Wren

It was the start of summer break before my last year of med school, when my friend, Mike called me. His sister was coming here to look for a job and she didn't have anywhere to stay. She wanted to relocate to a larger urban area, and it would probably take her a month or so to get situated. Knowing I had an empty bedroom, he was curious if she might be able to stay with me.

"Why me?" I asked. "Wait! You have a sister?"

"Yeah." He admitted. "She doesn't like me very much, always been the bratty kid sister."

"We've known one another for what...3 years, and it never came up?" I said.

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "So...?"

"Again, why me?" I pressed.

"Well." He paused. "First, she's short on funds." "Second, you're one of the few people I trust." "And third... well, to be honest, she's a bit... difficult."

"Trust?" I queried.

"We may not get along, but she is my sister." He answered. "I don't want her living with some pervert rapist."

"I'm flattered, you moron." "Difficult?" I repeated.

"Yeah." He admitted. "She speaks her mind and doesn't take shit off nobody." "She found out her last boyfriend was cheating on her and damn near beat him to death." "Did I mention, she's a redhead?"

"So why again do I want this job?" I probed. "Sounds like I might be risking my life." "Also sounds like she can handle the likes of any pervert rapists she might run across."

"You're the most level-headed guy I know." He answered. "I figure you probably won't kill her if she mouths off, and you're smart enough not to provoke her."

"You'd make a lousy car salesman." I laughed. "I appreciate the honesty."

"So..." He paused. "What do I tell her?"

"As long as she leaves me alone, I'll leave her alone." I said. "She can stay." "I don't expect her to be a hermit, but I don't have time for drama."

"You're the best, man." He gushed. "I owe you big time... but you so much as lay a finger on her, if she doesn't kill you, I will."

"No pressure there." I laughed. If she looked anything like him, he had nothing to fear.

Later that week, she showed up, her car crammed full with all her stuff.

"You RJ?" She growled.

"That's me." I answered. "Friends call me Wheels."

"RJ will do." She stated. "Can you show me my room?"

This was going well....not. At least she didn't look like Mike, she was actually quite pretty. I'd have to kid him later about one of them being adopted.

I showed her the room, and went out to carry in a load of stuff.

She brushed past me. "Don't need your help." She hissed. "Don't need anybody's help."

"Suit yourself." I spat, leaving her to unpack.

I retreated to my room to study, trying to resist the urge to strangle her and dump the body in the river.

I came out, several hours later to eat and found her sitting on the couch.

She looked up when I walked in the room. "Sorry if I was a bitch earlier." She said. "I don't like people fussing over me, truthfully, I just don't like people, and of late, they've not given me much reason to."

"I'm sure this is a big transition." I smiled. "No problem." "You'll find I'm pretty easy going."

"Well." She stated. "I should warn you, I have a hair-trigger temper." "That's why I need to move."

I looked at her, puzzled, then sat in the recliner across from the couch.

"I'm from a fairly small town, and unfortunately, my reputation has made it impossible for me to get work." She admitted. "I nearly got arrested after leaving my last job."

"Can I ask what happened, or would you rather not talk about it?" I inquired.

She sat for a moment, thinking. "Well, I'm a sound engineer, you know?" She said.

I must have looked puzzled again.

"You know, recording studio, like the big board with all the dials and switches in that 'Police' video on MTV?" She explained.

I nodded, "OK, got it."

"Well, there aren't many women in this line of work." She added. "And we get harassed constantly." "Women in music can only get ahead by giving head, or so it seems." "If one more fucking asshole touches me, I'm gonna rip off his dick and stuff it down his throat." "Let's see how he likes a mouthful of..." "Sorry, temper."

I was honestly shocked, I had no idea that was the accepted norm. "I can see how that would be upsetting."

"Well, this slimy producer just wouldn't stop pawing me and making lewd comments, so I slapped the bastard." She hissed. "My boss, the owner of the studio, told me it was my fault." "You're a woman in a man's world, what do you expect." He said. "I punched him square in the face."

"I would have liked to see that." I said, grinning broadly. "Bet he was surprised."

She paused briefly, clearly not amused by my comment. "Well, the only reason I didn't get arrested is he didn't want to admit I kicked his ass." She lamented. "But, of course, I was through there."

