He searched for his ringing phone, finally finding it at the bottom of his bag. “Dave here.”

“Oh thank god. I thought, well it doesn’t matter that I thought,” Kris said. He was alarmed by her words. Just as he opened his mouth to ask her about it, she said, “Dave, where’s Carrie? Is she right there with you,” she asked him urgently.

“Uh, no. I’m in the locker room, honey. Just finished getting changed,” he explained.

“You have to find her. It’s important. When you do, don’t let her out of your sight,” she said without any explanation.

“Okay? I’ll go look for her, she shouldn’t be too hard to find,” he said. She heard his confusion and hesitancy.

“Dave, honey. Go find her and call me when you do. I want to know she’s safe,” she told her confused husband.

“Okay, bye,” he said and disconnected. Some weird shit had been going on recently and he didn’t understand a damn thing happening with his family right now. This was just more of it, he was certain. He pulled a shirt on and left the locker room, intent on following his wife’s wishes and finding Lil’ Sis. He went to catering first, in case she was there or had been there. He saw Beniot grabbing some coffee.

“Chris, you seen Carrie recently,” David asked the Crippler. Chris stirred his coffee and thought for a moment.

“Not recently, no. I haven’t seen her since just after you two got here,” he told the champion. David shook his head, he had hoped for an easy search, but it didn’t look like it. He walked through the catering area, looking for her. She could be hard to see in a crowd, he thought with a smile. He saw Randy talking to another one of the females that hung around backstage and decided he didn’t give a damn and was going to interrupt them.

“Randy, you seen Carrie recently,” he asked the younger man. Randy managed to bring his attention to David at the mention of Carrie’s name, since he realized he didn’t know this one’s name and didn’t really care.

“No, not for a while. She was at catering last I saw her. She was just finishing up something when her phone rang. She left her shit and walked away. I don’t know where,” he said honestly.

Now he was worried about her too. Dave never looked like that unless it was something important. It didn’t matter to either of them that they weren’t Evolution any more. They still protected her, he knew. He followed Dave without a second glance at the female he had been talking to and caressing. She looked shocked at his treatment of her, she thought they had something special.

“What’s up Dave? You look like something crawled up your ass or something,” Randy asked him. David turned around because he hadn’t realized Randy had followed him until he said something.

“Kris called. Something’s going on and told me I needed to find her, now,” he explained. Randy absorbed that piece of news, knowing that Dave’s wife wasn’t the hysterical type usually, so it must be something important.

“Okay, where have you looked already? If we split up, maybe we can cover more ground,” he said to his friend.

“Thanks, man. I looked in catering already. I came from the main locker room, so those are the only two places so far. I was just going to go to the ladies locker room and check there. From there, it’s anybody’s guess,” he told Randy seriously.

Randy smiled and said, “Let me check out the ladies locker room for ya.”

“Damn it Randy, this is serious. I don’t want your help if you’re just gonna get distracted,” he said bluntly.

“Na, no time for that now anyway. I’ll just knock and ask, simple enough. If I find her we’ll hang out here, near catering, since it’s sorta central,” Randy said.

David nodded his understanding and wandered in search of Lil’ Sis. He was getting himself worked up, and he knew he needed to calm down since it was a taping day. He took a deep breath and stopped to think for a minute. Okay, who does she know or talk to? He thought that was a good place to start. He’d already asked Benoit, so he should try to find Eddie and see if he knew where she went. He realized that she didn’t have too many female friends yet so didn’t think Randy’d have much success there anyway. He waved Eddie over as he spotted him talking to some trainers.

“Ed, have you seen Carrie recently,” he asked while trying to sound casual about it.

Eddie’s eyebrows rose in response to the question, Dave didn’t normally ask him about her. “No. I haven’t seen her at all today. I thought I was going to go through another weekend with just you to look at. I’m glad to know she’s here somewhere. My day is a lot brighter now, thanks.”

“I’m serious. I need to find her. Any ideas,” David asked him. Eddie realized that the big man was getting himself worked up about it, but he didn’t have any idea where to find her.

