Man's Best Friend

I had nothing planned. It was supposed to be my normal Sunday afternoon – put the TV on, find some sport to provide some background noise... and catch up on some work, maybe even have a beer or two. I'm not saying I had my priorities right but life had been that way for a few years now, not enough hours in the work week to keep up, so my Monday morning started on Sunday afternoon.

I didn't quite live alone, my faithful, ageing, companion was a Black Labrador called Ben who I'd had since he was a puppy and I was just out of college. Ben was nothing like as energetic as he had been in his younger years, but he was my faithful companion and when I was at home he was never far from my feet. He and I shared the same house I'd owned since Linda and I moved out of our city apartment to suburbia, thinking about the days when we'd be married and started a family.

That was just one plan that had failed miserably in my life at that time, mostly precipitated by Linda never quite adapting to suburban life, and eventually moving out six years ago – back to the city and out of my plans. Since then it had mostly been Ben and I. A few girlfriends had come and gone over the years, but I had predominantly sunk myself in my work and had my eye on a partnership in the law firm where I worked, hopefully before I was forty... still 6 years away.

So that Spring day had started like so many others, finish the weekend chores before getting some work done and crashing late at night. What did I know?

I had barely started looking at my first brief of the afternoon when there was a loud rap at the door. Sighing, I laid my sheaf of paper on the sofa and went to the door. Ben slowly raised himself up and dutifully followed.

The smiling face that met me belonged to Abigail Kenner, my next door neighbor's daughter. It had been a few months since I'd seen her and she bounced into the doorway and gave me a firm hug. "Abigail," I hesitated, I was still getting used to her being old enough and confident enough to greet me that way, "how are you?"

"I'm great... Rob." Her hesitation showed that she was still adjusting too, from the more formal "Mr. Grogan" to using my given name as I'd insisted on since she started college a couple of years back. "Everything's pretty good for me right now."

Abigail fell away from our embrace and immediately kneeled down to acknowledge Ben, whose tail was wagging and defying his age. "Hey boy," she cooed enthusiastically while she stroked under his chin, "how are you doing?"

Abigail had been walking Ben since she was 14 and never failed to drop by and take him out when she was home for any college holiday. As I watched her make a fuss of my dog I realized it must be Spring Break. I tried to remember if her mother had told me she was coming home, but only had a vague recollection that she'd mentioned Abi (as they called her) was coming while they were out of town for the weekend.

I watched as the old friends' greeting finished and Abigail stood up to address me again, this time a little sheepishly, "I came to see if Ben would like to go for a walk." Her face wore a slightly embarrassed smirk, like she thought she should have grown out of asking to walk her neighbors' dog, but still wanted to do the things she'd done for years.

"Of course he would." I felt my own smile warm as I remembered so many days when the happy teenager had skipped off with the enthusiastic dog. "Let me get his leash for you."

In truth, Ben didn't need a leash anymore. He was very obedient and just plain didn't have the energy to go running off. Words of encouragement to go beyond a couple of blocks were more the order of the day with him these days.

I explained to Abigail that Ben probably wouldn't want to want to walk too far but she was intent on attaching his leash and getting started. "I thought we'd go down to the river a ways, should be nice down there today."

I looked up at the blue sky and felt the spring heat of the day for the first time. It was a nice day. "Have a good time." I waved the duo off as they padded towards the sidewalk.

I watched them head down the street from the window, more through habit than anything else. Abigail had grown into a beautiful woman and it was nice to see her still take an interest in Ben, something she'd always been passionate about as her parents never had a dog and she loved animals. It was slightly sad as I knew this scene wouldn't play out too many more times, but reflected that they had both got a lot out of it over the years.

****

They were gone for over two hours. I didn't notice the time as I was working and was almost startled when the door sounded again. Without thinking to tidy up any of the paper mess that my living room had become, I rushed up and got to the door.

Ben looked exhausted. As soon as the door was open he padded in and headed for the kitchen, no doubt looking for a drink. Abigail was beaming. She had Ben's leash in her hand and followed him into the house.

"Can I get you a drink?" I offered her as followed them towards the kitchen.

