terribly lonely on Halloween. We'd met at a Halloween party in college and our anniversary was October 30th. During our marriage our house was decked out like we had 20 kids there every year by October 20th. And I think we single-handedly keep Hershey's in business.

I told her it was strange because the apartment complex I lived in had no kids come by so I finally got to eat all the candy like I'd threatened to for years past. It's like the tradition never existed. So, I told her I'd try to call on Halloween night this year. I even joked I'd give her a fright by telling her I wanted to move back home. She laughed and said that would be the one thing sure to scare the hell out of her.

When I told her that, maybe I wasn't joking (but I was pretty sure she was serious about the prospect scaring the hell out of her). Now, I didn't want to go back there this year, but I do try to keep my promises. I wondered if Emily would understand if I ducked out of the dance for 5 or 10 minutes to give Mary a call.

On the drive across the Ohio Turnpike, I asked Susan if she thought Emily would mind if I called Mary just to say hi.

"Well, let me get this straight," she said, a glint in her eye. "She has a conniption fit if she thinks we've even shared a cup of coffee. In fact, I'm pretty sure she had someone put a GPS tracker on the car so she can be sure it doesn't stop for any more time than it takes to put gas in. Now, you wonder what her feelings will be about you calling a woman you shared not only coffee with but a bed and life with on the anniversary of your first date with this other woman. Nope, can't see any flaws in your theory at all."

Surprisingly, Emily was not the least put off by the prospect of a call to Mary. She asked if it I wanted a private conversation or if she could step outside with me. I told her I'd be more than happy if she'd accompany me, but I think she'd have been OK either way.

The conversation with Mary went really well. She asked what all the noise was and I told her I was on a date, but I still wanted to call her since I'd promised I would. Mary told me what I'd already discovered (namely, I'm an idiot), but she thought it was sweet all the same. Emily was standing next to me, so I asked if Mary had any words of wisdom for her. She said she might have a couple so I handed Emily the phone. Their conversation was short (Mary told her to run for the hills. Emily told it might prove to be good advice in the long run, but she thought Mary's ex-husband was a fine catch. Mary said she liked me much better as an ex-husband but she could see how I might fool some people).

Emily was chuckling when she handed the phone back and so was Mary when I started to tell her I'd talk to her at Christmas.

"At least you aren't planning to come back here," Mary said. "But, she sounds kinda young, J. You haven't been shopping in the kid's section have you (our code word for pedophiles)?"

I told her not the kiddie section, but maybe the Junior Miss. In all it was a nice call and I think it went a long way toward soothing the awkward relationship I'd had with my ex-wife for the past couple of years.

I gave Emily a kiss and thanked her for understanding.

"She was a big part of your life for a long time," she said. "I don't think you'd trade me in for her anyway." I hope the sloppy kiss I laid on my angel told her I wouldn't trade her in for anyone.

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Chapter 24: Homecoming

I'm glad I went into the dance with an open mind. Because it wasn't nearly as bad as I remember. We went to dinner with a couple of Emily's friends and their dates. It took a while for some of the others to get loosen up, but once they figured out I wasn't someone their parents sent to spy on them, it was alright. Being near Emily again, I felt a wholeness I hadn't felt since she left in August. I know we'd had a rough patch, but I still felt things were going to be better than fine.

I was mistaken once for a chaperone, but other than that it went well. Emily and I danced a couple of songs early and I even danced with a couple of friends when their dates wouldn't.

A couple of girls seemed to suffer from the same malady that befell my sweet angel earlier in the month, specifically the need to prove they had a pussy, too. I thought one girl was trying to get herself off on my leg like a stray dog during a dance, but Emily saw my predicament and rescued me quickly.

"Well, that was awkward," I said, holding Emily tight to my chest.

Emily told me she thought the girl must have close to cumming because she was not at all pleased when Emily cut in. Later, Emily overheard the leg humper tell another girl that Emily was such a loser that I was one of her dad's friends who'd been hired to take her to the dance. I was about to say something unkind to the young lady, but Emily took command.

