Hearts & Roses

The flight home seemed to take forever. I had decided, with mixed emotions, to spend the first two weeks of February in New Orleans. Granted, I had to endure long lectures and endless role playing for a Certificate in Conflict Resolution but that was still better than enduring snow and mind numbing cold in Minnesota. But spending those 14 nights without Carol was another matter. We had been dating since last summer. We were very close friends and lovers and although we still lived in separate houses, we managed to spend 2 or 3 nights a week in the same bed. We pretended that it was the best arrangement for our children, but we were just still both too stubborn, or maybe too frightened to give up our separate lives. Actually, my Daughter was away at graduate school most of the time, and last month, Carol's children jumped at the chance to finish high school in the UK, when their father was transferred to London.

We did run up some hefty long distance phone charges while coaxing each other to spoil our sheets, but it was certainly not the same. I felt like a teenager again looking forward to Valentines Day. Tonight, we planned to share the cooking, and then enjoy our Valentines meal in front of her fireplace, followed by an intimate homecoming celebration. Actually, the celebration was supposed to start this afternoon, but just after my flight at our local airport touched down, at 2:10 PM, Carol called me on my cell phone. She had been called back to the hospital, where she was the Assistant Director of Nursing, for an important staff meeting. She said that the roast was in the oven and she would be back by 5:30. So, I took a cab home, sorted through two weeks of mail, and did some shopping.

I stood for a moment on her front door step, hugging a bag of groceries, several bottles of wine, and a spray of long stem roses. I took a deep breath and pushed the doorbell with my nose. I heard the door open, and I looked up into deep blue eyes. Her upturned nose and high cheekbones were framed by blonde hair that cascaded down to her shoulders. Before I could stand up straight, Carol's arms were around my neck, her warm smile turned into a pucker, and our lips met.

We stood in the open doorway, with the cold February wind swirling around us until I heard her furnace kick on. She pulled back and whispered " welcome home, Bob, it's been a long two weeks."

I set the wine and the grocery bag down, and reached for her again. This time, she flashed an impish grin and ducked out of the way just as I heard the kitchen timer ring. As she ran into the kitchen, she reminded me that there was plenty of time for that later, but a pot roast should not be kept waiting.

Carol made a soufflé using the drippings in the roast pan, while I arranged peeled jumbo shrimp around a silver bowl that contained a simple mixture of tomato sauce, horseradish, and a hint of lemon. I was about to add some chopped garlic when my mind started to anticipate what would come after dinner. Although we both enjoyed garlic, I did not want anything to clash with the delicate smell of Carol's perfume, or the sensual husky aroma that comes from between her thighs. That thought was enough to urge me to make one more assault. Carol was standing at the stove and had just sautéed some pearl onions and fresh green beans in a little olive and butter. She was about to splash in some pickle juice, when I came up behind her and gently kissed the back of her neck. She leaned back a little and I heard a slight purr from her lips. When I reach around and gently cupped her breasts, she pushed her butt back into my groin with enough force to send a twinge of pain through my semi-erect penis.

She laughed for a moment, and then in a mock judicial tone she said " Mr. Carlson, do you recall what you said when I offered my body to you last summer at this very same spot?"

I groaned and admitted that it was something about not being ready, and not wanting to ruin a perfectly good omelet. Carol turned around and lightly kissed my nose and then whispered " darling, I waited for you for two weeks, and we can make it through the next two hours, besides, it would spoil my Valentines Gift to you."

The table was set in the den, with a dark red tablecloth and two long stem roses in a crystal vase. The drapes were shut, and the only light was from a floating candle on the table and flickering lights from the fireplace. I dipped a shrimp into the sauce, and pressed it up against her puckered lips. She slowly inhaled the pink morsel, and then offered one to me. Very few words were spoken, but the sexual tension was starting build as we continued to feed each other. When all the shrimp were gone, we went back into the kitchen, where I carved the meat, and Carol filled a silver dish with those green beans that earlier I had conspired to delay. We deliberately kept our portions small, in anticipation of what would come later. When Carol went back into kitchen to get the fresh strawberries and a fondue pot of melted chocolate, I slipped a card and a small wrapped package on her placemat. She squealed with delight when she saw the heart shaped ruby stud earrings.

She quickly put them on and then looked to my eyes as she placed a strawberry dripping with chocolate up against my lips. I was about to suck the sweet berry into my mouth, when Carol flashed an impish grin and pulled it back. I forced my face to pout, and she whispered " desert can wait, it is time for your surprise".

We moved to the couch, and our lips met and parted. Our tongues danced together, while my hand pushed aside the first of the Velcro fasteners on her wrap around dress. I had seen hints of it all evening, but now I looked down at her red silk bra trimmed with white lace. The clasp was in the front, and within moments, my lips were lightly teasing first one erect nipple and then the other. She arched her back and pushed her breast deeper into my mouth and groaned. " Suck me harder" she whispered, " but don't stay too long, there is so much more for you to see".

I continued to pull loose the fasteners, and kissed the warm tanned flesh, a little at a time as it appeared, until my mouth was over her belly button. Carol pushed me back and said " Bob, take your clothes off." Normally, in our love play, she would have done that for me, but there was urgency in her voice and I did not complain.

