Chapter 2

Sometime during the night, Eleanor had slipped off Robert and had turned out the lamp. She had pulled a single sheet over them and happily wrapped an arm over her new lover and held him close.

As he snored softly, she thought how nice it was to have a real man in her bed after all these years. Her mind wandered for a few minutes while she tried to think of what the future might bring. She knew she wanted Robert in that future. She fell back to sleep and didn't awaken until she felt Robert stir and rise.

"Where are you going?" she rasped sleepily.

"To work. I'm not sure brother Harold hasn't put out a search party for me yet."

He leaned back on the bed toward her and kissed her cheek. "Don't you have to go to your office today?"

"Yup. But not right away. You kept me up last night," she said, talking partially into her pillow.

"Want to have a shower together?" he offered with a sly grin. "That might wake you up."

"I'll bet it would, but not in the usual way. You go ahead. I might meet you there if I can summon the energy."

He looked down at her and once again kissed her, this time on her exposed shoulder. The taste of this woman was incredible he thought, both inside and out. He unfolded his naked frame from the bed and walked toward the ensuite, gathering his boxers from the floor as he went. He looked at himself in the mirror and realized he needed a shave as well as a shower.

He peeked around the corner of the door and asked, "Ellie, do you have a spare razor?"

She raised her head a couple of inches off the pillow, blinked her eyes and said, "Yes, the drawer next to the sink."

It was all she could manage before her head once again plopped on the pillow.

Robert found a new Lady Daisy and hoping it wouldn't remove too many layers of skin, used her liquid soap to create the semblance of lather and began to shave. He was happy that he didn't cut himself, and at least looked presentable again.

He turned to the shower and was pleased to find it was large and had a European style spray outlet that allowed him to use it as a wand to rinse himself. The water quickly came up to temperature and he stepped in. He looked around and could find only gels and liquid soaps. No bar soap was evident. He sighed and was about to try the bath gel when a shadow appeared on the other side of the door and Eleanor stepped in to join him.

"I can't resist. I haven't had a man in my shower since ... well ... I just haven't," she grinned. "I'm going to have to stand in front of you big guy. You can block out the sun, much less my shower head."

She slipped by him and picked up a soft mitt and poured some bath get on it.

"I don't use bar soap, so this will have to do, but I imagine a demonstration will be necessary," she said with an arched eyebrow.

Robert just laughed as she began to soap his shoulders and chest. She turned him around and did his back, buttocks, and legs, and then turned him around again.

"I saved the best for last," she smirked.

She squatted down and began lathering his abdomen and then his inner thighs and all the while, she could see his growing erection.

"I see I have your attention."

She began to soap his balls and then enveloped his now rigid member in her fist and began stroking it back and forth. "Can't be too clean here, can you?"

"Oh, Ellie, that's going to cause an eruption soon," he gasped.

She stood up and took the shower head off the hook and rinsed his big cock thoroughly. She handed the wand to him and then took his fully engorged member in both hands and began to lick its length on the underside.

Robert's head went back and he eyes closed as she expertly brought him to the edge, only to squeeze his base tightly and let him recover until she would start again, this time taking him into her mouth. She repeated this exquisite torture until finally he could take no more.

"Oh, god, Ellie, I can't hold it any more. I'm going to explode," he cried in a strangled voice.

She looked up at him and smiled and continued her erotic lavation until he could take no more and with several gasps he released. She took what she could into her mouth while the rest spurted, then dribbled on her chin and breasts.

As Robert began to relax and come down from his immense high, she continued to use her tongue and lips to clean him, finally standing and turning toward the shower head to wash her face and breasts. She turned back to him and pressing herself to him, kissed him deeply. He could taste the slight remains of his semen, but it wasn't unpleasant and the wonderful experience she had just provided was more than he could ever have expected.

"Your turn?" he offered.

"Yes please," she replied coyly.

