Northern Proposals

by Julia P. Lynde

  I laughed weakly. "I was thinking about that in the other room. But I know you're trying to distract me from the truth. It's not the gay germs, it's something you put in the sandwiches."

  She sighed. "You're onto me, and it takes three doses to become permanent. However am I going to get you to take the other two doses?"

  It was disappointing: I couldn't come up with a smart-ass suggestion for her.

  She looked down at her laptop and sighed again, then closed it and set it back on the coffee table. "It's taking longer than I thought it would to finish, and I can't concentrate. Would you like to give me that back rub you owe me?"

  I smiled. "Yes, I can do that."

  "Go get ready for bed."

  I got up, used the bathroom, and climbed into my granny jammies. I was sitting on the bed with the covers pulled back when Jessica entered the bedroom after turning off the lights in the rest of the cabin. "Do you need a night light?"

  "I'm not afraid of the dark."

  She smiled. "I was thinking more about middle of the night trips to the bathroom."

  I returned her smile. "I'll be fine."

  Outside a loon howled. We both listened to it, cocking our heads to hear it better. The haunting sound served as counterpoint to my confusion.

  After the sound faded, Jessica asked, "Where did you put my clothes?"

  "I hung up some. The rest are in the dresser, third drawer." I pointed.

  Jessica walked to the dresser and pulled out her teddy, then headed to the bathroom. She was in there for several minutes. When she returned, she was wearing a black teddy and undies, and I could tell she had removed her makeup. She looked amazingly sleek and sexy. My hands twitched with the urge to reach out and run a finger down her leg. I watched as she hung her clothes up in the closet, then she turned to me.

  "I can borrow a shirt of Jon's," she said.

  I shook my head. She nodded before walking over to the bed. She was holding a small bottle and handed it to me. "Lotion," she said. "Please warm it in your hands before you use it."

  "Of course."

  "There is a clock on the night stand," she said, pointing.

  "How long is my penance?"

  She lay down on her stomach, pulling her hair out of the way before answering. "However long you feel guilty."

  I laughed gently.

  "You may massage anywhere you want," she said. "But I am going to feel free to touch you anywhere you have touched me. Please don't tickle."

  "I won't." My thoughts were in turmoil and my mouth was dry, but I focused on the task at hand, concentrating on how to best please her. I set the bottle of lotion on the nightstand then rotated on the bed so I could lean over her. I began by lightly caressing her back through the silky material of the teddy. I did that for just a moment or two, getting used to her contours. I'd never given a massage to a woman before. I wet my lips then said, "It's up to you, but this will be nicer for you if you take off the teddy."

  "I know," she said. "But I didn't want to freak you out."

  "I won't freak out."

  So she rolled over and removed the teddy, dropping it on the bed next to her, then rolled back onto her stomach. I adjusted her hair and admired her back and shoulders for a moment. Then I poured some of the lotion into my hands, warming it up, and began to massage her back in earnest.

  It didn't take me long to have her moaning with pleasure. The noises she made were actually turning me on. There was something primal about them that touched me to the core. She had such an amazing body. I massaged her shoulders and arms. Even relaxed her arms were sleek and toned, her skin smooth and supple.

  From the moment I touched her, it was clear she carried her stress through her shoulders and back. She was very reactive to my touch, and as I worked, I could feel the tension ease out of her. "Harder?" I asked her.

  "A little," she responded.

  I was careful to avoid pinching, but slowly worked out all the knots. Listening to her moans of pleasure, I found myself getting wet. I paid particular attention to her lower back just as it dived into her buttocks. Those are large, strong muscles, and I knew from my own experience how nice it feels when they get attention.

  I looked at the clock once I felt she had become a pile of putty on the bed. I didn't feel I'd fully paid my penance though, so I shifted down the bed and began massaging her feet, using more lotion.

