Moments later, she screamed as the waves of her orgasm crashed all around her. James continued to stroke in and out of her, and she gripped his backside, bucking her pelvis against him as the sensations bolted through her body. Then he slowed his rhythm and rested his weight on her, kissing her neck as she wrapped her legs around him. Sarah had moved aside to the end of the bed where she watched the two bodies tangled around each other.
She felt a momentary twinge of jealousy. But then she saw his face, half dedicated to concentration and half absorbed in deep, all-encompassing bliss. This is a gift I’m giving him, she realized. I’m making it possible for him to enjoy this experience. He’s doing it with my support, and he feels relaxed and sure of my blessing. I don’t want him to feel like I don’t trust him. This is what it’s about. Our love has grown into a trust deep enough for this.
James withdrew from Felicity’s pussy and asked her to get on her hands and knees. “No,” Felicity refused, noticing that Sarah was sitting alone at the end of the bed. “Let Sarah and I finish you off.”
He smiled and nodded. Sarah, happy to be included, moved to James’s side as he stretched his body out on the bed. His bulky shoulders pressed into the mattress and his erection proudly waved like a flag. Felicity began to caress his balls as Sarah took his cock into her mouth. She cringed at the latex smell and taste leftover from the condom, but once she got going, she no longer noticed it.
James looked relaxed, but every once in a while, Sarah would see his abdominal muscles tighten as he began to inch closer to climax. Felicity was working his balls over with her tongue, and even gently slurping one testicle at a time into her mouth, which was clearly driving James mad. Sarah began to use her hands in tandem with her mouth, at just the right speed and rhythm she knew would send him over the edge. She loved knowing the secret formula, and she adored watching his face and body respond to her efforts. His jaw clenched and his entire torso contracted. She could tell by his deepening moans and quickening breath that the time was drawing near.
As if on cue, he let out a primal groan and spurted thick streams of semen into her mouth as his entire body convulsed, muscles rippling, then relaxing. She gratefully swallowed it all down, feeling somewhat sheepish that she’d claimed the spoils of victory for herself. Felicity didn’t seem to mind, though, and looked rather satisfied. Her hair sprouted in wild directions off the top of her head; she had fine beads of sweat on her forehead and her eyeliner was slightly smudged. All signs of a good time. She gave Sarah and James each a kiss on the mouth and announced that she’d best go find her date.
Sarah nestled herself in her husband’s arms and waited for him to say something. After fully recovering from his climax, he simply kissed the top of her head and whispered, “Thank you.”
***
Chapter Three
Parties & Parities
I have come to a fork in the road. To my right I see a path meandering back into the forest. It’s green, lush, and curvy with leafy scalloped edges. To the left it appears the trail climbs up into the hillside, darting between crags and heavy boulders which glisten where the sunlight catches pockets of granite. I can’t see beyond the last turn. It heads up into the cliff overlooking the emerald valley below. I stand, hands on my hips, the sun beating down on me, contemplating which direction to go.
Abby awoke to the sound of her phone blaring her mother’s ringtone. Since it was only four in the afternoon Colorado time, she thought it probably behooved her to answer her mother’s call, or otherwise face the consequences of explaining why she was asleep during the day. The truth was Abby had gotten herself on a backwards schedule of staying up very late, getting up early for her 8 AM class and then crashing after lunch around the time her caffeine buzz wore off, sometimes missing her 2 PM class.
“Abigail, are you alright? Were you asleep?” her mother’s concerned voice came across the line.
She stifled a yawn and murmured the most convincing, “No, I’m fine,” she could muster.
“How are your classes going, honey? I haven’t heard anything from you this week!”
“They’re fine, Mom. I have a paper to write for English this week and a math exam next week. French is stupid easy, mostly review so far. And biology is a lot of reading and super freaking boring. Bio lab is okay.”
“What’s your paper about?” Sarah asked.