Her mitt wouldn't fit his big hand, so he held it as if it were a wash cloth and began soaping her back, then bottom, then her legs. He was determined to save the best for last. As she turned toward him, he squatted down and began with her feet, slowly working his way up to her calves, then thighs and then, passing that most erotic zone, her abdomen. He slowly and generously soaped her breasts, occasionally pinching the now erect nipples between his thumb and finger.

Finally, he began to soap her dark, trimmed pubic hair and then her sex, lingering in her most sensitive place for several moments before beginning to rinse her. As the soap drained from her body, he dropped the mitt and while one hand went again to her slit, he took a nipple into his mouth and began to flick it with his tongue; first one breast and then the other. His tongue circled her areola and then returned to the nipple. First one breast, and then the other.

Eleanor had braced herself as he had begun to wash her breasts and had one hand on the front wall of the shower while the other steadied her on the side wall. Her eyes were closed as Robert's fingers had begun their inexorable exploration of her innermost self.

His lips and tongue on her breasts were the initiator of her orgasm, but as his thick fingers entered her, she knew it was only the first. She began to feel unsteady on her feet and she clung to Robert, wrapping her arms about his neck to hold her in place as his fingers now probed deeper into her. She felt the impending wave of her next climax and, pressing against her towering man, allowed it to envelope her.

"Oh, oh, that ... was ... marvelous," she slurred into his neck and she squeezed him tightly. "I can't think of a better way to start the day."

"One good turn deserves another," he said simply. After a few moments, they stepped from the shower and Eleanor handed him one of two large bath towels.

"Robert, where are you staying?" she asked as they dried each other off.

"At the Westin. Why?"

"Why don't you check out and bring your things over here. My rates are very reasonable. I can even cook," she smiled.

"Are you sure, Ellie?" he asked seriously.

"I am. What about you?" she asked.

"Would five o'clock be too soon," he laughed.

"It's settled then. Now, let me run an iron over your shirt and suit and you'll almost look presentable," she grinned.

Robert once again wrapped his arms around this lovely woman and kissed her. "I'm getting spoiled already."

"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked.

"Uh, toast and coffee if it's not too much trouble."

"I'll get it started. Meet you in the kitchen."

Eleanor slipped on an elegant black silk robe with silver and red trim, picked up his suit and shirt and headed for the kitchen. To Robert, her robe looked very oriental, and yet it suited her appearance perfectly. She disappeared down the hall as he pulled on his boxers

Within ten minutes, Eleanor had made the coffee and toast, and had begun to press Robert's shirt, pants, and jacket. When she had finished, she handed them to him. He pulled on the shirt, pants and then stepped into his shoes.

"There, that should stop any second looks in the elevator," she laughed.

"Thanks, Ellie."

"What are you up to today?" she asked.

"I'm supposed to start looking for an office for us. We don't need much, but it should have a decent address to give the customers the idea that we're an established business," he said.

"If you don't have an agent, I can help," she volunteered.

"Great. What do you have in mind?"

"I've got some contacts with people who have space to rent. How much do you need?"

"About 1500 to 2000 square feet, I think. We'll need all the up-to-date phone and fax connections."

"Give me a few minutes and I'll make a couple of phone calls. It might save you a lot of time," she suggested.

Within thirty minutes, Eleanor had three possible leads and their agent's phone numbers. She called all three and set up appointments for the morning and early afternoon.

Robert was suitably impressed. He used the phone to call Harold at the hotel and left a message for him to call him at Ellie's. If he hadn't called by nine-thirty, he would leave a second message with the addresses and times of the appointments. Fortunately, Harold called just before nine and immediately realized he wasn't calling a real estate office.

"So what have you been up to, big brother?" he asked with a laugh.

"I'll talk to you later about it, but right now, Eleanor Charlton has some leads on office space for us and we can see them today. Are you OK with that?"

"Absolutely. I'll take a cab to the first one and meet you there and we can travel together from there."