"That'd be cool." Abigail called back. She knew where the leash was kept and hung it up while I pulled open the refrigerator door. "He is slowing down," she sounded a little sad but tried to mask it with positive comments, "but we kept stopping to rest along the river and got a good way in the end. It was beautiful out there. You should have come with us."

I hadn't thought about it, but she was right, I would have enjoyed the walk in the spring air. "You want some water... a Coke... orange juice... or..." I remembered she wasn't a teenager anymore, "a beer?"

Abigail looked over as the offer resonated. Her face couldn't hide a slightly impish grin. "A beer, if you don't mind. I am old enough." She reassured me.

"It's okay. I don't card friends of Ben." I took a bottle out, handed it to her and got another for me.

Abigail twisted her bottle open and quickly took a sip from the neck. No need to offer a glass then! She sat at the kitchen table and looked over at Ben, finishing up his own refreshment.

I sat down opposite her, realizing for the first time that I felt some tension in the air. It was hard to pin down, but as I looked Abigail over I understood that the beer just confirmed things, the friendly girl-next-door who came over to walk the dog, was now a fully grown and very attractive woman. Things like that can happen right before your eyes and you don't notice... and I surely should have! Somehow I felt the need to adjust to this awareness and the tension was just a side-effect of that.

Abigail was wearing tight jeans and a loose purple top with frills down the front. She showed no cleavage but even under her top it was easy to see that she had more than adequate curves in the right places. Her hair was still long and had more volume now than it had when she was younger when her hair was straighter and longer. Her skin was pure, with just a few freckles around her nose. Her lips were untainted by lipstick and expressive as they stretched over teeth that peeked out as her expressions changed. Her front teeth were slightly out of line, just by a tiny bit that emphasized character, more than imperfection. She'd come a long way since Linda and I moved in and the little girl brought over a pie that first night in our new home. The beer she now sipped with me confirmed that.

"What's on your mind?" For a moment I thought she'd caught me surveying her, but her expression was far from reprimanding.

"Nothing. I was just shaking off work I think."

"You're working? Today?" Her eyebrows narrowed, here was the reprimand. "Bad boy. Sunday's are for chillin'."

"I know." I sighed. "Bad habit. It's nice to take a break though."

"Maybe I'll just have to stick around a while then, make sure you don't go off and start work again." She almost laughed, but I was thrown by the multiple implications of her words.

"Are you inviting yourself to dinner?" I raised an eyebrow in what I hoped was a cartoonish gesture.

"Depends what dinner is." She smirked and I realized she was playing, another reminder of her grown-up status.

I looked at the pin board on the wall, covered with local restaurant menus. "Sunday is usually takeaway."

Abigail laughed out loud now. "You are just too single Rob. I'm supposed to come home from college to get away from takeaway. Do you ever cook?"

"Of course I do." Defensive now. "I cook every other day. Well, most other days." She glared at me, seeking the truth. "Okay, some days." I laughed.

"Do you miss Linda?"

The question caught me a little off-guard. Linda had been gone for years, but I realized she was the only woman Abigail had known me with. "You mean do I miss her cooking for me?" I laughed. "She cooked less than I did. We were both too busy back then to spend much time cooking." I caught a look in her eyes that I'd not seen before and decided to head off what I thought was coming next. "And if you're thinking of cooking for me, there's no need."

"Me?" She looked shocked and laughed. "I wouldn't do that. I can barely boil water. Coffee makers rule." Her eyes got serious for a moment. "I was just asking. I liked her, and often wonder how you get along without her. Do you see other women, do you wish she was back?"

It was another indication of her maturity. We'd never been close to discussing anything like this subject before. I explained that I liked her too, but it was never going to work. I skirted around the girlfriends question and must've sounded pathetic when I said that I always had Ben. Abigail was obviously unconvinced. It was hard to disguise what had become something of a lonely existence. I barely admitted that to myself at times.

"I didn't mean to pry." Abigail put her bottle on the table next to the one I was still holding. "I guess I just wanted to know. You never seemed to miss her. I liked her, but I guess it was a while ago now, and what did I know then?"

Her finger rubbed mine as I held the bottle. It was a tiny gesture, almost innocent, consoling, but it was like a silent 8.2 earthquake in my kitchen.

