Copyright© 10/31/2002

She reached over and turned out the light.

Another night alone. Since his death she had found succor in time by herself. Sleep being her best release. She could still smell him in the bed clothes, still feel him in her sleep. They were so much of a couple, one came with the other. A kind of matched set.

Her friends were worried about her. It had been a while since his death and she showed no signs of "coming out of it", and beginning her life without him. And yet she was not ready to let go. She felt that there was unfinished business.

She held his pillow close to her, she could still sense his scent in it, and faded off to sleep.

In the darkness she awoke with a start. She felt something brush against the side of her cheek. Perhaps it was only the breeze from the open window. She reached for the light, but it had somehow moved. In the darkness she became concerned, as she was alone in the house and, well you know...

She tried to find the flashlight in the night stand, and found an empty drawer.

She again felt a touch on her cheek, familiar, familiar yet cool. More sense than physical. Almost as if...

No, she said to herself, dead is dead. He's gone and he can't come back to me.

Another light brush across her arm startled her.

This time she screamed.

And woke up in bed, bathed in sweat and breathing heavily.

After a moment she turned on the light, it was where it should be, and looked around her room. All was as it should be. She checked the drawer for the flashlight, found it and tested it.

My God, she thought as she lay back down in her bed.

She lay there for a time with the light on, and slowly drifted back to sleep, his pillow clutched to her tightly.

The touch, light and soft, almost a caress, awakened her again. In the darkness she could sense a presence.

Her hair stirred.

This was beginning to freak her out.

Until she felt her lips being kissed. Then she knew.

"Is that you?" she whispered to the night.

Her lips were kissed again.

With her eyes wide open, she saw no one, but still felt her lips pressed by another's.

"If it's you, kiss me again, like you mean it"

Slowly she felt her lips pressed, and then parted slightly, as if by a lover. One who new what she wanted. Her head pressed into the pillow and then was released after a moment.

Her eyes were wide open, in the darkness, yet she could see nothing.

She felt something caress her neck, and slowly cross her shoulder. She felt herself becoming aroused. Her nipples became erect under the blanket she had over her body. She felt that feeling inside of her, something she had not felt for a long time.

She was also very confused and a little frightened.

A light caress, traversed her belly and tickled her pubic hair. She closed her legs around it, but it was gone.

The caress returned and cupped her breasts, squeezing them gently, as if weighing them, or having touched them for the first time.

She felt herself breathing hard and felt moisture between her now closed legs.

"Who or what are you?" she whispered to the night.

Again, no reply from the cool night air.

She felt it rather bizarre speaking to the empty room. But also felt that something was here.

A light touch to her thigh gave her a start, and she awakened to her room with the light on. She blinked in the brightness of the light. Feeling very insecure.

Glancing at her clock she noticed that it was almost time to get up to go to work. She threw back the covers and got up to get ready.

Passing the mirror, she looked at herself and paused. She could see marks on her body. Small oval marks, spaced as if someone had grabbed her hard and left finger sized bruises. Her breasts and thighs. She touched one of her breasts, and was rewarded with the slight pain of bruised skin.

She spent the day as if in a cloud. Her mind replaying her dreams of the previous night. They were so vivid and so very real. But they were only dreams.

But her bruises were real. She could attest to that.

By the end of the day she had allowed her work to drive the dreams from her mind. But by the time she came back to her townhouse, the dreams were in the forefront of her mind. She was not one to believe in the supernatural, nor was she religious in any way. She was pragmatic and logical. That's on of the many things he had loved about her.

As she went about making her meal and doing the mundane tasks of life, she allowed her mind to wander and consider what had happened. After weighing all of the options, she decided that perhaps she would seek some professional help. As she felt that the bruising was caused by her own actions, and that was the only plausible explanation.

With that decision made she answered some e-mails, read a bit and then prepared for bed. She glanced in the mirror and could still see the finger marks on her breasts and thighs, she turned slightly to have a better look, her breasts swaying slightly. She examined her thighs and after a few moments was satisfied. She told herself she would awaken if her dreams went down this path again.

As was her habit she read for about half an hour before turning out the light. Soon she was sleep.

She was awakened to a gentle touch on her cheek, as if lips were grazing her skin. Laying on her side, she felt hands on her body slowly caressing her. Touching her, in very intimate places. Her initial fear gave way to arousal as the touch she felt had penetrated into her most private place. She could feel as though someone was stimulating her. She at first closed her legs tightly, to avoid the touch, as she felt violated. But after a moment, she gave herself over and relaxed to accept what was happening.

