Ann: the Married Years

To my faithful readers, this is the beginning of the promised sequel to 'Ann: A Love Story'. You'll find it's written from a different perspective (switching from first to third person), allowing for more character development and personal interaction. It also helps to give more of Ann's viewpoint, in her own voice. The format is also going to be a bit more varied, covering the relationship of Ann and Neil as they grow together as a married couple over a much broader timeframe; hence the title 'The Married Years'.

For those who have not read the first series, it would probably help to do so, as the plotline and characters would make much more sense.

Enjoy!

© 2014, All rights reserved - mimaster

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The alarm clock was going off way too early, and she struggled to find the snooze button. By the time she found it, it was too late; she was awake.

It had been so long since Ann had to use one that she was a little disoriented at first. Fumbling for the switch, she turned it off, staring at the ceiling in the dark.

"God... did I get

any

sleep last night?" she wondered, feeling her body rejecting the notion of getting out of bed. Every movement caused her to ache, her muscles sore and fatigued. It seemed so much better to just lie still in the futile hope she could get some much needed rest.

Yet she got up, albeit slowly. Putting on her robe, she began trudging toward the hallway that led to the kitchen, wanting to start a pot of coffee. But not before catching her dim reflection in the mirror of her new dresser as she passed by, the sight making her cringe.

"Damn, I look like hell," she moaned as she attempted to escape the bedroom. Taking an awkward step, she bumped her hip into the doorframe, letting out a loud cry. "AHHH... I

feel

like hell too!"

She grumbled when her feet hit the cold linoleum of the kitchen portion of the great room. Normally she loved being barefoot in the house, unless of course she was wearing a pair of heels. She'd forgotten how freezing that part of the floor could be so early in the morning. And it was early; a little after six, the sun still a half-hour from rising. It would be two more hours until those rays got around to warming the kitchen floor like it would have been when she usually got up.

And that in itself was odd. Ann had always considered herself a morning person. But that had changed over the last three months, mainly because Neil was more of a night owl, and she loved being with him. Plus, she wasn't working, at least not in the traditional sense. She'd spent the first few months of their marriage getting the house the way she wanted. Well, as best she could; she was attempting to transform it into their home, but there wasn't really a set schedule involved.

The closing on the house had just become final two days before, on the last Saturday of the month; the sale of the stock from her former company taking less time than either one of them expected. It helped that they didn't have to wait for the perfect timing to sell it, what with the generous wedding gifts they'd received. That allowed them to cash in her shares a little sooner than they figured they would be able to when they originally came up with the idea to use the proceeds as a down payment on the home.

They also lucked out. When the sale finally went through, the market was on an upswing. Neil had been diligently following the stock every day in the paper, hoping to get as much value as they could. And they did... at least, within reason. The shares were not quite at an all time high when the sale finally went through, but it was close. And that money came in handy.

They were able to close on the house with the down payment they budgeted, and still have plenty left over to use to pay off furniture they purchased on credit and to buy furnishings. And that was even with having to account for a large sum of the stock money having to go toward taxes. They'd also made enough that they wouldn't have to touch their nest egg, those monies coming as wedding gifts. All in all, they were off to a great start in their marriage, at least financially.

Relationship wise, the beginning had been a bit rockier. It was the normal things one would expect in a marriage where the two people involved had barely dated. Still, it was something neither one of them really expected. It wasn't like the honeymoon was over after just three months. They hadn't even had the actual honeymoon yet. But things weren't as perfect as either of them hoped they would be.

They weren't really fighting. But they'd had one; the first official argument of their marriage, happening three weeks prior on a Friday afternoon. And once again it was suddenly fresh in her mind as she poured water into the coffee maker. For whatever reason, she couldn't get that night out of her head. But at least this time she knew why. Her sore body was doing the reminding for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As arguments go, it had been a doozy, the two of them going toe to toe... over wall hangings of all things. She'd never heard him raise his voice to her before. Then again, she'd never heard herself saying the things she'd said toward him, especially in the way she had. To make matters worse, she was the one that started it all. He had only responded to how she had acted.

