Daring Young Man

by Ellwood, Leigh

  Hands in his pockets, shoulders stooped, he barreled into the store and barely acknowledged the many greetings received. How could it have happened, that he was developing feelings for Lauren beyond friendship? Were the feelings genuine, at that? Had Lauren become a replacement for Cindy?

  No . Nobody could replace Cindy in his heart, and he had believe nobody could repleace her in life. Perhaps this was some kind of transference. With Cindy gone, his desires had nowhere to go but to focus upon the first convenient, attractive woman in his path. With Lauren around more due to work, surely nature took it course.

  "Hey, Jake." Danielle breezed out of the office and greeted him in passing. Jake nodded a hello, but turned to watch the young woman stride toward the coffee nook. Danielle was certainly attractive, single and shapely with beautiful black hair and a perky smile. Jake spent quite a bit of time with her, more so with her than with Lauren. Logically, wouldn't his feelings of desire have transferred to her instead? Of course, Jake never saw Danielle naked, and as such never wondered what it

  would be like to be with her...naked. No sense in trying now, he decided. He had enough to occupy his mind. Sighing, he steeled his posture and entered the office to find Lauren busy at the computer. Her smile in greeting was tentative and knowing, yet not embarassed. Jake took it as a sign that she wasn't angry or upset with him, and he felt suddenly relieved. "Good morning, Jake." Oh, boy. Now he felt suddenly aroused. Until this point, Cindy had been the only woman who could cause his groin to stir by just talking. Lauren did it in three words flat. What was wrong with him?

  Apparently nothing. Jake imagined most men his age would be thankful to get an erection at all.

  Lauren straightened a stack of envelopes on the desk. "Paychecks are ready to go," she was saying. "This computer accounting program is terrific. You won't believe how much time I saved this week doing the books with it."

  "That's great," Jake said, moving to the coffee pot. He kept his back to Lauren so she wouldn't see the stiffening bulge in his jeans. This...from talking about paychecks. Jake surmised talking about sex might just give him a stroke.

  "Aaaaand, you won't believe what happened while you were gone," she continued gaily. "There was a lady in here the other day, she got lost on the way back to the interstate and stopped for directions. Bought some coffee and one of Jo's biscotti. Turns out she's a vice-president at Daisy's Whole Foods. She wants to market Jo's products under a new label! Isn't that exciting?"

  "Very." Daisy's was a reputable international food company. Jake stocked some of their organic brands. "I don't suppose we'll get a hometown discount, will we?" Lauren lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Guess we'll have to ask Daisy." "Guess so." The coffee tasted sweet and bold. Jake noticed Lauren had brewed a specialty blend the store didn't carry, probably something brought from home. A small bud vase next to the machine held a white carnation; it wasn't there before, either. Nice of her to want to lend a personal touch to the otherwise dull, wood-paneled office.

  "Lauren..." Jake faltered and turned to face her, then started when he saw Lauren was now standing in front of the desk. With her long, brown hair dusting the shoulders of her aqua blue blouse, she looked beautiful. Her dark eyes reflected an expectant blow, and Jake felt his heart sink. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, much less ruin her weekend.

  "About...what happened..." He wanted to look her in the eye, and found it to be a difficult task. Casting his gaze downward helped less. The view of Lauren's curved hips, hugged by her black pencil skirt, triggered his want again, but there was no display or table he could hide behind this time.

  "Yeah, Jake, I'm sorry about that." Lauren seemed to look for a distraction in the office as well. The open doorway provided plenty, and they watched shoppers pass as they talked.

  "I had too much drink," she was saying, "and I wasn't thinking. Trust me, I would never do anything to embarass you the way I did."

  "Lauren, you did nothing wrong. Truly, you're a great friend and a good worker, and I'm the one who should be sorry for embarassing you. Wow." He chuckled. "You'd think at this point in my life I wouldn't have...that kind of problem. I supposed I should be flattered..."

  Now was a good time, he believed, to stop talking. He didn't need to discuss further his ability or lack thereof to obtain and maintain an erection.

