A Place to Call Home

I was a little taken aback by Jill's sudden change in demeanor, to say the least, and stared at her for a few seconds in shock and disbelief.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Where did that come from?"

She looked really confused, as she dismounted me and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I have no idea why I started acting like that." she said quietly, as I sat up and put my arm around her shoulder. "It just popped out of my mouth."

"It could have something to do with your real identity." I suggested. "You also said to take you around the world. It wasn't the first time you've used that expression, either. You did it yesterday too."

"I did?" she asked in surprise. "I don't remember saying that, I'm sorry."

"Around the world is a sex act." I mused. "And you just got really weird during sex. I wonder if there's a connection. It's definitely something to look into. Every time you say, 'take me around the world,' it seems very familiar. It'll come to me at some point, I'm sure.

"For now though, let's rinse off in the shower and get dressed. I'll take you into town and buy you some clothes, so you don't feel like you're wearing hand me downs. Maybe we can wander around the mall a bit too."

Jill brightened.

"Okay! That would be nice, but you don't have to buy me new clothes, Jack." Jill responded. "I don't mind wearing Ann's things, unless you don't want me to."

"I didn't mean for it to sound that way." I said quietly. "I just didn't want you feeling like I was trying to..."

My voice trailed off, and I felt my eyes burning. I dropped my head, and Jill put her arms around me. I put my face on her shoulder and cried, as I thought about Ann and how much I still missed her.

"Ssh." she said soothingly. "It's okay. I know you miss her and I don't mind wearing her clothes, Jack."

"It's just so nice to see someone wearing them again." I replied, lifting my head and wiping my eyes. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Jill said with a smile. "We all have baggage. Look at me; I probably have an entire baggage CAR somewhere!"

I smiled back at her and chuckled at her comment.

"Okay." I replied.

"C'mon, let's get back in the shower and get cleaned up, and then we'll get dressed and you can take me to the mall. You don't have to get me anything, but if you see something you really think would look good on me, I'm up for that, okay?"

"Sounds good." I answered with a smile.

We finished showering and dressed, and Jill looked in the mirror.

"Did Ann have any makeup?" she inquired.

"Yes, she kept it in the cabinet here." I responded.

I retrieved the makeup kit and handed it to Jill, who took it with a smile.

"I'll be down in a few minutes." she said. "If you're going to take me out, I want to look nice."

"Okay." I said with a nod. "I can deal with that."

We both smiled, and Jill began searching through the colors. I left her and went downstairs and turned the TV on, to catch up on the news while I was waiting.

"Still no official report yet from Los Angeles, regarding the massive explosion last Friday, that killed five people, including former porn star, Sylvia Silverstar." the newsman said. "Police and fire investigation units are still poring through the wreckage looking for clues. Now to Brett for the traffic. What's going on out there, Brett?"

"Silvia Silverstar..." I muttered, as I turned the TV off. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

I didn't have time to reflect on it, as I heard Jill call out to me as she descended the open log stairs.

"I'm all ready, Jack!" she said brightly.

I met her in the foyer area, and was stunned at how incredibly beautiful she was with makeup on. She was attractive without it, but drop dead gorgeous with a full face and lipstick. She looked like a runway model. An older runway model, but stunning nonetheless.

"You, you look amazing!" I finally managed to blurt out. "You're beautiful, Jill!"

She beamed at the compliment.

"Thank you." she replied. "I feel different now too, all made up like this. I feel like a new person, Jack."

"That's great!" I said with a smile. "Maybe you can be."

"How so?"

"What if you don't get your memory back?" I explained. "You'll have to become a new person. You may even have a whole different personality as Jill, than you did before."

"Well, in the meantime, I like this me!" Jill exclaimed.

"Me too." I agreed. "Now, let's go to the mall. I'll bet you won't find another guy who likes to window shop."

"Get out!" she said with a laugh. "Really?"

"Yup. Used to drive Ann nuts." I replied, as I picked up my keys. "It's usually the other way around."

Forty five minutes later, we were in the city and looking for a place to park near the mall. Since it was a weekday, it wasn't too bad, and I found a space fairly close to one of the entrances. We walked arm in arm into the mall and I nodded at a security guard.

"Morning!" I greeted him.

"Hey yourself!" he said back. "Y'all have a great day."

"You as well." I responded, as we continued to the main, oval corridor that circled the mall like a racetrack.

"Do you know him?" Jill inquired.

"No," I replied in a somewhat surprised tone, "why?"

"You said hello like you knew him." she said. "I was just wondering."

"That's something we do here in the South." I explained. "Did you see me waving at every car we passed on the way in, until we got into town? We do that too, out in the country. You'll notice as we're walking around, as you come up to someone, they'll nod or say 'hey,' just Crocodile Dundee did in New York."

"That will take some getting used to." Jill mused. "Somehow, I don't think I used to do that."

"If you're from Cali, I would tend to agree." I said, as I squeezed her waist. "C'mon, let's see what is just begging to be bought."