“It’s an opinion paper on whether or not we believe racism is still an issue in our country now that we have a Black president. We have to cite three sources supporting our view. And it only has to be three pages, so it’s no biggie.”
Sarah smiled, pleased by what she heard; it was all typical undergraduate speak for “things are going smoothly.” It was good to hear her daughter’s voice. Although she had gotten used to Abby being away for extended periods of time, three weeks into the semester was now the longest she’d ever gone without seeing her. Some days she regretted letting her go off to school so many states away, but it was what Abby wanted, and Sarah was a firm believer in letting her children spread their wings and fly.
“What’s going on at home?” Abby asked. Changing the subject when she was tired of discussing herself was a maneuver she’d learned at the foot of the master, who was none other than her own mother.
Sarah sighed, “Oh, the usual stuff. Your brother’s soccer season has started, and he’s been practicing his trombone for band. So that’s…um….loud! Classes are in full swing for James and me now, so we have been busy teaching and grading. Rachel and Jack had a party last weekend, and their new house looks great. Oh!” Sarah exclaimed as she was just remembering the latest tidbit. “Your grandmother has a new boyfriend!”
“What?!” Abby squealed as if she had never heard anything more outlandish.
Sarah’s laugh sounded like sleigh bells at Christmastime. “I know, I was pretty surprised too! He’s coming over with her for dinner tonight so we can finally meet him! I guess they’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months.”
“I can’t wait to hear how that goes!” Abby exclaimed, still shaking her head with surprise.
“She’s only sixty, you know,” Sarah remarked. “That’s not that old!”
“It’s not?” Abby retorted. “Could’ve fooled me!”
“Just wait until forty is breathing down your neck,” Sarah warned her. “You’ll see!”
“Okay, Mom, whatever you say!” Abby was glad she had diverted the conversation away from herself, her school work and her social life. The last thing she needed was a worried mother.
“You sound like you’re doing well, Abigail,” her mother observed. “That makes me happy.”
“Don’t worry about me, Mom, I’m fine!”
“That’s like asking me not to breathe,” Sarah sighed. She briefly considered telling Abby about her and James’s plan to move forward with in vitro fertilization, but she thought better of it. “Okay, okay, I will let you get back to your studies. I’ll call you later this weekend, alright? I love you!”
“Sounds good,” Abby agreed. “I love you too.” She hit the end call button and scrolled through her phone to the Whisper app. She found a photo of a cute, elderly gray-haired lady and posted: So if my 60 year old grandmother can find love, why can’t I?
***
Sarah broke out her antique silver candlesticks to decorate the table for their special meal. It wasn’t every day her mother and her mother’s beau came over for dinner. Kathy and Dale had met in yoga class of all places. Her mother insisted Dale was checking out her derriere, but fortunately decided to ask her out on a date like a proper gentleman. When she spoke of him, her eyes were even more sparkly than normal. Kathy Lynde was already a happy person, and her new beau only seemed to make her happier.
She and Dale arrived at the house at promptly 6:15. Sarah had rushed home from campus and was scurrying about the kitchen like a madwoman trying to pull the meal together. James was running late, and Owen was pouting about missing soccer practice. Why is it that w
hen I want something to be really special, all hell breaks loose? she wondered as she frantically pitched the dinner rolls into the oven.
Owen had finally recovered from his pouting episode and rushed to the door to greet his grandmother when the bell rang. Sarah stepped into the foyer as well, baffled by the fact that her mother had chosen to bring Dale to the front door. Breezing through the back door without knocking was her typical modus operandi. This really is formal! she thought. How cute is it that she wants to impress him?
Dale was tall and distinguished-looking, just as Sarah had imagined, with a white beard and silver hair. His gray eyes were crowned by bushy brows and deep lines appeared around his mouth when he smiled, which was nearly all the time. Sarah immediately liked him, just as she knew she would. She couldn’t fathom her mother falling in love with someone who wasn’t her equal.
