Chapter 12

Sandy -- FEB 61

As I drove home, I was on top of the world! I even turned on the radio in my car and was singing along with it, something that I rarely did. When I got home, I saw Mom's car in the driveway. Since I knew that she was going to have to leave for work soon, I parked in the street so as to not block her.

I went into the house, and she looked at me. She came up to me, hugged me, and said, "Sandy, I didn't know where you were! You are absolutely glowing - were you with Steve?"

"Yes, Mom. It was just so wonderful! Mom, I've never felt anything like it before."

"Sandy dear, I'm so glad for you. You know I like Steve, and I had hoped that he might be the one to break through your reserve."

She went on, "You know I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Ithaca to see Mary and the babies. Something tells me that you won't be back tonight."

"Mom, I won't be home tonight. You do understand, don't you?"

"Yes, dear, I do. Speaking of babies, are you..."

I interrupted her, saying, "There's no problem. Steve had a bad case of mumps, which took care of that."

"OK, but please be careful. I'll see you Monday evening when I get home. Right now, I have to get out of here and get to work."

She quickly left. I rushed upstairs, shed my clothes, and took a quick shower. I dressed carefully, putting on one of my prettiest sweaters and a heavy tweed skirt. I got my small suitcase out of the closet, packed it with a few clothes, and took it down to my car. Soon, I was back on the road. When I reached the motel, I parked by Steve's door.

I knocked, and he opened it a crack. When he saw me, he opened it wide, and drew me in, saying, "Sandy, I've missed you already."

We held each other for a moment, and I said, "Steve, you know I want to stay here for a long, long time, but we need to get some breakfast and get to work."

Steve sighed, and said, "Yes, I know. It's just so delicious holding you close again."

I reluctantly pulled away, and went back out to get my suitcase. I took it into the room, and left it in the corner.

Steve gave me another quick kiss; we hugged again, then we got in my car and drove across the parking lot to the restaurant. We found a booth off to the side, and ordered a pot of coffee and our breakfasts. I asked him, "Steve, can you stay over until Sunday? Mom's going to Ithaca to visit my sister, and won't be back until Monday afternoon. You can stay at my house, and I'll even cook for you."

Steve's face lit up, and he said, "Yes! Oh, yes! That would be wonderful. I wasn't looking forward to going back to Washington tomorrow and a weekend by myself." We didn't say much more, but looked at each other often, and knew that there wasn't anything more we needed to say right then.

Finally, it was time to leave. Steve took care of the check and the tip, and we drove down to the lab. We went in together, and headed for the conference room where we had been meeting. Soon we were again struggling with the layout of the control words.

I was troubled by the diagram that was on the board, and finally said, "Look, can't we merge those two fields into one? It would make things a lot easier, and if we give you the combinations you need, it shouldn't be any harder to use."

Steve immediately saw what I was suggesting, and said, "Sandy, that's excellent. Of course, it's going to be easier to build, but it's also going to be a lot easier for us to program."

We continued to make progress on defining the control fields, based on the operations that Steve had asked for. We didn't have as much luck with the way that the conditional branches were going to work. We did come up with a tentative scheme that we thought would work. We had a good list of the conditions we needed to handle, but we still weren't happy with how they were going to be combined.

By the end of the day, Steve and I met with Paul in his office. He said, "Sandy, that suggestion was inspired. You're really sharp today, and you look happy."

I was alarmed that he may have realized what had happened between Steve and me, but Steve saved the day, saying, "Yes, and I'm happy too. What's more, I know that Sam and the Agency will also be quite pleased."

Paul didn't say anything more, but I still wasn't sure how much he had picked up. He did agree that we had enough accomplished to start writing a preliminary specification for Reaper.

We left, and drove down the road to the Avis office. Steve and I went in, and he told the manager that he wanted a replacement, that he didn't trust the car, even if they thought they had fixed it.

The manager said, "Well, that's a problem. Right now, I don't have another car available at that rate on the government schedule. However, we installed a brand new fully charged battery, and checked the generator and the entire electrical system. You should be fine."

Steve hesitated, and I pulled him aside, saying, "Steve, you really don't need a car this weekend. I can take you to the station when you go."

"OK, that's good, especially since I'm not sure that I'd get reimbursed for the extra days."

He then told the manager that he didn't need a car after all, and wasn't going to pay for the last day when he didn't have the use the car because of the dead battery. The manager grumbled, but soon the paperwork was done and we drove up to the motel in my car.

We went inside the room, and I rushed up to Steve, putting my arms around him and kissing him fiercely. He responded, and started running his hands through my hair. I said, "Steve, it was so hard today, looking at you and not being able to touch you or say anything to you. We need to make up for lost time, but first, let's get out of these coats."

