Chapter 16

I’m up well before Irene is; I ease out of bed, put my robe on and go to the kitchen for something to drink, it’s a soggy morning. I make some frozen orange juice and have a glass; I pour some more for her and take it into the bedroom, sitting it next to the alarm clock. I go to the bathroom, do my morning business and brush my teeth; in a couple minutes the alarm will go off, so I start the shower and climb in. I’ve shampooed and am rinsing off when I hear her enter the bathroom and do her business; then she’s in the shower with me with a big smile on her face. “You’re lucky you got up before me; I was going to jump your bones again,” she giggles. “Thank you for the orange juice,” she says, as she gets under the water and starts soaping up. “Are you always up early?”

“I seem to be more of a night person, but I don’t have a problem getting out of bed; I can always nap before work if I need to. Do you drink coffee? I don’t, but I know some people can’t function without an early cup.”

“I love morning coffee, especially with a flavoring of some kind; but I don’t drink it during the day. Let’s see if we can find a small coffee maker, something that only makes a cup or two.” She’s shampooing now, she’s facing me and leans back into the water to rinse; I move against her, cupping her ass. “God, I love this,” she says, moving against me. “Showering with you is so good, too; we are always going to do this together.” She turns around and moves back against me, moving my hands to her breasts and wiggling her butt. I’m semi-erect; “We haven’t done it in the shower yet,” she giggles at me.

“Not yet, and we’re not doing it this morning either.” I tell her. “Next time, sweetheart; we’ll see if we can run the tank out of hot water. Besides; I don’t think you’re really horny, you’re just seeing what you can get away with. Which is a lot, if you didn’t know.”

She turns around and hugs me tight, laughing as she does; then gives me another big hug and kiss. “You’re right, I’m not really horny; but it feels so good it was worth a try. I love you.”

“And I love you; now let’s dry off and get dressed. Do you want some toast or anything?” I ask her as we exit the shower.

“No, I’m meeting Kelly for a quick breakfast at the cafeteria before class. We’re not in any classes together, but we have pretty much the same schedule. You’ve got to know we’re still talking about you, exchanging notes and thoughts,” she tells me as she dries off and starts to work on her hair.

“It’s not fair to double-team me; I’ll never stand a chance.”

“We’re triple teaming you; Chris has some really good ideas. I’m going to hog the bathroom mirror for a couple minutes; you go get dressed.”

“Yes dear. One more quick comment; you really don’t need makeup; you look better without it, or at least not much. You’ve got such good features and your complexion is so nice, you don’t need to try to enhance it.”

“Silly boy; go get dressed.”

“That was worth a try,” I tell her as I leave for the bedroom. I get dressed in my sweats again, I really need to buy a couple more sets, and move to the kitchen; after a few minutes she joins me, nicely dressed for school.

“You really think I look good without makeup?” she asks as she comes into the room, with just a touch of lipstick on.

“Absolutely; you look fantastic,” I respond. “I know it’s a big thing for you ladies, but a little makeup goes a long way; a lot detracts from your natural beauty, which you have in spades. I’ve never understood why good-looking women use so much.”

“Well, we’ll see. It is a pain in the ass sometimes, not to mention the time it takes. Look, I’m a little early; let’s make out a little more,” she giggles, moving into my arms. We kiss and grope each other; I won’t let her undo any buttons, but she still has a nice glow when we move apart.

I tell her so; “Now you’ve got a nice blush going; and nothing artificial added.” She chuckles and gives me a little slap.

“Okay, I’ll fix my lipstick in the car; I’ve got to go. We’re doing this again real soon.” she tells me as she’s heading out the door. I watch her drive away in the rain; what an excellent morning.

It’s Wednesday; I don’t think Chris will stop by before work today, but she might. And maybe I’ll be alone tonight and can get some real rest, hopefully the ladies need a break too. I can’t believe I’m thinking this; a few weeks ago, I was dreaming of maybe being with a woman sometime in the future; now look at me. I clean up the apartment a little; then, since it’s still raining, take a nap on the couch. I wake up an hour later to the sound of the kitchen door opening; from the couch I can see that it’s Chris. She tells me to stay put as she takes off her raincoat and kicks off her shoes; then joins me on the couch, laying down on top of me.