"Just so you know, Betsy," she told the red-faced girl. "He's my boyfriend. And, get this, he's got a college degree and a job and his own car and even a checking account. I bet he might even have a credit card or two. Best of all, he doesn't live here. So, unless I screw things up, I'll get to leave and won't have fight Stella there to see who gets knocked up first by Tom down at the Gas N Git."

Emily's rejoinder left the poor girl stammering and I was reminded about how cruel girls can be to one another. But, I had little doubt that Tom down at the Gas N Git probably would knock up one (hell, maybe both) of the two poor girls standing there just because a lousy husband was a better prospect than no husband at all.

The dance was nice, but after the dance was amazing.

Emily and I had little time alone since our last night together in August.

Her parents had no qualms about letting spend the night together. I was a little surprised, but not greatly. I was worried Emily's bout with teenaged angst might force them to reconsider their free-thinking decision. But it didn't.

The only hotel in town was a mom and pop, so I decided to drive about 15 miles south to Interstate 80 to a chain hotel. No one even batted an eye when I checked in with a girl I'm sure everyone thought was my daughter. Of course the clerk didn't realize when I'd made the reservation it was for a king-sized bed with a Jacuzzi.

We left the dance a little early, but we were finding it hard to keep our hands to ourselves anyway. At least I was. I didn't want to embarrass Emily in front of her friends. Emily must have been feeling the same way because the door hadn't latched yet when her tongue was in my mouth and her hands were on my zipper.

We kissed and snuggled on the bed for a while until we both were pretty worked up. I could feel a huge wet spot in my underwear and I could tell Emily's were soaked as well.

"Give me just a minute to freshen up, then I've got a surprise for you," she cooed as she grabbed her overnight bag and headed to the bathroom. I had a pretty good idea what the surprise was, but I was anxiously awaiting it anyway.

The surprise wasn't what I expected that's for sure. When Emily came out of the bathroom she was sobbing uncontrollably.

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Chapter 25: Delayed Not Denied

"This can't be happening," she cried. "Not now. God damn it."

I was holding Emily, trying to comfort her and, at the same time, figure out what was going on. I glanced in the bathroom and found my answer. Her underwear was soaked all right — with her natural juices and with blood. She's started her period.

"It's OK, sweetheart," I told her. "It's a part of life."

That didn't seem to help much, but then again, why would I expect it to.

"I had everything planned and everything was going so well," she sobbed. "Why couldn't this wait until tomorrow."

I tried to cheer her up by reminding her how many women across the world were relieved tonight because they started their period today.

"Besides, a little bit of blood won't stop our fun," I told her. "It'll just change it a little."

I lit some candles I'd brought along and turned the Jacuzzi on while Emily took care of her tampon.

When she came out, I made it a point to tell her how beautiful she looked and to smother her with kisses. Since she was already naked except for a pair of panties, I started to slide them off her hips, but she stopped me.

"It's gross," she told me. "I know you don't want to be anywhere near me while I'm bleeding."

I'll admit having sex during a woman's period is messy. It's also very disconcerting to look down and see blood all over your cock and nuts. But, I've experienced worse things than fucking a menstruating girl. Still, it seemed that Emily's cherry would still be intact when I took her home.

But, as I've said before, if life hands you lemons get all pissed and throw the lemons at a passing car. Not the original saying, but hey, pasting cars with lemons is a hell of lot more fun than making lemonade.

"Emily, if you had a cut on your hand and you wanted me to kiss it better, I would," I told her. "It's no different. You've put in your tampon. I've heard you can ride horses and go skiing with those things. I don't see why you can't sit in the Jacuzzi and let me show you how much I've missed you."

I knew Emily was disappointed. Hell, I was as looking forward to this as much as she was. But, I managed to convince her the whole evening didn't need to be lost.

As Emily joined me in the water, I kissed her on her shoulders and let my hands explore every inch of her luscious body. As my hands traced her skin, my lips finally found hers. It seemed we tried to put every ounce of emotion each of us had been feeling over the past weeks into a single kiss — the longing, the pain, the desire. It was all there and it left each of us breathless.

"I've missed you so much, angel," I said as Emily shifted around to straddle me in the water.

She kissed me again and I could help it, I began to cry as I finally realize exactly how much each of us had been willing to recklessly throw away. I felt ashamed as Emily began to kiss my tears.