Steve whispered in my ear, "Yes, let's. I want to look at you in that lovely sweater again, it looks so good on your gorgeous body."

Once again, the coats ended up in a pile on the chair; soon they were followed by my sweater and the rest of our clothes. We pulled the bed covers down, got in, and were soon locked in a tight embrace.

Later, as I lay there in the afterglow and warmth, with Steve's arms wrapped around me, he said, "Let's shower together."

I snuggled even closer to him, enjoying the warmth of his touch. In a quiet voice, I said, "That sounds really nice."

We took our time in the shower, washing each other's body carefully and tenderly, and finished by toweling each other dry. We held each other, and as I kissed Steve, I heard his stomach rumble. I said, "Steve, this feels nice, and I don't want to let go, but it sounds like you're famished. Let's go downtown to Morrison's and have one of their sizzling steaks. I'll let you drive my car."

Steve laughed, and said, "That all sounds good. I've always wanted to drive one of those."

We both dressed, left the room, and Steve slid into the driver's seat of my Sprite. He started the engine without difficulty, but I had to show him how to put the transmission into reverse! He got the hang of it pretty quickly, and soon we were at the restaurant. After being seated, we ordered our steaks and each had a beer.

When we had placed our orders, Steve took my hand, and said, "Sandy, I've been thinking about the control words, and I want to work on them a little more. I think I'll stay over on Monday and go back Tuesday morning, because I'm damned if I want to talk about work this weekend."

I gave Steve a delighted grin, and said, "Steve, you are a crafty one! Of course it needs a little more polishing, and I agree, no more Reaper talk this weekend. I know we'll have a lot of fun, but also, if the weather stays decent, let's get outside for a bit."

Just then, our steaks arrived and we attacked them. I guess I was as hungry as Steve, because it wasn't long before we had finished. Steve settled the check and tip, and I said, "You drive again. I want to show you something."

Steve again took the driver's seat, and I guided him to the top of Kaal Rock. We parked at the edge of the lot, facing to the west. The view of the mountains on the other side of the river was lit up by the full moon, and it was an awesome sight. However, it was also very cold. I shivered, and told Steve, "This is great, and I'm glad we came, but I'm freezing. Let's get back to the room."

Steve drove us back to the motel, and we went back inside. We slowly undressed each other, and got back into the bed again. Steve put his arms out and held me gently, and we started talking about our lives before we had met.

When Steve told me about Anne, I realized how much he had been hurt by that experience, and by her lack of responsiveness. He was really a very caring, sensitive guy, and it was obvious to me how painful that experience had been for him.

When I started to talk again about what had happened to me at Syracuse, he hushed me with a kiss, saying, "Sandy, you don't need to tell me. You are such a wonderful, warm, responsive person, and the way he didn't listen to your body just confirms that he was an insensitive, selfish ass."

I smothered him with kisses, and caressed his face. I said, "Oh, Steve, you have given me so much, and I owe you a lot for that. Thank you."

"No, dear Sandy, you gave me far more than I could ever give you. I am the one who is in debt to you."

I moved my hands down to his nipples, started rubbing them, and growled, "You want to fight about it?"

With a grin, he gasped, "No, never! Let's just agree that we are both lucky to have found each other." He moved his hand down between my legs and put his finger on the magic spot, with the usual glorious, spectacular effect.

As I started to come down, I said, "Steve, now it's your turn, and you damn well know what to do!"

He rolled me over, and as he slowly slid into me, I trembled with delight and the anticipation of the greater delights to come. As he moved slowly, I started to quiver and throb with joy. Soon our breathing started to get ragged. I kissed his nipple and flicked my tongue on it, and that sent him over the edge, bringing me along to another wonderful climax.

The next morning, we both dressed quickly and packed. He put his bag along with mine in the car trunk. We stopped at the motel office for Steve to check out and make a reservation for Monday night, and drove off. I stopped in front of a liquor store and said to Steve, "Since I'm cooking, can you pick up two bottles of wine for dinner tonight and tomorrow?" Steve went in and soon had selected a the wine, which we were able to squeeze into the trunk along with the bags. I then made a quick stop at the supermarket, asking Steve to wait for me, since I had a surprise planned for dinner. When we got to my house, we took everything inside, leaving Steve's bag by the door for now.

The weather had moderated, and the sun was out. The ground was almost completely clear of snow. It was a perfect day for a nice brisk walk. When I had put the groceries away, I turned to him and said, "Let's put on our boots and warm coats, and head across the river. I know where there's a nice trail that should be easily passable even at this time of year. We can come back here for a late lunch." I added, with a playful grin, "Maybe we can even find something to do here after lunch."

Steve grinned back, and said, "Maybe! Let's try and think of something."

