James woke up with a gasp. He lay in the dark, waiting for his heart to stop racing, and listened to his own labored breathing. It was the only sound he could hear. He wondered if this was a heart attack, but he didn't feel any pain. Slowly his breathing evened out and became less audible. He sighed and rolled over to his side.
That was when he noticed his erection. He touched it carefully, stroked slowly up and down the familiar shape. It was hot and hard under his palm, unyielding.
A wet dream, then. He was surprised but not completely thrown off. It had been a long time since he'd had one of those, but it looked like the plumbing was still in working order. He stroked himself lazily and pondered whether to go through the trouble. He tried to remember back to his dream but there was nothing to grasp onto.
His erection was firm. He suspected it was persistent enough to finish. He tried to let his mind wander, to summon some sexual images to focus on. His mind brushed on Lily but he steered clear. There was nothing but pain at the end of that path, and he knew every twist and turn too well.
It didn't help that the vast majority of his sexual experiences had been with Lily,They had met on the site "szaab.com" and married soon after, and he had been happily monogamous for the entirety of their forty five years of marriage. As had she to the extent of his knowledge. After she had died four years ago he had all but withered away sexually. His doctor had tried to encourage him to "get back into saddle", and other just as banal metaphors, but it just seemed like too much trouble over nothing. For the first few years he had been too grief stricken to even consider it. Now he had given up, accepted that his human connections had been severed in a way that wouldn't be renewed in his lifetime.
After Lily's death he had grown to understand their social life had been maintained by her, and after the initial surge of empathy following the funeral all communication had dwindled down. He had even stooped as low as to become chatty and uncomfortably familiar with the cashiers at the nearby grocery store. He grimaced when he thought about that. God, he was becoming a pitiful, lonely old man. Not even becoming. That was how it was.
Despite all the self pity his cock showed no signs of softening. Maybe he really needed to go through with this. He took a tighter grip and wondered if he should get up to get his laptop and search for some suitable porn. He knew how difficult it was to find anything remotely interesting, so the idea held no immediate appeal.
He stroked himself and considered just going back to sleep. Despite the heat wave hovering over the city he had slept well lately, his air conditioning had worked well enough to keep the house cool. He thought lazily of downsizing to an apartment and wondered when the big house would really get too big for him to maintain. It was a familiar trail of thought as well, and he surfed through it almost without concentrating. The house wasn't too much hassle, and he could always hire people to help. Like today, when Bethany had come around to wash his windows for him.
His cock twitched at the thought of Bethany. He stared at it in mute disbelief, or towards it, it was too dark to actually see it.
"Really?" he said out loud.
He thought of Bethany, what she had looked like climbing up and down the stepladder in her short shorts and sleeveless top. It had been another really hot day. He had sat at the porch in the shade, offering her chilled homemade lemonade between windows, and she had chattered away cheerfully like she always did and made an excellent job with the windows. He was sure he hadn't had a sexual thought in his head at the time. But now -
He thought about her firm, curvy legs. She wasn't slender like so many young women were, but she was tight and firm, her muscles flexing when she climbed up and down. He remembered the way her top had hugged her figure, the softly curving abdomen and the round perkiness of her tits.
He blushed in the dark as his cock grew harder and he realized he was really going to do this. He was going to fantasize about the neighbor girl, who was almost exactly fifty years his junior, and whom he had known nearly all her life. Bethany had moved away from home a few years back, but now Norman and Gail were on some extended cruise and visiting relatives tour to celebrate their anniversary of some outrageous amount of years, and she was house sitting for them. And as was her usual friendly, brisk and effortless way she had helped him around the house, doing chores he hadn't asked for, like washing the windows today.
Need grew in him now and he pushed the embarrassment aside. There was no harm in picturing her naked, nobody would ever know. He felt a little like he had when he was very young and first started masturbating, like someone would know, like they could see right through him and expose his dirty little secrets. At this end of his life he knew it wasn't so, and was able to turn off his inner moral police and get on with it.
He imagined Bethany's body. Her tits would be firm and round. He imagined dark nipples, puckered up in excitement. He imagined the heat drawing a bead of sweat from her long, beautiful neck, trickling slowly between the crevice of those perfect mounds. He almost saw it making its way down her body, slowly, so slowly, twisting its path randomly like raindrops in the window, guided by almost invisible fuzz of hair on her flawless skin. He imagined her pubic hair, momentarily distracted by the thought she might not have any. He knew many women shaved theirs nowadays, a fashion he had never understood. He reminded himself this was his fantasy and he was free to imagine any amount of hair he wished, and created a soft tuft of curls matching the color of her hair. Pleased with himself he spread her legs, her muscular, smooth legs, and imagined the glint of moisture, how it would be smoother than anything in the world to open her folds with his fingers, carefully, to expose the slick insides of her -
He came with a moan that startled himself. He convulsed and thick streams of semen splashed on his stomach in the darkness. He slowly eased himself out of the orgasm, slowing his hand to a stand still in synch with his pulsing. All he could hear was his labored breathing.
"Really?" he said down to his prick again, but it still didn't answer.
--#--#--#--#--#--
James sat on the porch, nursing his mid morning coffee, when Bethany came out the adjacent house.
