Meant to Happen

A new day, a new way

Debbie was nowhere to be seen at Union Station, so Tom called her.

"Debbie, I'm back. I thought you were going to pick me up."

"Oh, sorry. Kelly took the van and Kenny took the Jeep, so I don't have any way to get there. Can you catch the bus?" It apparently didn't occur to her to borrow her brother's car even though he lived across the street. Had she even remembered he was gone?

"Did you really just say that?" He clicked off his phone without another word.

Tom was fuming. Sixty hours on a train, and now he had to take the bus for another hour just to get home, pulling his suitcase to boot.

How fucking typical,

he thought.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. She let her brats run roughshod over her and everyone else, so it wasn't out of character for her to let them take both cars at once and leave him hanging. While he didn't want to force her to make choices - him or her kids - he had also grown to resent the idea that his needs were NEVER considered, that he was always the one expected to compromise. He was being used and he hated it.

He used the time on the final trip home to come up with the right words to tell her he was leaving her sorry ass. He tried to convince himself that he was doing it because it was the right thing to do and not because he was leaving her for someone he had just met, but he knew in his heart of hearts that meeting Eileen had finally given him the impetus to actually do it. Whatever his motivation, he needed out.

He had stayed for this long out of a misplaced sense of obligation because of promises made and joint debts incurred, but in practical terms the marriage had really ended years ago and he realized those were excuses for not making the decisions he needed to make. He had known that marrying her was a mistake the very day they tied the knot, and had postponed the inevitable for too long.

The person Debbie had turned out to be was nothing like the one he had been attracted to seven years earlier, and the novelty of her primary asset - she had been a world-class sexual athlete - had worn off quickly in the face of her relentless negativity, her newfound fundamentalist religion, her rapid weight gain, her lack of intelligence and curiosity, and more than anything her spoiled, misbehaving children. It was also difficult to get excited about banging her from behind when her ass resembled twin mountains of cottage cheese, no matter how much she turned on the blowjob machine when she sensed she had pushed him too far. She was still a first class cocksucker, but it was no longer enough to make him forget everything else. He certainly didn't love her, if he ever really had.

He was still seething when he walked in the door. "Debbie? Where are you?" He found her washing the endless supply of dirty laundry her kids generated. She looked up at him.

"We need to talk," he said.

"About what?"

God, is she obtuse. She doesn't have a fucking clue,

he thought.

Telling her he was leaving turned out to be easier than he had anticipated. Her crying and begging were expected, but didn't move him in the least. Fueled by his anger at this latest insult, he laid it all on her in a long, unbroken litany of offenses. While he was far from perfect, they had arrived at this point mostly because of her actions or omissions and he pulled no punches. With her limited ability to comprehend complex ideas, she was convinced he was leaving her solely for another woman.

Let her think what she wants,

he thought.

I just need to get out of here. I need to save myself.

He moved out that weekend and got an apartment close to Pittsburgh, taking with him only what he'd brought to the marriage, plus the Jeep.

As was often the case with new relationships, his with Eileen took off at full speed; they were completely infatuated with each other. The logical part of his brain was telling him to tread lightly because of his past mistakes and the fact that they had just met, but his emotional side was telling him that he had finally found the right one. It was something he just knew intuitively.

Eileen was feeling the same way. They had parted in Wisconsin after a long, deep kiss and a hug neither wanted to end, and she missed him from the moment she had turned away to disembark. They texted each other several times a day, mostly to tell the other how much they missed them. They talked by phone, Skype, or chat nightly, e-mailed endlessly, and continued to share who they were and deepen their knowledge of each other.

She had called her asshole of a boyfriend from La Crosse the day after she arrived and told him that she had had enough of his verbal abuse, his self-centered ways, and his drinking, and that she expected him to be completely out of the condo when she returned in two weeks. She even told him he was lousy in the sack, the final insult to one as filled with phony machismo as he was. She felt rejuvenated; not only had she finally met the man of her dreams, but she had finally shed the last emotional vestiges of a past filled with bad memories.

