The Brass Ring Ch 06 07

Chapter 6 Another Bump in the Road

Joanna and I started dating the following weekend. I phoned her on Wednesday and suggested we take the boys to the zoo on Saturday, then a stop at a kid-friendly restaurant. She was quick to agree. In the back of my mind, I was trying to guess when I'd have my first chance to get Jo into my bed. First things first. I wanted her to trust me and to know that the boys were just as important to me as they were to her.

I got a surprise later that week after my first date with Jo. Merilee called.

"Hi, Dieter," she said in a very uncertain voice.

"Hi, Merilee. How are you?" I wanted to be polite, no matter what.

"I'm okay, I guess. I'm sorry I haven't called you before. I've had a bad couple of weeks."

"Oh ... what happened." I was interested.

"My dad got a report on Harley and gave it to me. He wasn't the big success he made himself out to be. Turns out he was married with a son, but his wife divorced him. He was way behind on alimony and child support. On top of that, his credit was no good. I guess I should have been more careful." She sounded very defeated.

A thought crossed my mind. "Did you lend him any money?"

"Not much. Five hundred dollars. Stupid, huh?"

"Yeah ... well ... you can kiss that five hundred goodbye. I suppose he's taken off for parts unknown," I guessed.

"I don't know. I'm not seeing him any more, not since before we talked. I feel like such a fool. I had a good thing with you and I ruined it."

I didn't have a come-back for that. I don't know what would have happened if Joanna hadn't shown up. Then again, I don't know what would have happened if I was still going with Merilee when she did show up. Probably just as well I didn't have to worry about that.

"Dieter?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah ... I know. Me too."

"Can we still be friends?"

"Yeah ... sure. We can still be friends."

"I know I'd like it to be more than that, but ...."

"Merilee ... you want to think about what happened and why. You want to know if it could happen again."

"I understand. Thank you for talking to me. I'll probably see you around. Take care," she said, still with a timid, quiet voice I didn't recognize.

After I hung up, I thought about her. I thought about her a lot. If only she hadn't gone behind my back with that creep, Harley, everything might have been different. But she did, and now Joanna was back in my life ... or so I hoped. Every cloud has a silver lining, as Marla would say.

The Saturday at the zoo was a big success. I was planning to take the crew cab and had it all cleaned out and washed, even though it wasn't really dirty. Turned out I didn't need it. Joanna volunteered to take her car since the booster seats were already installed in it. I would drive. I was surprised to see it was a nearly new Camry. Ted must have been generous with this too.

Both Tony and Mike loved the zoo, and to tell the truth, so did I. Mind you, I was walking hand-in-hand with Jo most of the time, so that gave me a lift all by itself. We were bumping shoulders as we strolled along, and occasionally, I'd get a nice soft breast pressed into my arm as she leaned over to look at something. I don't believe in accidents, so naturally the "little head" was taking notice of all this.

The restaurant was noisy as you would expect, but the kids were having fun before, during, and after their meal. I was pretty sure they'd be worn out early this evening. We'd done a lot of walking that afternoon. Jo and I sat beside each other on the plastic chairs at the low table. This place was designed for kids, and parents were just there to pay the bill. I didn't mind. The kids were happy, Jo was happy, and of course, I was too.

As I predicted, when we got the boys home that evening, they were wiped. It didn't take any convincing for them to have their baths and head for bed. Jo invited me in, and I sat in the living room and waited for Jo's return. Both boys came out in their PJ's and said thank you for the nice day, then headed off to their beds.

Jo was right behind them to make sure they were tucked in and the lights were out. It was one of those domestic scenes you see on TV or in the movies, but it was a first for me. It felt good. This was the kind of life I could handle if I had the chance.

Jo came back to the living room and flopped down beside me.

"Thanks, Dieter. That was a lovely day. The boys loved it."

"Yeah. It was great. It got me to thinking this was the kind of life I'd like to have some day."

She turned toward me and her hand went to my cheek and she pulled me in for a kiss.

"I've been wanting to do that all day," she said softly.

"Me too. I've got a real good feeling about us, Jo. I know it's early ... but ...."