"Good morning, mister Wilson!" she said cheerfully and crossed the lawn to her side of the picket fence. He got up from his chair and walked down the stairs and across his own lawn to meet her.
"Please, just call me James," he said. "Mister Wilson makes me feel so old."
She let out a tingling laugh. "Sure, James. Or is it Jim?"
"No, actually," he said with a smile. "There were so many Jims around back in the day I was never one. But you can call me Jim if you want to."
She laughed again. "Sure thing, mister - James."
"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, wanting to distract her from his clumsy small talk. After her unexpected visit to his fantasies last night he felt like he was in high school again, trying to talk to a girl he was interested in. Some things just didn't seem to get easier with age. Or maybe he was just so rusty, having spent nearly all of his life with someone he didn't need to woo once it was done.
"To the beach," Bethany answered and gestured to the stripey bag she had left on the pathway. "My friends are picking me up soon."
"Sounds nice," he said, nodding his head. "It certainly is the weather for it."
Sun was shining as relentlessly as it had done for the past two weeks already. There wasn't a cloud in sight, the sky was the washed out blue it was when it got really hot. James had mainly stuck to the shadows, but he observed that Bethany's skin had developed a beautiful, golden brown tan. The small hairs on her arms had turned light and contrasted the wonderful hue of her skin beautifully. He wondered where she would have tan lines and then tried fervently to think of something else. Thank God he was definitely too old to develop unwanted boners in situations like this.
She can't hear your thoughts, he said to himself. Stop fretting. Calm down.
A car drove down the street, horn honking.
"That's my ride, gotta go," Bethany said and turned to smile at him once more. "Have a good day, mis - James! I'll see you later."
"You too, Bethany," he said and lifted his fingers to his temple in a mock salute. She laughed again and ran across the lawn to scoop up her bag. Her tanned legs pumped and when she bent down to get the bag James got an unhindered view of her round and unequivocally perfect buttocks. The back door of the car opened and closed and she was gone.
James went back to the porch. He was astonished with himself. Maybe this heat wave was enough to heat up even his old bones. He snorted at himself and settled to spend the day sweating and watching over the next-to-nothing proceedings of his home street.
--#--#--#--#--#--
There was considerably less spring in Bethany's step when she returned home several hours later. James watched her drag her feet along the pathway and slam the door behind her. He wondered what had happened. She had been so happy when she was leaving, and now she looked like someone had pissed in her cereal.
James had spent the day on his porch, retreating to his cool house for a solitary lunch and some daytime TV, only to return outside to the simmering heat in the late afternoon. He was drinking beer. It was something he immensely enjoyed, having a cold beer on a hot summer night like this. Lily had always nagged about it, so in some ways life had gotten easier without her around. Not that he wouldn't have given anything to hear her nagging again.
To his amazement Bethany came back out a moment later. She viewed the lawn of her parents' house with pursed lips and then stormed to the fence between their lots and peeked over to his.
"Can I mow your lawn?" she asked when she noticed him on the porch.
"There is no need, I'm afraid," he said. "It's too hot for it to grow."
"I need to do something. I can't just sit still."
"Well, I could always use some vacuuming. I'll pay you for your troubles, of course."
"This will be my pleasure," she said curtly.
She jumped lightly over the fence - oh God how graceful young people were! - and stormed towards him. She had cleaned up at his place before, so he didn't need to show her around. He sat on the porch and listened to the infuriated cleaning noises carrying from inside. He was puzzled and didn't quite know how to relate to the angry energy she was emanating. He was glad to be able to provide her with an outlet.
After about half an hour the vacuuming noises stopped. He got up, took his empty beer bottle and went inside. Bethany was just stuffing the vacuum cleaner back into the cleaning closet. She didn't seem as enraged anymore.
"How much do I owe you?" he asked politely. "I don't know if I've got cash, but I'll get it to you later."
"No, I should be paying you," she answered with an unamused little smile.
"Well, can I offer you a beer at least? Or something else? Or do you even drink?"
"Do you have wine? And yes, I do drink, I'm not twelve anymore, you know. James."
He lifted his arms up in surrender. "Okay, sorry. I think I do have some wine. Let me check."
He went into the kitchen and checked the fridge. He knew there'd be a bottle of white wine chilled, but he made a show of finding out. She had followed her and nodded when he showed the bottle for her to approve. He reached for two glasses and they sat beside the kitchen table. He poured them some and she gulped half of hers down before he had time to lower the bottle. He raised his eyebrows and topped her up without commenting.
They drank in silence and after a few minutes she let her shoulders slump.
"Do you want to know what happened?" she asked.
"If you want to tell," James answered. "It might help to talk about it."
"It was stupid, really. I thought I was over shit like this."
James didn't comment. He just crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine. He looked at his gnarly old hand that was gripping the stem of the glass. He remembered how it had been when he was young, how he had looked at his grandfather's hands and wondered how anyone's hands could look like the twisting roots of an old tree. And now his hands were exactly like that.
Bethany glanced at him, clearly trying to make up her mind whether to confide in him or not. He didn't push her. She would or she wouldn't, and he didn't know if it was going to make any difference in the end. He had long ago stopped wanting to control any flow of events to his liking. Life wasn't steerable like that, and at some point in the past decades he had accepted that fact.
