One Never Nows

As he moved across the room, Rick Yeats wondered what he had gotten himself into. Here he was, hundreds of miles from home, getting ready to meet a woman that he had only talked to through e-mail. What if she was some sort of . . . well, she could be a mass murderer, a con artist, a hooker, a secret agent . . . the list could go on and on. Yet, here he was, making his way across the crowed restaurant, growing ever closer to the table where she sat.

At almost the exact moment that Rick made it to the table, the woman seated there rose, as if to leave. She had her purse in her hand and a look that said she was really upset.

"Carolina?" Rick asked, cautiously.

The woman's eyes flew open wide as she looked up into his face. With a startled look on her face and a falter in her voice, she answered, saying, "Yes, I'm Carolina. And you are . . .?"

Rick smiled broadly. "Now, Carolina, how many men would walk up to you and call you that? I'm pretty sure you know who I am."

The blush that stole up Carolina's cheeks made Rick think of an innocent cherub. But if this woman turned out to be half of what she had led him to believe she was, she was no angel.

Rick looked pointedly at the chair Carolina had just stood up from. "Are you going somewhere?" he asked carefully.

"I . . . I was just . . . no, I guess I'm not," Carolina said, sounding rather defeated.

Rick gestured to her chair and said, "Please sit down, won't you?"

Not sure what was going on, Rick didn't move until Carolina was seated again. Then, pulling out the chair opposite of Carolina, Rick also sat down.

"So, have you been waiting long?" Rick asked, trying to sound casual.

Again, a blush stole up Carolina's cheeks. Rick narrowed his eyes. "Carolina, I know enough about you to believe that you are not a good liar. Why do I get the feeling that you were about to walk out of here before I could even get here?"

Carolina lowered her eyes. Rick took the opportunity to look closely at this woman he had never seen in person. She was short and round, with longish curly brown hair. Her body was just as he had expected, but her clothes were more drab than he had anticipated. He smiled with the realization that their plainness only enhanced his desire to unwrap Carolina from them.

After a few minutes of silence, Carolina raised her eyes to meet Rick's. He was surprised to see tears in them. He had to lean forward to catch her words. "I didn't want to see the disappointment in your face," Carolina whispered.

Rick knew what was going on. Carolina had told him more than once that she didn't believe she was beautiful. Still leaning close to her, he lowered his own voice and said, "Didn't we agree to let me be the judge? Don't put words into my mouth or emotions into my heart. I would love nothing more than to sweep this table clear, throw you down here and show you how much I want you at this moment. But I really don't think the owners of this quaint establishment are quite ready to handle the level of interaction I am planning on."

Carolina's eyes seemed to widen with every word that Rick said. It made him feel good to know that she was actually listening to his words and responding to them. Too often, people didn't seem to listen to one another. It was a good sign that Carolina was willing to make that effort. He hoped that she would believe his words, but more important right now, was the fact that they were genuinely communicating.

Nodding her head, Carolina again lowered her eyes. While she stared at her hands clasped in her lap, Rick stared at the top of her head. He longed to pull the clips out of it and see what she would look like with it cascading around her face. Shaking his head, he cautioned himself to slow down. There would be time enough for that later. After all, that was why they had agreed to finally meet.

This time, when Carolina raised her head, her eyes were bright and shining. Again, her voice was barely more than a whisper, but this time, the words were steady and sure. She said, "I'm glad you are here. I'm so ready to be with you. I thought about you all the way down here. For 200 miles, I have been planning just what I wanted to do with your body. Do you know how badly I want to see you naked and sweaty?"

Rick chuckled quietly. "You sure know how to change a subject, woman! Why don't we get lunch, then we can head over to the motel?"

Over their sandwiches and chips, Rick and Carolina caught up with one another about their respective lives. Although they talked over the e-mail daily, it seemed that lately, they had been too focused on their upcoming meeting. They had lost track of sharing the ins and outs of their everyday routines. Carolina talked about her children and how they were doing in school. Rick talked about his job and his latest letter to the editor. Carolina seemed to relax during the meal and Rick realized that, he too, was much more comfortable, now that the initial meeting was over.