James finally burst through the door just as Sarah placed the last dish on the table. She excused herself for a moment and followed him back into the laundry room where he bent to unlace his boots. He stripped off his army jacket and was left wearing a tan t-shirt underneath. It always drove Sarah crazy to see his chest and arm muscles rippling underneath his shirt. Sometimes it aroused her more than seeing his naked flesh in front of her. Years later, and I still get a thrill out of seeing him in uniform, she thought. Funny how some things never change.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
He had dropped his jacket on the floor, which she picked up and folded over her arm. It laid so the nametag reading McAllister was visible. She remembered the morning after she said goodbye to him before his deployment; she’d stolen a similar jacket from his closet, taking it with her so she’d have something of his to hold onto. And here she was dutifully trying to keep his uniforms clean like a good Army wife. And funny how some things do change. Some things change more than you ever thought possible.
“Sarah?” he questioned as he rose to his feet, his boots now tossed aside haphazardly. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes, yes, all is fine, but dinner is getting cold!” She snapped out of her trance. “Come meet my mom’s new boyfriend!”
Moments later they were gathered around the table, Dale in Abby’s spot. Sarah tried not to be sad that she wasn’t joining them. I should have set her up on Skype so she could at least to say hi, she realized with regret.
Conversation flowed easily, especially once Dale shared that he had a twenty-year military career before becoming a government contractor. Sarah enjoyed watching James try to pull information out of him, especially after Dale revealed his work had been classified. “Oh, I should probably write a book someday,” he laughed.
“That would require coming out of retirement,” Kathy observed. “Just ask my daughter how much work writing a book is!”
“Don’t get me started!” Sarah exclaimed. “Which reminds me, I have to tell you about this student in my Research Methods class.” She began to share with them the story of the fundamentalist Christian girl who took exception to her “sex-themed” research assignments.
***
Sarah flashed back to the way the velvet upholstery of the Victorian settee felt beneath her fingertips as she ran them down the fabric vertically and then horizontally. She sat somewhat impatiently waiting for the chair of her department to finish his phone conversation with the Dean of Student Affairs. The call concerned Esther Thompson, the student who had complained about the topic of her Research Methods class.
She could nearly envision the smug, patronizing look that would be painted on her older colleague’s face if he were privy to this conversation. I’m sure he’d be ranting and raving that he told me so, Sarah sighed. Maybe he planted that student in my class just to mess with me. A huge conspiracy sure makes more sense than what’s actually happened.
Dr. Knowling said goodbye in his gravelly voice and hung up the receiver. He turned to Sarah with a defeated look on his face, which instantly made her stomach twist into knots. “There’s nothing that can be done. She can’t switch to either of the other sections because they interfere with her current schedule. We have to provide the class to her because it’s required for graduation, and we have to provide an alternative topic for her if this one contradicts her religious beliefs.”
“So I have to come up with something just for her?” Sarah clarified.
“I’m afraid so, Sarah, I’m sorry. And you’ll have to meet with her outside of class. She doesn’t want to sit through lectures and discussion about sex.”
“This is ridiculous, Tom,” Sarah argued. “It’s not like we’re going to be showing porn and talking about Cosmo’s ‘Ten Tricks that Will Wow Your Man in Bed!’ It’s going to be an academic discussion. It’s the sociology of sex, without which there wouldn’t be sociology in the first place because none of us would even exist!”
Dr. Knowling smirked at Sarah’s observation. “Be that as it may, you’re going to be primarily focused on sex outside of marriage, and as you’re well aware, that’s a big no-no in her religion.”
“She probably needs sex education more than anyone in the class,” Sarah argued. Alright, enough pity partying, she chastised herself. Better just accept it and move forward. “Maybe I can have her do her research on the detrimental effects of a fundamentalist, patriarchal belief system on women.”
A worried expression gripped Dr. Knowling’s face. “You always have to push the limits, don’t you? Can you please just play it safe for once?” he pleaded.
“Fine,” Sarah resigned. “I’ll come up with something. But I’m not spending three hours a week with her. A lot of this is going to have to be done independently.”
