Chapter 22: Continental Divide

January 19, 1989, Los Angeles, California

I walked into the still dimly lit room, illuminated by a night light and a few glimmers of sunlight escaping past the drawn curtains. Jeri was sitting in the center of the bed in her nightgown. She was sobbing, and next to her was a pile of used tissues that made me believe that she'd been there for most of the hour that I'd been gone. Things were going to be at least as difficult as I thought they were going to be while I'd been running.

I leaned back against the hotel room door and contemplated what I was going to say and do. The time on the treadmill had, in one sense, done more harm than good, because my mind was awash with visions of Jeri as a sexual being. And that was something I hadn't contemplated.

If I was honest with myself, until that moment when I saw her naked, I hadn't thought it was possible. That was complicated by the fact that SHE had discovered, from just my hand on her breast, over her cotton nightgown, that SHE was a sexual being. And I strongly suspected that was something she hadn't known or perhaps even thought possible, though I could be wrong.

She was a brilliant girl, so I was sure she understood, at least at some level, what was going on. But at this point, her emotions had so overwhelmed her that I wasn't sure we could even have a conversation, let alone sort things out. We needed to talk it through, but I didn't even know how or where to begin. The only thing that came to mind was another apology.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I came back to check on you and didn't expect you to come out like that."

Jeri dabbed her eyes with a fresh tissue that she pulled from the box, then blew her nose. She looked at me plaintively, her eyes red from tears, her body shaking slightly as she sobbed. She dropped the tissue, got a fresh one, and blew her nose again.

"Why did you run away?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

I had run away; there was no denying that. First, almost flying out of bed, then fleeing from the room. What message had I sent by doing that? Not a good one, at least as far as I could see. But I didn't see a clear way through this except trying to talk it out. The problem was, I was operating from a wealth of experience and she from none, at least as far as I knew, and confirmed by her reactions. That gulf might well be insurmountable, but I had to at least try to talk to her.

"Because I was afraid," I said truthfully.

"Afraid? Why?"

"Because I didn't know how to respond to what happened."

"You? But you're always so confident and always know what to do!"

"Not this time," I said.

"Why?"

"I think that's a pretty long discussion. We'll have four hours on the plane, if that's OK. Do you mind if I get my shower? I'm sweaty and smelly and we need breakfast."

"I suppose that's OK," she sniffed. "Can I wash my face first?"

"Sure."

She got up from the bed, scooped up all the used tissues, and went into the bathroom. She dumped the tissues into the trash can and ran water in the sink. She washed her face and dried it on a hand towel, then came out. I walked towards the bathroom and when I got close, she giggled softly, scrunching her nose.

"You DO stink!"

"I knew you were brilliant!" I chuckled.

I walked past Jeri into the bathroom and turned to shut the door and almost ran smack into her.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I need a shower, too!" she said quietly.

"NO!" I said firmly.

"Yes," she said just as firmly.

That was new. It seemed like something had fundamentally changed in Jeri. She was more confident than I'd ever seen her be.

"We are NOT doing this, Jeri! It's not right."

"Why? You've already seen me, anyway."

"That's not a good enough reason," I said.

"What would be a good enough reason?" she asked.

That was an excellent question. I didn't know what the answer was, but I had one bolt left in my quiver.

"You work for my company, Jeri. I'm not sure that there IS a good enough reason."

She sagged a bit and looked forlornly at me.

"You didn't like seeing me?" she whispered.

I did. But telling her would only dig me in deeper. Telling her I didn't would hurt her. Here I was, AGAIN, on the horns of a dilemma of my own making. The question was, could I dance around the answer in a way that wouldn't hurt her or get me in trouble?

"That's not the issue. Not by a longshot!"

"You're always direct; blunt even," Jeri said. "That wasn't an answer."

"You're a beautiful young woman," I said. "Now, may I take a shower?"

"One more question," she said.

"What?" I said, sure that my exasperation was showing.

"Did you like how my boob felt?"

"Yes. NOW, may I take a shower?"

