“I still make contributions to the company.” Tom said. He was on the defensive. He knew it and so did Amanda and Gabe.
“In the past several days you have been absolutely no use to me or Au Naturel.” Amanda said.
“I work for Minnie,” he said.
“Not anymore.” Amanda reminded him. “She’s gone. As much as you or I want her back, she’s gone forever. I don’t know what happened to her, but we’ll find out and Au Naturel will go on as she wished… no compromises… just like always.” She waited again.
“Her success kept us apart.” Tom said.
“No it didn’t ” Gabe said, sounding annoyed. “Your inability to accept her success as a businessperson kept her from trusting you enough to marry you. What’s wrong with her doing what she wanted?”
“I wanted her to be mine,” Tom said. “I didn’t want to share her with anyone else.”
Amanda said, “We all have to share, Tom. None of us live in a vacuum.”
“It’s a moot point, now, isn’t it?” Tom said sadly. “I’ve been thinking about retirement. I’m nearly old enough. You can hire a woman to replace me if you want. I’ll send the files over to Minnie’s house this weekend.” He was trembling and Amanda suddenly felt guilty for pressing him so hard.
“Don’t, Tom. Think it over. You’ve been with the company longer than anyone.” Amanda said, grasping his big hand.
Tom pulled away from her like he was repulsed by her touch. “I helped her with the business at first to spend time with her after Jack died. I didn’t expect her to succeed, especially not so spectacularly. The business took her from me.”
He stood abruptly. “I have to go. Enjoy your lunch.” Then he was gone again.
“Wow”, Amanda said. “He’s in so much pain and so angry. Minnie could handle him, but I sure can’t.”
“He’s hurting like someone with a burden of guilt, I think,” Gabe observed.
A waitress put their meals in front of them. “Where’s Tom?” she asked.
“He had to leave.” Amanda told her. “We’ll cover his lunch.”
“Don’t worry about it, Honey, ” the woman told her, “He runs a tab. Laura Lee got tired of him forgetting to pay her. She bills him every month. If he doesn’t pay up, he doesn’t get served. I’ll put yours on it, too, but you can leave me a tip. Laura Lee will add one for me, too, for later.” She offered them a mischievous grin and rushed away.
“I get the idea Tom’s not a popular guy with these ladies. He seems to have trouble relating to women in general.” Gabe said.
“Yeah,” agreed Amanda. “I thought it was just me, but maybe I was too self centered.”
They finished their lunch and walked back to Tom’s parking lot to get Gabe’s rental car. His shoulder rubbed Amanda’s as they walked together, his hand at the small of her back as he escorted her. His touch thrilled her. Lots of men had walked with her the same way, but she was somehow more conscious of Gabe’s closeness.
They got in the car and started for her house.
She watched him as he drove. He seemed preoccupied, glancing regularly at the rear view mirror and the side mirror. His hands tensed on the wheel.
What is it?” she asked.
“We’re being followed.” he answered.
“Oh, we are not…” she told him with an awkward smile. “Are we?”
She couldn’t believe it. It seemed too bizarre. She turned to look back behind them. She saw a truck gaining on their car, definitely following and catching up in a hurry.
“They’re coming up fast,” she said, turning back toward him.
The other vehicle, a disreputable looking pickup ran into the back of the rental car. Amanda shrieked in shock.
“What does he think he’s doing?” she shouted.
“Hang on!” Gabe answered. He accelerated the car into a long straight away, pushing it as hard as it would go. The truck swung out to try to pass them and he swung with it catching the front fender in a screech of metal.
‘This is crazy.’ Amanda thought. ‘Why is this happening?’
The truck slammed into the back of the rental again.
“There goes my perfect driving record.” Gabe said. “Do you know these guys?”
Amanda turned to look again. “I think they’re a couple of guys who hang around town getting in trouble. They’re named Rand. They’re brothers but I don’t know their first names. We haven’t met. They’re older than I am so we didn’t go to school together.”
The truck ran into them again, causing Gabe to speed up some more. They were going very fast, but Amanda had driven the Caddy faster on a track. “I should have brought Minnie’s car,” she said. “It’s fast enough that we could really outrun them. I should not have let Tom pick me up.”
“This piece of junk is not much good, except for routine highway driving. Where’s the state patrol when you need them?” Gabe said.
They were approaching a curve and the truck was gaining on them as Gabe slowed to a safer speed. “Look out!” he said. “Hang on tight.”
The truck hit them again, throwing them in to a full 180-degree spin. The car ended up facing back toward town, flipped sideways off the road in some young pine trees.
Amanda’s side was up. She was too stunned to do anything at first. Gabe touched her arm. “Are you hurt”?” he asked.
“Uh, no, I don’t think so.” She said, still too shocked to have a feel for her condition. “How about you?”
“I’m just peachy,” he said. He sounded furious, actually.
She turned her head and looked at him. “You’re forehead is bleeding.” she told him. She blinked as the airbags deflated startling her.
