Meeting His Muse

"You're kidding, right Dave?" Jake stared at the cell phone in his hand and shook his head in disbelief, the exasperation evident in his voice. "You know I have that damn story due on Friday, I can't go out tonight."

"Come on Jake, it's Saturday night. You have a whole week to finish your paper," said Dave.

Jake held the phone away from his ear. Dave was talking loud enough to be heard over the noise of the bar. He took a deep breath before replying. "Yes Dave, today is Saturday. It's due on Friday. I have less than a week and I don't have anything done yet. Jake was trying to be patient with his friend, but was near his limit.

"I don't see what the big deal is," said Dave. "I've seen you bang out thirty pages in two or three days."

"This is different Dave. I'm supposed to write a story and I've never done that before."

"Dude, it's only for a Human Relationships class. Here I'll start you off. 'Dear Penthouse Forum'," Dave said laughing.

"Good bye Dave," Jake sighed, disconnecting the phone and tossing it on his desk. He ran his fingers through his short red hair and resumed pacing back and forth. His long strides made quick work of his small bedroom. Three steps to the bookshelf on the far wall. Three steps back to the desk, then two more to the bed. It was a familiar pattern; one Jake used every time he wrote a paper.

He looked down at the blank legal pad laying on his desk and thought about walking into the living room, just for variety. "No Jake," he muttered to himself. "If you do that you'll just end up watching a movie or playing a video game. If you're going to do that, you might as well spend the night drinking at Hazard's with the guys."

Jake sighed and sat down at his desk. This course should have been easy for him, he thought tapping his pen against his chin. Dave was right. He could pound out a term paper for a History class in a day or two with no trouble at all. Until now, that had been all he had to do for this one. Unfortunately, Professor Claussen decided to throw the class a curve ball for the final project. She instructed them to take what they had learned in her course and write a romantic short story. Jake had been staring at this blank page for a week and had no idea where to begin. Looking up, he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Why is this so damn difficult?" he asked the ceiling.

"Perhaps I could help you," a musical female voice chimed in from behind him.

Startled, Jake jumped out of his chair and spun around, brandishing his pen. "What the hell," he started to ask then stopped. He sagged back against his desk at a loss for words. The voice belonged to the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She was perched on top of his bookshelf. Her left leg clasped in her arms, her chin resting on her knee. Her other hung down, bare except for the laces of the golden sandal that criss-crossed around her calf. She wore a garland of roses on her head, her long brunette hair flowing down over her shoulders. Green eyes twinkled merrily as she watched him with an expectant smile on her lips.

Jake just stared at her in confusion, "How did you get... Who are you?' he whispered.

The woman giggled. "I am the Muse, Erato."

The name sounded familiar to Jake. He thought for a moment then began to laugh. "Erato, the Grecian Muse of romantic poetry? That is fantastic!" he said.

"So you know me," Erato questioned. She sat up straight, delighted by the recognition.

"Well, ancient Greek history isn't my specialty, but I do know who Erato is," said Jake. "Who put you up to this? It couldn't have been Dave. He's not that clever. Was it Matt and Tammy from the History Department?" He glanced at the door and window, both were closed. "How did you get in here anyway? Were you hiding in the closet?"

The young woman looked confused by this. "I don't know any of those people. And I certainly was not hiding in your closet." she insisted. "I came here because I knew you were struggling with a story and wanted to offer my help.

"Okay," Jake said, surprised that she wanted to continue the act, but willing to play along. "Then tell me why a beautiful Greek goddess would appear to help me with my final project for Professor Claussen? After all, I'm not an artist. I'm not even Greek." He gestured at his firey hair. "My people were Irish.

Erato leaned back against the wall. Her white dress flowed down over her legs. Her face grew solemn as she spoke. "I can sense when a writer with true artistic potential is struggling to complete a project. When I do, I am drawn to that person in hopes that I may provide inspiration and assistance. I felt that potential in you Jacob Dempsey, so I came here tonight."

Jake gave a little start when she said his name, but realized that whichever of his friends put the young woman up to this would have told her his name. He leaned back against his desk and tapped his pen against his chin. "If you were drawn to me, because of my story, then what am I working on?" He asked as the corner of his mouth curled upwards.