After Rick paid the bill, he and Carolina made their way outside. Rick had already made arrangements for them to be able to check into a nearby motel early. He didn't want to have to kill time, walking around town, waiting for a 3:00 check in time. He guided Carolina through the lobby and into the elevator.

Since their room was on the seventeenth floor, Rick took the opportunity to pull Carolina into his arms. She was much shorter than him, so he had to reach down, as she went up on tiptoes. He brushed his lips over hers and nibbled lightly on her neck. He could feel the tremors snaking through her body. It turned him on greatly to know that she really wanted him.

When the elevator stopped, Rick pointed Carolina to their room. He slid the card through the doorlock and pushed open the door, waiting for Carolina to enter before him. He heard her gasp and smiled to himself.

In addition to having made sure they could check in early, Rick had arranged to have a few items on hand. There were chocolate covered strawberries on a silver platter, along with sparkling cider on the side. It wasn't his choice, but Carolina was fairly unsophisticated in her tastes of beverages. Since she refused to drink wine, it was cider or coke. He had opted for the cider to try to at least hold some semblance of elegant romance intact.

There were also several jars of body paint sitting beside the bed. The labels clearly showed which one was chocolate mint, which one was vanilla pudding and which one was strawberry shake flavored. Rick had also placed assorted paint brushes nearby, so they could take their pick of applicators for the paint.

The bed itself was a canopy bed, covered with soft pillows, surrounded by sheer curtains. Again, Rick would have rather had it covered with rose petals, since that would be the way all good romances read, but Carolina was allergic to flowers. So he had settled for the pillows and hoped for the best.

In the middle of the bed, there was a brightly wrapped box with a bow on the top of it. Rick hoped that the gift wouldn't make Carolina too uncomfortable. He wasn't certain how she would feel about it since it was a very personal offering. But since she didn't seem to be paying it any attention, he supposed that he would have to wait for a few minutes before finding out what her reaction would be.

Although he had discovered that he and Carolina did not agree on music too often, he had managed to locate a cd with a good variety of soft love songs from the 60's and 70's. At the touch of a button, the sound filled the room.

The overall effect seemed to be working, because Carolina was looking at him as though she wanted to eat him. Which actually sounded pretty good to him!

Carolina threw her arms around Rick's waist and hugged him tightly. "You are so sweet!"

Leaning down to blow gently into Carolina's ear, Rick whispered, "Wait till you taste how sweet I am!"

Pulling away from Carolina, Rick crossed the room and pulled back the sheers around the bed. He picked up the gift and handed it to her. Carolina's eyes grew big once more. "Is this for me?" she asked.

Rick smiled and said, "Oh, yeah! Why don't you open it?"

Carolina pulled off the bow, then quickly removed the wrapping paper. The box inside was shaped like a shirt box. She slid her fingers around the base to release the tape, then pulled off the top half of the box. Inside, nestled within several layers of soft tissue paper, was the most beautiful teddy that Rick had been able to find.

The outfit was dark blue with lace and small, functional bows tied at strategic places around it. Rick had hoped that the paleness of her skin would not only be enhanced by the color, but that it would also be easily visible through the lace and sheer material.

Very gently, Carolina lifted the gift from the box. She dropped the box onto the nearby counter and held up the teddy. Rick decided that it was even prettier than he remembered as he watched Carolina inspecting it.

"I'll be right back," Carolina whispered softly, as she headed for the bathroom. Rick heard the water running in the shower and smiled to himself. He slipped off his shoes and took off his belt. He was dressed in a polo shirt and dockers. For fear of appearing too aggressive, he left both his shirt and pants on. Carolina could take them off of him when she got ready!