“As long as she passes the class and doesn’t feel like her rights are being violated, I’m okay with it,” he stated. “And good luck.” With that, he dismissed her.
Sarah made her way down the hall toward her own office, wondering what in the world she was going to do with this girl who came from such a different world than she did. I think I’d have an easier time with an international student who didn’t really speak English, she reflected as she sat down at her desk.
Her cell phone showed a missed call from the doctor’s office, and her heartbeat quickened as she redialed. She had left a message with the nurse earlier that morning about scheduling her preliminary bloodwork for IVF. This time she was able to get through on her first try.
“So, according to your last period, you need to come in tomorrow at the latest for the draw. I can fax the orders to the lab. Do you use that one near campus?” she asked.
“Yes,” Sarah confirmed. “Okay, I can go this afternoon after my last class lets out.”
“Great!” the nurse exclaimed. “We’ll get this ball rolling and have you pregnant in no time!”
Sarah thanked her and hung up, wondering what “in no time” would mean, realistically. Would she be pregnant in a month? In two? What if my bloodwork comes back and there’s something wrong? What if my eggs are too old? she feared.
What if it just doesn’t work? What if we invest all this time, energy and money and I can’t have a baby? What will James think? She hadn’t realized how many daunting obstacles could potentially block her path to motherhood.
Wow, she thought, putting things in perspective, it kinda makes creating a whole new syllabus for Esther sound like a breeze!
***
Abby wasn’t sure what to make of the woman her father was dating. They’d been seeing each other for three months, and he had determined that Elise’s birthday party was a great time for her to meet the rest of the family. His girlfriend firmly planted herself on one of the stools at the bar on the deck and didn’t move hardly a muscle the entire afternoon. Not when they sang happy birthday, not when Elise opened her presents, not when everyone was taking swings at the piñata.
Abby loved the look on her nine-year-old sister’s freckled face when she opened the gift she’d brought. It was one of those rainbow loop looms that were all the rage. Her blue-gr
een eyes were glowing with excitement when she looked down at the pile of birthday loot. And the best part was that she threw her arms around her big sister Abby and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek. Abby realized it was going to be harder and harder to garner that kind of reaction as her sister got older. Emma, age eleven, was already a pre-teen with intermittent mouthiness and a less-than-impressed attitude toward most everything.
Even though Matt, his sister Tammy, and his new girlfriend Bobbi practically begged her to stay for dinner, Abby wanted to get back to her dorm room so she could get ready to go to the party with Maddy. She had decided her new friend had no business flying solo to an off campus party. She felt a sense of obligation to be her wing-woman.
Bobbi finally pried herself off her perch to say goodbye to Abby. “It was so nice to meet you, Abigail,” she said stiffly. “Best of luck to you in your studies.” She was plastic-y, that was the only word Abby could grasp onto. Her skin was impossibly tan and her lips seemed full of collagen. She was pretty sure her chest was full of silicone as well.
She wondered how her dad could go from loving her mother, Sarah, who was so naturally beautiful with her dark hair, creamy skin, expressive brown eyes and curvy figure; to marrying someone like Elise and Emma’s mother, who was a fiery redhead with a tall, willowy frame; to dating Bobbi, who looked like a high school cheerleader thirty years past her prime. But then again, her mother also seemed to have diverse tastes in men. Abby considered how different Matt, Owen’s father Daniel, and James were from each other. Her mother seemed to be just as devoid of a “type” as her father.
She looked at the mountains in the distance beyond her father’s deck. Pike’s Peak was to her right, its summit lost in thick layers of clouds. What she could see of the top was gray. Appearing bald without its typical snow-cap, it was stunning in its starkness and enormity. To her left she saw the hills and valleys of North Cheyenne Cañon Park with their red rocks and tall pines contrasting against the blue sky. Both sights were equally beautiful, just different. Maybe that explains it, Abby thought with a smile.
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