Three weeks after his return, Tom started his new job with Nike and as planned headed to the corporate campus near Portland for orientation. He took advantage of the Monday start to go two days earlier, giving him more time with Eileen.

Eileen kept her promise to be waiting and was standing just outside the security area at the airport when he arrived. Even though it was Saturday, she had dressed for the occasion. Fall days in the Pacific Northwest were chilly, so she was wearing a dark knee-length skirt and tan silk blouse, a short brown leather jacket, and boots that reached the hem of the skirt. Her thin frame made her look taller than she was, and dressed as she was she turned men's heads.

Girl, you're acting like a teenager with her first crush,

she thought, and smiled.

And I feel like a teenager,

she answered herself.

It's wonderful.

At six feet and 200 pounds he was bigger than most other people, and when she spotted him from a hundred feet away her heart leaped. He locked eyes with her at the same time and impatiently hustled his way through the crowd.

Holy shit, she's the most gorgeous women within a hundred miles,

he thought to himself.

She's a vision.

Without ever breaking his gaze, he made a beeline for her and she leaped into his arms, crushing her lips against his and holding him as tightly as she could. They might as well have been alone despite the sea of people flowing around them; they were unaware of anything else in the world except each other. Their kiss lasted an eternity and neither wanted to end it. They finally put a few inches between their faces.

"Hello, cake," he said jokingly.

"Hello, ice cream," she answered, and they both smiled at the memory of the conductor's words on the train. They kissed again, then turned and walked arm-in-arm toward baggage claim.

They maintained some kind of physical contact all the way through baggage claim and out the door to the parking lot, talking the whole time. The simile the conductor had used was quite apt; they were as natural a couple as could be imagined. Eileen led him to her car, a red Lexus IS, and handed him the key fob.

"You drive," she told him with a wide smile. "I want to spend my time looking at you." He opened her door for her while she entered the car - he was a gentleman of the old school, something else she noted about him - then walked around and settled into the drivers' seat. He took a moment to adjust the seat and mirrors and orient himself to the controls.

"Nice wheels," he noted.

"Thanks," she said absently. He was the focus of all her attention.

He had lived in Portland for several years before moving to Pittsburgh and came back frequently, so he knew his way around. Leaving the airport and merging onto I-205, he reflected on the city's beautiful locale.

"I really miss Portland," he told her. "I'm sorry I ever left."

"It'll be waiting for you when you're ready to return. So will I." She leaned to her left and gave his ear lobe a playful nibble, which gave him goose bumps. He loved that.

He glanced across at her. "I can't believe you came into my life," he told her with a smile. He merged onto I-84 toward downtown.

"And to think it was all because two old people wanted to sit together," she answered. "I wish I had gotten their name so I could send them a thank you card."

He took her left hand in his right and lifted it to his lips, gently kissing her fingers. "I love that about you," she said. "You take me back to a time when men were gentlemen, and you do it without patronizing me."

"I call it respect," he answered.

She settled back into her seat and pondered his words.

Respect

. That was what had been missing from her life before Tom,

respect

. Men had professed their love for her, but without respect, their words had meant nothing. That's what made this man different.

"Penny for your thoughts."

"Oh dear, that's as lame as the lines I used on you when we met," she said with a smile.

"I guess it was," he replied with a chuckle. "You just look lost in thought."

"You said something that really hit home for me."

"What's that?"

"'Respect'. You respect me, and I don't know that any man ever has before this." She sat up and turned a bit toward him, looking at him intently, and took his right hand in both of hers.

"I need to tell you something."

"You can tell me anything."

"I've been thinking about this a lot lately, but I'm not sure how to say it. Since I met you, I've felt like a new person. You've brought out something in me I didn't think was there any more. But I don't want you to...I...I..." She struggled to turn her feelings into words and held his hand to her lips.

"Eileen."

"What?"

"I love you too." He glanced over at her. "I fell in love with you before you got off the train in La Crosse."