Neil had been adamant about living up to the letter of the rental contract they'd signed, unwilling to put any holes in the walls just to hang what she'd purchased. He said he'd signed the agreement, giving his pledge they'd abide by it until they actually owned the home. Ann, on the other hand, had grown impatient, thinking that since the closing was literally just a few of weeks from going through, there was no harm in going ahead and getting started.

The disagreement became so bad that Neil actually took the hammer with him to work, knowing that she'd be pounding nails out of spite as soon as he left. At that point, he feared the holes she might put in the drywall would be hammer shaped from swinging so hard in anger, making things even worse.

She watched him peel out of the driveway in his Nissan through the front window, knowing he was fuming about the way she'd acted. He hadn't even bothered to kiss her goodbye, the first time that had ever happened since they moved to West Virginia. That ate at her, the feeling growing worse after the sun set a couple hours later. It was dark, and she was alone for the night, what with him now working second shift. Somehow, being pitch-black outside made the fact that they hadn't made up before he left seem even worse to her.

Having become more rational with time to think, she knew he'd been right. She had no right to complain about not being able to hang anything other than the window treatments they'd bought, which were allowed in the contract. While she didn't see the harm in putting up a couple of pictures, from a technical standpoint they didn't own the house yet. And that was the sticking point. Neil was a man of his word, and he said he'd given it when he signed on the dotted line. She loved him for that quality. But in the heat of the moment she lost sight of that, wanting her way.

That was one of her biggest flaws, really. She knew it all too well, and she'd always struggled with it. Try as she might, she could be extremely impatient. Neil, on the other hand, seemed to be able to wait forever, not matter the circumstance, almost as if he didn't care. And that gnawed at her from time to time. It was an area where they were opposite, not unlike where one of them was a night owl while the other was a morning person. It was one of many little things they'd found out about each other in those first few months; things they never got the chance to figure out in the courting stage, because there hadn't been one. Only this was one that bugged her.

While there were so many things that they'd discovered that they loved about each other, it was only human nature that there would be one or two that they didn't particularly care for. Learning how to deal with them was all part of making their marriage work. And that was the point. It was

work

to make a relationship grow. It just didn't happen. Fate could bring two people together, but it wouldn't make things stick if you didn't make an effort.

Halfway through that night, Ann grabbed the phone to call Neil at work. Walking into the center of the living room, she dialed, hoping to say she was sorry. She knew that she had been out of line, and the fact that they didn't kiss when he left made her sick to her stomach. But he didn't answer, forcing her to leave a message. Falling into despair, she dropped to the floor in the middle of the room.

Things got worse when his supervising partner Thelma answered the phone in the office an hour later; the fifth time she had called to leave yet another message. Thelma told her that he wasn't avoiding her. He was just having big production issues on the floor and he couldn't get away long enough to talk. Ann couldn't help but wonder if she'd contributed to those work problems by sending him off in such a horrible mood. And it was obvious he was, since Thelma hadn't seemed surprised in their conversation.

Ann knew that part of the problem was that she hadn't gotten used to him working second shift yet. He'd been on the shift for a week, and it had been a big change for both of them. While it didn't seem like it would be that big of an obstacle when she looked at it logically, living it was different, especially as the week went on.

She also knew that she was becoming increasingly bored at home when Neil was at work. She'd spent the first couple of months fixing up the house... as much as she could. She bought lots of things for it, and she was grateful that he had been so open-minded when it came to her purchases. He loved everything she picked out as far as decorations, and it made her feel empowered that he trusted her so much with such things.

But now she couldn't do the things she wanted to do. It wasn't just that she couldn't put up pictures; she wasn't allowed to paint or wallpaper either. And with it still being winter, there wasn't anything she could do outside as far as landscaping; something else she longed to do. She loved the house, but it still didn't feel like a home to her yet. To make matters worse, with Neil at work in the evenings, she had all kinds of idle time to do those things, but she couldn't because of the restrictions the rental agreement put on her.