Erato's green eyes lit with humor as she matched his smirk with one of her own. "A little skepticism is understandable, but don't get carried away." She wagged a finger in admonishment. "I will leave you, if you doubt me. " Gathering her long locks over her shoulder, she stared intently into Jake's eyes. "You are thinking about a couple of romantic stories. The first is pretty basic, childhood sweethearts who are reunited years later after completing their education. The second story is much more interesting. It is a tale set in your old west about a rough-hewn cowboy, with a violent past, who falls in love with a sophisticated school teacher from Philadelphia."

"How did you," Jake stopped, his mouth hung open in disbelief. "I haven't told anyone what I was working on," he said as he began to pace again. He gestured at his desk. "My notes are all here and no one has seen them."

Erato smiled at him. It was a wide bright smile that to Jake seemed to light up the room. "That's the story I sensed Jake," she said, clapping her hands in obvious delight. "That's the one I came to help you tell." Her smile turned gentle as she gazed down from her perch. "I can feel the story developing in your mind. I am a Muse Jake. If you like I can be your muse, at least for a little while."

Jake said nothing. He just stood there, staring at her in amazement. She couldn't possibly be who she claimed to be, but even if she had been able to slip into his room without him noticing, there was no way for her to know about the ideas he had for his story.

"Shall we begin?" she asked. Jake nodded, still at a loss for words. She grinned at him the tip of her tongue peeking out between her teeth. Erato reached out to him with both hands and cleared her throat.

The sound shook Jake from his immobility. "Oh, of course, let me help you down." He walked over to the bookcase and reached up for her. Placing his hands on her waist, he lifted her down with ease. She couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds. Her breasts were much fuller than they first appeared, having been concealed by her loose fitting fabric of her white dress. Once she was on the floor, Jake let go and would have stepped away, but she kept her hands on his shoulders and held him in place. Jake could smell the fresh roses that garlanded her hair, their sweet floral scent filling his nose.

Erato stepped close and touched his chin with her delicate fingertips. "You have ink on your face," she said still smiling. "That's a good start."

Jake swallowed hard. "Alright Erato, you're here to inspire me. How do we do this?"

Erato's answering laugh had a musical sound. "It's easy Jake," she said taking his hand and leading him back to his chair. "All you need to do is sit down and let the story flow."

Jake sat down at his desk. "Just sit down and write," he said, "I've been trying to do that for the last week now, and haven't gotten anywhere."

"It will be different this time," she said. "Trust me."

Jake's right hand was trembling as he pulled his legal pad towards him. He almost put his pen down in surprise. He had never been nervous about writing before. Erato noticed. Leaning down she whispered in his ear. "Relax Jake. Writing is like riding a horse. You just have to climb in the saddle and do it. I won't let you fall." She stood behind him and massaged his shoulders. He arched his back and sighed at the release of tension. "That's better the story is inside of you all you need to do is set it free."

Jake turned his head to look up at her, with a skeptical smile. "The story is inside of me?" he asked.

"I wouldn't be here otherwise," Erato said, "Now get to work."

Jake turned back to the paper and began to write. He labored over a couple of sentences, then scratched them out and started over. He wrote a few more then stopped again. He tapped his pen against his chin while he considered them, then frowned as he lifted his pen to scratch them out as well. He felt Erato's presence behind him, as she caressed the back of his neck. "Screw it," he muttered, "I can always fix it later."

"That's right," said the Muse. She sat on his desk, drawing her legs up and hugging her knees. "Keep going," she said with an encouraging smile.

With visible reluctance, Jake turned his attention away from the lovely young woman and back to his work. He struggled through the rest of the paragraph, and most of the page then stopped again. After a moment spent looking at the paper, he tossed the pen on the desk and ran his fingers through his hair.

Erato lifted her chin from her knees. "What's wrong Jake?"

"It's the same problem I've had all along with this story," he replied, shaking his head. "It starts off slow and awkward, which isn't unusual. But it never gets any better." He waived his hand at the paper in front of him. "Eventually, I hit a wall. "

"But that doesn't happen when you write History?" she asked.

"No it doesn't," Jake said leaning back in his chair. "Well it always starts off that way, but instead of hitting a wall, the research and preparation I've done takes over and the words come easily."