“You could look for a gathering of horny young men, they always seem to flock to her,” he joked, trying to get a smile out of the big man. David just shook his head as he realized Eddie wasn’t being serious and started to walk away. “Hey, I just remembered. Why don’t you ask The Undertaker? He usually knows where she is.” Eddie always thought that was weird since he knew the other man was a happily married man, but maybe they were just friends, like she said.

“Thanks, I forgot about that. He’s here today, right,” David clarified. Eddie nodded and pointed in the direction of the changing room of the only man on Smack Down who had his own. David followed his finger and saw the sign on a door and walked that direction.

He saw that the door wasn’t latched, but he thought he heard some voices from inside. He was just going to tap a quiet knock when the door swung inward. He couldn’t conceal his surprise when he saw the Undertaker kneeling in front of Lil’ Sis, who was sitting in a chair and bawling her eyes out. At least that was what he gathered, he could only see the back of her. She was wrapped up in the large man’s arms for comfort but was still crying. ‘Taker looked up as the door opened and saw his visitor. Neither said a word for a moment. ‘Taker let David take in the scene around him before he gave him a firm head shake and a warning glance to go away. David didn’t need to be told twice, he quietly pulled the door to and walked away. Now he was even more confused. But he needed to call Kris and tell her.

He flipped open his phone and dialed as he walked back towards catering to let Randy know she was safe. He knew how Randy felt about her, even after all this time. All of Evolution knew, it was just one of those things.

“Kris, I found her,” he told his wife as she answered before the first ring had finished.

“Good, can you put her on the phone for me please,” she asked.

“No, um…I can’t. She’s safe, but not with me,” he hedged.

“What? What do you mean? She needs to be with you and be safe. Why is that so hard to understand,” she asked him. He could hear her voice climb an octave and knew he’d better explain himself.

“Honey, she’s with The Undertaker. He seems to be taking care of her right now,” he explained.

“Oh? Okay, that’s all right then. He’s a good one for the job. He knows what it’s about,” Kris said cryptically. “Do me a favor, when he needs to leave, make sure you stay with her, okay?”

“Yeah, I will. Are you going to tell me what the hell this is all about?” he asked her, knowing his irritation was plain to hear.

“When you get home, I think it’s time for a family meeting. Things have changed and it’s time to dust some stuff off and bring things out for everyone,” she said. He was relieved by that, but still confused. They spoke briefly of other things before disconnecting.

Kris dialed the next number on her list. “Hi, Carla. Sorry to bother you. I know this is usually quiet time,” she apologized to her.

“You’re not bothering us. Today’s schedule is all upset anyway taking Ethan to the doctor for his shots. That boy has got some lungs,” she chuckled. Kris smiled as she remembered how loud Melissa screamed when she got her shots too.

“Is Wease available sweetie? I need to talk to him, if possible,” she asked her, knowing that after this phone call, their world wasn’t going to be the same.

“Yeah Kris, what’s up,” he asked as he was handed the phone.

“Are Carla and the kids right there with you,” she asked him without preamble. He felt like someone had just splashed cold water over him at her words.

“Yeah,” he said cautiously.

“Do me a favor and go out on to your deck for a minute. I need to talk to you and you are the worst poker player ever,” she said to her brother. He did as she asked with the phone glued to his ear.

“Okay, you got my attention. What’s up,” he said again. He had a horrible feeling he knew, but hoped like hell he was wrong.

“Carrie got a call today from her legal team,”

Fuck, was his first thought before she even finished her sentence.

“and it seems they are letting her out, could be as soon as Friday,” she said to the silence on the phone. She knew he was there, she could hear his breathing. She waited for him to tune back in. She could visualize him standing on his deck and staring off into space, like a lost little boy. She heard him sigh quietly.

“How’s Carrie? Where is she,” he asked her in a voice barely above a whisper.

“She’s with Dave right now, due home tomorrow. He’s under strict orders to keep her in sight at all times. Wes, I think it’s time we all had a long chat, don’t you? This changes some things and we’re not being fair to the people we love.”

