One Step at a Time

This is the second part of a four-part series and I recommend that you read Part 1 first. The story describes a developing relationship. If you're looking for quick sex, you'll be disappointed but if you wait, I hope it will be worth it for you.

The next day, Jaime and I kept a running text chat going as we worked and I wondered if she was as distracted as I was. Fortunately for me, I was having a quiet day and my boss was out of the office so I got away with being less productive than I normally was.

One of her texts was definitely in the NSFW category. "How long did it take you to cum after I left?"

"Oh, about 2 minutes."

"That long? Weren't really horny? LOL."

"HBU?"

"About the same after I got home and inside."

"Glad U made it home safely"

* * * * *

Whether it was a friendship or something more that was developing, Jaime and I communicated a lot. We kept texting during the day and RocketTalking at night and I couldn't wait to see her in person again. It was only a few days but felt like weeks. After work, I changed clothes, picked up a nice bottle of wine (it was my turn) and drove over to her condo. She let me in and, as I closed the door behind me, she grabbed me and we kissed.

Amazingly, after our last time together and the highly charged texts and chats we had been sharing, dinner was just two friends gabbing. I was again struck by how much we had in common.

Finally, we did a status check on how we had felt and were feeling. Given how often we had spoken since playing together, I didn't think that either one of us had any regrets but it was still a good idea. Jaime opened by asking me if I was still okay with what we had done.

"Other than being hornier than I've ever been, you mean?"

"Yeah, that's what I mean."

"Am I okay with us kissing?"

"Yeah."

"And us being topless together?"

"Yeah."

"Am I okay playing with your boobs?"

"Yeah."

"And you playing with mine?"

"Yeah."

"Honestly, absolutely no regrets. I wasn't expecting us to end up topless so soon, but all of it was great. I loved our experimenting but knowing we had drawn a line made me feel safe too. And I trusted you. I do trust you."

"Thanks. I couldn't tell if I had pushed you when I started to undo your bra. Or maybe I was just overthinking things. I wanted to check though."

"I appreciate your concern. I really do but you were fine. I'd have let you know if I didn't want something and I trust that you'd stop." She nodded emphatically and I went on. "As we were kissing, I decided that I wanted your fingers touching me on my skin. I really wanted that." I paused then asked "How about you? Did you feel like I pushed anything or went too far or too fast?"

"Absolutely not. You were really considerate and I think we were on the same pace."

"I think so too. I tried to take some cues from you."

"Me too."

"Did anything surprise you?"

"A little. I was surprised how much I liked touching your boobs. I didn't expect that. How about you?"

"I was surprised when you moved down to kiss my nipples but that's not a complaint--it really felt nice--I just wasn't expecting it. I was also surprised about how I much I liked touching your boobs. I really did! Maybe I should know this but they're really soft."

"I'm blushing."

"So, I want you to make a decision here. If you just want to stick with above the waist, I'm good with that. If you have another step in mind, we should discuss it."

"Hmmm. More boob play for sure. After that, well, I'm not sure how much further I want to go yet. Maybe a little further but I'm not sure what."

"Yeah, you're welcome to taking my bra off anytime you want but I'm going to keep my pants on for a while."

"That's a pretty good line to draw. Let's stick with hands above the waist for now."

We took our glasses and moved to the living room. Jaime had a sofa and love seat sitting at a right angle to each other. She sat on the love seat and I joined her.

"I have something to tell you" I say.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. When I get home from work, I normally dump my bra as soon as I walk into the house. I didn't put it back on before I drove over."

"Well, I have something to tell you then. I noticed that."

I blushed but then brushed teasingly at my nipples which were probably going to be visible soon. "Maybe you should join me then."

She didn't say anything. Instead, keeping her eyes on me, she reached to her back and unhooked her bra. She yanked her arms through her t-shirt and pulled the bra out. She then stuck her arm back through the sleeves and readjusted her shirt.

As I watched her my nipples started to get erect. I smiled knowing that I'd be able to touch her skin soon. "Can I tell you something else?" I ask.

"Of course you can."