The trail was in very good condition, and we had a wonderful hike. I had my camera with me, and took a couple of pictures of Steve. Then he took the camera and took some of me. We got back to my house about half-past one, and I fixed us some soup and a sandwich. When we finished, Steve helped me with the dishes, and then came up behind me, putting his hands under my sweatshirt and on my breasts. He asked me, "Still thinking?"

I laughed, and turned my head to him, saying, "Well, I suspect we might have the same idea!" I wriggled out from under his hands, turned to face him, and gave him a big kiss. He held me close for a few moments, and then I took him by the hand and led him to my room.

Much later that afternoon, after we had actually dozed off for a bit, I snuggled close to him. I said, "Steve, I'm sorry - the shower here is too small for two people. Let me go first. When I get out and get some clothes on, I'll start dinner."

"OK, but I'll help when I'm done here."

After I finished with my shower, I quickly dressed and made my way to the kitchen. I was in the midst of preparing our meal when Steve came into the kitchen. He sniffed the aromas coming from the stove, and said, "My, that smells good. What is it?"

I grinned and answered, "It's chicken chasseur, hunter style. It's another one of Mom's recipes that she adapted from a gourmet French cuisine cookbook. Now do something useful. Open that red wine, and pour some in this skillet. While you're at it, why don't you pour us a couple of glasses - they are up over the cabinet on the left."

Steve quickly opened the wine and filled our glasses. Then he poured some into the skillet. Soon the wine mixed in with the other ingredients to produce a wonderful aroma, which became even more fragrant as the mixture continued to heat up. Soon I was able to serve the chicken along with the noodles and the green beans that I had timed to be done just at the right time.

We took the plates into the dining room, along with the wine and our glasses, and sat down. I took his hand in mine, and said, "Steve, welcome back to my house. I can't tell you how glad I am that you are here."

Steve squeezed my hand, and replied, "Well, you know that I'm so happy to be here with you right now. It's so much better than being back in my lonely apartment in Washington. Let's eat; this delicious looking dinner is getting cold."

We dug into our dinners, and after a while, Steve said, "Sandy, this is outstanding! It's right up there with the stew your Mom gave us the last time I was here."

Steve had said just the right thing. I knew that Mom was becoming a wonderful gourmet cook, and I had never thought that I could come close to matching her abilities. I realized that Steve's praise for my efforts were sincere, and not just an attempt at trying to make me feel good. I reached over, took his hands, and gave him a squeeze. He said nothing, but held onto my hands for a moment, and the way he looked at me said more than any words could have conveyed.

We had many more tender moments over the weekend, and we learned more about each other's bodies. We explored each other's bodies and learned how to give one another even more pleasure than we had been experiencing.

The weather held, and we were also able to get out several times for some long walks. All too soon, my alarm went off on Monday, and we struggled out of bed, only having time for a quick snuggle before I headed for the shower so that I could get dressed and start breakfast, while Steve was finishing with his shower.

Steve showed up in the kitchen, and wrapped his arms around me, giving me a quick hug. We sat down to the grapefruit, eggs, and English muffins that I had prepared. We were both subdued, realizing that the special time that we had been able to share over the past few days was drawing near an end. At least, we would be together for one more night.

I again packed my small bag with what I would need on Tuesday, and Steve repacked his suitcase. I quickly checked through the house to try to make sure that we had removed all traces of Steve's presence. I was pretty sure that Mom would not have minded, but I didn't want to take any chances. We loaded the bags into my car, and headed down the road to IBM, sharing one last hug and kiss in the far corner of the parking lot before we went into the lab. I took us in through the front entrance, so that Steve could sign in and get a new visitor badge, and then we went back to Paul's office. I knocked at the door; since it was open, we went in.

He looked at us, and said, "Steve, I thought you would be back in Washington by now."

Steve answered, "Well, that was my original plan, but Sandy and I decided that there were still a few loose ends that we wanted to nail down."

Paul gave us a knowing look, and then said, "I'm not going to ask where or when you came to this conclusion. However, I'm sure that another day won't hurt. The more you two get done today, the easier it's going to be for us to write the specification."

Steve said, "Thanks. Is there a small conference room or office we can use for today?"

Paul answered, saying, "Sarah is in a class this week. You can use her office."

I led the way to her office, and we went in and sat down. Since Sarah was at the Senior level, she was entitled to a larger office. It was twelve by twelve, and had real wooden furniture as opposed to the gray metal desks and tables that the rest of us had. Steve went over to the phone, and after I told him the dialing codes to use for a long distance call, he called Murray at the Agency. He said, "Murray, I'll be back in the office late tomorrow. I decided to stay over in Poughkeepsie to tie down some loose ends in the Reaper design spec, although right now it's beginning to look pretty good."