Erato's brow furrowed for a moment. "Have you prepared the way you normally do?"

Jake gave her an amused look and flipped open a notebook he had sitting on his desk. "Of course I did," he said, "character notes, plot notes, setting notes. Am I missing something?"

The Muse picked up the notebook and leafed through it. "If you've done everything you need to do to write, then you just have to keep going." She set the notebook beside her and shrugged. "I didn't say this would be easy. I said the story was in there. Erato leaned over and tapped him on the forehead.

Jake sighed and Erato chuckled at him. "Jake you told me that it's always hard work when you begin. How do you stay focused until things become easier?"

Jake shifted his weight in the chair and shook his head. "I don't know. I just do. I'm a historian or at least I want to be one. I enjoy it I guess." He shrugged and gestured at the pad in front of him. "This is only an assignment for a class I have to pass to keep my scholarship.

Her eyes narrowed and she smiled knowingly. Erato picked up the legal pad and set it on the notebook without reading it. She slid over until she faced Jake directly. "I see your problem Jake." Her expression turned serious. "When you write History, you write from here." She tapped him on the forehead. "Stories, especially stories about people, do more than engage the mind they engage the heart as well." She placed her hand on his chest. "You need to write from here Jake, if you want to tell your story." Leaning forward until their foreheads touched, she placed her feet on his chair. "You don't need me to inspire your writing, my young author. You need me to inspire passion." She kissed him. "And that is something I am very happy to do."

Jake's eyes widened. "Wait Erato, what do you mean?"

"I am the Muse who inspires erotic as well as romantic storytellers Jake." Erato slid off the desk and into Jake's lap, embracing him. "So I think you know exactly what I mean, although your story may end up as more than just a romance." She closed her eyes and leaned in for another kiss.

For the second time that night Jake was unable to move. He was just coming to terms with the idea that the young woman might actually be who she claimed to be. Now she was sitting in his lap kissing him. Tentatively, he put his arms around her and returned the embrace.

"You don't seem very enthusiastic," Erato chided him. Her emerald eyes peered deeply into his pools of blue. "I think you need something else to inspire you." She said as a trace of a smile played across her lips. Reaching up and pulling at the knots holding her dress at her shoulders, the muse arched her back as the pale chiffon floated down the slope of her chest. She lifted her full round breasts. The nipples stiffening as she caressed them with her thumbs. "What do you think?" she asked, "not bad for a twenty-seven hundred year old body."

Even if Erato wasn't who she claimed to be, Jake knew he was way out of his league. He licked his lips. Nervous as he was, he knew there was no way he could pass up this opportunity. He started to lift a hand to caress her cheek, and his face turning a deep shade of crimson when he saw it trembling.

Sensing his anxiety, Erato clasped his hand in both of hers. "There is nothing for you to be nervous about, my dear." She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his palm. Jake felt a spark shoot down his spine. "We will enjoy one another tonight Jake." Closing her eyes she sighed as she pressed her cheek against his hand. "Then you will sit here and write your story. It will be easy. I promise."

Jake could feel his apprehension fade as she spoke. He slid his hand around to the back of her neck and pulled her face close to his. This time he kissed her. He felt her lips part as they touched his. Her tongue darted forward, pressing against his lips. He met it with his own and for a moment they reveled in the kiss each savoring the taste of the other.

Erato hooked her leg against the back of the chair, pulling herself forward in his lap and began to rock back and forth. Jake growled deep in his throat as he felt her pressing herself against his erection. As he ran his fingers along her flanks, and drew his free hand to her breast, the nervousness and apprehension he had felt earlier seemed to fade. Prank or not, goddess or nor not, he had never wanted a woman as badly as he wanted Erato. He took her full firm breast in his hand and squeezed roughly. She moaned in response.

Tugging on the hair at the back of her head, Jake pulled their lips apart, breaking their kiss but exposing Erato's throat to him. He leaned forward and kissed her neck. As he inhaled, the intoxicating floral scent from her garland threatened to overwhelm him.

Erato hissed as he bit her shoulder. "Oh yes Jake, it's been so long."

"Is this what you had in mind when you came here tonight?" Jake sat back in his chair and looked into her eyes as he spoke.