"When you made the comment about not taking your panties off, I got an image of us lying in bed, making out, and wearing nothing but our panties. Maybe not for tonight but that could be an interesting step to think about."

"Mmmm. That is a really hot image. I think tonight, I want to stick with above the waist but maybe some time? It might be fun if we keep doing this to spend a night together that way. Not yet, but sometime."

So, we were being careful but both of us were thinking ahead. The thought of us that way was exciting but it made me nervous too. Nervous but curious to find out. And therefore, very confusing.

We leaned our faces in and kiss. This time, there was less shyness and there were hands on boobs pretty quickly. It didn't take long for me to lose my t-shirt and to take hers off. We alternated between kissing, hugging, and touching, with holding each other while we chatted about life and how we were feeling. We both claimed to be less nervous than before and said that we totally trusted each other to stop above the waist.

We did stop there. This time I was the one who had to concentrate on my driving. Two minutes after I got home, I was naked and my fingers were working to relieve my arousal.

First thing the next morning, I got the text I should have expected from Becca. I told her that Jaime and I had had a very nice time and that we were going to see each other again soon. And anything else was none of her business. This time, she sent me a smiley face and suggested that the four of us think about getting together soon.

* * * * *

Over the next month, besides texting and RocketTalking, Jaime and I got together once or twice a week. A couple of times, we met at a restaurant or went to a movie. She was interested in local history and introduced me to a museum that I didn't know was there. One night, I dragged her to a classical concert that I don't think was on her to-do list. We had a lot of things in common but not everything. It was okay because just being together was great.

She would come over to my house or I went over to hers of course. Sometimes after some other activity and sometimes just to hang out. We'd make dinner or order in. Sometimes we'd watch TV together and sometimes we'd just talk.

And, of course, we spent a lot of time making out, still keeping our hands and lips above the waist for now. These evenings ended with both of us aroused and frustrated.

We hadn't had a specific discussion about what was next but I'm pretty sure that we both knew that something was going to happen. I think I was ready in general but thinking about specific steps we might take and things we might do still caused some anxiety and self-questioning.

Fortunately, Jaime and I seemed to be at the same place generally and we were pretty good at communicating. We had agreed that we were taking things slowly and, despite our frustration, we didn't have any deadline for our next step.

* * * * *

We did a RocketTalk chat one night and got into a discussion about our sex toys--my collection had grown since the divorce. She told me that she was thinking of buying an egg style vibrator. There was one that had a remote control so that you could try different patterns controlled from your phone.

The conversation was getting real interesting and I got aroused again. I had taken off my bra when I got home from work and I wondered if my nipples were visible on her screen. Partly because I wanted the sensation but partly, I admit, to tease her, I started playing with my boobs. Okay, a lot to tease her.

Maybe to block what I was doing, she shared her screen showing the website for the vibe she was telling me about. I grabbed the address, clicked onto the page, and studied the description.

"Wow. Did you see that it's not just your phone that can control the patterns?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look at the remote control section."

"What? Oh my God. You're right. That could be fun."

"It could be but is that the next step or a few steps later?"

"Hmmm. Interesting thought but I don't think it's the next step."

"Agreed. But to play it safe, I think I'll order one."

"Just beat you to it."

* * * * *

At work, deadlines were looming and both of our bosses were around, so we couldn't do non-stop text conversations. We traded texts every couple of hours, mostly along the lines of thinking-of-you and can't-wait-to-see-you.

We were also able to RocketTalk. I learned that while Becca kept texting me, Jaime's cousin Katt texted her. We had given similar none-of-your-business responses but we agreed that we should try to set up dinner with them the next week or they'd never leave us alone.

But we decided that us getting together face-to-face was more important than her nosy cousin. We were both free a couple of days later, on Friday, so we make a date (A date? A date!) for then. We decided to meet somewhere for dinner and then go back to my place. We easily agreed on a restaurant that we had both wanted to try. Then, not as easily, we started talking about plans for after dinner.

I opened things up when I asked her if she had any thoughts about our next steps.

"Why? Tired of my boobs already?"