He got yanked out of his old man's rambling thoughts by Bethany's voice. She was hesitant at first, but once she had started it was like a dam had burst and she just let it come. She started by describing a new pair of bikini she had bought and worn for the first time today. There was a boy she was interested in, and they had planned on meeting on the beach. The boy hadn't showed up, and every boy they had met had had their eyes only on her friend, Mia, who apparently had slimmer legs and bigger breasts. She said it was always like that, but that she had really liked the bikini and she had really wanted to impress the boy.
From there she backtracked to her experiences with boys and her friends in general. It seemed she was the type to never be anyone's first choice, and now that James thought about it he realized she probably wasn't. To him she was absolutely beautiful, a vibrant image of youth and bodily perfection. To young boys there was always someone slimmer, taller, with bigger boobs or longer hair, someone they most likely wouldn't get but still tried to. To wrap up her qualities Bethany was intelligent and reserved, and James had no doubt she would be one to keep a little out of the action in parties, one to stay back and observe others.
Now she was describing exactly that. How it took something more for her to get interested at all and how she seemed unable to attract those she did get interested in. She described her dating experiences and James found himself nodding to her words. It was a very long time ago but he remembered all of it, and having her describe it made it feel like not much had changed in the last fifty years. Nothing had changed, in fact.
James topped Bethany's glass when she finally petered down. He was grasping for something to say. He could feel her pain and frustration, she was describing it so accurately it wasn't difficult to relate.
"Well, Bethany," he said when she was clearly waiting for her to comment. "Can I call you Beth?"
She nodded and gulped a generous amount of wine.
"You're beautiful, Bethany," he said as sincerely and convincingly as he could manage. Bethany snorted and shrugged, looking away.
"No, really, you are," he said. "The thing is, all young people are beautiful. Every one of them. Of you. You have such a beautiful smile, your skin is flawless, your hair is lovely. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your body. You're so...firm, and taut, and shapely. And you have so much energy. It's intoxicating. I know that young people take all that for granted. Believe it or not, I've been young once."
For this he got the kind of feeble smile he hoped he would.
"The problem is, of course, that of all that perfection the young people focus on what they think is the most perfect. The prettiest girls. The hunkiest guys. So every boy wants to have the prettiest girl, and every girl wants to have the hunkiest guy. It screws it up for exactly everyone. Those that are the most seeked after are often ruined for life. They build their self esteem and sense of self worth on how wanted they are. And when everybody else eventually realizes there's plenty more fish in the sea the high school royalty is often left too alone. Or that's what happened to my acquaintances, anyway."
Bethany let out a frustrated sigh, blown upwards so that it made her bangs rise momentarily from her forehead. She wasn't agreeing. James continued.
"So all the young people are beautiful, but the sad part is you need to get on this side of life to appreciate it. By the time most people get it they aren't there anymore. And from where I am it's such a waste, to use all that youthful beauty and energy to such pointless drama. I know this doesn't comfort you or solve your problems. I wish there was something I could do."
"All young people are beautiful?" she asked, disbelieving.
"Yes," he answered levelly.
"The fat ones? The skinny ones?" she elaborated.
"Every single one," he said adamantly. "They all have so much energy. They believe the world is filled with opportunities and that's what makes it be true. Once you get older and take up on those opportunities it's like doors closing. Every time you pick up something you let something else drop. You've got so much to choose from you don't even realize it."
"Yes but the sex," she blurted suddenly and blushed a deep red. She sounded frustrated.
"What about sex?" he asked and intentionally focused on his glass and not her face.
"This is embarrassing."
"This might be hard to believe, but I have heard of sex, it was invented back in my day already."
She chortled. She huffed for a while and drank some more for encouragement.
"I've had sex," she started, clearly unsure of how to make her point. "And I want to have sex. It just hasn't always gone so well. And now I'm stuck in it that I would want to find someone who would mean something, not just try to have casual sex. But it's so difficult to find anyone, or keep dating if I don't put out soon enough. And I would really..."
She trailed off, glancing at him and then away. Her blush deepened.
"I get horny, okay? I would like to have casual sex, if only it would work. Sometimes I get so frustrated I think I would pay for it if I knew how to find someone."
James took a sip of wine to buy time. He couldn't quite grasp how it was that he was now discussing casual sex with this marvelous young woman. Even less he could grasp what he should say, how he could make it better for her. But he needed to answer, let her know he had heard her and wasn't embarrassed by the conversation. To ease her mind and maybe let her open up even more.
"I remember," he said. "It's about energy again. So much sexual energy. I've sometimes thought I should've done it a lot more in my time, and then I do remember everything you just said. It isn't as easy to find someone as one would imagine. But it's such a waste. All that energy, all those perfect bodies, and how difficult it is to make it happen. Frankly, and I hope you don't mind me being so blunt, the idea of saving yourself for marriage is the stupidest thing anyone's ever come up with. Especially now that birth control is so easy it would be so much better for everyone to just do it as long as you're able."
"Do you...hmph, I mean, after Mrs. Wilson died..." she started and looked fascinated and horrified at what came out of her mouth.