He sighed again before he said, “Yeah, I know you’re right Kris. It’s just that…I was hoping like hell I’d never have to deal with that shit ever again.” She could hear the weariness in his voice and her heart went out to him. She knew how hard this was going to be, particularly in the next few weeks as it sunk in.

“I know, I know. I think we all did. You know you can’t trust politicians to do anything right,” she smiled so he could hear it. “How does Wednesday evening sound to you,” she asked him in reference to a family gathering.

“Fine, just fine,” he sighed. They firmed up a time and disconnected. Next call on her list.

“Hi Mike, glad I caught you. You busy,” she asked him as he answered the phone. She could hear some music in the background. She smiled as she realized he was listening to Carrie’s music, possibly trying to understand the words or something.

“Nah, just finishing up with some paperwork. You know how much I love it,” he laughed. She laughed with him, knowing how much he really hated it.

“Have you talked to Carrie in the last couple of hours,” she asked him.

“No,” he said while bundling up the last of the papers getting ready for Dave’s signatures tomorrow.

“Okay. I just wanted to ask you a couple of things. Are you sitting down,” she asked him, knowing it would make him instantly on guard. She was right, it did. His breath caught in his throat for a moment before he answered.

“I am now. What’s happened? Is she okay? Is he okay? Has there been an accident,” he asked, worry had already morphed into some catastrophic accident for him.

“No accident honey. Calm down. She’s fine, Dave’s fine. They’re both fine. What are your plans for Wednesday evening? There’s a family get together at our house that you should attend. Dinner first, then family meeting. Wease and Carla are coming. Dave and Carrie don’t know about it yet, but they’ll both be there, even if I have to drag her by the hair, she’ll be there. Can I ask you to help with the food,” she asked him, knowing it would be a huge help to her and also help keep him busy and less worried.

“Of course, Kris. Six of us? Or are the older kids invited too,” he asked for clarification.

“Just us adults this time I think. I’m going to ask Louise or my folks if they can have the kids for the night.”

“Okay, what do you want me to do,” he asked her as they switched over to the planning of the dinner and away from the possibly worrisome conversation later.

***

“Min, you going to be okay now,” the big man asked her as she pulled away from him. She slowly nodded, but didn’t trust herself to speak. “You can do this honey. You’re stronger than you think you are, you know that. I know it, hell even Vince knows it,” he said, trying to get a reaction out of her.

He was rewarded by her lips curling up into a small smile as she looked him in the eyes and said, “Thanks, love. I’m so sorry for this. You didn’t sign on for any of this shit. Not your problem any more,” she told him. He shook his head at her and rolled his eyes at her attitude.

“Carrie, I don’t know how many damn times I have to tell you. I love you, honey. I always will. Just because we’re not sleeping together anymore doesn’t mean I don’t love you. Since when did sex and love always go together,” he asked her as he gathered her back in his arms. He hoped she would accept what he told her, she was always so full of doubts about her own self worth. It was ludicrous, as far as he was concerned, but knowing her history it made a perverted sort of sense.

“Dave was looking for you earlier,” he said into her hair.

“Oh?...Shit, that probably means Kris has the cavalry out looking for me. Did he find me, do you know,” she asked him from deep in his embrace.

He smiled his half smile at her odd question and said, “Yeah, he saw you in here and went away.” She sighed at that news, not knowing how David would take that.

“Have you talked to Mike about any of this,” he asked her.

“No,” she said in a small voice.

“Min, that’s not very fair, is it? He loves you and wants to protect you but you’re not giving him a chance,” he chided her.

“I know. I wasn’t planning on having anyone to share my shit with, so I never thought it’d matter. Than he comes along and disrupts all my plans, fucking asshole,” she said without any conviction.