"I love you," I told her. "Even though I might forget it sometimes, I love you."

We kissed and held each other until our skin began to prune. Then we adjourned to the bed. It was much larger than my full-sized bed but I knew Emily and I would only need a small part of it. Our lovemaking was gentle, almost reverent. Our night was filled with gentle touches and caresses.

Emily was a little put off when I began to lick her pussy, but when she realized I was bothered by her period, she relaxed and rode my tongue to orgasm. There was almost a sense of urgency when she finally made her release.

She produced a bottle of lubricant and gave me a slow handjob as she peered into my eyes and rained romantic kisses on my face. My cum wasn't as powerful as it has been in our past sessions, but I was still overwhelmed. Later, I used the lubricant and my finger to give Emily another orgasm.

After our play, we moved to the other side of the bed and I slept the sleep of the just with my angel's head resting on my shoulder.

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Chapter 26: The Morning After

I awoke in the same position we fell asleep. The sun was shining through the windows and, as November dawned, it seemed everything was right in my world. One look at Emily sleeping peacefully beside me confirmed it. Her red hair was nestled over my arm and her breasts were pushing into my ribs. She had one leg draped across my chest and seemed to be stimulating her clit against my hipbone. It was the most erotic sight I think I've ever seen.

My hand was resting on Emily's hip and I began to slowly trace circles on her hip and her butt. As I rubbed her hip, Emily ground her pussy into my hip a little faster. A moan escaped her lips and it seemed to awaken her. She looked up at me with those lovely green eyes and I kissed her forehead. But she didn't stop the motion with her hips. There wasn't enough moisture for her to climax, but the stimulation appeared to be enough.

"Last night was wonderful," she cooed. "It was almost like pure love."

I told her I thought that was exactly what it was.

In the shower, she introduced me to pure lust.

Emily took me in her mouth almost immediately. Her hands were all over me — on my ass, fondling my balls, rubbing my chest, stroking my cock. Her eyes had a crazed look and she tried to take more and more of by cock into mouth. She gagged a couple times, but just dove right in again. It took only a minute or two of her efforts before she was rewarded with a mouthful of cum.

With the shower on her pussy, I had no trouble producing enough lubrication to bring Emily off just as quickly. The grinding she did on my hip in her sleep seemed to intensify things as her knees buckled when came. I sat her on the corner of the tub and used the showerhead to clean up around her sweet red-haired pussy. Then I wrapped a towel around her and carried back to bed where I repeated the performance with my mouth, this time making sure to finger her tight ass when she came.

I smothered Emily in kisses as she came back to earth.

"You can do me in my butt, if you want to," she told me shyly. "Your finger feels so good. I bet your dick would, too. I want you inside me somewhere."

I was tempted. I had tried anal sex on several occasions. My straight-laced ex-wife enjoyed it from time to time. But it was still my third-favored hole. I remembered the first time I fucked Mary's ass. It took a long time before I was able to achieve penetration without causing pain, it took longer before I could get enough of rhythm to cum and she had hemorrhoids for two or three days afterward.

"First the front, then the back, Em," I told her, the image of Emily driving her hips back as I fucked her ass doggy-style vivid in my mind. "I want you just as much but you have to be able to sit down at school tomorrow. When we have time at Christmas, we'll do anything you want to as often as I'm able."

I guess that seemed like a good enough deal to her because she smiled and kissed me deeply.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she whispered. "I consider that a promise from you."

Too soon, it was time to take Emily home and return to my mundane life back in Ohio.

We said goodbye with a fresh set of kisses with a promise to her parents that I'd call to let them know we got home safely.

We hadn't even hit the Interstate before she started.

"Emily wasn't walking funny this morning," she said. "Either you were packing a roll of quarters at the pool or something happened. Come on, give me the scoop."

I wanted to respect Emily's privacy — and it was none of Susan's business — but I knew Emily would probably tell Janie and Janie would probably tell Susan. I decided it was Emily's prerogative to make that decision.

"We had a wonderful, loving night," I told her. "It was special; it was perfect; and I wouldn't change a thing about last night."