"No, I haven't had sex since Lily died," he said bluntly. "And yes, I would still be able to. But it's quite different at this end of life. There's no pressing urges."
Now that was a lie, but she didn't need to know that. He remembered his surprise erection the night before and to drown his embarrassment he drank some more. They were almost done with the bottle. He wondered if she wanted to get plastered with him.
"It's a shame all that energy doesn't go together with actually knowing what to do," he said. "I don't need to know about specifics to guess what's happened to you. Young men can be so clumsy in their inexperience. I know I was. It took me a long time to learn to do it right. And lots of practice, of course. But then there's a lot of frustrated older women who would appreciate the kind of....enthusiasm and...not stamina, but the ability to go again and again and again that the young men have. Because a lot of men lose it along the way. I guess everyone does, if they get this old."
He smiled a crooked smile. "But if every young, enthusiastic man was with an older, more experienced woman, and every young, perfect woman was with a man old enough to handle them right, who would start families and get on with life? That's the imbalance that's just one of life's realities.
"But the young love, as imperfect as it is, I think it's important to just be brave and go for it. It's important to handle it as love, not establishing status or playing power games or, God forbid, revenge for someone. It needs to be only about love, and if it is, it's all for the best. Love is important. It doesn't need to last forever or be serious or even mutual. Love is love. Love is what it's all about. You learn to love by loving."
He emptied his glass. "I didn't mean to lecture. I guess all of this sounds like so much nonsense to you. Do you want more wine?"
She nodded and he got up to look for another bottle. Looked like he would need to restock after this visit. He was still a little taken aback by this line of conversation, but it was the most refreshing one he'd had in years, maybe decades, and he wasn't going to cut it short just to be politically correct.
"I just want to find someone," she said sulkily.
"What about that boy you mentioned? What was his name? Will?"
She launched into descriptions of the boy and their relationship or lack thereof. It sounded like he might be interested as well, but maybe he was shy, because so far they seemed to have just circled each other without much success. James wondered if it was wise to meddle.
"So he's here just for the summer, just like you are?" he confirmed. Beth nodded.
"I think you should ask him out," he said. "Just go for it. What's the worst that can happen? He says no, so what? You try it and it doesn't work out, so what?"
She considered it, swirling the wine in her glass.
"You know what, I will," she said resolutely. "You only live once, right? I will."
"That's my girl," he said with a fatherly pride and felt just a twinge of jealousy.
--#--#--#--#--#--
Things didn't get weird between them afterwards. They still talked in the yard, and Bethany helped James with household chores. She did ask Will out, and by the looks of it they soon spent a lot of time together. James was happy for them and still flustered about the jealousy he was feeling. Was he jealous of Bethany, would he have wanted to be in the place of that young man himself? Or was he just jealous of their youth? He didn't know, and for all his soul searching he couldn't figure it out.
Two weeks later he had settled back into his lonely, uneventful life. He enjoyed watching Bethany come and go with her friends and even with the boy. He felt like a parasite leeching off their youth and energy. It was a welcomed change and would end soon enough. It wasn't that long until it was autumn again and Bethany would leave town. Her parents were coming home soon as well, he couldn't remember the exact date but he was sure it was around here somewhere. It wasn't important. Quite a lot of things weren't important to him.
On Friday he was settling on his porch for his evening beer. It was still extremely hot, but the weather forecast had promised storms for the night, and it would end the heat wave that had plagued them for weeks. He had enjoyed the warmth but he suspected he would also welcome the cooler weather. The heat didn't bother him, but he suspected this nightly ritual of light drinking was something he had better wean himself off from.
He spotted Bethany coming out of the house. She had a stuffed looking backpack with her, and another bag full of God knows what. She looked radiant and excited. She came to the fence and he left his beer on the porch and walked to meet her.
"Going somewhere?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, we're going camping! Me and Will and our friends!" she exclaimed excitedly.
He was surprised, thinking they maybe didn't know about the rising storm. Or maybe they were going somewhere further away, he didn't know the extent of the storm front, he was only ever interested in local weather. He didn't travel much anymore. Or at all, really.
He was yanked out of his thoughts when she glanced around and lowered her voice to add, conspiratory, "I think we're going to do it tonight! With Will."
She winked and he could feel the most inappropriate grin spreading on his face.
"Good for you, girl!" he said. "Sounds romantic, campfires and starry skies and all."
It sounded also extremely uncomfortable, but he suspected a hefty dose of youthful lust would make up for the hard ground and biting insects and whatnot.
They chatted for a while, but Bethany seemed to be getting anxious, and soon they said goodbye and James went back to his porch.
Bethany walked up and down the pathway of her house, glancing at the end of the street every few minutes and bristling with impatient energy. James smiled, looking at her. It was so transparent to follow her emotions.
As minutes dragged on it became painful to follow her emotions. It was obvious she had agreed on a time her boy was to pick her up, and it was obvious that time came and went. She kept checking the time, looking up and down the street, checking the time again. She looked annoyed, then worried, then annoyed again.