"And don't even get me started on my ex-boyfriend, the cheating bastard." She spat. "He had the nerve to file assault charges against me after I kicked his balls up under his chin." "Fortunately, the sheriff is a family friend and got the charges dropped."

"He sounds like a real winner." I added. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

"The really sad part is he's hung like a horse...big dick, small brain." She lamented. "Had absolutely no idea what to do with it, I don't miss him."

"Well, I'm sure you can find a place where you will be appreciated, in love and in your career." I said, trying to lighten the mood. "Not all men are assholes."

"Thanks." She blushed, tiredly. "But, I'm not optimistic." "My luck with men has been less than stellar." "I'm not even sure why I told you."

"Changing the subject." I said. "Mike didn't even tell me your name." "Until he asked if you could stay here, I didn't even know he had a sister."

"I'm not surprised." She chuckled, shaking her head. "We don't get along very well, I'm Wren." "Thanks for letting me stay here." "Sorry I'm being a bitch."

"No worries, happy to help a friend." I grinned. "I came out to get some food, you hungry?"

"Yeah, actually, I've been poking around in the kitchen." She admitted. "Hope you don't mind?"

"Make yourself at home." I smiled.

"You have way more food in there than I would have expected, especially for a guy." She stated. "You party alot or something?"

"No." I answered. "I spend most of my time either in class, or studying, don't have time to go out." "Besides, I like to cook." "Also, poor college student."

"You cook?" She asked. "Hell, Mike can't even boil water."

"My grandmother taught me." I explained. "There aren't any girls in my family, she wanted to pass on her secrets and I was the only one interested."

"You any good?" She queried. "At cooking I mean."

She blushed, embarrassed by the faux pas.

"I'd like to think so." I answered, ignoring her mistake. "I'm sure you'll get the chance to find out."

"My turn to change the subject, Mike didn't tell me what your major is." She stated. "He didn't tell me much of anything...as usual."

"I'm starting my last year of med school in the fall." I said. "Then on to internship."

"Doctor huh?" She shook her head. "Wow, wish I was that smart."

"Don't sell yourself short." I chided. "I couldn't even begin to do what you do." "I tried to play clarinet in grade school, teacher said I was too mechanical, I had no soul, so I quit."

"Ouch." She winced. "Pretty harsh."

"Is what it is." I said. "He was right, I'm too clinical."

"Still, for him to lay that on a kid." She frowned. "Truth, or not, he could have been a little more compassionate."

"Water under the bridge." I said. "I don't let it bother me."

I whipped us up a nice dinner, and we talked and got to know each other a little better.

"You got any leads?" I inquired.

"A few." She said. "But..."

"Well." I smiled. "Don't worry about it." "Things have a way of working out, even if it's not exactly like you expected."

"I hope you're right." She said, looking uncertain. "I'm kinda running out of options."

Since I cooked, Wren insisted on cleaning up. I didn't argue. Afterwards, we retired to the living room.

Wren sat on the floor in front of my stereo, looking at my music collection. "For somebody with no soul, you sure have a nice system." She giggled. "And I like your taste in music."

"Thanks." I said. "I just like what I like, sometimes I don't even know why."

Wren put on an album. "This one looks like it's seen some use." She observed.

Oh Shit! She'd picked the one album that always got to me. I usually played it when I was lonely or sad. It was guaranteed to make me cry, and today was no exception.

The third song was the one. I sat there, eyes closed, listening, tears streaming down my face. There was no way I could hide my reaction, so I didn't even try.

Wren had her back to me, so she didn't notice, at least not at first. When she turned to ask me something, she saw me.

"Oh God." She sputtered. "I'm sorry." "Do you want me to turn it off?"

I just shook my head.

After the song ended, I excused myself briefly, then returned.

"Your clarinet teacher was wrong." She said. "You may not be a musician, but if music can move you that much, that's 'soul' in my opinion."

"I've put alot of miles on that album." I admitted. "It helps me cope with...things."

She carefully put the record back in the sleeve and returned it to its proper location, then continued to study my collection. She spent lots of time with the stereo in the following weeks.

Over the summer, we found out we had a great deal in common, movies, hobbies, food, and such and as we became more familiar, she thawed out a bit, actually laughing once in a while.