  "Jake, are you saying...you're sorry that I came onto you?" Lauren frowned. As if in afterthought, she rushed past him and closed the office door. "Or," she turned slowly around, "are you apologizing for coming onto me?" "I guess, I guess...the latter." Had he come onto her as well? Was he that drunk? "But you didn't do anything." "I certainly haven't done anything gentlemanly, Lauren," Jake said. The circulation in the small office ceased when Lauren shut the door. His heart stopped upon hearing the familiar click of the lock being engaged. Now why...? The aroma of vanilla coffee and sweet perfume clashed and assaulted him at every

  angle. He felt light-headed and nauseous, more so than earlier. "Are you okay, Jake?" Concern colored Lauren's voice and she reached forward, as

  if to steady him. "Do you need to sit down?" "No, no." He noted the look on Lauren's face as he flinched away. She looked hurt, and he wondered if she thought he was repulsed by her. Quite the contrary. Given what her voice could do, a simple touch was certain to cause an eruption.

  "Lauren, I'm fine. Just a little stuffy in here." He illustrated the point with a hooked finger tugging at his shirt collar. "I think if we just—" "Jake, I love you." "What?" Lauren looked a like a deer in headlights. Her soft, brown eyes seemed to double in circumference, and her hands tightened into a large fist that wavered up and down before falling sharply to her abdomen. She didn't seem to know what to do with herself. "I can't take it anymore, Jake. I have to tell you that I love you." Her voice now took on a desperation that rattled Jake. It was true, what J.J. had said. To think, despite being somewhat aware of subtle gestures and body language, and of course the pictures on the computer, Lauren's revelation still came as a shock. "Well," he said finally, "Lauren, I adore you, too..." "I'm in love with you, Jake. I don't love you like you were my father. I already have

  a father. I want a lover, I want you." Oh. There was that unmistakable sensation. His cock stirred to life again, bidden by her voice. When did he lose control of his body? His heart knew this couldn't happen, but his cock had other ideas.

  "Lauren..." He said nothing more as he backed into the coffee station. A tower of Styrofoam cups toppled to the ground. The coffeepot clattered on its burner, yet Lauren's approach remained steady and seductive. She seemed to move toward him in slowmotion, graceful, like a movie seduction scene.

  "I'm almost ashamed to admit I sort of carried the torch for a few years now," she said softly. "All that time I was married to my loser of a husband, I'd watch you with Cindy, how loving you were to her. I'd wonder why couldn't I have a man like you."

  "Lauren, you're a beautiful woman. You could have many men who'd love you." Shit. That didn't sound right, more like something J.J. might have said to imply promiscuity. "Er, I mean, that man does exist for you..."

  "And he's right here," Lauren finished. She was a breath away now; her scent intoxicated him, and the whisper touch of her skirt against his thigh was enough to keep his cock stiff. "I felt so bad when Cindy died, yet I still wondered why I couldn't have a man like you. It didn't hit me until a few months later that you could be that man, Jake." "I can't be that man, Lauren." Lauren frowned. "Why? Because you think I'm too young for you? I don't care about

  any age difference, and you said—" "I can't because I love my wife, Lauren." "But she's dead. You're here, Jake." Yes, Cindy was dead, and he was alive, and the ache in his cock was proof of his remaining virility. It was a feeling he didn't want, yet couldn't bear to surrender. He wasn't supposed to feel desire anymore, he thought he had buried those feelings with his wife. What was so special about Lauren that they were resurrected?

  Stop it . Lauren was a lovely woman, inside and o
ut, and deserving of the kind of love he and Cindy shared. He couldn't share it with her, though. He couldn't.

  "As long as I am still breathing, Lauren," he said carefully, "as long as I can see her in my sons and granddaughters, Cindy will be alive to me. I know she won't be here with me anymore, and it's taken me a while to accept that—"

  "I can be here for you now, Jake," Lauren begged. "I know you still have desires, you can't just ignore them."