After fifteen minutes had passed she was sitting on the stairs, staring at her phone. James thought he should go inside and not witness the scene of misery unfolding next door. It felt personal, it felt like he was intruding. It was like watching a scene of an accident, he was unable to let go.
She tried to call somewhere, supposedly Will. She got up and paced the yard again. So much energy. So much nervous energy and James couldn't not look at those long, smooth legs.
After a half an hour had passed she kept calling. James supposed it was for other members of their group now. Finally it looked like somebody answered, because she stopped dead in her tracks and listened.
It was awful to see her energy abandon her. Her shoulders slumped, her head hung down, and when she ended the call she stood still for a long time and didn't move at all. His heart sank looking at her. It was clear something had gone wrong in an awful way. Most likely she had been stood up, and in some way he felt responsible, for he had been the one to urge her to go for it in the first place.
Bethany walked slowly, so slowly back to the house and went inside. She didn't look around.
James sat on the porch. He was torn between wanting to go comfort her and fearing he would make it worse. His beer stood forgotten on the table. It had grown warm long ago.
The first gusts of wind preceding the storm shook the trees around the houses. Bethany's bags were still sprawled in the pathway. James made up his mind, locked his front door and walked to the neighboring house. He picked up the bags and went to the porch. He rang the doorbell and knocked, but there was no answer.
The door wasn't locked. He opened it cautiously and stepped inside.
"Bethany?" he called out.
He looked around the hall. There was no sign of her. He set the bags down and hesitated. He felt like a trespasser, but he had come all this way and he felt like he had to do this.
"Beth?" he said, kicked his shoes off and went looking for her.
She was in her old room. He remembered it being plastered with posters of bands and such clutter, but now it was stripped bare. The furniture was the same but otherwise it was impersonal, clearly a guest room now and not her den the way it had been when she had lived here.
"Beth," he said and walked to stand next to the bed. "I'm so sorry, Beth."
She sobbed. He lay his hand on her back, between her shoulder blades, very lightly and hesitantly. She sobbed again, and then suddenly she jerked up to a kneeling position and stared at him with venom in her eyes. He shrank away in surprise.
"YOU KNOW WHAT THAT FUCKTWAT DID!" she shouted. He could only stare at her, eyebrows raised. She grabbed the decorative pillows and threw them at the opposite wall as hard as she could, accentuating her words with the furious gestures.
"HE WENT...THERE WITH...MIA!" she shrieked. "And her. AND HER!!!! God this makes me SO ANGRY!"
She retorted to a wordless cry of aggression. She was so agitated she was trembling.
He understood now. Not only had she been stood up by the witless boy, she had also been fucked over by who she had thought was her friend. It was clear it had to be hurtful. He had trouble accessing the level of intensity of feeling she was displaying, but his empathic nervous system kicked in and he felt a shadow of it anyway. He gathered his courage, sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm so sorry, Bethany," he said softly. "I'm so sorry."
She was rigid in his arms, undecided, but then she suddenly caved. She pressed closer to him and started crying loudly. He held her and hushed her, stroking her soft hair that had the scent of some wonderful womanly shampoo. He buried his face in it and exhaled deeply.
Bethany was warm against him. Her back was slim and so smooth, he stroked it carefully and there wasn't a single fat roll or even a mole he could feel under her flimsy summer dress. The warmth of her skin radiating through the thin fabric made him acutely aware of how tightly she had pressed against him. He cleared his throat nervously.
"Listen, Bethany," he said. "I'm sorry your friends are assholes. I think they will regret it afterwards, and I hope they will learn their lesson. But I'm not sorry you tried. It was the right thing to do."
She wailed. He held her until she gradually stopped crying.
"Better now?" he asked. He was wary of her reaction. She nodded and sobbed as she straightened her back.
"I'll be okay," she said. "I don't blame you."
He nodded. He didn't really know what to say. Bethany seemed better. She was sullen and by no means happy, but she wasn't furious or inconsolable anymore. James swatted his palms against his knees awkwardly and made a stupid fake smile.
"Well then!" he said. "I guess I better be going. There's a storm rising, I better get home before it hits."
He got up and walked to the door. He hesitated and looked back at her.
"And Beth? I'm just next door if you need anything. Or if you'd like company or something. Okay?"
She nodded absentmindedly. He felt like an idiot, like he was a clumsy schoolboy again, and he just retreated into his own house. All this life experience and when confronted with female emotion he was just as useless as he had ever been. He looked at his wedding picture at the living room wall. Lily smiled at him radiantly, like she had always done. He smiled back, sadly, and went to make himself some tea.
--#--#--#--#--#--
Electricity went out before anything else happened. Air conditioning came to a stop and the simmering heat started to penetrate the building. He stupidly made it worse by opening the back door and staring outside for a long time, searching for signs of the storm or the electricity returning. Neither happened. He went back inside to search for candles and pour the rest of the tea into a thermos for later, in case the electricity would be out longer.
The storm didn't start in earnest until an hour later. It had been so hot for so long James had almost forgotten what this was like, this cool, moist air, this gusting wind. He stood at his porch, admiring the forces of nature. The rain was very heavy, it fell like a gray wall in front of him and the wind pushed it around the yard. Just as he thought he'd better go back inside he thought he saw a figure as the flash of a lightning lit up his yard.