  "Ohhh," she said, whimpering a little in her pleasure. I gave each foot several minutes of attention, then worked her calves for a while, not sure how she might enjoy that. She was far less vocal, so I moved back up to her back. I was firm with her for a minute or two, then started dialing it back to more relaxing caresses instead of deep strokes. She continued to moan periodically, but then as I eased up on the pressure, I could tell she was relaxing with the hypnotic nature of what I was doing.

  Finally, I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I shouldn't have snooped."

  "I'm glad you did," she murmured.

  I lay down next to her, lying on my side and continuing to caress her back with one hand. "Did I miss anywhere?"

  "Mmmm," was all she said.

  "Let me rephrase. Did I miss anywhere that the straight girl should have paid attention to?"

  She chuckled just a little. "You were divine, Jade. Thank you."

  "You're welcome, Jessica." I stopped caressing, pulling my hands to myself. I was willing to continue to caress her, but I wanted her to put her teddy back on before she fell asleep. I told her that.

  She moaned with displeasure.

  We lay there quietly for a while. I continued to watch her. She did not move.

  "Are you falling asleep?" I asked quietly.

  "No." She rolled towards me so she was on her side, her back to me, then shifted away slightly, giving me more room. She lay there for a moment before sitting up, facing away from me, and slipped into her teddy. She lay back down, rolling over to face me.

  "Thank you," she said. "That was the best massage I have ever had."

  For some reason her praise warmed me more than I would have expected. I smiled. "You are welcome. Too bad you're out of things to snoop through, or my curiosity would get the better of me again, and you'd get another one tomorrow night."

  She smiled, and I immediately wanted to touch her soft lips.

  I rolled over to the nightstand and turned off the bedside lamp, then rolled back. We faced each other in the dark.

  "Are you still nervous?" she asked.

  "I was never nervous. Excited and unsure." I didn't tell her my panties were wet. I wasn't sure I wanted her to act on that information. Even worse, I wasn't sure how I would feel if she didn't.

  "When I asked you to come, I was expecting an innocent weekend."

  "I know."

  "Do you want to talk or sleep?"

  "It's up to you," I replied.

  She thought about it. "Unless you stop me, I am going to kiss you. Then I am going to roll over and try to sleep. If I look at you any more, I'm going to seduce you, and I think you're vulnerable enough you would let me."

  I didn't say anything, but my heart was pounding again.

  She moved closer, then reached to me and brushed my hair out of my face. She moved very slowly. I stared into her eyes in the dim light, then closed my eyes and waited for her. She pushed me onto my back, pressing herself against me, before her lips found mine.

  I felt as if I was hit by a jolt of electricity, and when her tongue slipped between my lips and began teasing me, I moaned involuntarily.

  Her free hand caressed my cheek while she kissed me and kissed me, one long, soul-wrenching kiss, unlike any kiss I'd ever received before.

  Finally, to my disappointment, she withdrew, caressing my lips with her finger. I felt her lean over me. My eyes were still closed, and I was breathing heavily, my heart pounding.

  "You taste wonderful," she said. "The next time you let me kiss you, I will not stop with just a kiss. I want you to decide how you feel about that."
>
  Then she withdrew, rolling over and pulling the covers over her shoulders, her back to me.

  It took me a long time to fall asleep.

  * * *

  I woke at some point in the middle of the night. I had rolled over and curled up into Jessica. I breathed in her scent and went back to sleep.

  The next time I woke it was still full dark, but the bed was empty. I wondered why she had left. I listened for her and heard small noises coming from the the bathroom. But the noises didn't sound like the usual noises one might expect. I lay awake, listening. The noises were subtle, I couldn't really hear them, and it sounded like perhaps she was trying to be quiet.

  Then I heard a sigh, and the other noises stopped. A minute or two later I heard the sink for a moment, then the bathroom door opened and she came back to the bedroom. I lay there quietly. She walked around to my side of the bed, slipped something into the nightstand drawer, and closed the drawer. I watched her shadow in the dark as she walked back to her side of the bed and tried to slip into bed without waking me.