  "I can be happy with the memories of the woman I loved. Still love." Any other time before this, he could have said that without conviction. Now, the trembling in his voice disturbed him. The shell of his grief was cracking. He had been so comfortable in this coccoon, wearing it to work every day, and he worried about what to expect should it crumble completely. What exactly did Lauren want from him? His love? It couldn't be the same love he had for Cindy. Any woman—Lauren, Marlene, whoever—would want more than he could offer. No, he decided. Best to be blunt, and fast. This conversation was too long already. "What I felt that night," Lauren said, "told me you still have desires. You're capable of desiring another woman, I know it. Why can't it be me?" Her face darkened. "Unless, you think you might have feelings for somebody else, like Mar—"

  "I love my wife, Lauren. There is nobody else." There wouldn't be anybody else. There wouldn't. There wouldn't... Jake tried to move away. Lauren was too close now. The edge of the coffee station

  stabbed his hip. Shooting pains raced down one leg. Her gaze softened. "I felt your cock, Jake. Were you thinking of your wife while I

  was stroking you?" Jake's heart expanded in his chest, compressing the air from his lungs. Dirty pool,

  she was playing, with that sexy voice and that smoldering gaze. "You were hard and thick, yet so soft. All I could think about was how good it would feel inside me, how I'd love to be on top of you, easing myself up and down on your hard cock and rocking against your body." She braced a hand against the wall behind him. "Don't you ever of think of things like that?"

  "N-no," he lied. What little he knew of women, after all these years. Cindy had been sexually aggressive in their marriage, not that he ever complained, and Lauren was no less the lioness. It was a wonder he lasted this long. "I had these pictures taken of myself, Jake..." I know. "Lauren, please..." "...it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, since they got me fired from DPA, but I

  wanted you to know what you'd be getting, what I'd be willing to give to you." Her hand came down on his crotch. She smiled, victorious. "Is this for me?" she asked. "Would you give this to me? Would you like to know how happy I can make you?"

  "It's just a natural reaction," Jake managed. "You can't expect me not to be moved, the way you're acting." "So you find me attractive?" "How could I not, Lauren? Of course, you're a beautiful woman, it's just..." Lauren was a woman possessed now, close enough to kiss. Apparently, she shared the same thought. Lauren leaned in close and brushed her lips against his. She was soft; her lips against his set off a series of nerve explosions that nearly melted him. He didn't feel his lips part to accept her until the tip of her tongue breached and glided across his teeth.

  "Jake." That was the last word said as they melded into a scorching kiss. Hands grazed his body, a thigh brushed against his hardened cock. Jake's reluctance to reciprocate dissipated quickly as Lauren's continued exploration with her hands and tongue slowly wore down his defenses. His own hands found a safe place cupping her shoulders, but soon dared to trail down her back and caress the swell of her pert, firm bottom.

  A nice ass it was, too. If Jake had to categorize himself where preference was concerned, he was an ass man all the way. As long as he knew his wife, Cindy had a lovely bottom for watching. He especially loved watching it as he entered her from behind, and fondling her curves as his cock slid effortlessly in and out of her pussy. Occasionally, when Cindy allowed, he would test her anus with a forefinger and savor her pleasured reaction to his touch.

  Kissing Lauren now, there came a vision of her beautiful, naked body bent over the desk, her ass high in the air, awaiting his cock. What would it be like to take her in that position, to be hypnotized by the jiggling of her breasts with each rough stroke into her pussy? What would his cock look like disappearing into such a beautiful, smooth pussy? Lauren's pussy. Lauren's pussy ground against his cock, and Jake mimicked her movements in synch, as if seeking an entranceway through the barriers between them. It had been too long since he felt this way. He needed relief, and masturbation wasn't going to cut it this time. She felt too good to ignore.

  "I want you, Jake." Lauren's breath tickled him, her scent taunted him. Her nipples were taut and stabbed his chest through her thin blouse. He could see the wisp of lace underneath the white fabric, and twin, dark pebbles underneath that. She was a lovely sight, crushed against him and heaving, so much that for a brief moment Jake pondered switching loyalties to parts above the waistline. Switching loyalties... He jerked free completely from Lauren's kiss and bent low to take a nipple over her blouse. Delicious, even with the obstacles to negotiate. Lauren's high-pitched gasp still rang in his ears once he undid enough buttons to expose the swell of one breast. Sliding away the lace cup, he moved to the other, bare breast and sucked. Her nipple was thick and hard and tasted of lavender. So delicious. "Yes," Lauren whined. His sentiments exactly. He heard a muffled zipping sound, then felt the heat of soft fingers fumbling through his fly to touch his cock. Lauren's finger slid under the flap of his boxer shorts and traced a raised vein on his shaft. She was plotting a course he was ready to follow.