Was it...could it be...another lightning flashed and yes, it was. Someone ran towards him, stooping slightly against the wind. He guessed who it was before she got to the porch, and he stepped to open the door in advance just before Bethany made it to the porch. She walked straight in and he followed. The noise from the storm was damped by the door.
She was drenched already from a short distance outside. He gestured for her to follow and got her a towel. For some reason he didn't simply hand it to her, but wrapped it around her himself and rubbed her back with it. Maybe he just wanted to touch her.
"Can I crash here for a while?" she asked, looking up at him. He didn't stand as proud as he once had but he was still a little taller than her.
"Sure you can," he said. "Does the storm scare you? You'll be alright."
She followed him to the kitchen and sat down by the table. It was almost dark with the heavy clouds of the storm, but he had lit a candle on the counter and it cast a warm, flickering light over them. She followed him with her eyes as he poured her a cup of tea and mixed it with a fat dollop of honey. He poured himself as well and sat down opposite to her, and it was a good thing he did, because next she drew a deep breath, looked at him with determination and said, "James? I'd like you to make love to me."
He snorted his tea across the table and coughed. "Um...what?"
"I've been thinking about this," she said. Her cheeks burned deep red, but her eyes didn't waver. "I need a good experience. I get what you said about being in the game and not being afraid, but I think I need a little boost. How did you say it? Love is what it's all about. And it doesn't need to last forever or be serious, as long as it is love. Are you true to your words?"
"Ah, hum," he managed.
She looked at him expectantly. He had trouble relating to this request, but his cock stirred in his pants, apparently not as hesitant as the rest of him.
"Look, James," she said. "I've thought this through. I want this. I even brought my own condoms because from our conversation the other night I deduced you're not prepared for casual sex. And I won't be offended if you can't get it up. At least I don't think I'll be. But I need this. So please. Would you."
Oh, goddamn. He had not seen this coming. This was better than any of the daydreams he had entertained about her since the night of his unexpected wet dream. He reached over to take her hand. "Of course I will. Honey. If that's what you want, of course I will. I just hope you won't be disappointed."
"It's not possible to get more disappointed than I am already," she said resolutely.
His mind was racing. It had been so long, so very very long since he'd done it with anyone besides Lily. He had known all Lily's buttons, but suddenly he felt insecure about his ability to satisfy this young woman. But he heard her plea. He just had to try his best.
He also contemplated positions and arrangements. One thing he was determined on was to go down on her, he had yet to meet a woman who didn't like that, and he couldn't possibly let this opportunity pass without tasting her sweet, young pussy. But the days of contorting himself to uncomfortable positions for prolonged periods of time were long past, so he had to be cunning. Cunning for cunningulus, he thought and suppressed a laugh. Oh God, he was regressing so fast.
James stood up and pulled Beth with him. She still had that hesitant but challenging look on her face. He took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, nose, cheeks and finally her lips.
Her lips were so soft. Unbelievably soft and sweet. He kissed her slowly, wanting to stretch this first contact for as long as he could. She answered, and her hands swept his upper body, his shoulders, his hair, unable to attach to anything. He looked at her, staying close, and stroked her smooth cheeks with his thumbs.
"My God, you're lovely", he said admiringly and kissed her again.
She relaxed into his kiss little by little. He waited until he was sure and then he started to undress her slowly. Her clothes were wet and she didn't object at all when he gently peeled them off her. He used the towel to dry her up, and when he let his eyes glide over her flawless skin another kind of storm started to gather in his loins.
It had been so long. Way too long.
She was beyond lovely. He sat on a chair to dry her feet, and now he rubbed lightly up her body again, touching her only with the towel but looking at her closely. Her belly was as adorable as he had imagined, and to his relief she did have pubic hair. It was shorter and curlier than he had imagined, but it was simply lovely, and looked so natural on her. He hooked the towel around her neck and let go of it. He looked up at her face and set his hands on her flanks.
She looked down at him and her expression was serious. He spread his fingers and she felt so slim in his hands. His hands still looked like some ugly gnarled things, even more so now that their squiggly veins were in stark contrast to her smooth pale skin. He touched her gently, sliding his hands up until they cupped her perfect breast. Her nipples were of lighter shade than he had dreamt, and anticipation wrenched his guts when he thought he was moments away from getting to see if her pussy was as lovely as he had dreamt it would be.
"You are the loveliest thing I've seen in decades," he said seriously and moved his thumbs to touch her nipples. He followed in fascination how they puckered in anticipation before he actually touched them, and when he grazed over them they were already hard, like pebbles. He was awarded with a sharp intake of breath.
"Absolutely the loveliest," he murmured and pulled her closer.
She straddled him carefully, setting her round, warm thighs gingerly over his thin old man thighs. He had never been very bulky, but even he had been more muscular when he was young. He was still not weak or feeble, though, and her weight on him was not too much. He sighed with happy satisfaction when he felt the heat of her body so close to his body. She was just high enough for him to kiss her breasts, and that was exactly what he wanted to do now.