Carol shed the rest of her dress, and stood up dressed only in a pair of red silk panties with white lace that matched the bra. I stood next to her, completely naked and looked into her bright blue eyes. She put her arms around me and started to hug me. My erect penis, already dripping with clear fluid poked up against her. She laughed and reached down and gave it a little tug. I bent my head down and we kissed. Our bodies were warm from the burning wood in the fireplace, but the heat that built between our bodies was from a passion that could only be fueled by love.

The air was strong from the scent of perfume, and the sweet tangy smell of her arousal. She pulled her lips off mine and said " do remember how we did it the first time".

I nodded and led her around to the back of the couch. She bent over with her breasts pushed into the fabric, and offered me her red silk covered butt so that I could slip the panties down over her hips. No matter how many times I had performed this simple act of undressing a women, seeing those twin globe emerge into the open air, and being exposed, completely vulnerable to my gaze and desires, always excited me. As the pale un-tanned skin started in emerge, I gasped and from deep in my throat came the sounds of "Oh, My God "

Carol did not move except to look over her shoulder and say " Happy Valentines Day, darling."

On her left cheek, where her modest bikini had protected the creamy skin from sun and prying eyes of voyeurs, was a tattoo. Two small hearts snuggled next to each other. They were colored a bright red, and on one, at the top of the curve, was a small white nurse's cap, and on the other was a taller chef's hat. I started to speak, but nothing else came out. Carol wiggled her butt from side to side, and said " so you like it, huh? " I started to say something, but she quickly said " I'll answer all your questions later, but right now, there is something running down my leg, so could we just ...." and her voice trailed off as I bent down and kissed her tattoo.

From the tattoo, my kisses slowly moved across to the other cheek, and I slowly parted the twin globes and run my tongue down between them. I was just about to stop at her brown eye when Carol bucked a little and knocked me off course. She said " darling, you know how much I like that, but we better skip that part until after our shower. The very last thing I want this weekend is a vaginal infection."

The tip of my tongue touched that sensitive spot between the two openings, and Carol started to moan. I continued my way down, stopping briefly between the lips of her vulva, and then I dragged it back and forth over her engorged clitoris. There was in fact a little drip traveling down her left leg, and I caught up with it just above her knee. I slurped the slightly pungent liquid, and then slowly dragged my to tongue back up her leg and across the sensitive skin on her inner thigh, and back to her vagina. The lips of her vulva hung down like rose petals and because they were swollen they were slightly parted, and her clitoris looked like the stamen. I continued kissing my way up and down those lips and finally I stopped at her clitoris. I sucked it into my mouth and teased it with my tongue while my beard brushed against her soft inner thighs. Suddenly she started bucking and I had to wrap my arms around her legs to hold on.

"Oh God .. I need you inside me now " she wailed. I stood up, parted her lips with my thumbs and with one thrust, my penis was buried deep inside her. I wanted to wait a moment to savor the feeling, and Carol remained very quiet and motionless.

Finally she whispered the greeting that I heard at her doorway a few hours earlier," welcome home, Bob, it's been a long two weeks." We started that slow familiar rhythm of thrust and counter thrust that we had perfected over the past several months. I Could feel that deep ache in my groin, and my penis felt like it was going burst, but I was determined to have her climax first. I tried to slow down until I heard first her panting and then her cries. When she started to buck, I quickly sucked one of my fingers and pushed it into her brown eye. The pulsating ripples of her vaginal walls were enough to push me over the edge. After those two final involuntary thrusts that occur when the body takes over and finishes the task, I fell forward on to her sweaty back. After a few moments I kissed her neck and suggested a hot shower.

We stood under the hot water and fondled each other. Then we made sure that every inch of our bodies was covered with mounds and mounds of soapsuds. Just as the water started to cool, I turned her around and started kissing her on the neck, and trailed little kisses down her spine until I came to the double hearts that glistened on her cheek. In spite of my age, my penis was starting to respond, and I remembered what was supposed to happen as soon as we were squeaky clean. But before I could launch that assault on Carol's brown eye, the hot water gave out. We briefly discussed the two options, of running wet and naked to the hot tub, or drying off and going to bed. Unlike last summer when we acted like two sex crazed teenagers, we decided this time that we would take a nap.

When I woke, I was alone in bed, and for a brief moment, I was afraid that I was still in New Orleans and Valentine's Day had been just a dream. I exhaled a sigh as when I heard Carol's soft voice sing out, " look what I found in the den".

She was pushing a little teacart and on top was a fondue pot filled with warm melted chocolate and next to the pot was a plate of strawberries, and two long stem roses in a crystal vase. We lay in bed and fed each other, while Carol explained that she had wanted to surprise me with a tattoo since last year, and it was supposed to be a Christmas Gift. But she learned that it would take two weeks to heal enough to withstand vigorous rubbing, and the way our sex life was going, that was not an option if she was going keep it a secret. So when I told her that I was going to been out of town, she made the appointment to have it done right after my plane took off.

I reached down and gently caressed her bare thigh, and ran lazy circles around the twin hearts. I asked her about the design, and she said " well, I'll always be a Nurse," and then with a grin on her face she said " and if I decide to dump you, I'll just make sure the next guy is a great cook."

I sat up and pulled her across my lap, and lay my hand on her bare butt, and with an evil smirk on my face, I said " maybe we should see if it giggles when I spank you".

She looked over her shoulder, and said, " Bob, be careful, I just might like it". But, that is another story.