In hindsight, it was clever of Abigail. The gesture was easy to ignore, or pass of as nothing, but it was also an invitation. No matter how I looked for the innocence I could excuse it as, it was an invitation.

"Is that where you work when you're at home?" Abigail stood and looked into the lounge before taking a few steps towards the mess. I didn't follow her immediately, trying to imagine how many folders were strewn across the furniture and carpet. "That's a lot of work Mr. Grogan." She said my name like she was sixteen again, reversing the more mature approach I'd insisted on, almost to emphasize it.

I casually started to close Manila folders and gather them up into a pile as she fixed on the basketball game that was running quietly on the TV. "Was I keeping you from the game? We should watch this last quarter. It looks close." Abigail sat on one edge of the sofa and patted the seat next to her. "No more work Rob. Okay?"

I didn't say anything, but sat down next to her and tried to assimilate the last few minutes. The easiest thing to do was to relax and go with the flow she had obviously started on, but I found it hard to get over the years of perceptions that lingered in my head. I looked at her thighs and the tight denim that clung to them, and that was a step in the right direction. I felt a tingle between my legs and a slight smile crossed my lips. Was this really going to turn out the way my mind now thought it might? Sunday!

I sat close to her. Not touching her body, hopefully giving her notification that I was with her so far, but maintaining enough space to be able to back away if I had somehow misread her. I didn't have long to wait to find out that I'd read her correctly though.

Abigail shuffled in the seat and her thigh closed the couple of inches between us, resting gently against mine. Her hand moved over and her fingers crept across my thigh stopping on top, against my jeans and just giving a tiny rub, then staying there, deliciously not moving. "I often wondered about how you were doing without Linda." She was looking at the TV while she spoke. "I guess I had a schoolgirl crush on you at the time."

"At the time?" I let my shoulder rest against hers and reached out to place my hand on hers. My fingers wove between hers and I sensed some tension disperse for both of us as the comfort of our skin touching spread between us.

"Yes... at the time." She continued to watch the TV. "I guess I never quite grew out of that though." She rubbed my thigh under my hand, just a couple of little strokes. "Never quite..." She turned and gave me a demure smile, very sexy, but inviting me to make a final decision. "You never knew? Is that okay with you?"

I raised my free hand gently up to her cheek while I looked into her eyes. When I touched her skin I stroked her cheek very lightly, beckoning her towards me. "I never knew. And it's fine with me." I whispered, and then I kissed her.

There was no hesitation. Our lips touched, made a few light kisses and then her lips opened, inviting my tongue and allowing hers to probe urgently at my lips and inside my mouth. She tasted fresh, salty from her walk in the sun and fresh from the spring air. Her tongue was hot and soft, looking for pleasure and finding its way to excite me. I responded by bringing my arms around her, pulling her close and encouraging her body to press against mine.

We broke the kiss in unison, both needing breath and to look at each other's eyes. "You... you're so beautiful Abigail. But I'm older than you. Are you sure about this?"

She gave a short, dismissive laugh. "You're not old." She placed a finger on my lips to stop me making further comment. "I'm old enough... old enough to know."

I guessed that was the end of the age discussion, especially as I felt her hand slide underneath my t-shirt and around my back. Her hand felt warm and electric as it caressed my skin. Her lips came to mine again, hungrier than before, less restrained. I felt her had run up my back, igniting my skin and increasing the blood flow to my, now bulging cock.

While I let my fingers roam around Abigail's neck I pressed into her side with my other hand, starting just above her hip and easing up, along the side of her breast, under her arm and to her back, caressing her and feeling her body for the first time. Her skin felt soft under her top and I noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra. She responded to every move my hands made by kissing harder, willing me on. She brought her hand around front, still under my t-shirt, but now rubbing over my belly and chest. Her fingers found my nipples and pulled on them to tease me. I caught my breath as my excitement continued to rise, the sudden and unexpected change to my afternoon making the situation all the more erotic. I broke the kiss and looked into her smiling eyes. Abigail's hand didn't stop as we looked at each other. My hand started to pull her top out of her jeans.