“I didn’t plan on being here, really I didn’t; but it’s cold and rainy, my house is so empty, and I didn’t want to be alone all afternoon,” she tells me. “Tell me this is okay.”

“It is, darling; of course it is. You’re always welcome here; any weekday you don’t even have to think about it, just come over. We may not make love every time, but I still want to be with you. If it wasn’t so nasty outside, we could go somewhere; it’s almost noon, I wonder if any of the theaters are doing an afternoon matinee?”

“That sounds wonderful; let’s cuddle on the couch awhile until I warm up again, then maybe you can make some of those grilled cheese sandwiches that were so good.” We snuggled in together; I pull the throw down off the back of the couch and cover us, after a couple minutes she shifts to my side and hugs me. “This is what I was hoping for, what I need today; just hold me for a while, don’t let me go to sleep.”

Uh-huh; maybe she doesn’t want to take a nap, but it sure looks like it wouldn’t hurt. I hold and lightly caress her, nothing sensual but trying to be comforting; I feel her slowly relax against me. Soon she’s asleep; I wonder just how much trouble I’m going to be in. I let her sleep for 10 minutes, the first time I try to ease off the couch she growls at me and pulls me back close. 10 minutes after that I’m successful; I very gently pull away and stand, draping the throw over her. I turn on the stereo low, then go into the kitchen to see what I’ve got in the frig. I love cold cuts and usually spend more money in the deli section of the grocery than anywhere else; I’ve got lots of choices for sandwiches. I lay out a bunch of stuff; then go sit in the living room chair and read one of the magazines. I give her another 30 minutes, then go to the kitchen and start cooking some bacon. 5 minutes later the aroma gets to her; she comes into the kitchen smiling sleepily at me and moves in for a long hug.

“You let me sleep, and now you’re going to cook for me. No wonder I love you, you’re the perfect guy,” she murmurs to me.

“I’m not perfect, but I can fake it for a good long while. Pick out what you want on your sandwich; I’ll grill the meat; I like bacon on mine.” She picks out her selections and condiments, and gets us something to drink; I butter the bread and put it and the cheeses on while the meats are browning; when everything’s done, we put them together and sit down to eat.

“This is perfect, especially for a cold, rainy, fall day.” she announces. “What would you have made for yourself, if I hadn’t stopped by?”

“Food’s not important to me; I can appreciate a good meal but don’t need anything special. I like to cook for people, especially my ladies,” I grin at her, “but I can be happy with a cold sandwich or bowl of cereal. I’ve heard the saying about the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; they’re talking about somebody else.”

“So, how do we get to your heart?” she queries.

“You already did, or else you wouldn’t be here. You are smart and beautiful, hardworking and nice to everyone; I couldn’t believe it when you went out of your way being nice to me. I’m so inexperienced that I didn’t realize we were flirting, or you were serious about me. You do know you’re my first love, and will always be in my heart?”

“Stop it; you’ll make me cry. Okay, I’ll stop trying to figure you out, and whatever this is; and just accept everything. You wouldn’t mind going to a movie with me?”

“Not at all, I’d love to. No more sandwiches then; we’ve got to have popcorn and candy at the movies. I wish I knew what was on, and where.”

“I’ll go check in with Jill; I’m sure she’ll give me the entertainment section of the newspaper,” Chris smiles at me, then dons her coat and shoes to go to the main house. I get the kitchen cleaned up and everything put away; then put on jeans with a clean shirt. It’s 20 minutes before Chris comes back with the paper; “I talked with Jill a couple minutes; Jack is still having back problems and is going to be sleeping this afternoon. Can Jill come with us; she’s going a little stir crazy over there?”

“Whatever you like; either way is fine with me. Let’s check the movies first, see what’s on and when.” We settle on a romantic comedy that’s just come out and starts in 45 minutes; it’s perfect for us. Chris decides to ask Jill to join us when she returns the paper; she’s gone another 10 minutes.

“I had to talk her into it; Jack and I did; she’ll meet us at the car in 10 minutes. Thank you for letting her come with us.”

“It’s fine, really; but it means you’ll have to keep your hands to yourself; you know?”

“It’ll be dark, but I’ll be a good girl.” she giggles. “We’ll follow storeroom rules; no buttons, snaps or zippers undone.”