We sat up til late hours discussing all sorts of things. I'd never met anyone like her before. She was smart and witty, but very sensitive, sometimes overly so. I had to be careful when we talked about certain subjects, she was easy to anger and difficult to reason with when angry.

We had some VERY animated discussions about a great many things. I made it clear from the beginning that I wanted to hear her real opinions, and I could handle her differing from my views. "If we all thought the same about everything, the world would be extremely boring." I told her. "I welcome an alternate viewpoint."

She continued looking for work, to no avail. I spent most of my time studying, getting ready for school to start.

One evening as we were finishing up dinner she turned to me. "I been here way longer than I planned." She lamented. "I need to start paying my way."

"Don't sweat it." I assured her. "You're doing all you can, besides, without a job, how are you going to do that?"

"I...I don't know." She started to tear up. "I just feel guilty, like I'm taking advantage of you."

"You are not." I said. "You're in a difficult situation, don't make it harder by putting unnecessary pressure on yourself." "I also enjoy your company, it gets lonely around here sometimes."

"Well, I can at least clean the house and do the laundry and shopping." She smiled. "And I can cook too, if you want?"

"I think that will do nicely." I answered. "I'll have more time to study, but I still want to cook sometimes."

"Deal." She smiled.

We always ate together, at least when we were both home, and continued our discussions, covering just about every subject you could think of. She even started sitting next to me on the couch, leaning against me as we talked or stretching out, laying her head in my lap.

All too soon, I had to return to classes. Wren found herself alone for the most part. Between school and studying, I had precious little free time and spent most nights in my room.

As the weeks progressed, I noticed her becoming withdrawn, even depressed.

"Wren, are you OK?" I asked one evening at dinner. "You seem down."

"I'm fine." She snapped, mumbling something under her breath. "Just...NO...fine."

"I'm not blind." I probed. "You're upset, talk to me."

"I'm lonely...OK" She spat. "Since you started classes, I'm here all alone, and even when you're here, you're studying in your room." "I miss our talks, spending time together."

"To be honest, I miss that too." I lamented.

Damn, I thought, the Ice Queen thaws! This was an unforeseen development, but I had to admit, I really did miss her company.

"I'm sorry Wren." I said. "School has been brutal, I'm barely keeping up, but you're right, I should be more available." "I can't expect you to live like a recluse."

"Tell you what, I have a break in classes coming up." I stated. "Want to get out of town for a bit, just to decompress?"

"That sounds nice." She smiled weakly. "You'd really do that for me?"

"Well I think it would be good for both of us." I grinned. "I'm so tired right now, I don't think I'm remembering anything I study anyway."

"I've always wanted to see Studio B in Nashville." She chirped.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's probably the most famous recording studio in country music." She beamed. "Elvis recorded there, along with just about everybody else."

"Sounds interesting." I said. "It's a nice drive and I've never been there." "Country music isn't exactly my thing, but I'm open."

"Great." She smiled. "Only one problem, I'm broke."

"I'm not exactly rolling in dough either." I lamented. "If we take our own food and..."

"And?" She probed.

"Well, I don't want to sound like some kind of pervert, but if we room together, separate beds of course, we could cut that cost in half." I offered, hoping she wouldn't think I was trying anything. (Though at this point, I'd like to.)

"I think that's doable, provided you let me pay for half." She smiled.

"Done." I said. "Shit, now I have to buy some pajamas."

"What?" She said.

"Damn, didn't think I said that out loud." I sputtered, blushing deeply. "I...uh...normally sleep nude."

Wren giggled wickedly. "Interesting mental picture."

By the time we finalized our plans, my face had returned to its usual color.

Wren wasn't exactly thrilled with us taking the 912, but I insisted. If we were taking a road trip, it was the obvious choice, at least by my logic.

We settled in and ate in the room while we planned the next day. Afterwards, Wren excused herself to take a shower.

"RJ?" She called out. "I forgot my shampoo, would you bring it to me?"

I grabbed the bottle from her suitcase and went to the bathroom door. She opened it just enough for me to hand in the shampoo, then closed the door. "Thanks"

What she didn't know was there was a full length mirror behind her and I could see her naked ass quite clearly.

"You're w-welcome." I sputtered, trying not to leer.

We spent 3 days in Nashville. Wren was a great tour guide and showed me all the sights. We went to a different Honkytonk every night and heard some very talented performers.