“It’s just a flesh wound, Aunt Bea.” He said, his voice positively dripping irony. She giggled rather hysterically at the reminder of peaceful Mayberry of television-rerun fame.
He reached up to her and released the seat belt that held her. She squealed as she slid toward him on the precariously tilted seat. The car flopped back on its wheels leaving her in his arms. He’d caught her before she ran into the steering wheel.
He held her, looking her over for injuries. The top two buttons of her three-button jacket had come undone. His eyes stopped at her cleavage. His eyes came back to hers and he groaned like he was in pain. She had an abrasion where the shoulder harness had tightened to her and he pushed her jacket and bra strap out of the way so he could see better. It was already bruising dark purple. He leaned into her and gently kissed her, first close to her collarbone and then close to her shoulder point to avoid hurting her. Her bra strap slipped completely down as he nudged it with his nose, almost baring her nipple.
She gasped as she felt it rise to a point, begging for his kiss. He pushed the cup of the bra down and put his mouth right where she wanted him just for a second. The sensation shot right to her crotch, setting her on fire with sexual heat. Then he lifted his head and ran his hands down her legs, each in turn. “Do you feel any pain anywhere in your legs or torso?” he asked.
“No,” she answered, “I really think I’m fine.” She wasn’t about to tell him what she was really feeling.
“How about your neck?” he said. “Any pain there?”
He wrapped a hand around her nape and massaged gently. She sighed in pleasure. Then she threw caution to the winds and leaned toward him and kissed him full on the mouth.
“Stop,” he said into her mouth. He kissed back for a few very exciting moments before he let go. His heavy beard, obviously shaved that morning, abraded her face and felt unexpectedly good. She felt like purring.
“They may come back.” He was breathing hard, as was she and his face was flushed with arousal. She could smell him and the heat of his body felt really good to her.
“Are you hurt?” Amanda asked him.
“My bad knee will be stiff. An ice pack will take care of it. Everything else will be OK.”
He pulled back from her and straightened her clothing, before trying his door
. It opened after he gave it a hard push. He got out of the car and reached into his pocket for a cell phone. He had a firmly tented bulge in his pants that stayed nicely evident while he dialed. He and Amanda stared at each other while he spoke with the emergency dispatcher. She felt more turned on than she had ever before in her life. She kept imagining him naked. He was beautifully built and she was fascinated by the way he looked and attracted by his manner.
“They won’t be long,” he said grimly. “Certainly not long enough for me to do what I’d like to do. You’re not in another relationship are you?”
No,” she said. “Are you?”
“No.” he said. “I haven’t been sleeping around either, and I’m healthy, and I want you badly.”
“I want you, too ” she said. “Stay with me for a while.”
“’For a while, maybe longer.’ It’s Crosby, Stills & Nash, a seventies rock band. I think the name of the song is ‘Mandy’. I keep hearing it in my head since we met. I have an enormous music collection and I watch a lot of reruns on TV. I really got into the stuff when I was recovering from my wounds.” He said it with a crooked grin. It made her smile again. First he quoted a line from an old rerun and then a sweet rock ballad in close harmony, both references to a gentler time. It seemed out of character as interests for a businessman and a SEAL.
The police came and did their thing, making a report and having the wrecked car towed. Amanda told them who she thought caused the accident. It was all routine and calming in a way.
Chapter 3
Amanda sighed with relief as they walked into the house after the long wait for the sheriff’s office to finish investigating the wreck. Gabe had asked the EMT’s to give her an ice pack for her shoulder and one for his knee to reduce the swelling and bruises. Her shoulder must have looked awful if his concern was any indication of the seriousness of the injury. Both of them had flatly refused other medical care.
‘”Come in the kitchen and let me put something on that cut.” she told Gabe.
He looked at her, a bit grim and worn around the edges. He wrapped his arm around her waist where it had been constantly for much of the afternoon. “You’ll have to have an X ray in a couple of days. Once the swelling is down more they’ll be able to see better if you have any hairline fractures.”
“You seem to know quite a lot about it,” she observed.
“I know some,” he agreed. He helped her collect bandages and hydrogen peroxide in the kitchen.
“Where’s the bathroom?” he asked.
Amanda led him upstairs to her room. From there he found the bathroom without her help. “Let’s shower first. Don’t scrub too hard and don’t get the water too hot.” He was unbuttoning her jacket. He eased it from her shoulder, and then helped her with her bra. There was nothing detached or clinical about his manner. It was the first time a man had ever completely undressed her. Her previous lover had been goal oriented. He got their clothing out of the way enough to get in her and made out like a bunny, quick and selfish.
She found herself unable to summon the will to resist Gabe or worry about her modesty. He helped her out of her skirt and then caught his breath when he saw her garter and stockings. He was standing directly in front of her and there was no way he could hide his arousal. He didn’t try to hide his obvious excitement from her. Looking at him, seeing his body’s response to hers, and being close to him was very exciting…very sexy. He finished undressing her and started the shower in the bathroom, all without ever completely letting go of her.