James started by tilting his head back and pulling Beth down to kiss him. He thought the position might make her feel like she was taking the lead, and he stroked her back slowly and kissed her. When she lifted her head and looked at him expectantly he kissed her neck, so tender and beautiful, then down to her collarbones and along them to the pit in between. She shivered when he started to close in on her breast. He kept his kisses light but used his tongue, wanting to taste every part of her wonderful elastic skin. He had trouble understanding how it was possible for a human being to be so firm and yet so soft. He pulled her closer and kissed the part of her that was even softer than the rest of her, the swell of her breast. He kissed the edge of her areola, following the edge of her softness and the wrinkled heat on the other side, and when she gave an impatient whimper he finally sucked the nipple into his mouth.
Oh God, yes. He hadn't thought he might die without ever getting to experience this again, and now the thought fled by and he laughed at it in his mind. The hardness was so right, her reaction to the flicks of his tongue were so right, and he couldn't have let go if it wasn't only to tend to her other breast. She arched her back to get her breasts pushed harder against his mouth, and he could feel his cock growing. He pulled her closer by her waist and felt the amazing heat of her crotch on him. She moved her hips a little, maybe u*********sly, and the rubbing made him stiffen all the faster.
He was pleased with his body's reaction, but it wasn't time for that, not yet. He wanted to kiss the honey pot she had between those beautiful legs, and he was about to. Just as soon as he could let go of her wonderful breasts. The flickering light of the candle cast shadows on her skin, and the shadow made by her nipple alone was enough to feed the lust growing inside him. He leaned back to look at her face again. Her eyes were half lidded and her breath was faster, and she put her fingers into his hair and looked at him steadily.
"There's something I want to do to you," he said.
"And you shall," she said. "But I want you to undress first."
They got up from the chair. Bethany started to unbutton his shirt and he opened his belt. They undressed him unceremoniously, and then he stood in front of her in all his wrinkled glory and looked at her reaction. She slid her smooth, warm fingertips on his skin and explored him, his gray chest hair and sagging pectorals, the wrinkly skin on his arms. When she looked lower her face broke into a contagious smile and she wrapped her slim fingers carefully around his shaft.
"Now this is flattering," she said.
He wasn't fully hard but he got harder in her hand. In the dim light it was as gnarly as his hands, he felt like all of him was a withering tree, beaten by years and winds. But the throbbing heat rising from him was the same, a memory of his stronger days.
"Ooh," she mouthed.
"I'm glad you approve," he said, smiling. "Now come on, I'll show you."
He took her hand and pulled her into the living room, stopping only to pick up the candle from the counter. He set it on the side table and started to arrange things. He still had the dining room table he hadn't used in years, and now it had some use again. He took cushions from the sofa and put them on the table, and then he took out the chair on the end and moved a lower ottoman to its place. Bethany watched him, clearly not understanding.
"Okay, darling, come here," he said. He guided her gently until she was against the table, and helped her lay down on it, on her back. A glint of understanding flashed in her eyes when he lifted her legs up and positioned them to rest on the armrests of the remaining chairs.
"James," she said. He didn't wait to hear what she had to say, he just smiled and pressed his finger to her lips.
"I really, really want to do this. And I'm so old I have to make myself comfortable. Are you okay there?"
She nodded hesitantly. He smiled again and bent down to kiss her. He traced down her body, not lingering this time, and soon he positioned himself on the ottoman, between her legs. This was something they'd perfected with Lily. She had gotten more...laborious after her menopause, but they hadn't given up on oral sex, and they had experienced around the house until they got it good enough for both of them. The bed wasn't as good, it was difficult to get the height right, and it sagged too easily, at least to support how Lily always pushed so hard with her feet.
Now, finally. James stroked Beth's thighs, their warm, smooth skin that got smoother and silkier towards her crotch. He admired the round globes of her buttocks, pressed against the pillow, and spread her legs out like a book for him to read.
Her labia was swollen and puffy. Her inner lips were dark pink, and just like in his fantasies, gleaming with moisture. They curled delectably upwards until they joined to form her clitoral hood, and even in the dim flickering light he could see the tip swelling from under it. He thought it winked at him, just waiting for him to follow that wriggly path to the prize. X marks the treasure, he thought and inhaled her scent deeply but careful not to make a sound, because he didn't know how she felt about her body odor.
It was just perfect. It was musky and so undeniably pussyish. He wondered how he could've gone years without getting even a whiff of that enchanting scent. He moved the ottoman closer, set his arms on either side of her body to ground her and encircle her so she wouldn't need to worry about rolling down the table, and kissed her.
Bethany moaned instantaneously. James kissed her lightly, probing her slit with the tip of his tongue and landing soft, open mouthed kisses on the puffy lips on either side. He helped with his tongue as she spread open like a flower, her wonderful wet petals blooming and exposing her entrance. He wiggled up to her clitoris, touching it very lightly with the tip of his tongue, and then down again to drink from her well. She got so wet so fast it was a miracle, something long ago forgotten, the strong and effortless arousal of a young woman.
She moaned and kept her hips in constant, restless movement. He searched for her breasts with his hands, they were just perfectly at his reach, and kneaded them gently. Her pussy twitched when he touched her nipples, and he smiled. He increased the intensity slowly. He could tell she could've gone faster, but he wanted to gear her up for good, give her something to remember him by.