Relaxing in the lounge chair, Rick closed his eyes and thought about his relationship with Carolina. He had met her over the internet almost a year before. They had started out flirting with one another, but it had quickly escalated on both of their parts. Carolina had been very uncomfortable with the growing intimacy they shared. See, they were both married to other people. And although they never spoke of their spouses, it was always hanging over their heads. It was clear to Rick that Carolina wasn't going to be able to continue their relationship much longer because the guilt was beginning to take it's toll on her. He had pressured her into meeting him now because he feared that she wouldn't be a part of his life in the near future.

But their relationship had changed Rick's life. It had started out as playful, but soon, it had made him take a closer look at his own situation. He wasn't happy in his marriage, his job or his circle of friends. There was a lot of satisfaction in his life, but it didn't extend to most of his adult relationships.

About three months ago, Rick had stumbled across a letter sticking out of a book, laying in the living room. The book belonged to his wife, but he had been thinking about reading it. After all, it was on the best sellers list and he did try to stay up with current events. When he pulled the letter out of the book, he recognized the name of one of his friends as this sender of the letter. He really had meant to lay the letter down and ignore it. But when he saw several sexually explicit words, he had to take another look.

The letter indicated that his friend wanted a far closer relationship with Rick's wife. Although it wasn't clear from the letter how his wife felt about the situation, or even if the situation was anything beyond his friend's very generous offer, Rick was shocked. He reasoned that, since his wife had kept the letter, it must be at least tempting to her. He had debated what to do. They hadn't exactly had an intimate relationship themselves for many years. Should he confront her? Should he ignore it and pursue his own extra marital relationships?

The issue was actually taken out of his hands about five minutes later when his wife walked into the room and found him still staring at the letter. She was on a specific quest for the book that Rick was holding in his hands, so he was caught, red handed - the book in one hand, and the letter in the other. His wife took in the situation with one glance, walked over to him and relieved him of both objects and turned toward the door without a word.

Rick hesitantly said, "Honey? Don't you think we should talk about this?"

If looks could kill, the look that Rick's wife shot him would have put him in his grave. "I don't have anything to say to you! You are not only ruining our marriage, but now, when I have other options - you are ruining them too!" Then she ran from the room in tears.

It had been a long time since Rick had bothered following his wife upstairs after one of her outbursts. But, he figured, if he was ever going to bother again, tonight would be the night to start. As he climbed the steps, he wondered if he wanted to go to the trouble of rebuilding their marriage. He had heard that the bottom was a great place to start back up from, but he wasn't sure he could do what it took. After all, his heart was stuck on some girl from a different state. And his wife seemed to be, at least, considering her own options.

Again, Rick didn't get the chance to decide his own fate by himself. When he walked into his wife's bedroom, she was laying across her bed. She sat up, though, when she heard the door open. She wouldn't meet Rick's eyes, but she began talking in words that rang clear and cold in the room they had once shared.

"You have taken and taken from me, Rick. I have put up with being your trophy wife for years. But we don't have a marriage anymore. And instead of letting me go, you keep holding on. All of our friends know that we no longer even bother at the pretense of sleeping together. They all know that you find your own ways to relieve your stress. And soon, they are all going to know that I have found my own ways. I'm going to have an affair with your friend. He has been courting me for over a year now. I have held off, but I'm not going to anymore."

Rick's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Why don't we get a divorce?" he asked.

His wife's eyes flew open, "You jerk! You know damn good and well that you would never give me a fair share of what we own. You have always made sure that everything we own is in your name. I would be penniless if we divorced!"

This time, it was Rick who was shocked, "You think that I wouldn't be fair? God, you really don't know me. I'll have some papers drawn up tomorrow for you to look over. In the meantime, I think I'm going to go talk to our kid."

Rick's discussion with his daughter had gone far better than he had hoped. If there had been any reason to continue the facade of his marriage, it would have been because of his child. But she was 16 now. She wasn't a baby and she was fairly clued in to life. When Rick had broached the subject, her only response was, "Well, thank God! Now maybe you two can find someone to make you happy."

Her response had made Rick laugh out loud. If his daughter was OK with the divorce, the rest would work itself out.