After Robert had given him the address, he signed off. He would try to be discreet about Eleanor being with him and his disappearance last night. Harold wasn't the nosey type, but Robert didn't want to upset Eleanor.

The day went by smoothly and by the end of their visits, they had a good idea of local costs and what type of office they wanted. Their first choice was the second of the two spaces, and Eleanor suggested they let her contact the agent and see if she could negotiate a better rate for a longer term contract.

The boys were interested in three to five years and since the space they had selected gave them room to grow, it would allow a longer term commitment. The agent promised to get back to Eleanor by tomorrow noon with an answer, and that was that for the day.

Robert's concern about his disappearance with Eleanor and her presence with him that morning was misplaced. She made it clear they were together and she displayed no embarrassment as he called her Ellie and they held hands a good part of the day.

Eleanor got a chance to meet and get to know Harold as they lunched. She was just as impressed with his open good nature and refreshing honesty as she had been with Robert. He wasn't quite as imposing as Robert, but if she had never met her new lover, Harold would have been a candidate too. Good breeding brings good manners, she thought. You don't have to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth to be a class act.

They agreed to meet for dinner that evening after Robert moved his things from the hotel to Eleanor's apartment. Harold merely smiled as he learned of the new arrangement and slapped his brother on the back.

"I'm envious," he said. "I want one too!"

"Sorry, only one to a customer," Eleanor shot back with a laugh.

Eleanor helped Robert move that afternoon. With that simple act, they began a commitment to each other that would be permanent. When she thought about it afterward, this was easily as reckless as her first relationship and marriage. She had known him for less than two days.

She had been so cautious in the past thirteen years not to make that same mistake and yet, she had plunged headlong into this man's life. She invited him into her home, and prepared to completely let go of all her inhibitions. It was crazy and yet she didn't hesitate for a moment. She was going purely on instinct, and this time her instincts didn't let her down.

They married that spring in a civil ceremony attended by her sister Evelyn, brother-in-law John, and their three year old daughter, Julia. Robert's mother came from Kelowna, refusing to fly and forcing Harold to drive her to Calgary. Harold was Best Man and Evelyn was Maid of Honor and the ceremony took all of thirty minutes. They had a small reception at the Westin Hotel with twenty or so friends attending before leaving for Europe on a two week honeymoon.

Robert had Eleanor as his guide as they toured London and Paris and then to the south of France. Robert loved every minute of the trip. He started a journal to record all the sights and sounds, savoring the fabulous foods as they encountered them. He kept repeating that he wished he had traveled to Europe sooner and they should make this an annual pilgrimage.

When they returned to Calgary in early June, Robert began looking for property on which to build their future home. He felt confined and somewhat trapped in Eleanor's apartment. She was delighted when he suggested they plan a proper home for themselves.

Robert had fallen in love with Calgary, largely because it was Eleanor's city. He had no other mission in mind than to please her. For her part, Eleanor had not lived in a house since she had left home many years earlier, and was excited to be part of the planning process.

Their first objective was to find a piece of property, and when they stumbled onto a two acre plot on Discovery Ridge, they knew this was where they would build. It had a magnificent view of the city to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west.

The house would be a sprawling ranch style with almost three thousand square feet of living area in a crescent shape. The inner part of the crescent would be a sheltered cove for their privacy and protection from the winds that blew both from the south and north-west.

They spent hours designing the interior. After much debate, they settled on a plan with a single large great room in the centre with a large master bedroom on one end, and two additional bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, laundry and services area on the other end. A three car garage was integrated into the far north-west end of the house. The living room would have a fourteen foot peaked window-wall on each side to maximize the view of the mountains and city.

Construction began in August and they moved in the day after New Years, five months later. It was everything they had hoped it would be and more. A large flat-stone fireplace formed most of the wall between their Bedroom and the Living Room. Nine foot ceilings gave all of the house light and space and they set about furnishing it.