I saw Susan glance at me, and she smiled.

"And you're a gentleman, too," she sighed. "What in the hell was I thinking for that year."

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Chapter 27: Shopping Spree

I got a pleasant surprise a week later when Emily told me she and her parents were coming to Susan's for Thanksgiving. I was glad she and Susan had begun to repair their relationship.

I was also ecstatic about the prospect of seeing Emily again. Susan took care of the turkey and fixings and I provided my world-famous mashed potatoes and a pumpkin pie. Emily, Jim and Janie brought some homemade rolls that we reheated. It was the nicest Thanksgiving I can remember. Emily and her folks were only there for the day, so we didn't have much alone time, but she sat on my lap and put her head on my shoulder as we napped during the traditional football watching. Janie took a picture of us sleeping like that and I still treasure the copy she sent me.

Because Christmas was on a Friday, Emily had a 12-day break. Susan and I drove into Cleveland a couple of times each looking for the perfect gift.

I've never been very good at shopping. I love to give gifts, but I'm terrible at selecting them — Emily's birthday notwithstanding. Emily still wore the locket I'd purchased for Susan to give her for her birthday. So I guess that was a hit, as the T-shirt and pennant I'd given her which were prominent displayed in her room. I tend to err on the side of practicality, so I brought Susan along who tends to err on the side of extravagance. I thought between the two of us we might temper the other's misguided notions.

I was right. I was planning to buy Emily a laptop computer because I'd seen how much she enjoyed using mine during the summer. Susan, on the hand, headed straight for the jewelry stores. We took about two steps in our respect directions, and stopped. I glanced at her, she glanced at me and we switched directions.

"For God sake's," she admonished me. "Don't buy anything before I look at."

I gave her a similar warning and handed the list of everything the computer should have.

The jewelry store was a revelation. Outside of our wedding bands, I don't think I'd ever purchased jewelry for my ex-wife. Perhaps that explains why she is my ex-wife. I had taken geology in college, so I knew gems came in many shapes, sizes and colors. What I didn't know was that many included thousands of choices.

A pretty young girl, probably not much older than Emily, saw my amazement and came to my rescue. Or at least tied to.

"Can I help you, sir," she asked. I told her I was looking for something for my girlfriend for our first Christmas together. Then the questions began.

"What sort of jewelry does she like?"

"Does she prefer silver or gold?"

"Does she wear rings?"

"Is her navel pierced or is she planning to pierce it?"

The deer in the headlights look I'd perfected made a triumphant return.

Each query elicited the same response: "I don't know."

"OK, let me ask you this," she tried, obviously amused at my quandary. "Does she have pierced ears?"

Finally, one I could answer. "Yes, she has two piercings in each ear."

I finally felt good about something, but it didn't last.

"Does she prefer stud earrings or hoops?"

Uh-oh. Back to the "I don't knows."

Each time I'd seen her wear earrings, she'd only worn them in the lower holes. And each time they were gold studs. I'd only seen her with earrings when we were going out.

"That probably means she doesn't have anything she considers dressy enough to wear in both holes," the girls said. "Or at least that's what it means when I do that. Let me show you some of our selection."

I had to admit, the girl was good. I didn't care what it cost. I was so intimidated by the store I was going to by whatever she told me to.

Susan showed up in time to save me from myself. She saw the selection of earrings laid out in from of me.

"Decided to pass on the engagement ring, huh," she joked as she took my arm.

Susan's intimate gesture seemed to confuse the poor girl. The clerk believed Susan was the girl in question and didn't want to spoil the surprise (or the sale).

"Um, he was just getting a look at some of the selection," she said, glancing at me. "I don't think he's decided exactly what he wants yet."

I picked up on the girl's shift. "This isn't my girlfriend," I told her. But Susan put in her two cents, "Yet."

"I think a pair of gold studs would be perfect for Emily," Susan said. "I let her wear mine a couple of times when you took her out."

I thought for a minute. "What do you think about diamond instead of gold," I asked.

"I think diamonds would pretty much ensure you were a lucky boy on Christmas morning," she giggled. The poor salesgirl just nodded.