It had only taken a few months to obtain the divorce from his wife, since she was ready to move on with her own life. They had agreed to a settlement, slipped in a quicky Nevada divorce and been living the single life again in only two short months. It had been hell keeping his divorce secret from Carolina. He had wanted to tell her so often, but he realized that, in doing so, he would be pressuring her to take steps in her own marriage that she wasn't ready for. So, instead, he had begun dropping hints that he wanted to be with her. She always deflected them, insisting that their relationship was only fantasy and that he would be disappointed with the reality of her.

Finally, Rick had just come right out and insisted that Carolina meet him. He had chosen a destination half way between their respective homes and had made reservations. He had planned on this being a final fling with Carolina before she dumped him. He could practically hear the guilt pouring out of her last few e-mails to him. Rick knew that he didn't have a chance once this week-end was over.

Shaking his head to clear it from such morbid thoughts, Rick looked up as he heard the handle on the bathroom door click open. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Carolina.

Standing in front of him, Carolina looked like the picture of perfection to Rick. She had once described herself as part innocent and part hussy. Rick could easily see both in the woman standing before him. He could also see the uncertainty in her eyes. Carolina had told him far too many times how much she feared that, once he saw her in person, he wouldn't want her.

Reaching out his hands and taking Carolina's smaller ones, Rick pulled her to stand in the vee of his legs. She was so short that, with him sitting in the chair, her breasts were at the same level as his mouth. He could see her nipples peeking out at him through the sheer material of the teddy. He could actually feel his mouth start to water. But he needed to say something first.

"Carolina, you are beautiful. You are everything that I want. I know that you are worried, but let me show you how much I like what I see." Then Rick gave in to his temptation. He latched his lips around her nipple and began gently sucking. He could feel the struggle inside of Carolina as the intensity of the sensation almost caused her to pull away. But she managed to not move as Rick continued his suckling.

Rick was surprised when he realized that he could already smell Carolina's arousal. He had a strong sense of smell and loved the scent of passion that flowed from a woman's body. But Carolina had just taken a shower. So what he was experiencing was the direct result of what he was doing. He could feel his cock jump in his pants at that realization.

Rick forced himself to go slowly. He wasn't sure how many times he would be able to make love to Carolina. He wasn't 18 anymore, but, Rick knew that wasn't the only deciding factor involved in the prospect for repeat performances. Rick was fairly certain that Carolina would be awash with guilt after their first union. He was afraid that she might pull away and not let him touch her again. So he wanted to make this time count for all the long years that lay before him. Rick was fairly certain that he could find another lover, after all, he was a good looking, well educated, fairly well to do man. But he was positive that he would never find a woman that he cared about the way that he did about Carolina.

Running his fingers down Carolina's sides, Rick felt her tremble. It had been years since he had felt a woman shiver at his touch. It was a balm to his wounded manhood and ambrosia to his senses. Not wanted to miss any message that Carolina's body sent him, Rick retraced his path and again felt the unmistakable response of Carolina's passion.

Rick had dreamed about tasting Carolina for as long as he had known her. She had told him upfront that it was difficult for her to enjoy receiving oral sex because she was almost exclusively focused on giving pleasure to her partner. Rick wanted the opportunity to rewire that mindset, but he wasn't sure that he would be granted that wish. So, he had to settle for what he was sure of, and that was that Carolina was in his arms at this moment and that he was going to make sure she understood how much he wanted to pleasure her.

Still sitting in front of her, Rick reached between Carolina's legs and pushed aside the material of the teddy. With his fingers, he slowly stroked through the swollen lips of her pussy. She wasn't shaved smooth like his wife had preferred, but rather was all natural. Rick chuckled to himself. It seemed that Carolina's unsophisticated approach to life extended to all areas.

Pulling his fingers out, Rick looked up into Carolina's eyes and watched her as he sucked his fingers into his mouth. Her eyes widened as she realized that he was tasting her own juices. Rick meant to keep eye contact with her, but at the first taste of her sex from his fingers, his eyes closed in sheer pleasure. God, how he loved the taste of a woman. And this woman, in particular.