  As soon as she settled back in I asked her, "Did it help?"

  "Oh god," she said. "I'm sorry. I tried not to wake you."

  "Did it help?"

  "A little. Not enough." She rolled over and looked at me. "I've been anticipating this weekend, intentionally getting myself worked up for it."

  "I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you wanted."

  "I'm not," she said. "Even if you don't let me kiss you again, I'd rather be here with you than with her."

  "We both know you slipped me more gay juice with that bedtime kiss," I told her.

  She laughed. "That's why I'd rather be here with you. You're a lot more fun. You have a great sense of humor."

  We stared at each other in the dark for a moment, Jessica's eyes glistening in the dim light. Jessica said, "If you roll over, I can scratch your back for a while. Maybe then we can both go back to sleep."

  Dutifully I rolled over. Jessica snuggled closer, scratching my back through the granny jammies. I began to drift off, barely noticing when she cuddled hard against my back.

  * * *

  I woke up to full daylight. Jessica was gone, and the bed felt lonely without her. I blinked myself awake for several minutes before I levered myself out of the bed. I felt really good.

  I used the bathroom then headed into the living room. Jessica was on the sofa wearing a bathrobe I hadn't seen before. She glanced over at me. "There is coffee or you can make tea."

  "With chocolate?"

  "In the tea? Eww."

  I offered a droll look.

  "It's way too early in the morning for chocolate in my coffee, but suit yourself."

  I wandered into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee, adding cream from the refrigerator, then wandered back to the living room and sat in a chair facing Jessica. She had her laptop in her lap and was deep in thought. "I'm almost done," she said without looking up. "Just a few more minutes."

  "Wow. How long have you been up?"

  "Look at the time, Jade."

  I looked around for a clock. "Oh my god, it's nearly ten. What happened to our hike?"

  "I went for a run," she told me. "But I'd love a hike later if you want one. It's a beautiful day!"

  Then her attention was fully back on what she was doing. I turned and looked out the window. It was beautiful, truly beautiful. A hummingbird was hovering at a feeder. I watched her for a while. She had a white belly, green back and head, and a bright read throat. I wondered if that meant it was a boy, but she was so pretty. She took a sip from the feeder, then backed out and looked around. Sip, look, sip, look, then she was gone, flying out of sight faster than my eyes could track.

  Two squirrels were cavorting in the yard. I watched as one of them chased the other up an oak tree and disappeared. After another minute, the hummingbird was back. Or maybe it was a different one. Without a name tag, I couldn't be sure. Regardless, she was pretty with her invisible wings and bright green colors.

  "We'll need to fill the feeder," Jessica said. I glanced over at her to see that she was watching me.

  "Where did you get the robe?"

  She looked guilty. "If Marsha caught me wearing it, she'd have it burned. Gay cooties, you know. I'll have to wash it and hang it up again before we leave. I took a picture of it before I took it down so I could put it back exactly the same."

  "Is she really that bad?"

  "I'm probably exaggerating," Jessica said. "She might be satisfied having it fumigated." She pointed to the thumb drive sitting on the coffee table. "I am done. Everything is on it. You should look through it to see if I forgot anything before we do anything else today."

  I thought about it. "Is it safe to bring my laptop on the boat?"

  "Oh, that sounds like fun. Yes, it's safe."

  We made plans. We were both going to shower and get dressed, then we'd go out in the boat for a while. I could look through the numbers Jessica had done and finish my last work on the proposal. We could swim before coming back for lunch. We could go hiking after lunch followed by more swimming.

  "I'm going to pull rank and shower while you have breakfast," she said. "Then I can get the boat ready while you're showering."

  A half an hour later had me walking down to the dock with my laptop in its case. Jessica was wearing shorts and a tee shirt. We both wore our swimsuits under our shorts and tee shirts.

  "I have everything here," she said. "Camera, suntan lotion, a cooler with things to drink, and towels. It's going to be warm today."