I didn't get to finish the thought. She pulled me back for another other her kisses, and this time there was tongue and action. She moved and the next thing I knew she was straddling me, her arms wrapped around my neck. I wasn't going anywhere, but then, I didn't want to. This was just fine with me.

I could feel her rubbing her boobs over my chest and we kissed and I kind of knew where we were going from here. It was her decision to make and I would just follow her lead. It wasn't long before she took my hand and led me up to her bedroom, closing the door behind me. I think we both thought the boys would be fast asleep by now.

I wasn't in any rush to undress her. I wanted to see her amazing body revealed bit by bit. Jo seemed a bit more aggressive in getting me undressed. I had my shirt off and my pants around my ankles in no time at all. In the meantime, Joanna had my cock in her hand after reaching through the fly on my boxers. I just kept on doing what I was doing. First her shirt, then her bra. My god, that woman had a set.

I spend some time worshiping her tits while she stroked my cock. After a while, I popped the button on her skirt and let it fall. She was wearing a tiny pair of panties, hardly bigger than a thong. I got the impression she planned this all out before I ever picked her up today.

After some clumsy fumbling with my pants, boxers, and socks, I was finally naked. Jo was laying back on the bed, watching me, her eyes half closed. I wouldn't have been surprised to see steam coming off her. I slipped the panties down and off her before spreading her legs. I wanted to start with a little oral play and she was all for it.

As I probably mentioned, Jo wasn't the slim high school girl I used to screw all those years ago. She was now a much bigger, sexier woman. I guess she was late developing because I still had pretty good memories of when we had sex back then and I could make a decent comparison. It was mostly in the boobs, the hips, and the ass that I could see the difference. I suppose some of it was due to childbirth, but not all of it. Anyway, she looked like a sex goddess, and at this particular moment she was my sex goddess.

It was a little before 1 am when I dragged myself out of the townhouse and headed home. It wasn't that late, but in the four hours that we had been in her bed, we did it all. I guess we were both making up for lost time. I hadn't had sex for a couple of months, and I'm sure Jo hadn't for longer than that. I wouldn't have any trouble getting to sleep tonight, and I was betting I would have some pretty interesting dreams.

When I forced myself out of bed on Sunday morning, I was feeling stiff. I don't drink much, and I'm in decent shape, but last night's action left my stomach and groin muscles pretty sore. I had nothing but good memories of my time with Joanna. If I could make it happen, she was going to be mine. Yeah, I know, she was sexy as hell, but that wasn't all. She and I seemed to be thinking the same things. It was like we were meant to be together. I was already planning our future life.

The next weekend, I brought Joanna and the boys over to meet Marla and Pop. Yeah, maybe I was jumping the gun, but I wanted them to know I was serious about her and as far as I could tell, she was serious about me. At least, I wasn't getting any negative signs.

"Marla, Pop, I'd like you to meet Joanna, Mike and Tony Milliken. Jo, this is my father who you might remember, and my step-mother Marla."

There were "Hellos" all around and then silence. I don't think any of us knew what to say. At last, I found my tongue.

"We were on our way out to the park for a picnic and I thought we'd stop in and say hello," I managed.

"Nice to meet you all," Marla said with a nice smile. "Dieter has told us a lot about you and your sons."

"Thanks," Joanna replied. "He has a lot of nice things to say about you, too."

"You've changed a lot since the last time I saw you," Pop said, his eyes fixed on Jo.

"Yes ... I know ... I could lose a few pounds but I'll never be that size again," Jo said.

"Don't bother on my account," the old man laughed.

"Helmut," Marla warned. "Behave."

"That's all right Mrs. Hunsinger. I'm used to it," Jo said.

"Call me Marla, Joanna. Everyone does."

We exchanged a little more small talk before I suggested we head off to the park. That met with immediate approval from the boys. We said our goodbyes and went out to Joanna's car.

"That was awkward," Jo said. "They weren't expecting us."

"I just thought it would be good to drop in and say hello. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," I said.

"No ... no need to apologize. I guess I need to learn to be more comfortable around them. Your dad has changed a lot, though. He seems much more friendly now."

"That's Marla's doing. She's made all the difference in the world to Pop."

"I'm glad for you, Dieter. But I don't think Marla is quite certain about me."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. Maybe her eyes ... the way she looks at me."