Thinking in her mind that she was wasting time and they were so close to actually closing, everything came to a head, and she lashed out at him in a ridiculous moment of stubbornness. Now, she couldn't take back what she'd said, and based on the conversation she'd had with Thelma, there was no way to apologize until he came home. As she sat on the floor in the dark, unable to talk to him and too depressed to get up, she started to cry. For the first time since she got married, she felt alone there.

Sure, there was Carol and Heather. They were two people she considered friends. Close ones. But she'd been so consumed with doing things around the house the first two months whenever Neil was at work, and being a domestic goddess for him when he was home, she hadn't had a chance to meet anyone else. But Heather was at work, and Carol had gone out of town to visit one of her sisters. With the three hour time difference, it was actually too

early

to call any of her friends in California. None of that seemed to matter at the moment. They wouldn't have helped. The problem was her best friend, her husband, was mad at her.

She sobbed uncontrollably, upset that she'd angered Neil to the point that he felt the need to leave for work early... not even bothering to pack a dinner. He never allowed her to do that for him, telling her he didn't want to be mothered. It was his way of making sure he didn't take her for granted. She found it endearing, knowing he never wanted to give her the impression that because she didn't have a job, he expected her to do those kinds of things. If anything, he was the opposite; going out of his way to make sure that he did his part. He even insisted they share the cooking duties.

That made the argument all the worse. He was such a great husband to her, and it was over something so silly. And it was something she created, unwilling to accept 'no' for an answer, and unable to let things go once they got heated. Hell, she provided the heat. When she thought about how he reacted, she kicked herself. He tried so hard not to get mad, looking for a way to reason with her. She smiled a little, thinking about how patient he'd been as she badgered him, right up to the point where he got so upset he was shaking. Then, instead of escalating things, he simply left, taking the hammer with him.

She finally calmed down, but she remained there in the dark, in the same spot she landed, staring out the window to where his car had been. It was almost like she was punishing herself. She just sat, and thought. First about the argument, and then about the man she loved. Ann was no different than a lot of women; sometimes a good cry could be a very cathartic experience. Once she had a chance to clear her head, her heart opened.

With the true feelings for her husband suddenly reaffirmed, she felt a peace come over her in the quiet. It had just been an argument. It certainly wouldn't be their last. As upset as he was, she knew in her heart he loved her. That wasn't going to change.

That led to moments of reflection about the bond they shared, the love they had for one another. As her mood improved with the passing minutes her thoughts soon turned to sex. As odd as it seemed, that was just how her mind was wired. Every time she thought about how much she loved him, it seemed to stir carnal feelings deep inside her soul.

Erotic scenes began to flash through her mind; images of what they'd shared in the short time they'd been married. She closed her eyes for a moment, a chronological list of sorts forming. It was a habit she had when her brain locked on a subject; her overwhelming need to be organized invading what should have been random thoughts. While she didn't think of

every

sexual encounter they'd had since they'd lived there, she was certainly daydreaming of the highlights. And those highlights seemed to revolve around their Sundays.

Sunday was the day Ann and Neil had promised to each other; the day they were going to set aside each week to make sure they stayed connected as a couple. She knew that at some point, their lives together would eventually become more 'normal'. It was impossible to believe that they could continue the non-stop sexual thrill ride they'd enjoyed since they first met. Yes, there would indeed come a time when they'd go a day or two... or longer, without sex. Foreseeing that, she suggested they pick a day each week to commit to each other. That day became Sunday partly because that's the day it was when they'd decided on it. It also made the most logical sense.

They'd been liberal with the idea of 'Sunday', though. They'd often start sometime on Saturday, and it always ran until they got out of bed Monday morning. Ann loved the idea that they weren't limited to just twenty-four hours, and Neil was thrilled that he didn't have to keep looking at a clock, waiting for some buzzer to go off. As Ann began mentally checking off the Sunday's they'd shared since they moved, she found herself filling with joy.