Her eyes welled up again as her emotions overwhelmed her and she wiped at them with her fingers.

"I hope those are tears of joy," he said anxiously.

"More than you know," came her choked reply. "More than you know."

**********************************

They finally arrived at her condo in an upscale section of Beaverton, a Portland suburb and home of Nike's corporate headquarters. She unlocked the door to let them in, and before she took another step Tom swept her up in his arms and carried her through the opening as she laughed, easily handling her 108 pound body. He left his suitcase on the porch.

"You are so old fashioned sometimes," she jokingly scolded him. It was actually part of his appeal and she loved him even more for it.

"Nothing is too good for m'lady," he replied in his best British accent, setting her gently back on her feet and looking around her home.

He gave a low whistle. "Wow, you have a seriously nice place here."

"Why, thank you. I like it." Like many places in Portland, it was designed to take in the breathtaking scenery around it, with an open floorplan style and large windows that framed the greenery that surrounded the complex. She had designed the interior with mostly modern touches, including comfortable, albeit low, seating and the stainless steel and granite kitchen preferred by people their age. Tasteful art decorated the walls, along with several framed pictures of what he took to be her son, Derrick, at various ages. She had cleansed the place of any signs of her former boyfriend.

Eileen had removed her coat and tossed it on the arm of a chair. "Let me give you the five dollar tour," she said, taking him by the hand and leading him toward the rear of the place. "You've seen the great room and kitchen. This is office space," she said, indicating a small room with a desk, chair, and computer printer, "and the downstairs bathroom." They continued up the stairs at the end of the hall to the second floor.

"All the bedrooms are up here, and so are my washer and dryer. The guest bathroom is right there," she said, pointing. "And finally, the master suite." She led him into a large room with an en suite bathroom.

The room was like her, elegant and tastefully appointed. Large sliding doors opened to a deck, and the king sized bed was surrounded by just enough furniture to make the place useful. He was impressed.

"You have fabulous taste," he told her. When he turned toward her he saw that she was unbuttoning her silk blouse and smiling at him. He walked to her. "And you taste fabulous..." he said quietly as his hands went to her hips and he kissed her gently but insistently. She stopped undressing long enough to hold his face in her hands for a few seconds.

"You are the sweetest man in the world," she said as they broke their kiss. "I can't believe I found you."

He struggled to find the right words as his own emotions swirled. "I can't imagine what my life would have been if we hadn't found each other. It's like...like..."

"Shhhhhh. Later," she whispered as she kissed him again. She sat for a minute on a bench at the foot of the bed to shed her boots, then stood and unzipped her skirt, dropping it on the floor and stepping out of it. She finished removing her blouse and added it to the pile next to her, leaving her in a white lace bra and matching French-cut panties. She looked amazing and his body responded accordingly.

"Oh. My. God. You are a vision of perfection," he told her as he reached for her.

"First things first, mister," she joshed. "I want what's under all those clothes." She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and let it drop to the floor, then reached for his shirt buttons. "Come on, strip." While she unbuttoned his shirt he slipped off his shoes with the alternate foot and did all the unbuckling and unzipping necessary to shed his pants. Reaching down to pull off his socks, he was left in the boxer briefs he'd worn that day.

She took a sharp, short breath. "You are so damn handsome," she said with admiration. "And what a body."

He knew he was in good physical condition, but it had been a while since a beautiful woman had expressed that opinion. He actually blushed slightly and she giggled.

"Are you embarrassed?" she asked.

"Yeah, a little, I guess. You're the first person to say that in a very long time."

"Your ex was an idiot, then. Come here," she commanded, holding out her arms. Instead he swept her up in his arms again and laid her gently on the bed, then leaned over for a long, gentle kiss. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. He eased his weight onto the bed next to her as they kissed, letting his hand wander down her side, over her hip, and onto her thigh before moving back up and cupping the cheek of her perfect ass.

Without breaking their kiss, his hand slowly moved up her back to the clasp on her lace bra, and with expert fingers he unhooked it with one hand without looking. She pulled her face back and smiled at him.