"Don't worry about it, Jo. Marla is my mom in more ways than just being a step-mom. She really cares about me and that's maybe why she seems a bit careful with new people."

"Okay ... I may be wrong," she said. "I wouldn't want anything to spoil what we have."

We'd been talking in a low voice and the boys didn't seem to be paying any attention to us, so it wasn't a problem.

Everything about Jo was positive when it came to the two of us. I was pretty sure she felt the same way as I did. We were getting back together again and this time it was going to be permanent. At least ... that's what I was telling myself.

We let the boys wear themselves out again before we headed for home. We picked up a big bucket of fried chicken and coleslaw for our dinner and took it to the townhouse. Once again, the boys had their baths, came in to thank me for the nice time, and headed off to bed.

Joanna and I spent some time necking on the couch before we figured the boys were out for the night, and then headed to her bedroom for our own playtime. It was a repeat of the first night we had been together. The sex was great and Jo made sure I knew what she wanted and gave me plenty of evidence that I was doing okay. She wasn't noisy, but she was very expressive, especially with her body. I was pretty sure I would have the same sore muscles as I had the week before.

That kind of set the pattern for the summer. We would go out on Saturday with the boys, finding something to do during the day, then go back to the townhouse for dinner. After they were in bed, Jo and I would have our private time together.

I was happy with that, but wished it could be more. She wouldn't or didn't go out on Sunday, saying she needed to catch up on housework. Weekdays were school nights for the boys and she didn't want to upset their routine. So I was having to settle for Saturdays. It was great, but I was hoping for more.

During that three months I became curious about Ted. Supposedly, he visited the boys once a month, but I never saw any evidence of him and Jo and the boys never mentioned him.

"Jo, I thought Ted was visiting Mike and Tony once a month. I haven't seen him," I said one Saturday evening in July.

She looked a bit startled before she answered.

"No ... he comes during the week. It's more convenient for him. I didn't think you'd want to run into him anyway," she managed.

I decided not to push the matter any further. It was strange though.

Another thing was happening off and on during the summer as well. I would run into or see Merilee now and then. It might be a shopping mall, or at the bank, or maybe when I stopped into see the guys at Jenkins Mercedes. She would just happen to be around and maybe smile as she saw me, or even said "hello" once or twice. That seemed different considering I hadn't noticed her before.

It was near the end of August when I finally worked up the courage to talk to Joanna about our future.

"Jo, you have to know how I feel about you. I'm in love with you and I'm hoping you're in love with me too."

She was squirming a bit, not looking very comfortable.

"I know, Dieter," she said softly. "You're a very nice man ... and ... I do care for you very much. But ... I'm still getting over the divorce. Ted and I were very close. It wasn't something I wanted ... it was something I had to do. Please give me some time. I hope you understand."

"Very nice man? That's all?" I asked, disappointed.

"Please, Dieter. Don't push too hard. This is a very difficult time for me ... and the boys."

"The boys seem to be getting along fine," I said, not quite buying her argument. "I think they've come to accept me without any problem. I think they're great ... you know I do."

"Yes ... I know. You are wonderful with them. I really appreciate that too. It takes so much pressure off me."

I sat there for a while, saying nothing. I was caught in a trap. I wanted more from Joanna, but if I pushed her too hard I might lose her. I couldn't handle that. I let out a bit sigh, knowing what I'd have to accept.

"Okay, Jo. I won't put any more pressure on you. I promise. You know how I feel about you. Someday, I'd like to know how you feel about me. I want to marry you and even adopt the boys if you'd let me. That's how strongly I feel about them. But I'll wait for you to decide. I've waited this long, I guess a bit longer won't make much difference."

She looked at me and nodded, a very faint smile as my reward. She didn't look happy and I wondered what I could do to change that.

We went along with our once-a-week outings and lovemaking into the fall. The boys were both in school and apparently doing fine. I never saw any hint that they were unhappy or confused about my being there. It made me wonder again about Ted and his whereabouts. She never told me where he lived, just that it was a day's drive from here.

It was the end of November when everything changed, and not for the better. We had been out for the day on Saturday as usual, taking in a matinee at the theatre complex. It was an animated feature suitable for kids, and they enjoyed it, reciting some of the scenes as we headed home in Jo's car.