"What? No way! I love them!"

"Okay, you had me worried."

"Well, what about you? Are getting bored yet?"

"No way!"

"Glad to hear that."

"But..."

"But?"

"But I have to tell you that I've been fantasizing about doing other things."

"Mmmm. Tell me more."

"I will but fantasy doesn't mean I'm pushing you for anything. Just that I'm thinking about things."

"Fantasies can be fun whether or not they happen."

"They can be" she agreed. "I know neither one of us is ready to talk about making love yet."

"But we can fantasize, can't we?"

"I sure hope so because I did a couple of times. Not yet, but I think that there are a whole bunch of steps between what we've done and that. Anyway, that's sort of what I was thinking of."

"Moving below the waist?"

"Um. Maybe. Sort of."

"Maybe? Sort of?"

"Okay. I was thinking about the image of us stripping down to our panties and sleeping in the same bed. I've got to say, the picture got me wet, thinking of holding you all night. But I'm also scared of whether we'd be able to keep our hands above the waist."

"Yeah, that might be tempting but I think we could keep a promise since it's important to both of us not to push things. I really do trust you."

"I trust you too but I'm worried about trusting myself."

"Yeah, I hear you."

"What about legs?"

"I'd be okay with you touching my legs. Yeah, that would be okay."

"Okay, what about maybe we try some below the waist play but we keep our panties on and make a rule no touching near there?"

"When you say play is that just touching?" I wanted to make sure I knew what she meant.

"I was thinking of kissing and licking too. Would you be okay with that?"

I think about that before I answer. "I think so as long as it stops on our legs." Long pause. "You know that kissing you wasn't really a problem but touching each other's boobs seemed like a big step for me before we did it. When we did, I loved it and wondered why I had resisted in my head." I gulp. "Boobs are great but pussies are still beyond my comfort zone. So, yeah, definitely not there yet."

"I know that and I promise I'm not suggesting it. It's a not yet for me too."

"Hmmm. Can I think about this?"

"Of course you can. That's our deal--no pressure from me and no pressure from you."

"Okay. And even if we don't do something we talk about, I'm glad that we can talk about stuff."

We ended our chat and I went to bed. As I lay there, I imagined Jaime in the bed next to me, both of us in our panties, holding onto each other. I thought of how I want to trust her and hope that she trusts me. I wasn't sure that I was willing to take the risk of us taking that step but I also wasn't rejecting it. Damn.

* * * * *

Lunchtime Thursday, I got an excited text from Jaime. "DELIVERY NOTICE!!! GUESS WHAT WAS DELIVERED TODAY?"

I didn't have to guess because I had gotten the same notice about an hour before. It was the remote control vibrator that I had ordered.

"Mine too. May not be able to chat tonight. I may be busy." I sent a smiley but wished I could find an orgasm face emoji."

"We'll compare notes later." She included an emoji with a sly grin. I replied with the same one.

* * * * *

I wanted to get home so of course my boss wanted to talk just when I was getting ready to leave. I finally got out of there and when I came in to the house, I brought in the mail and unwrapped the package. I ran through the set-up instructions and put my new toy on its charger while I had a quick dinner.

After I ate, I downloaded the app and synched my phone to the vibe. The app had several built-in patterns. I cycled through them and decided that there wouldn't be any need to download more for a while.

The vibe had an egg shaped piece that went inside and it was attached to a tail that stayed outside and held it in place. I was already wet but I added some water-based lube and worked it into my entrance. I hit the first pattern and lay back. I won't describe what it was like except to say that I went back on the company's website and left a five-star rating.

I also carefully read the instructions on how you could create a link to give to someone. They'd then be able to control the toy. Hmmm.

Text from Jaime: "Having fun?"

"Hope UR having as much fun as I am!"

"I bet I am. Wow."

"Can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"Me too."

* * * * *

At work, I looked up when a knock on my office door broke my concentration. Mary, who I've worked with for a while, was standing in the doorway. "Got time for lunch?"

I was at a good stopping point so I agreed to join her. We're not friends outside of work but we've done some projects together and go to lunch once in a while. We went to a place near our office and sat in a booth.