  "It's beautiful," I agreed. I stepped aboard the boat. I sat where she pointed. She started the motor then stepped off the boat and untied it before climbing back aboard. Soon she had us backing away from the dock.

  She didn't drive fast. I wondered aloud about that.

  "It will go faster. Not fast, but faster. We're not in a hurry to get anywhere, but I can show you if you like."

  "Sure."

  She pushed a lever forward and everything grew louder. The boat picked up speed. Jessica raised her voice so I could hear her. "It isn't fast enough to water ski, but I can pull you on the inner tube later, if you want."

  "I've never done that."

  "It's fun," she said. "You should do it at least once so you can say you've done it."

  She slowed us back down. "I like to look at the cabins and imagine which ones I wished I could own and wonder what they might cost," she said. "This one here is my favorite on the lake." She pointed to the right. "It's not a good swimming beach. It's too steep. But the view from up there out of all those windows must be stunning." We rode around the lake counter clockwise, discussing the pros and cons of the cabins we could see.

  "I like that one," I told her. It was a small cottage on a shallow lot, but it had a good view up the length of the lake and looked well kept up. We could see Marcy and Jon's cabin across the narrow portion of the lake, and could see all the way down to the far end of the lake the long way, with an excellent view of water and the mix of trees.

  "I do too," Jessica said. "And it's available for the low, low price of two hundred thousand dollars."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah," she said. "I'm ten thousand short of a proper down payment." She smiled. "Marcy would have a cow if I bought a cabin on her lake, but Jon quietly told me he hopes it doesn't sell before I can buy it."

  "Have you thought of buying it with someone else?"

  She looked at me suddenly. "Hell. No, I hadn't."

  "You should think about it. I don't know that much about cabins, but I know they're a lot of work. It would be nice to share the work along with the expenses."

  "I'd have to find someone who was compatible and not afraid of work."

  "Yep." We both stared at the cabin then I said, "There are a lot of lakes. Are you set on this one?"

  "Set? No. But I love my brother, and it would be nice to be close. Even if I don't want to spend time with Marcy, he and I could meet out in the middle of the lake and shoo
t the shit while fishing."

  Jessica nodded at the cabin we were discussing. I asked her, "Have you been inside? It might be gross."

  "It might, but it's so nice on the outside, I don't believe it. I bet it's charming. A little small, but charming."

  "I see a chimney for a fireplace," I said. "Can you come up here in the winter?"

  "Marcy and Jon come up after Christmas, but a lot of cabins aren't heated or insulated. I don't know what it would be like trying to heat just off a fireplace."

  "If I were buying one," I told her. "I'd want one I could use in the winter, too. I bet it's beautiful and peaceful. All the white snow, unsullied by salt and slush."

  We talked about the features we would want. We agreed completely on all of it. I started to wonder how compatible Jessica and I might be, if we could agree on a topic as unlikely as the desired features for a cabin. We finished our tour of the lake, and Jessica turned us out to the middle, shutting off the motor when we were in front of Marcy's cabin.

  "I'm going to see what the water is like," Jessica told me. "I'll make sure I don't splash." She paused. "Do you want a table to work at or just use your lap?"

  "Table? Really?"

  She nodded. She made me move, then unfolded one of the benches and did something to make a table. "Jon is very clever," she said. "The one bad thing about having my own cabin will be not having his clever pontoon boat. I'll have to live with whatever I can afford to buy. It won't be much."

  "You can borrow it when they aren't here."

  She smiled.

  I grabbed my laptop and set it up, watching Jessica as she slipped out of her shorts and tee-shirt. She looked amazing in her bikini. She had a tall, to me anyway, and athletic build, and I could see her muscles as she moved. Her breasts were just the right size, and I was a little jealous.

  She slipped into the water with nary a splash then turned to me.

  "It's cold, but feels good."

  I watched as she set off in a strong crawl across the water. She was a good swimmer. She swam about fifty yards away then turned around and swam back.