‘Taker knew her well enough to know that Mike was a very lucky man. He just hoped she’d tell him some of this stuff soon because it was always easier to deal with crap if you had help, even if you didn’t think you need it, like her. He was pretty sure Dave didn’t know either. He wasn’t going to tell him. That was her place to decide when. Someday soon she might realize how many people she was surrounded by that wanted to help her. She knew she could always count on him when she needed to. But she didn’t usually ask, except today. She knocked on his door, he opened it and took one look at her and wrapped his arms around her without saying a word. It wasn’t until she finally stopped crying that he found out what it was all about. Her reaction made a lot of sense once he heard her reasons. He was again struck by the unfairness of life sometimes. She seemed to get more than her share of shit, while major assholes seemed to skate away free most of the time.

***

Mike pulled up to her drive way and parked. He sat for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on and if he was ready for it. He knew he’d been frustrated by all the gaps and half truths, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for it. Knowing that she was probably in a worse state than he, he got out and grabbed the food items that Kris and he had agreed on. She said they’d take her car, since parking would be a little tight, with Wease and Carla’s car, not including Dave’s new toys. He left the food items on her front step, and knocked. He didn’t hear any noise indicating she was walking to the door, so he knocked again. Still nothing. He started to get worried, realizing that his concerns about today were minor in comparison to hers. Why was he always thinking of himself, he was such a self centered bastard, he chastised himself as he worried about her.

He knocked again and said, “Carrie, it’s Mike. Open up honey.” He waited for another thirty or so seconds, still nothing. Panic started to set in for him, he didn’t know what to think, she knew he was coming over and then they were both going over together. Just as he started to go back to his truck to pick up his cell phone, she opened the door a little and ran away.

He caught a brief glimpse of her back as she sprinted away. Confused by the sight, but also relieved that she was home and safe, he walked in with the food. He set in down on her kitchen counter and waited for her to reappear. Her place was quiet, no music was playing which meant she was ready to go out, but she wasn’t ready.

“Carrie, where are you? Can I help you, babe,” he asked as he walked up the few stairs to her room.

“No,” he heard her say faintly from the direction of her bathroom. He stopped, not wanting to intrude.

“Are you going to be okay, honey? You sure there’s nothing I can do,” he asked her. He was startled by her appearance as she stepped out of the bathroom and smiled at him weakly. She looked exhausted, exhausted and ill.

“I think I’m ready, but don’t be surprised if I ask you to pull over,” she warned him. He was confused, she didn’t normally eat stupid things.

“What did you eat that’s got you so sick, babe” he asked her.

“Nothing, it’s just this, this thing today. I’ve exhausted my supply of antacids this morning and they’re still not helping,” she said as she walked by him and down the stairs. He followed her and picked up the food from the counter and waited for her to lock up.

At the car, after he had put the stuff in the trunk, she handed him the keys and said, “Your turn today.” He was surprised by her action, he knew how much she enjoyed driving. Plus he had never driven her car before and wasn’t sure he’d even fit in the seat.

She saw his surprise and laughed quietly. “Don’t worry, if David can fit in it, so can you. Just move the seat first.” He did as she instructed and was amazed as he sat in it. There was room, there was a lot of room. He looked at all the instruments and grinned as he realized that the car had some very interesting displays. She watched as he got himself familiar with the car and adjusted things to his needs. He looked like a kid with a shiny new toy. She couldn’t help smiling at his joy at getting to drive her car. It just solidified what she had been considering for a while.

After he started it up and pulled out, she said with a chuckle, “Watch out, this is a chick magnet.”

“What was that, babe,” he asked through his many distractions. She just shook her head and stayed quiet so he could enjoy the experience.

After a few minutes, she noticed they were going the wrong way and asked, “Where are we going, Mike?”

He looked at her and grinned. “Ah, I just wanted to take this little baby on the freeway, so we’re going the long way, the very long way,” he laughed.

Men, she thought to herself as she shook her head. They’re just over grown kids, really. Their little detour only lasted about five minutes, but he got to take her car on the freeway and experience its acceleration and handling. He was grinning as he pulled off the next off ramp and drove the city streets to David and Kris’s house. She thought she might have to ask him to stop a few times, but managed to avoid it, thankfully. Once he pulled in to their drive and parked, he looked over to her and smiled.