Whom ever( what ever?) was doing this knew well how to touch a woman. No groping around, just a light pleasurable touch. Her smooth smooth skin around her sex was touched and caressed, as if by a lover.

She could feel something against her back, nothing solid, just a presence. Hands touching her skin, and a warmth on her backside. Her belly was caressed, and her breasts were touched. She felt lips press against her neck and shoulders. And every now and then she thought she could feel a tongue between those lips. After a few moments, she felt something press against her sex. As if asking to enter. She opened her legs, and she felt a finger inside of her. She reached down with one hand, but knew she would find nothing.

The finger, oh now there were two, inside her moved around slowly, and then was removed. It grazed her clit and she moaned slightly.

She now sensed a change on position of the form behind her. She sensed it move and she became aware of lips on her inner thighs. Slowly they made there way to her sex, all the while she felt those soft smooth hands touching her skin and caressing, reassuring her. A this point she lost all of her inhibitions to this presence and allowed it to have her completely. She felt nibbles, licks and tastes being taken from her. A tongue began to tease her clit, a gasp escaped her lips and she grabbed her pillow in lieu of someone to hold on to.

This presence took her to a place she had never been before. To the edge and back again, until finally she found screaming release.

She awoke to find herself alone in her bed, the covers kicked off and strewn on the floor. Her skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. She could still feel her sex throbbing from the release she had just experienced. Her mind was reeling in total confusion.

She turned on the light and looked in the mirror at her naked form.

The bruises on her breasts appeared to be fading, faster than she would have expected. But new bruises now appeared on her thighs and belly.

She watched herself reach down and touch the purple skin, and then over to her sex. It was un marked, yet she could see her moisture, the fruit of her arousal. Her fingers lingered for a moment. Touching. Then she brought them to her lips.

She remembered how much he had enjoyed pleasing her in this way. He had remarked more than once, that to him, she tasted like heaven.

She tasted herself. For the first time. Salty she thought, but pleasurable. She'd never understood until now.

She gathered the bed covers back up, and lay down in her bed to try to understand what was happening. Holding his pillow close to her, she wept softly. For the first time since the service.

The morning dawned clear and cold. She awoke from a dreamless sleep. Her alarm droned on for a moment, until she reached over to turn it off.

It had been over a month since she had any of the vivid dreams. Her skin again was unblemished by bruise or mark.

Still in the back of her mind she thought, occasionally, about it. The help she got seemed, to her, to be not worth her time. So she had stopped after the second session.

She went through a normal un eventful day. Her friends had invited her to go out later that evening. Her first impulse was to decline, but she thought about it and accepted. She would join them later in the evening. She wanted to nap for a while first.

As was her practice she completely disrobed for her nap. She noted the time and set the alarm incase she slept too long. She closed her eyes and soon sleep came.

At once she felt a touch, more insistent than the past. Urgent. She responded slowly. Wondering where it would lead.

Her lips were met by lips and she could feel an open mouth and tongue teasing hers. She could feel arms around her and a gentle strength holding her. Her curiosity was now aroused, among other things, and she allowed herself to respond without any reserve. She welcomed the embrace of this invisible lover.

She reached out in the darkness and found she could feel a presence, almost ghostlike. A difference in the air. And yet where she was in contact, it felt solid, warm.

His, she decided this, lips were on her neck, her ear, lips, eyes, throat, breasts, with a hunger, she'd not experienced. It made her feel alive, womanly, and sexual. She felt his hands on her body. Touching, holding, caressing, teasing. And he knew her wants.

Her decision that this lover of hers was a he, was confirmed. When she felt something warm, firm and just a bit overpowering began to fill her sex. She lay back and allowed it to fill her completely. She gasped at the sensation, warm yet cool, firm and strong. She longed to hold her lover close, and see into his eyes. If it was possible.

Gently and with a slow rhythm, she felt him moving inside of her. She began to lose herself completely.

"Who are you?" She moaned.

She thought she heard a whisper but could not make it out. She bit her lip, trying to hold back the wave building inside of her. She knew when it crested it would be over again. She was able to hold on for a while, but her body betrayed her. A release swept over her as none had ever before. It was as if every fiber of her being had been aroused.