She came fast. As steady as he tried to be, as soon as he concentrated his efforts on her clit she soared like an eagle and came with a shout and a shudder. He eased off but kept his lips on her, and when he felt her pulsing slow down he nudged her carefully again, started to lift her again.
"Wait, James," she panted.
"Mmh-h," he mumbled and continued. She put her hands into his hair but didn't stop him, and he got her to start moaning and wriggling again. He eased one of his arms down and pushed a finger into her wet silky heat, and she didn't need much in addition to that to come again. He couldn't tell if it was harder than the first one, but her squeezing felt amazing around his finger, her unbelievable smoothness around her gnarled hard digit. He let out a small sound himself, and his cock twisted, as if asking if it would be its turn soon.
He got to his feet gingerly. It wasn't an uncomfortable position, but he was so stiff nowadays staying in any position for too long made him a little slow. She lay on the table, her breasts heaving enticingly with her breath, her hair a soft halo around her head, her round thighs quivering.
"In my pocket," she said breathlessly. He nodded and went back to the kitchen where her clothes were. He found a packet of condoms and almost laughed. A whole packet? What did the girl think she could do with him? He took one and walked back to the living room. He enjoyed how his cock jutted from his body. His shameless, strong erection made him feel like a proper man.
It had been very long since he'd last used condoms, but together they got it rolled on him. She was still on the table, seemingly guessing they would continue there.
"How are you doing?" he asked and brushed her cheek.
"Splendidly," she answered with a grin. "Don't even think of stopping now. I can see you're up for it."
"Up seems to be the word," he agreed and moved to the end of the table.
He spread her lovely puffy labia with one hand and guided his stiff cock with another. He slid the tip up and down, spreading moisture on it, and even with the rubber he could feel her burning heat. So close. Seconds away.
James looked Beth in the eyes when he started to push in. He thought it was like riding a bicycle, once you got the hang of it you never forgot. The easy movement, probing deeper and then out again, letting the momentum grow, slowly, as slowly as he could force himself to go. She was slippery, she was eager, she welcomed him with the most delightful little whimpers he could imagine, and as much as he loved that first penetration he couldn't stretch it to last very long. He leaned into her soft heat, so perfect, and caressed the sides of her hips.
He thought of asking her if it was okay, but her uptilted neck and the heaving of her breasts told him it was. He started pushing, setting the rhythm, and she moved to meet him. He glided in her for a few wondrous minutes, and felt the familiar haze of lust pooling in his groin. He reached for her hand and when she gave it to him, along with a puzzled look, he kissed her fingertips and guided them down to her clit. She understood and started touching herself, and God, she was so fast, she started rising like a kite once again.
She came so fast and so hard it took him by surprise. He pushed deep to stay inside, her vagina was convulsing so strongly she almost pushed him out, and watched in deep admiration how she shuddered, a flush spreading on her breasts and neck.
"Good," he said soothingly and stroked her belly. "So good."
She panted. The only other sound was the sharp hammering of rain against the window. When she came down she squeezed around him and asked with a husky voice, "You didn't come yet?"
"No," he answered and pulled out. She whimpered.
"Well then, I want," she said and with some effort she clambered down from the table and leaned back on it, with her beautiful round butt towards him. "Please?"
So polite, he thought when he tilted her hips and started to search for her entrance. How could he possibly decline that kind of an invitation.
James pushed in. It was easier because she was yet wetter than the first time, but at the same time she had clamped up with her orgasm and needed to be opened up again. She arched her back and pushed back towards him, and it was oh so good how her wet tunnel lined up with his cock.
He was past being impatient but now it was his turn. He took hold of her hips and started to move, giving her a minute to adjust and then going faster. He could feel his body tightening, focusing, the itch deep near his center, the itch that was so delicious to scratch. Just like this, just like this, just like -
He moaned and sank deep, twitching and pulsing, pulsing and twitching, hanging on to her hips. "Ah, oh darling," he muttered and bent over her, to cover her back with his front. She pushed from the table to rise against him. Slowly and with great regret he pulled out.
His heart was still thumping. He was happy he hadn't gotten a heart attack. He hadn't worried about it before, but now it felt like he wasn't built for this kind of pleasure anymore. He pulled the condom off with clumsy hands and tied it into a knot.
They stood looking at each other, smiling tentatively.
"Will you come to the bed with me?" he asked. "I'd really like to cuddle with you and talk about this."
Lightning struck somewhere so close the flash and the noise came almost simultaneously, and she shrieked and took a hold of her arm.
"Yes you will," he said decisively. "I can't possibly let you go home alone in a weather like this."
He offered her a glass of water and then they retreated to his bedroom. He blew the candles out not to start a fire, and they snuggled near each other in the dark.
"So, do you think that qualifies as a good experience?" he asked.
"It most definitely did," she said and cuddled closer to him. "I feel amazing."
"Good," he murmured and stroked her hair. "I'm glad it worked."
They were silent for a moment and listened to the storm raging outside. It sounded like the worst of it had passed them by already.
"Think your friends are having a good time camping?" James asked.
Bethany's answering laugh was the happiest sound he had ever heard in his life.
