The snow continued to fall and Neal was tired from the long drive. However, as he turned onto the road to the ski resort, his excitement built. The mountains ahead of him were covered in white and the heavy snowfall bode well for a great week of skiing.
It was spring break of his sophomore year in college. His childhood friend, Cassie, had invited him to join her and her family at their slope-side vacation home. Neal quickly accepted. He loved to ski and free lodging at a great resort area was irresistible. Plus, it would be fantastic to see Cassie again.
Their families were close and since grade school they'd grown up together and shared many interests. In high school, they had dated. Senior year, they introduced each other to sex. Cassie was uninhibited and often insatiable. It still sent chills up his spine when he remembered how she had convinced him to have sex in the department story dressing room.
When they went to different colleges, they had stopped dating, but were still occasional fuck buddies. Over time, they had more experiences and became more sexually skilled. Therefore, each time they hooked up was something new and special.
Frequent phone calls, emails and impromptu sexual encounters kept the friendship strong. Although never explicitly stated, Cassandra and Neal considered each other best friends.
Pulling into the driveway, Neal was impressed by the beautiful post and beam home. Mr. and Mrs. Knight were both successful in their careers and it showed in this upscale retreat. The front of the house had a deck over the basement garage. Windows on each side of the large stone fireplace stretched from the floor up to the vaulted ceiling. The windows spilled light onto the snow covered yard and gave the large falling flakes a magical quality.
Exiting the car, his breath misted in the night air and Neal gave a quick shiver. Grabbing his duffel bag and ski gear, his feet crunched on the snow as he moved up the steps to the door.
Cassie's younger brother Paul answered the doorbell. "Mom, Neal's here." he shouted back over his shoulder. "It's great to see you, man. The slopes are going to be sweet!"
"It's good to see you, too. You're right. With this new snow, we should be able to rip."
Mrs. Knight emerged from the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel and wearing a plum sweater, jeans and a smile. She was naturally warm and outgoing. She was also a big fitness buff and very active. It showed that her skiing, tennis and yoga kept her trim and limber.
While Paul was tall like his father, Cassie favored her mother. It was clear that's where Cassie got her good looks from. They were both adventurous, on the petite side and shared dark, curly hair. "Neal, you're looking well." she said while giving him a welcoming hug. "How was the drive?"
"It was fine, Mrs. K. It got slippery in a couple of places. But, I think I beat the worst of it."
"That's good," she said waving him into the main house. "I'm glad Cassie's got the SUV. The snow is supposed to continue through tomorrow, so we couldn't have picked a better ski week."
"I want to thank you for inviting me, Mrs. K. It was really nice of you."
"Don't mention it." she replied with a shake of her head that caused the chestnut hair in her ponytail to swing. "I'm going to love your company. Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you unpack, while I finish up? Paul, help Neal stow his equipment and show him his bedroom."
Neal had one of the guest bedrooms in the basement next to Paul's room. Cassie and the Knights were located on the second floor. Although windowless, it was well appointed. Besides the roomy queen-sized bed, it had a closet, bureau, and an overstuffed chair. A mirror, lamp, landscape paintings and a full bookshelf completed the furnishings. It was more than comfortable for the week.
After quickly dumping his clothes in the bureau, he changed into sweatpants and a long-sleeve jersey. Returning upstairs, the aroma of food filled the air.
"Perfect timing," Mrs. Knight said. She carried a large bowl from the kitchen to the heavy oak table in the dining portion of the main room.
"Anything I can do to help you?" Neal volunteered.
"Not now. Maybe later. You boys sit at the table while I get the last things."
The meal of pasta, salad and fresh baked bread was delicious and plentiful. It was accompanied by a postcard perfect view of the snow falling across the valley below. They talked about school and caught up on family news.
Mrs. Knight confirmed that because Cassie had an afternoon class, she would be getting a late start and planned to arrive in the wee hours. Unfortunately, Mr. Knight was on a business trip and wouldn't be here until mid-week.
After dinner, Neal and Paul played some video games and watched a little TV. Tired from the long drive, Neal excused himself.
From the couch, Mrs. Knight said "We'll be going to bed shortly ourselves. You have sweet dreams"
"You too," Neal replied and went to his room. He washed up and slipped into the gym shorts he usually slept in. Since the house was warm and there were lots of blankets on the bed, he decided against wearing a shirt.
Crawling into bed, Neal thought about the week ahead with anticipation. He was looking forward to Cassie showing up. He drifted off to sleep dreaming of Cassie's body and feeling a little horny.
Several hours later, his bedroom door opened and light from the hall fell on his face. Neal drifted up from a pleasant sleep into semi-consciousness. He squinted his bleary eyes and caught a glimpse of a female figure in a short pink nightgown sneaking into his room. Still groggy, he tried to shake himself more awake. Before he could focus, the door closed and the room returned to pitch blackness.
She tiptoed to the bed and one of the floorboards creaked. With a quiet giggle, she reached the bed and slipped under the covers.
Neal rolled on his side and reached out to her. She pulled close and gave him a kiss. Neal was immediately more alert and his body showed the first signs of arousal. He was always easily stimulated and this unexpected visit hit all his triggers. Neal initiated a kiss and said, "I'm glad you made it safe." And then with a hug, "And, I'm really glad you made it to my room, Cassie."