"You're pretty good at that, fella. That was smooth." He smiled in reply as she slipped it off her shoulders and arms, then rolled back to face him. They kissed again.

Her own hands were also busy as they kissed, alternately stroking his strong shoulders and back and running down his side to feel his ass and hip. She slipped her hand under the waistband of his boxer briefs and felt his skin.

What a man,

she thought,

and he's mine.

She broke their kiss again and gently pushed him onto his back, then pushed herself up to her knees next to him. Scooting herself on the bed until she was at his knees, she reached for the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down as he lifted his ass to let her pull them off. The sight of his semi-erect member sent chills down her spine as she recalled what he was capable of doing with it. She hopped off the bed and quickly removed her white panties and rejoined him, orienting herself in the opposite direction.

Tom recognized what she wanted and was ready as she straddled him, her pussy right above his face. He wrapped his arms up and over her and grasped her delightfully tiny ass as he buried his face into her hot box and immediately began licking her. She gasped with pleasure at the feel of his mouth on her, then eased her weight onto him and grasped his shaft, running her tongue along its entire length before taking it fully into her mouth. She drew her knees up to bring her pussy into greater contact with his face as her lips moved up and down his cock.

Holy shit, is he good at this,

she fleetingly thought with a slight moan from the back of her throat.

He really knows what I like, even without me telling him.

Tom was in his glory. He loved to eat pussy, and when it belonged to this perfect woman it was even better. Her juices coated his face as he ran his tongue the length of her slit, occasionally inserting his tongue into her canal or alternately flicking her clit with its tip. He felt her shudder more than once as he ate her, making love to every square inch of her most intimate parts. He loved the taste of her and wanted more.

Eileen was no slouch as a lover either. Her light weight burdened him not at all, so she didn't have to keep her weight off of him and could focus on pleasing him. He had already reached peak hardness, and she marveled at the sight and feel of his shaft. She knew how to use her hands, lips, and tongue to excite him yet keep him from the final release. Their bodies were as one, a natural sculpture of flesh and blood, of heart and soul and mind.

In one movement, she lifted he mouth from him and brought her legs back to one side. Continuing around, she reversed her orientation and moved over him again, this time straddling his midsection and putting her hands on his muscular chest.

"I want all of you, and now," she said in a low, sultry tone. With her right hand she reached between her legs and grasped his erection, then guided it into her hot wetness and settled all the way onto it. Her eyes closed in pleasure and she sighed.

"Oh damn yes," she said, "just like that." She opened her eyes and locked her vision on his face, bending forward to kiss him as she moved slowly up and down his shaft. His hands surrounded her back and moved with her delicious body.

She broke the kiss and sat partway up, and he could see all of her moving on him. "Mygawd, you are the most beautiful woman in the world," he said, her hands on his and their fingers interlocked. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered softly, leaning forward for yet another in an endless succession of deep kisses.

The sensation of her sliding up and down on his cock was overwhelming, and he involuntarily began thrusting against her whenever she came down. She responded by ever so slightly by quickening her pace a bit with each stroke until their bodies slapped together in an erotic rhythm. She could feel her orgasm quickly approaching, the blood engorging her entire midsection, until with a final hard thrust she pressed herself against him as her body released its tension in wave after wave of pure pleasure.

Within seconds he also reached the point of no return and pressed further into her as he filled her with his hot juice, his hands gripping hers as spasm after spasm shook him. A fine layer of sweat coated their faces and bodies even in the cool bedroom as she dropped forward onto him and locked his lips in the kind of kiss only she could give.

Winded and spent, Eileen finally rolled off of Tom and lay next to him, her head on his chest and his arm around her. They both drifted into a contented light sleep.

**********************************

After a short nap, Tom and Eileen had showered together in her enormous bathroom, gently scrubbing each other from head to toe and spending much time with lips locked.

I will never get tired of feeling her body in my hands,

he mused as he lathered every inch of her decidedly sexy self.