“Thanks Carrie, that was just what the doctor ordered,” he said as he handed her the keys.

The front door was unlocked and they walked in to bedlam. Kris was trying to manage in the kitchen with three little ones screaming, doing everything in their power to distract her. David had Melissa in his arms, but she didn’t want to be held, she wanted to be let down so she could explore and get into trouble. Carla was trying to burp Ethan and wasn’t having much success. Carrie could tell by the screaming. Wease had Abby, who was demanding to be let down so she could also explore.

She assessed the situation quickly and said, “Everybody out, unless you don’t want to eat.” Kris took a deep breath as the noise left. She turned to Mike and asked if he needed any help with his part of the dinner. He shook his head, still a little dazed by the cacophony they walked into.

“How you doing, Lil’ Sis,” David asked her as he held his now magically quiet toddler on his lap.

“I have had better days, but…” she shrugged.

Ethan was still trying to get the air out, but his mom was frazzled and frustrated. Carla looked like she was having one of those kind of days too.

“Let me try,” she said to his mom. Carla wordlessly handed him over, grateful for the break. She got up and walked the room with him, listening to him fuss, but rubbing his small back at the same time. She knew he just needed a little help and he’d be fine. She was happy to have something or someone to distract her from thinking too much about this evening. Her brother watched her take Ethan and understood her reasons. It’s the same reason he had Abby in his lap instead of letting her play on the floor like she wanted. He thought that since they weren’t in the kitchen anymore, he could let her wander in the family room, less mischief she could get into.

As soon as he put Abby down, David followed suit, knowing that Lissa would create a stink if Abby was playing and she was not. The two toddlers enjoyed their freedom. Abby pulled herself up to the couch and Melissa ran around trying to find something to get into. David looked over at Carla questioningly, Carla nodded and he left before his daughter noticed.

The kitchen was back in control when he returned to it after being gone only five or so minutes. Mike and Kris were finishing up the last of their preparations and it looked to him like dinner was going to be ready any time.

“How is she,” he asked Mike.

Mike hesitated before he said, “Um, not good. She let me drive, so what does that tell ya?” That told David she wasn’t feeling very well at all, she loved to drive and really hated being a passenger, particularly in her own car.

“Fun car, isn’t it,” he asked Mike with a grin. Mike just nodded and smiled. Kris looked at both of them and shook her head. Men, she thought to herself, echoing her sister’s earlier sentiment.

“Dave, will you let everyone know that dinner’s ready,” she asked her silly husband, since he was still grinning. He nodded and walked away. Once they were all seated and the little ones were seen to, Ethan had fallen asleep, conversation picked up around the table.

“Carrie let Mike drive her car, can you believe it,” David said to her brother. Wease looked up at him and grinned.

“It’s a sweet car to drive, isn’t it,” he asked Mike. Mike nodded because his mouth was full. It sounded to him like he was the only one who hadn’t driven her car yet. He thought about that as he continued to eat. He noticed Carrie had some food on her plate but wasn’t putting much on her fork. He knew now was not the time to worry her about that, considering the state she was in earlier.

She concentrated on ensuring the two youngsters put more food in their mouth than on the floor, so she stayed out of the general conversation, all of them understood why. She excused herself quickly as dinner was finishing up and almost ran from the table. Mike watched her go without a word. Kris looked at him and sighed, knowing why she left in a hurry. She knew that this evening was going to be hard for her, hard for all of them, but very hard for her. All finished their dinner in silence, knowing something was in store for them.

Once the food and dishes had been cleared away, Kris and Carla put the little ones down for the night. Abby was a little fussier but managed to go to sleep without putting up too much fight. The men had wandered into the living room to find Carrie sitting on the corner of one of the large black leather couches, looking very small and vulnerable. Mike walked directly to her and wrapped his arms around her as he sat down next to her. Wease grimaced, knowing all too well the shit that was going to be covered tonight. David was surprised, but knew he shouldn’t be, at her transformation from the no nonsense take charge woman he traveled with to the lost little girl that he saw in his living room.