We chatted about some work stuff for a while then she asked if I was dating anyone. "I know what you went through so I wasn't sure if you were back out there. If you are, I have someone I'd like to introduce you to."

That's a question that I'm not sure I want to answer. Jaime and I are seeing each other. A lot. But are we dating or just playing around? Are we just like friends with limited benefits? In my pre-Andrew era, if I dated a guy for as long as Jaime and I had been hanging out, I'd have either slept with him by now or we'd have broken up.

Yet... yet, I don't know.

"Thanks, but I'm not ready to see a guy yet." How's that fudging my answer? "Thanks for thinking of me though."

* * * * *

Jaime and I kept discovering new common interests and experiences and, whether this was dating or something else, our friendship continued to grow. We had gotten pretty comfortable with each other, at least when we had our clothes on. I enjoyed our time together even when we weren't pushing our sexual boundaries.

But we were. We had returned to our discussion of the image of us sleeping next to each other with our panties on and we decided that we were ready to try this. Jaime would come over on Saturday and would spend the night. It was a major step for us.

So, Saturday afternoon, we made salads and decided to eat out on the patio, enjoying the lingering warm weather. She admired my backyard and I told her that it's private enough to sunbath when the weather is nice. I saw a look cross over her face and wondered if she had just gotten the same image--both of us sunbathing in the nude. I decided that I'll keep that one to myself for now. As we ate, Jaime described a TV show she was following and talked me into watching an episode or two. The sun began to set and it started to cool down, so we took our dishes inside.

We sat together on the couch but more like a friendly evening together and not one that might end up in bed. She had brought an overnight bag so unless I panicked, something new was going to happen tonight. I don't think she noticed my shiver at that thought but I sure did.

We paused when the episode finished and Jaime leaned against me with her head on my shoulder. I nibbled her ear and she turned toward me so we could kiss and soon both of our t-shirts were gone. Jaime gave me a funny smile and I smile back wondering what she's going to say.

"Want to watch another episode?"

"Um. Like this?"

"Yup. Wouldn't it be fun to sit together topless while we watch?"

She's right. It was fun. Jaime cuddled against me and I put my arm across her, teasing against the bottom of her breasts.

The show ended and we chatted about it, trying to ignore that we're topless. Jaime filled me in on the background story and we spoke about other shows where we had seen some cast members. Again, I was surprised and happy about our common tastes. One of the actors is in a movie that was currently showing and we decided that we'd go see it tomorrow.

During this whole conversation, Jaime cuddled against me. My boobs rubbed against her back and I cupped hers. The teasing finally got to us and Jaime slid to the end of the couch and leaned against the arm facing me. I pulled my legs under me and swiveled toward her.

We had both kicked off our shoes already. Jaime moved her legs onto the couch, putting her feet in my lap. I placed my hands on her ankles and fondled them as we continued talking about the TV show.

As I described another show that I liked, I realized that Jaime was less involved in the conversation and was staring away from me. I quickly moved my hands from her and wondered how I had misinterpreted the situation. I mean, she had put her feet there. I started to apologize.

"I'm sor...."

"No, don't stop, please don't stop. That feels great."

"Oh. I thought I had done something wrong. You were kind of not here."

"Sorry. I was absolutely enjoying how it felt. I guess I was focusing on what you were doing and not what you were saying. Sorry."

I touched her ankles again and restarted the massage. This time, I gave her the type of foot rub that I always wish someone would give me,. Are cute ankles a thing? I decided they must be and that hers are. My hands went from the top of her foot to her ankles and then to her lower legs. She moved her legs slightly apart giving me more access. She was silent except that I think her breathing was heavier and I wondered if it was my touch that did that to her.

I guess it was. "Mmmm."

"You seem to like that."

"Yeah, I really do. You're great at it."

I am? I've never done it before so I'm not sure what it is that I'm great at. I decided that I'd keep doing what I was doing if she thought it was good. I pulled her pants hem up above her ankle for better access to her calf and expanded the area I was massaging.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have cute ankles?"