We weren't buying take-out food or stopping at restaurants as much any more. Jo and I would make a proper dinner for the four of us and anything else was a special treat. We'd finished the meal, done the dishes, and were playing a game of Junior Monopoly for an hour or so until it was time for the boys' bath.

As usual, they said goodnight to me, then marched off to bed. They were great kids and I looked forward to the day when I could call them mine. Jo came back to the living room and sat beside me, but not as close as usual. I could see a frown on her face and I knew something was bothering her.

"What's up, Babe? You feeling all right?"

She turned to me and I could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be good. I could feel my stomach muscles tighten, waiting for what was to come.

"Dieter ... I don't know how to tell you this ... but ... but I'm going back to Ted."

I felt like I'd been sucker-punched right in the guts. It was something I never imagined would happen. Why? Why now? I struggled to get her to explain, but I was having a hell of a time just forcing myself just to say something.

"I don't understand. You're divorced. We've been together for months. I don't get it," I finally was able to get out.

"I have a confession, Dieter. Please don't hate me when I tell you, but I owe you the truth. I never divorced Ted. I never intended to unless things were never going to get better."

"You're still married?" I was dizzy with what was happening. "Why did you lie to me? Why?"

"I like you Dieter, and know you well enough that you wouldn't want to be with a married woman. I needed someone ... someone to hold and be with. I couldn't live alone forever."

"You used me? That's all I was ... a fuck buddy?"

"No ... no, Dieter. Please, it wasn't like that. I cared about you, and you cared about me and the boys. That was so important. No ... we were more than just ... sex. Much more."

"So ... how many other lies did you tell? Is Ted really a momma's boy? Was she really a bitch you made her out to be?"

"Yes ... that was all true. I did leave because of her. But Ted knew that. He didn't want a divorce. He wanted me to stay, but I couldn't. Not when she treated me the way she did. Ted understood that."

"Why didn't he just leave her then? I can understand that it was his mother, but Jesus, didn't his marriage count for anything?"

"You don't understand. His mother is rich ... really rich. Ted would inherit everything when she passed. If he chose me over her, she'd cut him out of her will and he'd be left with almost nothing. She thinks he's getting a divorce, but he's not. We were hoping to find another way. She was showing signs of early dementia, and maybe he could get power of attorney."

"So it was all about money, then? This whole thing was about money. Shit ... guess how that makes me feel?" I spat.

"I'm sorry, Dieter. I didn't want to hurt you. It's the last thing I wanted to do. I care for you. I'm sorry I let you get so close. I know I've wounded you. Please forgive me."

She sounded genuinely sorry for what she'd done, but it didn't change anything. I was hurt and pissed off. I didn't mind letting her know, either.

"Well thanks for that! I feel so much better now. Does Teddy-boy know you and I have been screwing for the last six months? I guess not. That would mess up your plan, wouldn't it? So how come you're going back to him now?"

She hadn't looked at me for some time. Her head was down, looking at her lap I suppose.

"His mother suffered a stroke a month ago. She was already showing signs of Alzheimer's and now she's in a nursing home. Ted was able to get the power of attorney, and we can go back to being man and wife without the misery his mother caused."

"Well, isn't that nice. All wrapped up in a tidy little bow. You get your life just the way you want it and to hell with me. I guess money talks and bullshit walks. I think I'll go now. I wouldn't want to ruin the happy mood," I snarled.

I got up, grabbed my jacket, and headed for the door. She still hadn't raised her head to look at me.

"Goodbye, Joanna," I said as I walked out the door and out of her life.

Fucked again! And by the same woman twice! You stupid asshole. What's that saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Yeah. That fits. What a jerk I'd become. A thirty-one-year-old jerk. No wonder I was still single. No fucking wonder.

Chapter 7 Now What?

I spent quite a bit of time over the next few days beating myself up over Joanna. How could I be so easily fooled? What was it about me that made me a sucker for a pretty face? You would think by now I'd have figured it out ... but no. I had my life all planned out. She and I would get married, adopt the boys, build a nice house, and live happily ever after. I wondered more than a few times what it was going to take to find the right woman. Maybe I was one of those guys who never would.