She had a big bathroom with a whirlpool tub and a large separate shower with no door. She could see him as he stripped off his own clothing. His body was tall and more muscular than she had realized. He had beautiful legs and arms, wide shoulders, and a full six-pack for his belly. He looked even better than her fantasies. His cock was thick and long with a well-defined head. It was the biggest she had ever seen. Stepping into the shower with her, he took the scented soap in his hands with no washcloth and began to gently soap her body. As he lathered her body his cock pressed against her smooth wet skin as if it was assisting him in soaping her up. It was the most erotic thing that had ever happened to her. She was already aroused just seeing him, just looking at his body. As his hands ran over her with the lightest touch goose bumps raised in their path. She felt hotter and hotter. He gave her time to get hot and turned on.
She took the soap from him and began an equally thorough exploration of his body. She was wet with her own arousal and he soon knew it.
“Have you ever had sex in the shower?” he asked.
She shook her head, “No”.
Are you taking birth control pills?” he asked her.
She was speechless. It was partly shock but mostly arousal. She shook her head again to indicate the negative.
“Do you have a rubber?” he asked and then licked her face.
She shook her head no, again.
“How long has it been since you had sex?” he asked. “I’m not trying to snoop into things but it’s obvious you aren’t in a relationship and haven’t been for a long time. You’re completely unprepared, worse still, I am, too.” He leaned into her body, holding her carefully and cut off the shower. He pulled a soft towel from the towel bar and began to dry her off.
“I had sex with my college boyfriend, but it didn’t work out very well. We broke up four years ago.” She took the towel from him and dried him, fascinated with the patterns of hair on his big body. He had a lot of scars, the worst above his obviously swollen right knee. Her hands lingered over it and she kissed him there but expressed no curiosity. He shivered in response and his cock bounced as she looked up at him. “I did not mean to hurt you,” she told him.
“I’m not hurt,” he said as he gathered her into his arms. “We can’t have intercourse. My control is iffy, but we can make love.” He peeled back her bedspread, laid her on her bed. She reached for him, gently wrapped her soft hand around his cock, and pulled him onto the bed with her.
He was suddenly plastered to her side and kissing her, making an exploration of her face and shoulders, then her breasts. She was so aroused it left her unsatisfied. “I want you,” she demanded. He slipped a finger into her intimate wet folds and she gripped him with her thighs.
“No, Amanda,” he said as he pushed her knees wide. “Let me look at you so I can do it right.” He stroked her body with his other hand, calming her and arousing her further at the same time. He leaned over her and kissed and licked her left breast while he caressed her wet opening. She was on the edge, more sexually excited than she had ever been in her life. He slipped one finger and then a second into her tight passage. At the same time she began to stroke his hard cock, as he got close enough to enable her to reach him. It was so thick she couldn’t completely encircle it with her hand. She was almost purring, her body undulating with pleasure. He used his thumb, stroking over the most sensitive, nerve dense spot near the upper side of her opening. She screamed, but he slipped it away before she came.
“Easy, Amanda.” he said. “Soon, Honey. I’m going to see your pleasure. You’re unbelievably beautiful.” It was too soon to push her over. He hoped he could hold her back long enough to enhance her pleasure. She was trembling and reaching for him. He wanted to take her in the most primitive way, feeling remarkably unconcerned about the risk of pregnancy. He ran his hands over her body, touching her any way he wanted, discovering her most sensitive spots and her incredible beauty. There was so much to learn about her, so much he did not know. It was too soon, too fast and too intense. He brought his thumb back to the spot that had made her scream. It was well lubricated from her own juices, adding to her pleasure and his. It was not possible for him to take her the way they both wanted but he knew how to give her satisfaction a number of ways. He knew what he wanted. She was still building up and he coaxed her along, drawing her to the top flicking his fingers faster and faster across her clit. He would alternate his motion from side to side to up and down and occasio
nally slipping his finger into her while his thumb continued stroking her clit. Amanda’s body began to tense up until she came screaming. Her pleasure almost drew cum from his body without any more direct touch, but he managed to hold back, barely.
She was limp and exhausted and unsure of what to do. Her confusion was endearing and obvious, and made him feel protective and possessive. “Easy, Amanda. We’re not done yet.”
He wrapped her in his arms so that she felt his whole body and reassured her at the same time. He was hairy and strong, and she found the differences between his body and hers very attractive. Her hard nipples rubbed his furry chest and his aroused cock prodded her belly as their legs tangled together. She pushed him back a little so she could look at him. He traced a hand along the curve of her waist and then groaned as she touched the head of his cock where a drop of slick moisture clung to the head. She wrapped her fingers around the shaft just below the head and rubbed her thumb around it, moistening the purple curve with his cum. She then lowered her head so her tongue could taste his juices. It was salty.
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