We spent the next hour or so, stopping into stores and poking around. I bought Jill a bath set, but we still hadn't seen anything that she might like to wear. I was beginning to get hungry, so I made a suggestion.

"We're coming up on the food court." I said. "Wanna get something to eat?"

"Sure!" she said enthusiastically. "I'm starved!"

"What do you want?" I inquired. "There's all kinds of food here."

"Burger and fries, if that's okay." she responded.

"Of course it is." I said accommodatingly. "I'll get a chicken sandwich, so let's go over here to the Burger Shack. They have both."

"Okay." Jill agreed. Sounds good."

We stood in line and decided what we wanted and placed our orders.

"You take the food and find a table." Jill suggested. "I'll get the napkins and stuff."

"Sounds good to me." I replied.

I found a table and sat down, turning the tray sideways, so we could share it. She returned a minute or so later with everything and sat next to me instead of across. I shrugged and turned the tray back again.

"Is it okay if we sit next to each other?" she asked. "It just seemed natural."

"Sure, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting it." I answered.

Jill smiled, and began unwrapping her burger. Suddenly, she let out a shriek, dropped the burger to the tray and stood up. She stared at the sandwich as though it were some sort of monster, breathing heavily and clutching her chest. Heads immediately turned, and dozens of curious eyes were fixed on us.

I stood up and put my arms around her, holding her tightly, as people continued to stare. I glared at the audience in return.

"What's wrong with you?" I demanded. "Haven't you ever seen someone with PTSD before?"

People turned away in shame and embarrassment at my outburst, but I needed to find out what had caused Jill's.

"Are you okay, Sweetheart?" I asked quietly.

She nodded and turned bright red.

"I'm so sorry!" she said contritely. "I don't know what happened."

"Well, sit down, and we'll work through it." I said soothingly. "Something about that burger set you off, like it was going to bite you or something. I know it's called the Monster Burger, but it's not meant to be taken literally."

Jill smiled and chuckled. We both sat back down, and she continued staring at the burger.

"Would you like my chicken sandwich instead?" I inquired.

She nodded and we swapped. She took a bite and smiled.

"This is good." she said happily. "I guess I should have gotten it instead."

"No." I said, shaking my head. "What just happened was important. Something about that burger set you off, just like having sex did. We just need to try and figure out why. You've obviously been through a really traumatic experience, and something about unwrapping a hamburger triggered a response.

"You apparently like hamburgers or you wouldn't have ordered one. Do you remember the last time you ate one?"

Jill shook her pretty blonde head.

"No." she said regretfully. "I still can't remember anything."

"Whatever happened to you was so traumatic that you lost your memory." I observed. "And somehow, eating a hamburger may have something to do with it. I was a detective for many years, Jill. I've solved a lot of cases and I've written crime stories about some of them, but I've never come across a case like yours before. It's baffling, but at the same time, it's a challenge. And there are so many things about you that are so familiar to me for some reason. I just can't put my finger on it yet. I will though! I know I will, but for the moment, it's driving me nuts."

"Imagine what it's doing to me." she said ruefully. "At least I have you looking out for me. I'm thankful to have met you, Jack. I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't found me on the side of the road. I'd probably either be dead by now or in a hospital somewhere, being grilled about who I am."

She sighed deeply and sadly.

"Maybe someday I'll remember who I am." she mused. "At least for now, I'm happy to be Jill."

I smiled, and we stood up so I could dump the tray.

"Ready?"

Jill nodded happily.

"Then let's go." I urged. "We've only covered half of this mall. There's still a lot of windows to peer in, and stores to drop into. Don't forget your bag."

Jill picked up the plastic bag with her bath soaps and shampoo, and smiled.

"Thank you, Jack. For everything."

I put my arm around her and escorted her back into the main corridor. We continued peeking through windows and walking into various shops, and then, I saw it. It was an outfit on a mannequin, complete with a wide-brimmed hat and matching shoes.

"Jill!" I said, pointing excitedly. "Look at that!"

Her gaze fell upon the dress, and she nodded.

"I love it!" she bubbled. "Let's go in!"

We entered the store and were greeted by a pleasant woman in her late twenties or so.

"Good afternoon." she said politely. "Are you looking for anything in particular, or just browsing?"

"My friend and I really like that dress, hat and shoes." I said, pointing at the window display. "That whole outfit. We were just browsing until we saw it. I'd like to get it for her."

The clerk looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry, but they're not for sale." she explained. "We have shoes of course, but that dress and sunhat are just a display. This is a shoe store."

I suddenly realized it was in fact, a shoe store and not a clothing store. I had completely missed that when I saw the dress and hat! Jill and I looked at each other, and the disappointment on both our faces was obvious.

"I have some good news for you though," the woman continued with a smile. "It's on loan from Warehouse One over there. If they have that dress and hat in your size, and I'm sure they will, you come back here and buy the shoes from me, okay?"

"Deal!" I said excitedly. "Come on Jill! Let's go look. Thank you!"