So it was decided. I bought Emily a pair of diamond earrings for Christmas. But I also couldn't keep my practical streak inside and bought her a tweed overcoat and a pair of leather gloves and a pretty sweater.

On a whim, I also bought her a micro bikini not unlike Susan's. I figured I could give her the coat and sweater around her parents and give her the other gifts when we were alone.

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Chapter 28: Anticipation

A plan was formed. Susan and I would drive to Pennsylvania for Christmas, and bring Emily back with us for the next week. Her parents would pick her up on New Year's Day.

The week before Christmas, I was like a little kid. I even went out a bought a Christmas tree that Susan and I decorated. We wrapped our presents and put both of our collections beneath the tree. It actually looked like Christmas this year.

I even remembered to call Mary to let her know I would be at my girlfriend's parents' house for Christmas so she didn't need to worry about me.

She told me she was happy for me and we talked for a few more minutes.

Finally, it was Christmas Eve morning and we were ready to head east. Emily's last day of school was the day before and she sounded as excited about two weeks without school as she was about Christmas. She was doubling up on English and social studies and on course to graduate a year early. I had done something similar in college, so I had a little bit of understanding the stress she was under. I did my best to keep her spirits up and to help her where I could, but to be honest, Emily was a lot smarter than I was about most of the things she was studying. Still, it's the thought that counts.

I decided to leave Emily's intimate presents behind, so we could have our own "family" Christmas when we got back Christmas night. Susan put another gift under the tree as we were getting ready to go.

She noticed my look and said, "Just never you mind."

We were greeted with hugs and handshake when we reached our destination. And Emily's eyes almost popped out when she saw the pile of loot I unloaded from the car.

"It's not all for you," I told her.

She pretended to put, but her smile wouldn't be denied.

I shared Emily's small bed with her on Christmas Eve and it couldn't have been much past dawn when she was shaking me awake. Mary and I always exchanged gifts Christmas Eve for sole reason of sleeping in on Christmas morning. But the anticipation in Emily's eyes was all I needed to get moving.

Susan and Emily's parents were already awake and thankful coffee was ready when we hit the bottom of the stairs.

Susan handed me a cup of coffee and Emily sat on my lap at the table. She was bouncing up and down on my knee like it was, well, Christmas. I told Jim we were going to have to get things started or I was going to need a knee replacement courtesy of Emily's bony behind. So we gathered around the tree and Jim began passing out the loot. The laptop elicited a squeal of delight from Emily, the sweater and overcoat not so much. Still, I got a sweet kiss and a hug for my efforts, but I could tell it wasn't what she expected from me. I had filled Jim and Janie in on my ruse, so they didn't think I was clueless as I probably am.

I bought Jim a new tool belt and Janie a new miniature for a collection I had noticed in October. I noticed Jim's tool belt looked as if had seen better days then, too. Both expressed their thanks at my generosity and thoughtfulness. Emily's parents had pitched in with Susan to buy me two tickets to 12 Indians games next summer. I was stunned and couldn't thank them enough. Emily gave me a wallet to replace the ratty old one I always complained about but never replaced. Inside were a picture of her and a wallet size of the one her mother had taken at Thanksgiving. As with every other occasion, this was nicer than anything I could remember.

Christmas dinner was just as wonderful. Janie made a delicious ham and homemade rolls. Susan made oyster dressing and I contributed my mashed potatoes. I finally relented and gave my not-so-secret recipe — boil the potatoes in garlic chicken broth and use a mixture of broth and light cream when whipping the potatoes. It makes them fluffy and light and gives them a little extra zing.

Before long, it was time for us to head back to Ohio. I asked Emily and Susan if they wanted to stay another night, but the idea was quickly vetoed. Emily was asleep with her head on my lap and Susan was asleep in the backseat before we hit the Ohio border.

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Chapter 29: Christmas Night

I felt Emily stirring about a half-hour before we reach home and before I knew it, my zipper was down and her delicate mouth was bobbing up and down on my cock. I glanced in the rearview mirror and Susan was still asleep and there was very little traffic on the road so I figured what the hell. I set the cruise control and enjoyed it.