  "Your cock feels so good." Her voice rasped in his ear. "I want to taste you. I want your cock in my mouth, so I can pleasure you. I want to make to come and swallow you whole." Oh my. When had that been said to him last? Never. She tried to sink lower, presumably to do just that, but Jake held her high. Her breast tasted too good to stop, and there was still one more to sample. Lauren seemed to catch the hint and settled instead for continued stroking of his cock and backside. "Take me, Jake," she gasped. "Right here, please." "What?" Jake released her nipple and trailed light kisses up her neck. Fingers tapped at his shaft and scraped against his scrotum. Lauren pressed into him for better access. "I need you inside me, in my pussy," she whispered. Her eyes bore into his and granted him a view of the fire that no doubt burned in her soul. "Make love to me, Jake."

  If she had said nothing, and maybe just guided him to where she wanted to be touched and pleasured, he might have indulged her. He might have eased her bottom against the edge of the desk and slid a hand up her skirt, seeking the source of her fire. He might have alleviated some of the ache first with a gentle massage to her pussy lips, then soothed his own ache by introducing his cock, burying it deep inside her.

  He might have done that and more, had her voice not resembled Cindy's in the heat of passion. He closed his eyes and saw his wife's face, pinched in esctasy, her mouth rounded in orgasmic release. He missed that look, that face. He missed giving her that look.

  Holding Lauren now, kissing secret places and driven by lust to want more, he realized he couldn't give her what she wanted, not now. Cindy still lived, in some respect, and he couldn't be certain who controlled his desires at this moment.

  If ever he would make love with Lauren McKenna, she would have to be only one with him. Even ghosts could crowd a bed, or a desk.

  "Jake?" Lauren nipped at his neck and pressed her pubic bone against him. She noticed, too, his cock's quickly softening state. "What's wrong?"

  What was wrong was that he couldn't make love with her and think of Cindy, he wanted to say. It wouldn't be fair. He opened his mouth, but no sound escaped. Gently he stepped away and righted his fly, tucking in his shirt. "Jake?" Lauren's voice took on a panicked pitch, and Jake refused to look at her. He couldn't bear to see tears now. He felt bad enough for toying with Lauren's emotions. He did reach out to straighten her blouse, relieved she didn't protest when he buttoned her back to a presentable look.

  "I'm sorry," was all
he could say. "I can't do this. You deserve so much more." And he fumbled with the locked door, his hands still shaking as he dashed out of the office before Lauren could speak.

  Most definitely, he had not been ready to face Lauren. He certainly wasn't in the frame of mind to deal with Marlene Robeson, either, but here came the older woman from the produce section. She followed him to the parking lot, huffing and calling his name. "Jake Marbury, where are your manners?" she scolded. "Honestly." Jake was halfway in the cab of his truck when he craned his neck back toward the store. Marlene limped across the gravel lot in heeled shoes, kicking up a cloud of white dust. Wisps of hair had loosened from the banana clip fastening her hair behind her head, evidence that she hustled to catch up to him.

  "I'm sorry, Marlene," he said, and slid back to the ground. "I have a lot on my mind, and a lot of things to do."

  "I don't doubt that, Jake, but it's not like you to come shooting out of the store like it's on fire." Marlene frowned. "Damn it all, I forgot what I was going to ask you, too, you got me so riled up."

  "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm sure it'll come to you, and if it's important you can call me." He glanced over her head at the store. His heart skipped a beat when the automated doors slid open and a woman with Lauren's coloring and build strode onto the lot. Had Lauren tried to follow him? Was she weeping in the office? He shook his head. What a mess he made.

  "I'll do that." Marlene sounded appeased, and Jake murmured a nicety to get her to move. He needed to get out of here. He'd go back to Suffolk, busy himself with the store there until today's embarassment was distant enough to retreat into memory.

  "But I don't like the idea of letting you go in such a rush, Jake," Marlene told him. "You look distracted." "I look busy, because I am busy." She clucked like a mother hen. It irritated him. "You need a break before you work yourself to death." Marlene fisted her hands and put them to her hips. "Really, Jake, you look terrible. I bet you haven't had a decent meal since you started this new store business."