Chapter 1

Let me start by stating the obvious. I'm selfish. Not in a mean sort of way but in a manner that ensures that I receive my pleasure. I'm a firm believer that in order to get I must give. The more I give the more I get. That is one of the reasons I like to control a situation. Not just momentarily but TOTALLY.

These are my thoughts alone. Reviewed and possibly edited for easier reading, but my thoughts.

Twenty-five, what a GREAT age. Here I am in Newport, R.I. and free, at least for a good portion of the day and night. My ass belonged to Uncle Sam and I did have to make an appearance once in a while, although my time was mostly my own. The first thing I had to do was get out of the playpen called a barracks. Hell you couldn't even piss without someone looking over your shoulder, even if you were off for the next three days.

So, the search begins for a place off base, a place I can call my own and not share with anyone. I did mention I was selfish but if I wanted out on my own, I didn't want to be responsible for the actions of some idiot that didn't have a clue as to how to act in public.

After checking the local want ads, I decided to check a few out. I circled the ones that seemed to be in the price range I could afford (dirt-cheap) and started off. Two werein town about 10 minutes away from the base and where I worked. Three werea little farther out but still accessible with the local transportation. The last one I wanted to check out was quite a ways out of town but the local transportation was still available although not as frequent as the closer locations and the ride out at night would be a cab.

The first two were dumps I wouldn't put my dog in if I had one. The others looked really nice but something about the area just didn't fit with my personality or me. I know beggars can't be choosers and I had a place to stay, I just didn't want to stay there.

I decided to check out the last one early in the morning so I called for an appointment and indicated that I would be there at 9:00 AM. Walking up the driveway at 8:55 AM, I looked around and thought to myself that this would be a nice place. Private, quiet, and the apartment being offered was over a garage that looked to be in pretty good shape.

Knocking on the door at precisely 9:00AM, I waited for a minute, then knocked again. Getting no answer I thought perhaps the owner would be around back. I walked towards the garage and noticed the doors were open and no car visible. Continuing to explore, I looked at the back yard and found an above ground pool with a large raised deck. Empty. I decided to give it one last shot before going on and counting this as wasted time. I don't really care to be kept waiting and if I could be here on time the least the landlord could do was be here too.

Ringing the doorbell this time again got no response so I turned to leaveand was walking down the driveway when a late model car turned in and came towards me. Inside was a Very nice looking lady, perhaps 40 or 41. She had short reddish blonde hair fixed in a pixie style that allowed it to be blown around by the open window without causing it to appear wind blown and mussed.

Pulling up next to me, she asked if I were Peter.

"Yes," I replied.

Without any apology for being late, she said her name was Ellen. She showed two of the finest legs I had seen in quite a while as she was exiting the car, along with a nicely filled out blouse. She asked if I would help carry the bags that were in the back of the car.

As we carried the groceries into the house, she carried on about not really needing the money for the apartment but wanting another human presence on the property, and how she didn't have to worry about an income as long as her asshole husband didn't miss any alimony payments. I learned a lot in the few minutes it took to move the groceries from her car to her house.

It was almost as if we were old friendsthat were just catching up on our lives after a long separation. I asked to see the apartment and she motioned for me to follow her as she went out the back door to the garage. There was a separate stairway up to a private entrance. Following her up, I had a great view of a nice ass that was attached to those great legs I had seen earlier.

Opening the door to the apartment, I noticed it was as advertised. It was a tastefully decorated two-room apartment. The first and larger of the two rooms contained the kitchen, dining and sofa areas. Open rafters that were finished in rough cut cedar and plank flooring created a rustic décor that matched a bathroom off to one side in a separate room.

The bedroom took up the other half of the apartment. It was almost as large as the living room portion of the front, but still private. You had to go by the bathroom to get to the bedroom. The bedroom's centerpiece was a large sturdy four-poster bed, ideally equipped to tie things down. A matching chest of drawers and dresser were also in the bedroom. The dresser's location placed its oversize three sectional mirror perfectly to reflectany thing onthe bed back on itself. Built in wardrobes on one wall framed a window that overlooked the pool. The rough-cut wood theme with its accompanying cedar beams continued the rustic décor established in the front room.