I lifted Emily's skirt a little and slipped my hand down her back, under her hose and panties. I had to lean to my right a little, but soon I found her clit and began stroking it. Emily's panties were soaked. When I touched her clit, she whimpered and went to work on my cock like a madwoman. I was worried she was going to knock herself out on the steer wheel but she seemed to recognize it was there.

It was all I could do to keep my attention on the road while I watched my red-headed minx bobbing on my pole while I did my best to stroke her sweet pussy into submission. It wasn't two seconds after I let loose a torrent of semen into Emily's mouth that I felt her tremble and fill my palm with her sweet juice.

I shook some sense into my brain and glanced into the mirror to see Susan smiling at me. She put a finger to her lips to silence me and lay back down and closed her eyes again. Emily sat up, adjusted her skirt and panties again and winked at me as she glanced into the backseat to see Susan (pretending to be) asleep.

A minute or two later, I heard Susan in the backseat yawning and stretching. She sat up and said, "Something smells sweet. What are you eating up there, Emily?"

Emily's face was as red as her hair for a moment before she recovered. "We're not eating anything," she answered innocently. "I'm still stuffed from lunch. Are you getting hungry?"

Susan made a remark about how she thought she smelled fresh peaches, then decided to let it go. I got the reference, but I don't think Emily did. I figured it was better if Susan and I just kept the inside joke between us. I pulled into the garage a few minutes later and we unloaded our packages and suitcases. Emily practically dragged me up the stairs. Susan followed us at a leisurely pace, and Emily seemed miffed when Susan stopped outside of my door, too.

When I managed to get the door open, Emily saw the tree and the presents beneath it and she understood.

I told her there were a couple of things I wanted to give her outside of her parents' house. She told there was something she had for me that she couldn't give me there either. Then she raised her eyebrows in her best leer, getting a laugh from Susan and me.

"I'm not going to stay to watch you open your gifts, honey," Susan told Emily. "I have something else at my house for you. Would you come with me for just a minute?"

Emily looked at me and I shrugged, then she followed Susan to across the hall.

She came back smiling with a box wrapped in silver paper. "This is really something for me to give to you," she told me. "But you have to open this one last."

I gave her a box from me and when eyes popped out when she opened the bikini I'd selected.

"I just wanted you to know I appreciate your feminine attributes," I joked. "I don't just love you for your mind."

She picked up the box Susan had dropped off earlier Thursday and opened the card.

"It says I have to open this one in private," she said. "What's that about?"

I told her I hadn't a clue, but I asked her if she wanted to open her last present before you went off to see what Susan had given her.

Of course, she did. Who was I kidding?

The earrings were a hit as I'd hoped they'd be. She smothered me with kisses, and tried them on, admiring them in the mirror.

"I can't believe you got me diamond earrings," she exclaimed. "I've only wanted these for ages."

I just smiled a knowing smile, happy I'd guessed right.

"I'm going to open this one now," she told me, holding Susan's gift. "I'll be just a minute."

She headed to the bedroom while I checked my e-mail and phone messages. Nothing on either.

"Close your eyes," Emily yelled from the bedroom, and I complied. "Are they closed?"

I assured her they were and I heard her come out.

"OK, you can open them."

Emily stood in front of me dressed in a diaphanous baby doll nightie that hid none of her treasures.

"This was my present from Susan," she told me. "There's a card for you, too."

The card said simply, "I hope this is the best night of your lives."

Emily handed me the last gift (or at least the last one purchased) and I was surprised when it was cold to the touch.

As I tore open the package, Emily said, "This is from me to you."

Inside was a single, long-stemmed cherry.

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Chapter 30: Worth The Wait

"I think it's time I gave you the real thing," Emily said. "We've waited long enough."

With that, she took my hand and led me to our bed.

Emily sat me on the bed and undressed me slowly. I couldn't get over how fantastic looking she looked in her negligee. My cock was throbbing with anticipation and if I hadn't had that awesome blowjob 90 minutes ago I probably would have cum in my pants.

When I was naked, Emily smiled and raised her arms for me to lift her nightie. She stood in front of me and I wondered again how an angel like Emily could fall for a man like me. But I thanked my lucky stars she had.

"Make love to me," was all Emily said to me as she crawled on top of me.