“Anybody want a beer,” he asked the others in the room. Wease and Mike nodded, Carrie slowly shook her head. “Tink, you want something else,” he asked her. She shook her head, knowing that whatever she put in, was going to come back up and out. Mike looked over at him and mouthed the word water to him. David nodded and walked away.

The two mommies and David walked back in together. Kris had a beer for herself and Carla had some flavored water, similar to what David brought for Carrie. Everyone settled themselves in and made sure they were comfortable, shoes were kicked off, feet were up since they all knew it was going to take some time. Mike pulled Carrie onto his lap. He could feel her shivering even though the house was warm enough. He wrapped his arms around her to try to help her gain the upper hand on whatever demon she was facing.

Kris stood in the middle of the room and looked around, ensuring that everyone was settled and comfortable before she said, “Okay, there’s a reason we’re all here tonight, actually there’s a couple of them, but circumstances have changed and everyone needs to be aware of them.” Mike felt Carrie breathe deeply, probably fighting for control again, he thought. “Since I suggested this meeting, I’ll start and set the ground rules for tonight. I hope everyone’s okay with that, too damn bad if you’re not. First ground rule, wait to ask some questions, please. There’s so much shit to cover that we’ll never get through it if we keep stopping and starting, okay?” She looked around at the three that were in the dark, all nodded in agreement to the rule. “Okay, the main reason we’re here tonight is that Carrie’s legal team,”

Mike thought, legal team, what? She has a legal team? Shit, pay attention!

“ notified her of someone’s parole being granted in spite of repeated assurances that the offender is very likely to re-offend and will be looking to settle the score with those that helped incarcerate them.” Kris saw a question form on David lips, but he kept it to himself, remembering the rule. “According to the team, the parole was granted and signed by the same politician that helped put that person away in the first place.”

“That stupid fucker just made sure he won’t ever be in public office again,“ Carrie spat out. Mike was taken by surprise at her venom and her words. Did she really mean that, he wondered.

“Yes, well we’re stuck with that stupid fucker for another year, but she’s right, he won’t get re elected.” Kris paused to regroup, no one said a word. The three that knew nothing were a little surprised by Carrie’s outburst, but all held their tongues.

“All of us in this room are now on this person’s radar. My children, your children, your children’s friends and I’m sorry to say this but you’re included Mike.” He looked at her and just shrugged, hearing what she said but not sure what the hell was going on yet. He noticed Carrie had stopped shivering for now.

“I don’t really know where to start, since I think all of us remember that Wease and Carrie had different parents than me growing up. I’ll start there and skip over a lot so just go with me on this.” No one said a word, Kris looked at Wease then at Carrie and both nodded, indicating they were ready.

“Their family was a fairly typical military family, I think. Dad was in the military, Marines I think,” she looked to Wease for confirmation before continuing, “Patty stayed at home with the kids and took care of stuff while he was away. Because of his job, he would be dispatched at a moments notice sometimes, or at least it seemed that way to me. Russ decided to retire from the military when Carrie was still in grade school, and Wease, well I’m not sure if he was still in diapers, but I do know he wasn’t in school yet. Patty wasn’t happy that Russ wanted to retire. She was very wrapped up in the whole officer’s wife thing.”

Mike noticed Carrie looking down at the carpet and not looking at anyone. She seemed to be withdrawing, so he gently rubbed her shoulders to let her know she wasn’t alone. She didn’t react to his touch, but he didn’t stop.

“It was a natural fit for Russ to go into law enforcement after the military. He was involved at the federal level, doing something. None of us has any idea what, and it doesn’t really matter. He was home most nights so he could be a part of his family. That’s why he retired from active duty; he wanted to be a husband and a father to his family. Patty managed to cope well for a while with him being home most nights. But things started to happen with no explanation.” Kris stopped for a moment, noticing that Wease had started to crack his knuckles, something he had not done since he was a kid. “She’d forget to get the kids up for school or she’d forget to make dinner, or she’d forget to take a shower. A lot of simple things that didn’t happen all at once, so it was hard to put your finger on.”