If there was to be conflict between them, it would be over the décor and interior furnishings. Robert wanted traditional and comfortable while Eleanor wanted contemporary. In the spirit of compromise, Robert gave in and asked only that Eleanor hire a proper decorator to make sure she got what she wanted.

Eleanor felt guilty that he had given in so easily, but after talking to the decorator, was able to combine her design wants with comfort, and the end result was much better than Robert had expected. When you're six foot six and two hundred and fifty pounds, comfort is a big consideration.

Their sex life was raucous and uninhibited. Eleanor had been the catalyst for their adventures together and the leader of this conventional man's rebirth as a lover. He was big and powerful and enthusiastic, but it was her coaxing and teaching and demonstrating that had released him from his former confines.

He discovered the true joy of making love to his beautiful wife, and he willing schooled himself in satisfying her desires. In return, Eleanor pleased him in so many ways that he could hardly believe that he was truly experiencing this. After their marriage, their bedroom fury had cooled only slightly, and they continued to delight in each other several times each week.

Robert and Harold had settled in their new offices and were constantly on the road visiting their various sites in both Canada and the United States. They had earned a contract in Alaska to complement their U.S. obligations, and their business was thriving.

Unfortunately that meant more travel, and Robert was away from Calgary more than Eleanor would like. He offered to take her with him, but a couple of early road trips proved how impractical that would be. Their work took them to remote areas with few facilities, and often no room for wives to accompany the employees.

As a result, Eleanor resumed her career at Promotions West, this time as a part-time employee. It gave her something to do during the days that Robert was absent and she enjoyed the people and the work.

On Robert's 50^th birthday, Eleanor arranged a party for him that would include his mother, Harold and Harold's fiancée, Rosalind. It was a happy occasion, and Robert, after consuming a copious quantity of Champagne, decided the time had come to make a speech to the four people most important to him.

"I'm no guy to be givin' speeches," he began. "I just wan'na say I'm luckier than a dog with two dinks."

The giggles and guffaws caused Robert pause. He looked up and saw his mother's face.

"Oops, sorry Mom. I just wan'na say how happy I am to be here with you and my beautiful family: Mom, Harold, and soon Rosalind. I 'specially wan'na say how happy I am to have Ellie in my life. It took a long time to find the right girl, but when I did, I got a beauty!"

He raised his almost drained glass and offered a toast.

"It's my birthday and I got all the presents I'll ever need right here with all you being with me."

With that, he sat heavily into his favourite chair and put his head back and within a minute, was sound asleep.

Eleanor picked the glass from her husband's hand and smiled at him. Her little party had been a great success, and her gift to him of a very exclusive Abercrombie and Fitch outdoorsman's jacket was well received.

Harold had chosen an all-purpose, rugged Swiss Army wristwatch to replace his brother's aging Omega, and his mother chose a simple navy blue cashmere sweater that she knew he would wear. It was a milestone birthday, and Robert had every right to celebrate his life. He was a truly happy man and it had all turned out so well for him, even at this late age.

Harold and Rosalind had set their wedding date for mid August. He had met her at a client's office in Denver, and despite his inherent shyness, had asked her for a date that very day. Harold had little experience with dating. He had occasioned himself with the "fancy ladies" in his early days, but had little experience with women beyond that. He wasn't celibate, but he wasn't very sure of himself around women of his age.

Like Eleanor, Rosalind recognized the hidden virtues of the Thompson men with their simple honesty and straightforwardness. Like Eleanor, she also had been under whelmed by the men she had encountered. She had never married, although she had been engaged to a man in her mid-twenties. He turned out to be a bad-tempered, potentially violent man, and Rosalind broke their engagement.

He didn't take it well and threatened her with harm until she was able to convince the local Sheriff that he was serious with his intent. As it turned out, he already had a conviction for assault on another woman, and that was enough for the Sheriff. Rosalind was able to obtain a restraining order against him and she never heard from him again.