Her eyes twinkled like emeralds. "I was hoping," Erato replied as she flashed a wicked smile. "Usually I just offer encouragement and maybe some advice."

"And tonight?"

"Tonight, I saw an opportunity to throw myself into my work," Erato said laughing as she caressed his cheek. "Sometimes, it can be special."

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Jake laid her back against his desk. "Let's try for special then," he said. He cupped her perfect breasts in his palms, pushing them up and together. He began to massage them, every stroke bringing his fingers closer and closer to her nipples. Erato closed her eyes, a contented smile on her face. Jake lowered his head and nuzzled the sensitive skin between her breasts. Erato sighed. He opened his mouth wide and bit down dragging his teeth gently against the inside of her breasts. Her legs tightened around his waist, as she began to squirm in his embrace. Erato slid her hands beneath his t-shirt and ran her fingernails along his back. Jake continued to play with her breasts, taking her nipple into his mouth, her fingernails digging deeper into his flesh, whenever he caught it between his teeth.

Their breathing had become ragged. With effort Jake sat up, tearing his attention away from Erato's breasts and for a moment they just sat there smiling at each other. Erato moved first, taking advantage of the pause to pull Jake's shirt over his head. Emboldened, Jake reached down and unwrapped her legs from around his waist. He lifted her from his lap, placing her on the edge of his desk. This time his hands did not tremble at all as he untied the gold cord she wore as a belt, allowing her dress to slide over her hips and fall to the floor, where it pooled beneath her feet.

Erato lay back on his desk, resting her head on an open notebook. "I'm ready for you Jake," She said lifting her legs and placing her sandaled feet on his shoulders.

"We have time," he replied. Jake bent his head and kissed the inside of her thigh just above the knee. While he caressed her leg with his lips, he reached for her cleft with the fingers of his free hand. Erato had told the truth; she was ready. He could feel her heat as he stroked her outer lips with his fingertips. Shaking his head, Jake could not believe that this amazing woman was here, offering herself to him.

He placed his middle finger at the top of her cleft, applying gentle pressure on her clit. Erato's hips twitched in response to his action. "Oh Yes, Jake," she whispered, "I want you inside of me."

Jake said nothing in response, but drew his finger down the length of her slit. The muse gasped as he began, then exhaled slowly as he finished.

Mesmerized by her brilliant eyes, Jake stared at her for a few moments, as she lay there caressing her own breasts in slow sensuous circles. He repositioned her legs so her knees were resting comfortably on his shoulders. Spreading her lips with his left hand he slid his fingers into her pussy. Erato rolled her hips in concert with his motion, as she held is gaze for a moment longer, before closing her eyes and sighing in contentment.

Jake leaned forward. , the rich scent of her arousal filled his nose as he inhaled. Withdrawing his finger, he heard Erato make a questioning sound and he had to taste her then. His tongue reversed the path his finger had traveled moments before, her hips twitching in response when he reached her clit.

Jake flicked his tongue repeatedly over her clit, as he returned his fingers to their place insider her moist pussy. "Oh Gods," Erato cried out, beginning to writhe on his desk. He looked up to see that she had stopped caressing her breasts, and had begun to pinch her erect nipples. Jake closed his eyes and continued to pleasure her with his fingers and tongue. He felt her run her fingers through his hair and take hold in a firm grip. As she held his head in place, she ground herself against him. Her musical voice reduced to inarticulate, rhythmic moans.

With a final tender kiss, Jake withdrew his fingers and disentangled her hands from his hair. Erato's eyes opened wide as she made a wordless sound of protest, her right leg falling from his shoulder, as he stood. He pushed his sweat pants over his hips and let them fall to the floor. Erato gave him a wicked smile, as his erection came free. Still breathing heavily, she reached forward and took hold of his member in her small hand. "Oh Yes Jake," she said between breaths. "Take me now."

Jake allowed Erato to guide him to her opening. As he entered her, he leaned forward, still holding her left leg close to his chest, and stroked her cheek. He braced his hand on the desk next to her head and eased himself into her. She smiled up at him, transfixing him with her green eyes. She held his gaze as he withdrew and slid into her a second time. The muse closed her eyes and lay her head back down on the notebook her raven locks spilling across the empty pages like the words of an untold story.