But I wasn't going to let this be a wham-bam kind of evening.

I rolled her on to her back and began kissing her. I could feel her tremble and I knew she was nervous. I took my time, kissing anywhere I could reach — intent on making love to her whole body, not just her beautiful pussy. My hands explored her small breasts and were greeted by her erect nipples. She trembled again as my hands brushed against her stomach.

"Please," she said, "I need this now."

I just shook my head and allowed my hands to find their way between her legs. Emily was ready, that much was sure. In fact, as noticed moisture dripping down her slit past her ass on to the bed. But I wanted to make sure Emily was relaxed enough to enjoy her first time.

I nibbled my way down to the junction of her thighs and licked her from asshole to clit, collecting all the succulent liquid I could. When I reached her clit, Emily went crazy, grasping my hair and practically crushing me with her red-haired snatched. I didn't want to suffocate just yet, so I eased back lightly. It didn't matter: Emily was too far gone to stop and just kept coming at me relentlessly. In seconds she was thrashing on the bed in the throes of bliss.

I slid up and kissed her gently until I saw her eyes focus again. And I rolled her on top of me.

"I want you on top so you can go as slowly as you need to," I told her. "This is going to hurt some."

Emily just kissed me and reached between us to position my cock at the entry to her tunnel. She was so wet I could feel it dripping down my cock. Emily didn't hesitate; she just sat back on my rod as firmly as she could. She was so tight I thought she would break my cock off inside her, but my immediate concern was for Emily.

She had her eyes squeezed tight, a look of intense concentration on her face. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked so lovingly at me, I almost melted.

"Just let me get used to it," she said. "It feels so amazing. My God! Why did we wait."

I just held her tightly and soon she began to rock back and forth on my cock. I adjusted her slightly so her clit made contact with my pelvic bone on each cycle and soon she was moaning in my mouth. My hands caressed her back and her ass as Emily rode me until I was counting past presidents to try to last a little while longer.

She was tighter than any pussy I'd ever felt and every move seemed to produce new and better sensations for each of us. I managed as far as Millard Fillmore before Emily's movements became more urgent and I began to buck up to meet her when she came back. It was all either of us needed. In seconds she got even tighter as another orgasm ripped through her. The look on her face sent me over the edge, too, and I flooded Emily's tight channel with so much sperm my balls ached.

As I held my beautiful angel in my arms, I knew I was the luckiest man in the world.

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Epilogue

I'd like to be able to tell you Emily and lived happily ever after. I'd like to be able to tell you that my open-minded angel finally invited Susan to our bed. I'd like to tell you those things, but I can't.

Emily kept me to my promise to do her anyway she wanted to as often as she wanted over Christmas. We made love twice more on Christmas night so she was a little too sore for much action the next day. She wanted me to put it in her ass, so I did. Turns out she wasn't crazy about anything larger than a finger there, so it was the last time we did it that way.

Emily finished high school a year early and moved in with me when she started college. I got a job as a newspaper editor in a town nearby. It was much better pay, even though the hours were terrible. I hoped to be able to afford the down payment on a house shortly after I'd asked Emily to marry me.

The strain of college and my job created a host of problems neither of us anticipated. At times it seemed the other was a stranger when we finally did manage to spend time together. Emily's free time and mine never seemed to correspond, so some times we'd go days without seeing the other for more than 45 minutes at a time.

Finally, Emily decided enough was enough and moved next door to Susan's. We still dated each other when we could find time and every time we made love it was like the first time — at least to me.

I was devastated, and decided I liked my old job better, even without the money. So I started working out my apartment again. We talked about maybe trying to live together again. I knew I still loved her, but we decided for now it was best if we just kept things as they were. I really didn't mind, Emily still spent more time at my apartment than at Susan's.

About a week ago, there was light knock on the door. I opened it to find an auburn-haired woman of about 21, holding a pair of tickets and wearing an Indians cap on her head.

"I'm Emily," she said with a smile. "My aunt said you like baseball. I was hoping you'd take me to a game?"


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The End
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Posted:  2002-02-03
Last Modified: 2007-06-13 / 08:07:01 am
Version: 1.10
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