Okay, we’ll see how this goes. Another 5 minutes and we head for the car; I start it up and back it near the house, letting it warm; it is a little cold, I’m really glad we fixed the heater. Jill comes out and heads for the back seat; Chris opens the front door for her and scoots over to make room in the front seat; I’ve mentioned just how big the old Buick is. It’s 15 minutes in the rain to the movie complex; the girls chatting all the way. I let them off in front of the door, then park the car; by the time I’m inside they’ve got the tickets already. I insist on buying a big tub of popcorn and drinks, I sneak in a small box of chocolate candy.

“This is so much fun, thank you for letting me join you,” Jill states, smiling at us. “I’ve been cooped up in the house taking care of Jack for a couple weeks now, he was glad to get rid of me for a couple hours. He still needs to be careful with his back; it’s so hard on him to just sit still, or lay still most of the time.”

“I understand how he feels,” I tell her. “It would drive me crazy too. If you need anything done, and I mean anything; you’d better ask me, or you’ll hurt my feelings.”

“Isn’t he sweet?” Chris speaks up, “that goes for me too; let us know if we can help in any way. Even just a trip to the store, or going with us to the movies.”

It takes a minute to get settled; I end up between the two of them in the center near the front, holding the popcorn. It’s a little cool in the theater, Chris quickly leans in against me; and tells Jill to do the same. We move the arm rests out of the way; I end up with each of them wrapping one of their arms around one of mine, leaning against my shoulder. At maybe 45 Jill is old enough to be our mother; but she still has a great shape and is fun to be around. The ladies chat about stuff waiting for the movie to start, Jill still worrying about intruding on us; Chris tells her storeroom rules are in effect and not to worry about it.

“Wait a minute; she knows about storeroom rules?” I ask Chris.

“She’s our hairdresser, you probably don’t want to know what all she knows, and what we talk about,” Chris laughs, Jill joining her. “Don’t you talk to your barber?”

“I don’t even know his name. Of course, I only saw him once every two or three months; Jill gave me my last haircut.”

“It’s like a confessional; what’s said in your hairdressers’ place isn’t spoken about anywhere else, usually. Don’t you worry about it.” Chris reassures me.

“That’s right,” Jill adds. “Women have to talk things out, otherwise they’ll go crazy; most men don’t want to listen to all that stuff.”

“He’s better about that than any other guy I’ve known,” Chris says. “He’ll listen, even if you find out he has a different view.”

Fortunately, the trailers for upcoming movies started, then the movie itself; which was pretty good. Far-fetched, but funny; the two ladies thought it was hilarious. We finished most of the popcorn and all the chocolate; the remains we threw out as we left. The rain is not letting up; I pick the girls up out front, then we went home; Jill thanking us again before going inside. Chris came up to the apartment with me for a little bit; it was close to 4 so after a bit of talking about the movie and making out she headed home to change for work. I’m not sure if Kelly is coming by for a ride to work; I wait ‘til the last minute, then leave. I spot Chris’s and Irene’s car in the parking lot; when I get inside Kelly is there with them, just clocking in. I get a quick kiss on the cheek from Kelly and Irene, and go to work.

Because of the continuing rain it’s a very quiet night; the dining room never gets more than half-full during supper, and it tapers off early. I see all three of my women chatting and laughing several times off to the side; I briefly wonder what they’re talking about, but am sure that if it’s about me; I’ll hear about it from one of them sooner or later, probably sooner. I’m also sure the manager is going to start letting people off early; at 7:30 I check on the young dishwasher and get him cleaning the back of the store. Shortly after that I get led to the storeroom by Chris, and am in the middle of a really loving kiss when Irene and Kelly come in. Chris doesn’t pause her kiss, obviously she’s expecting them. “You’re going to have to take the two of them to a movie soon; they’re a little jealous.” Chris tells me.

“Jealous that we didn’t even thinking of going to a movie,” Kelly speaks up; “what a great way to spend a rainy afternoon. We can’t keep the four of us here very long, and I know we interrupted Chris’s kiss, so give her a good one; then it’s our turn.” Like I suspected; Chris is ready for this and is moving back into my arms before Kelly’s done talking; it’s a great kiss, Chris taking her time.

“Okay lover; you have quiet night and get your rest; you’re going to need it,” Chris says to me. The other two start laughing; to them she says, “He’s all yours, don’t break him,” then she leaves.