Carrie spoke up, as she looked only at Wease, “then it progressed to she couldn’t get out of bed in the morning, then she couldn’t get out of bed all day. Dad didn’t know what to do, we kids didn’t have a fucking clue, so we ended up spending a lot of our time at Kris’s. Her parents at least remembered to feed us. Dad was frantic, trying to help her, but she didn’t want help, said she was fine. She wasn’t fucking fine and we all knew it, but she refused help. Dad took several leaves from work so he could be home to help her and to help us. He was always laughing and smiling, trying to make us think everything was okay. But we knew better. That kind of shit went on for years. The strange thing was there were times when everything was fine, like TV family fine. Everything would be going great, we’d be getting to school, eating dinner as a family then bam, one morning she couldn’t get out of bed and the fucking shit started again. Dad finally dragged her to a doctor. He was smart enough to insist on staying in the room when he was asked to leave by the nurse, otherwise Mom would have said nothing was wrong. After a long series of doctor visits, I have no idea how long, they just seemed to be forever, they finally told mom she was manic depressive, what we now call bipolar. Wease and I learned a whole new world quickly. We learned what she was like on her meds, what worked and what happened when she went off them. She used to go off them on purpose because she enjoyed feeling hopeless and melancholy. I know it sounds weird, but that what she told me. I only know what she was like medicated and what she was like un medicated and I’d take the medicated every time.” She stopped and took a long drink of her water. Wease blew out his breath and excused himself. David and Mike shared a very long look. Neither of them had any idea about that part of their history. Carrie got up and followed her brother out. Carla silently watched the siblings leave.

She found him standing on the back patio, just as he finished his very illegal smoke. He looked over at her without a word and shook his head slowly. She walked over to him and put her arms around him, without saying a word. He leaned into her, trying to draw some strength it seemed. He wasn’t ready to go through all this shit again, he knew. He tried not to but he started to cry quietly. She held him tighter, letting him get it out, without recrimination. They both knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It wasn’t the first time around.

Carla got up to check on Ethan, luckily he was still sleeping. She asked the three that were still in the room, “Can I get you guys anything since I’m up? Another beer?” All of them nodded their heads, they’d all like at least one more beer. Mike sat quietly, turning over in his mind what he’d already heard tonight. No wonder she takes care of others, she probably had to do that when her mom wasn’t capable, he guessed. Shit, it all made sense. David sat numb, not believing how messed up their family was. He always thought he’d had it hard, but his childhood was a fucking cake walk in comparison. No wonder both of them had self esteem problems, when your mom forgets to feed you? That could seriously mess up your head.

Carrie and Wease returned after fifteen minutes or so. Carrie was holding his hand, something none of them, besides Kris, had seen before. He looked at Carla and smiled slightly and sat down next to her as he let go of his sister’s hand. It was plain for all to see that he had been crying recently. No one said anything about it.

“Okay, were did we leave off in the fun,” Carrie asked them, not really expecting an answer. “Oh yes, the little fact that my mom hated to take her meds and would purposely flush them down the toilet to make my dad think she was taking them. Nice, eh?”

“Carrie, I know I’m not supposed to ask anything, but where the fuck were the school counselors? Didn’t anybody realize something was messed up? They were all over my ass when I was a kid,” David said. She smiled at his question.

“That’s the irony of the whole thing. Since we were repeatedly told how worthless and unwanted we were and we were the reason that she couldn’t face the day, we made sure to kick everyone’s ass in school. Both of us busted our asses, thinking that if we did just a little bit better or more she’d love us. Of course it didn’t work, but we wanted to make her happy and as a kid you do what you think is right. Plus we hoped by acing all the classes we would make our dad proud of us at least. We didn’t know it at the time, but he was proud of us already.” She stopped for a moment, watching David think about her answer, trying to fit some pieces together. “The only sense of normalcy we had was school, sports and Kris’s house.” Kris smiled at her words, knowing they were true. “Wease played any sport that was available, he even tried out for basketball. I concentrated on being the best student my instructors had seen at the dojo. Kris and I would spend hours there. Kris got stuck a lot of times, just hanging out waiting for me….”
 