She pushed past me and sat on the toilet.

"Go ahead."

"Jeri, why are you doing this?" I asked, trying to avoid sounding exasperated, upset, or scolding.

"Because I want to. For the first time in my life, I know what I really want. Not what my mom and dad want. Everything I've ever done in my life, I did for them. Because they told me to. Even going to UofC and studying computers. Even coming to work for NIKA. Yesterday, when I gave that demo, I realized that I could do something on my own. You helped me to do that! I wanted to hug you, but I was afraid.

"Then last night, I saw you sleeping on your side facing me and wondered what it would be like to be hugged, so I moved the pillows and got close to you. You put your arm around me but didn't wake up. After a few minutes, your hand covered my boob and my heart started racing. I LIKED it. I lay awake for a long time, just enjoying it. Then you moved your arm and freaked out.

"You calmed down and let me sleep in your arms. When we woke up, I thanked you for it by kissing your cheek and you were out of bed like a shot. I almost laughed because you reminded me of me! It was like you were scared of your own shadow. And I know how that feels, trust me! Then you left the room, running away like I would. I went in to take my shower and realized I didn't bring my kit with my shampoo and stuff into the bathroom. I thought you were exercising, so I just came out quick and saw you.

"It was my turn to freak out. I heard you tell me that you were sorry and you were going to leave. I almost came out right away to tell you to stop, but by the time I worked up my courage to open the door, you were gone. I realized that I actually liked the fact that you saw me. It freed me from the straitjacket that I'd been wearing. It was liberating. When you didn't come back, I wasn't sure what to do. I put my nightgown back on and sat on the bed to think."

"So, why were you crying?" I asked.

"At first, I wasn't. At first, I thought maybe you were angry with me. But then I was afraid you were going to fire me. And I guess I just worked myself into a sobbing mess."

"I am NOT going to fire you! You're the best programmer on the team! All that happened here was a small misunderstanding that can easily be fixed. I am not angry. I am confused. And surprised."

"Confused and surprised?"

"By the sudden change," I said. "I don't recognize you!"

"It's your fault," she said. "You've been trying for months and months to get me to be more assertive. Now I am."

"That's an understatement," I chuckled.

"There is one advantage to being quiet. I watch and listen and I've learned a lot from you. More than anyone else I've ever known. You helped me become someone new."

"No, I didn't," I said. "That person has always been inside you, just waiting to come out. You did this, Jeri. Not me."

"I needed your help. I couldn't do it by myself," she said. "So now what?"

"Now I need a shower, we need to pack, get breakfast, and get to LAX so we don't miss our flight."

Jeri stood up.

"Then there's only one option. We shower together to save time."

"Jeri!" I sighed.

She smirked, reached down, and pulled her nightgown up and over her head. She tossed it past me onto the carpet in the room, then turned and got into the shower and turned on the water. I couldn't help but laugh. The other thing I couldn't help but do was pull off my T-shirt, sweatpants, and underwear and climb into the shower with her. She turned and looked me up and down.

"Wow," she giggled.

"Oh, shut up and shower," I chuckled.

"I forgot my shampoo on the counter," she said.

I slid the curtain back and reached out to grab the shampoo bottle. I tried to hand it to her, and she just shook her head.

"Jeri, this can NOT go there," I said.

"Go where?" she said coquettishly, arching an eyebrow.

"OK. Now I think Jeri Lundgren was kidnapped by aliens and replaced by a Beta Unit!"

"I loved The Last Starfighter, but if you keep talking, we're going to have to skip breakfast!"

Jeri had me completely disoriented. Of all the things I expected to happen in LA, this hadn't been one of them.

"I shouldn't be in here with you," I said. "I'm sorry."

The words were barely out of my mouth when Jeri took a half step forward and put her arms around me. The body contact was electric and had the desired effect. Well, maybe HER desired effect, but for me, an undesired effect. Jeri put her head on my chest and sighed deeply. I should have gently pushed her away, but I didn't. Instead, I put my arms around her.