"What did we do that first Sunday?" she asked herself, quickly finding the day in her head. A wry smile appeared, her eyes still closed. "Oh yeah... he tied me up."

That first Sunday was one that started on Saturday. It was their first weekend in the house, the culmination of the magical week of their marriage. They'd been husband and wife exactly seven days; Neil looking at his watch and announcing the exact moment the wedding ceremony started the week before. And at that precise time, Anna became Annabelle once again, obeying her husband as his submissive wife.

It was an amazing thirty-six hours, with Neil pushing her in so many ways she felt a rush run through her body as she sat on the floor in the dark; a wicked smile on her face when she recounted the part where she'd been bound while bent over their toy chest just like she'd wanted, her 'Master' fucking her ass roughly as he used her for his pleasure.

"God that felt good," she said to herself as she thought of how sore her body had been the next few days, suddenly missing that burning sensation.

Her mind quickly shifted to the next weekend. She was finishing up her period when that Sunday rolled around. It had showed up early, which bummed her out at first. But she vowed not to skip a Sunday as their day, so she spent the majority of it giving Neil blowjobs. He wasn't in the mood to fuck her in the ass, and frankly, she wasn't either. Not after the way he'd abused it the week before. Instead, he woke up that morning with her mouth on his hard cock, and she told him that's how she wanted to please him. He ended up watching football; sitting most of the day in his favorite chair with the games on TV and Ann on her knees between his legs. She wasn't sure who was happier when she thought about how long she got to play with his cock that day, and how much cum she swallowed.

The following Sunday was Christmas Eve. Ann giggled as she thought of how she'd gotten up before Neil that morning, getting ready, dressing in a sexy red Santa's helper outfit. She looked like the worlds sluttiest elf as she lay next to the fresh cut Christmas tree in the living room, waiting for him to wake up. When he finally came out, she teased him, asking if he was still sure he didn't want to open his presents until Christmas morning.

Neil couldn't resist, ripping the outfit off her. Well, he did that part in his head, not wanting to actually damage it on the chance that it might become a tradition Ann wanted to start. But he did undress most of her, leaving the stockings, garter and heels, and the sexy half bra holding up her perky tits. And of course the Santa hat. She stayed dressed just like that the rest of the day, and they fucked several times, always next to the tree near the open front window. She giggled when she thought of how he acted the next morning opening his other presents, knowing from the way he was leering at her that he was thinking back to the day before.

With the next Sunday being New Year's Eve, it was Neil that came up with a surprise. He told her to get ready to go out for the night, but didn't tell her where they were going. His simple instructions were to put on one of her sexiest, skimpiest dresses and leave the rest to him.

She was thrilled when he took her dancing at the Sheraton; the live local band being their favorite... it was the same one that had played the night of his company launch party, and he'd taken her to see them a couple of times.

He toyed with her all during the night, dancing close to her, copping feels of her body in the very revealing dress she was wearing. He even fingered her pussy at the stroke of midnight while he kissed her, leaning her up against a wall in the packed room. He never bothered to hide what he was doing as his hand snuck through a side slit along her leg. He jammed two fingers deep inside her, pumping them wildly, bringing her to a quick orgasm as the room celebrated the arrival of the 90s.

The bigger surprise came shortly after. He had booked a room though Heather. The same room he'd lived in for months as his temporary home. He'd even had Heather decorate it, making it into a fantasy sex room; the 'sex' bed made up with black satin sheets. Heather had somehow walled off that bed from the rest of the room with a thick red cloth, giving the ambiance of an intimate forbidden pleasure palace. When he took Ann there shortly after midnight, the candles and incense were already burning; the massage oil, chocolate covered strawberries and champagne sitting at the ready on the nightstand. The atmosphere practically demanded sex and she was more than happy to oblige.