Sure enough, they did in fact have both the dress and hat in Jill's size. She seemed very easy to fit, and I bought her the shoes from the first store to complete the ensemble. She was so excited, that she put the new outfit on to wear home and put Ann's clothes in the bag instead! She seemed to be glowing, and the combination of her attitude, new clothes and beautiful face were very gratifying to see. She was stunning, and I was proud to have her in my arm as we walked back to the car. For all I knew, however, she may have already been someone's trophy wife, with a frantic husband and three kids desperately looking for her.

Something told me that was not the case though, and I was determined more than ever, to get to the bottom of this mystery. I was beginning to get very attached to her, and if she did in fact belong to someone else, I wanted it over as soon as possible, to lessen the pain I was sure to feel if she left.

I hadn't felt this way in a long time; not since Ann's passing, and it was nice to have a woman by my side to go shopping with and to grab lunch with or fix dinner for. I was falling for her, and it would be very difficult to lose her if she was in fact married. I didn't think this was the case though. As a detective, I had been trained to spot certain things. She wasn't wearing a ring, and there was no dent on her finger where one would have been, should it have been stolen from her.

As we passed through the center of the small town that was closest to my house, I got an idea. It was also the county seat, and perhaps the sheriff could help.

"Ann- I mean Jill," I stammered, "what if we stop by the Sheriff's Office and get you fingerprinted? They could see if you're in the system or not. You might have an answer by the end of the day."

"And what if I'm wanted for something?" Jill responded. "I'd be even worse off then. What if I killed someone and that's why I can't remember? I'd rather be wondering who I am and free, than to know who I am and in jail."

"That's a good point." I replied, as I hit the gas. "Let's just go home then."

We got back to the house, and Jill immediately ran upstairs to the full length mirror on the back of the bedroom door. She twirled around in front of the mirror, smiling broadly.

"I love this, Jack." she said. "Thank you."

She turned to me and took the hat off, setting it on the bedpost. She then began unfastening her dress and let it fall to the floor and stepped out of it.

"You've been so wonderful to me." she said quietly. "I want to thank you. Please take your clothes off so I can thank you properly, Jack."

I nodded and began removing my clothes. She led me to the bed and gently pushed me down.

"Lay on your back." she said quietly. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me."

She moved in between my legs, and I knew what was coming. She massaged my cock, and it stiffened almost immediately.

"Do you like to have your penis sucked?" she inquired, as she slowly pumped it with her fist.

"Yes." I managed to croak. "I love to have my penis sucked."

She took it in her warm, wet mouth and began sliding her lips up and down the shaft; sucking it exquisitely. Oh my god, it felt wonderful! I sighed gently, as Jill sucked my cock like an expert. Little did I know, just how much of an expert she actually was! She ran her tongue all around the underside of my penis, flicking it all over my frenulum as she continued sucking it. I could feel my orgasm building, and my breathing increased.

"Does it feel good?" she asked quietly.

"Yes." I replied. "So good, Jill."

"Just relax." she said soothingly.

She took my balls in her left hand and gently massaged them as she continued fellating me. The feeling was intense, and just as my prostate contracted to send a load of semen into my cock, she gently squeezed my testicles. The result was one of the most intense orgasms I've ever experienced! I ejaculated in her mouth and she took it all, swallowing every last spurt and drop. She gently squeezed my nuts again, and used her thumb and forefinger to milk everything out of my urethra. Then, she ran her tongue up the tip of my penis and licked the last glistening drop from the end.

Jill looked at me intently and smiled. She was so beautiful! She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and licked her lips.

"Oh Jack, you taste so sweet!" she murmured. "I could do this to you every day."

"If you do," I sighed, "I don't ever want you to leave. You are so gorgeous, Jill."

She snuggled up against me and put her arms around me, holding me tightly.

"Maybe I shouldn't even try and find out who I am." she offered. "I can just stay here with you and be your Jill."

"But there will be questions." I pointed out. "You won't be able to drive or vote or anything. You need an identity, Jill. Otherwise, you're no different than an illegal alien."

She sighed and nodded.

"I know." she said wistfully. "It was just a thought, that's all."

I reached out and touched the side of her beautiful face with the back of my hand.

"You are so pretty, Jill." I said quietly. "I could fall in love with you so easily."

She smiled at me and nodded.

"I could fall in love with you too." she replied. "I think I may be already."

I smiled back, and tried to wrap my thoughts around what was going on. In less than 36 hours, I had met a beautiful stranger, had sex with her, and now I was falling for her! What was I thinking? What was I doing? So many questions, but at this point, I didn't even care anymore. All I cared about was her, and trying to solve the mystery of who this woman I was calling Jill, really was.

I was more determined than ever, to get to the bottom of this enigma and make sense of everything. I had several clues. Now, I just had to start piecing them together to complete the puzzle. There was just something missing, and it kept nagging at me, like an annoying hunger pang that wouldn't go away. Why was she STILL so damned familiar?!