"This is nice," she whispered. "Very, VERY nice."

It was, and that was, the problem. My quickly hardening dick was pressing against her, trying to rise to attention, but trapped between us. She squirmed and wiggled a bit, which only made the problem worse. I wanted to put a stop to it. But my body wasn't coöperating.

"We can't do this," I protested. "We need to talk!"

She lifted her head from my chest and looked at me, a fire burning in her eyes.

"If we don't do this here today, it'll never happen," she said. "It has to be today! Here! Now!"

"Do you even know what you're asking for?" I asked.

She laughed, "I might have been shy and sheltered, but I do know about sex! If I tell you a secret, will you keep it for me?"

"Asks the woman I'm standing with, naked, in a shower," I chuckled nervously.

"I read trashy romance novels all the time! I hide them from my mom!"

"Those aren't exactly the best sources of relationship advice," I chuckled.

"I may be sheltered and inexperienced, but I'm not stupid! I know we can't have a relationship. You're married! But I know you're with Elyse, and I hear you have, uhm, freedom."

"You know this is against the rules!" I protested weakly.

She pulled me tighter to her. Her small breasts were crushed against my chest and the fur of her mons pressed against my dick, which was still painfully trying to rise. I was fighting with myself and with Jeri. I was outnumbered and losing badly. I did the only thing I could — capitulate.

"Let's finish our shower and figure it out afterwards," I said.

Jeri smiled and released me, allowing my dick to finally pop up straight, slightly relieving the discomfort. She looked down and giggled nervously.

"I guess you do like me!"

"Having a cute, sexy, naked girl plastered against you does tend to cause that reaction!" I grinned. "Turn around and let me wash your hair."

She quickly turned her back to me. I opened the bottle of herbal shampoo, put some on my hands, and began working some into her brown locks. Jeri sighed deeply as I massaged the lather into her scalp. When I finished, she rinsed the suds from her hair, then told me that her soap was on the counter. I moved the curtain and grabbed the plastic container with her soap, and opened it to find a rose-scented bar.

I held the bar of soap in the spray for a moment, then rubbed my hands to make a lather. I began by soaping Jeri's temples and cheeks, then her shoulders and arms, and then her back. I purposefully skipped her butt cheeks and knelt down to do her legs, being very careful to avoid the highest part of her inner thighs. I moved my hands to her stomach and lathered it, and then I stood up.

"You missed some parts," she whispered.

"Are you SURE?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm sure I wash those parts in the shower!" she giggled.

In for a penny, in for a pound. I lathered my hands again and soaped her butt cheeks. When I finished them, I slowly slid my hands around to Jeri's stomach, and then up and over her small, firm breasts. Her nipples hardened instantly, the hard bumps tracing lines along my palm as I soaped her. Finally, I slid a soapy hand down across her soft, brown pubic hair. Jeri jumped a bit as I passed my finger over her clit and slid it along her plump labia.

"You can rinse now," I said hoarsely.

While she rinsed, I put her soap back in the container and on the counter. I reached a bit further, and grabbed my Irish Spring from the container in my bag, and when Jeri had rinsed herself completely, I handed it to her.

"What about your hair?" she asked.

"I switch between soap and Head and Shoulders," I said.

Jeri rubbed her hands around the soap and then reached up to my head. She was short, so she had to extend her arms and stand close, causing her nipples to brush lightly across my chest. I groaned softly at the contact, as well as the feeling of her fingers gently massaging my scalp.

I closed my eyes as she washed my face. I'd shaved before leaving home, and my beard didn't grow fast enough that I had much stubble on my cheeks, though my neatly trimmed goatee was full enough to not look silly. Jeri's hands moved to my shoulders, then around to my back. Her soft, soapy palms traveled downward, over my butt. She impishly squeezed my cheeks, then quickly moved her hands to my chest. I felt the bar of soap travel across my chest as her other hand worked in the lather. My stomach was next, and as she moved lower, I wondered what she would do.