I got the silky material free enough to push my hand inside, touch her skin and let my fingers trace across her back. I looked intently into her eyes as my hand worked upwards and towards her front. Abigail smiled and then her eyes closed involuntarily as my hand cupped her breast. The nipple was hard and larger than I expected. I slipped fingers along each side of it as my hand moved up a little, pinching that lovely bud as I moved my hand down again. Abigail made a tiny moan and her hand had slowed to intermittent moves on my belly as she enjoyed my touch.

There were no buttons at the back of her top, so I eased it off over her head. Abigail reached her arms up to help me and I watched as her breasts raised with the shirt and then bounced down after being set free. She had no tan lines on her gold-tinged skin and I immediately reached out to take both of her nipples in my hands. "Suck them," she whispered, her voice sounded like it had dropped an octave as the heat rose. "I've always wanted to feel you suck them."

Her wish got no push back from me and I leaned forward to take one in my mouth. I sucked hard and felt her body shiver with pleasure as the effect of my movement reached her. Abigail's nipples were gorgeous and it was easy for me to curl my tongue around them as I licked and sucked her. "The other one." She wanted to ensure equal treatment and twisted her torso towards me to help with access.

I pinched her nipple between my teeth, feeling for her body's responses while I tested what she liked. I brought my hand up to squeeze the nipple I didn't have in my mouth and felt the dampness of my saliva on her as I pinched. Abigail's pelvis worked its way forward a little, sensual, but urgent.

As I continued to play with her nipples I felt her hand start to slip lower down the front of my body. The journey of her touch was delicious, a tiny tease, but primarily increasing the throbbing I was experiencing inside my pants. Her hand slipped over my belt, didn't stop at my zipper, and continued over the bulge of my cock. It was my turn to stop moving as she pressed had against my erection. "You feel so hard," she breathed, "So damn hard."

I wanted her to take me out, stroke me and pleasure me, but I fought off the urge to make that happen. This voyage of discovery was only going to happen once and while I wanted her badly now, I wanted to make the moment as memorable as I could for both of us.

"I want to see you." I said as I brought a hand down to her jeans and started to pop the button. She thrust forward some more to help me and as soon as the button was undone I pulled her zipper down. I could feel the heat of her sex as I pulled the zipper as far as it would go, then I moved my hands to the waist of her jeans and started to ease them over her hips. She raised her hips from the sofa and the denim slipped away, uncovering a pair of tight, sky blue panties that had an unmistakable wet patch at the front. As I slipped the rest of her jeans off, my eyes never left the front of those panties.

Jeans gone, she slipped back on the sofa a little and allowed her legs to open slightly. Kneeling in front of her, I ran my hands along the inside of her thighs and continued to watch the front of her panties. After a moment I let my fingertips reach the damp patch and I pressed gently. Abigail let some of the tension that had built in her deflate from her lungs and arched her head back as I touched her for the first time. My finger rubbed her softly and ran up and down, along the tracks of her folds, feeling the heat and making her even wetter. I was sure I could smell her now, sweet and musky as her excitement exuded.

My fingertip reached the edge of her panties and slipped behind the elastic so I could pull the material aside, exposing her pussy. The dark lips of her pussy were thin and looked delicate as they opened like the petals of a flower around a shiny, wet crease. As I watched I was sure I could almost see tiny movements as her heartbeat pumped blood to where it was most needed. I brought a finger over and ran it up and then down her slit. She was so wet there was virtually no resistance as my finger slipped inside.

Abigail moaned loudly as my finger went deep inside her. Her pussy swallowed my finger and drenched it in sopping sex. I pulled my finger out slowly, feeling her pussy walls give up my skin as easily as it had entered. I checked to see if she was watching, then quickly popped my finger in my mouth to taste her.

She was sweet, just like she smelled and I sucked her off my finger, already desperate for more of her. Abigail's legs opened and invited me to feast.

Pulling her panties as far to the side as I could, I licked at her pussy lips first, feeling their delicate texture and tasting her sweet juice that was now everywhere around her crotch. I felt her push forward and open her legs more and took that as my cue to dip my tongue into her. I managed to use a finger to open her up and push my tongue as far as I could. I felt her hand on the side of my head, urging me on. My tongue lapped at her pussy, easing upwards towards her clit. I could feel the tension in her legs rise again as I slowly moved closer.