The Studio B tour was, in my opinion, a bit dry, but Wren was thrilled. "Can you imagine?" She almost whispered. "Elvis sat on this very stool and recorded several of his biggest hits."

On our last night, we splurged and went to the Grand Old Opry, the highlight of the trip, after Studio B of course, and I don't remember who we saw, but they were all very good.

I was the perfect gentleman for the entire time, even though Wren didn't make it easy. She wore a nightshirt to bed that was so sheer, that if she'd not been a redhead, I'd have been able to see her areolae though the material, of course her nipples stood out most of the time and it stuck to her ass like a second skin. When she crawled into bed, it rode up making it clear she wasn't wearing panties. I'm glad I got PJ's made of heavier cloth, and a long shirt, it would hopefully hide the erection I had.

After we got back, she did chide me for letting my studies slide, "Let the red hair be a warning." She said, then laughed, hugged me, and kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks for the great time." She gushed, then bounced off to her room.

A week or so later, I'd just gotten home from classes, when Wren came in right behind me. She nearly ran me down headed for her room, rushed inside and slammed the door.

I ditched my stuff in my room, then went to her door. I could hear her crying inside.

"Wren?" I said, knocking on her door.

"GO AWAY." She hissed.

I opened the door slowly. She was sitting on the bed. "Wren, what's wrong?" I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.

"I had an interview today." She sniffled. "I thought everything was going well til I met the head engineer." "He said I had impeccable credentials and I would be a great addition to the company, but unless I agreed to sleep with him..."

"Wren, I'm so sorry." I said, taking her hand in mine. "What an asshole."

"What am I going to do RJ?" She bawled. "I'll never get a job." "It's been months, and I'm still looking." She fell over onto my shoulder, sobbing.

I hugged her, letting her cry herself out. Then laid her down on the bed, covering her with a blanket.

I turned to leave, when she reached out and grabbed my hand. "Please don't go." She croaked. "I don't want to be alone."

I laid next to her and cradled her in my arms while she sniffled softly. Before long the sniffles became snores as she snuggled into me and fell asleep.

I held her as she slept, stroking her red hair, comforting her as best I could.

She awoke some time later, looking a little better.

"Thanks for..." She whispered.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

She looked up at me smiling, then kissed me softly, emerald green eyes sparkling like diamonds. "Yeah."

This was taking an interesting turn.

We laid there, kissing for quite a while. Damn, she was a good kisser. I could smell her perfume and feel her hair caressing my face and neck.

This was something completely different for me. My previous encounters were mostly fast, sweaty and frenetic. I wasn't sure at this point if we were even going any further, and I was OK with that.

I wasn't going to do anything, I'd let her be in control and just see where this went.

After a few more minutes of kissing, she looked up at me. "Don't you like me?" She queried.

"What?" I answered. "Where did that come from?"

"Well, you're the first guy I've been around that hasn't made any lewd comments or tried to paw me in the first 5 minutes." "I all but threw myself at you in Nashville, and you didn't make a move." She said. "If that nightshirt were any thinner, I might as well have been naked, and I know you saw my ass in the bathroom mirror." "I just figured I wasn't your type."

"Wren, honey." I smiled. "I think you're the most interesting woman I've ever met and I'd like nothing more than to escalate this relationship, but I also don't want to move too fast and scare you off." "I can't read you, which really throws me, it's something I've never experienced before." "And for the record, that nightshirt damn near killed me, believe me I noticed, as for the mirror, I plead the fifth."

She laid her head on my chest, then started laughing. "If anyone else said that, I'd call them a liar, but coming from you, I know it's the truth." "So you really can't read me huh?"

"Not even a little." I admitted. "It's driving me nuts." "That's why I haven't tried anything, the risk of death was too high, from you or Mike."

She moved back up and kissed me again. "Well, maybe this will clarify things." She giggled, then started unbuttoning my shirt. "Mike will just have to get over it, though I still reserve the right to kill you."

We slowly undressed each other, then laid down, embracing. She was about 5'3" 140 lbs with pale skin, nice firm tits, 36C easily, with small areolae that were only barely darker than her skin tone and a round smooth ass that just wouldn't quit, but her most enticing feature was her wispy red pubic hair, God she was beautiful.