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Part 2 of 2


He knew that since the family meeting several weeks ago, she had been quiet and withdrawn. He had wanted to do this for a while now and her current state prompted him. He had finally worked up the nerve to try and today was the day.

Mike cursed himself as he looked at the results and washed it off for another try. This was harder than he thought. Kris had told him it would take him a little bit of practice to get it right. She wasn’t kidding, he thought as he dried off to try again. Okay, he had an hour to get it right before she walked in the door. Kris had let him in, so he could get ready.

He looked in the mirror with a small light to show him his progress and tried again. He checked, once he was done to make sure it made sense, not backwards. That was the hardest part, using a mirror. But it was going to be worth it, he thought with a small chuckle. He shook his head as he remembered the phone call a few weeks ago.

“Hi Mike, what can I do for you,” Kris smiled in the phone.

“Um, I have a favor to ask,” he admitted with some hesitancy. He paced his living room trying to think of the right words.

“Okay,” she said. Her curiosity stirred at his tone. This could be interesting she thought, as she waited for him to continue.

“Um, I have a plan that I want to try on Carrie, but I want it to be a surprise. My problem is I don’t know where to get the shit,” he said. He was embarrassed to admit he didn’t know a lot of things about that kind of stuff. He’d been out of the loop too long.

“What shit is that, Mike,” she asked as she laughed as his discomfort. She had to almost bite her tongue when he told her what he was trying to find. She gently explained where to find it and how to use it.

“Oh? Okay. You can’t say anything, okay? I want to surprise her and I’m not sure when I’m going to work up the nerve to try it,” he said.

“Okay Mike. I understand. You can call and ask me this kind of stuff any time,” she said as she suppressed a giggle. She knew of Carrie’s comments to him a few weeks back and this must be a direct consequence of that. Her sister was in for a surprise she thought, a surprise and probably a nice treat.

He remembered going in to the store for the first time. He was uncomfortable and wasn’t really prepared to see all the items on display. The woman behind the counter threw him for a loop too. She looked like the girl next door, complete with blonde hair and blue eyes. Granted the girl next door with a nose piercing, but still. He thought it would be dark and smoky, like in the movies but it seemed more like a grocery store. The items were very interesting and some he didn’t have a clue what their use might be. Some others caused him to squirm at the thought of their use, some just looked painful. He knew he’d be back to that store to look for other items, now he knew where to look and that it wasn’t as backroom-ish as he thought. He had to break down and ask the girl behind the counter for guidance because the sheer number of items on display was daunting.

She smiled at him and said, “Sure, we have several different kinds,” as she popped her gum and walked out from behind the counter. He was surprised to see her very pregnant, but followed her to the correct aisle.

“We have different kinds, ya know,” she popped her gum again as she eyed him appreciatively and twisted her hair in her fingers.

“Oh? What’s the most popular,” he asked. He didn’t know there was more than one type of shit to choose from. Damn, he needed to get out more, he realized.

“We have glow in the dark ones, flavored ones,” she stared off into space for a moment as she thought of all the different types. She brightened as she told him, “but the most popular ones are the invisible ones, they only show up only in the dark.” She smiled at him, and winked. He blinked at her, not sure if he understood her wink correctly. He really did need to get out more since he was almost old enough to be her uncle or at least her much older brother.

“I’ll try the last ones,” he said. She grabbed the box and motioned for him to follow her back to the register. As he did so, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the other people in the store didn’t look any different than him, just normal every day folks, not a trench coat in sight. He did notice that the helpful counter girl managed to swing her hips for him in her current state. That must have taken some effort, he smiled to himself.

He was interrupted in his musing by his cell ringing. A quick glance at the number before he answered it made him smile.

“Yeah, buddy. What’s up,” he asked.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry, man. Kris just told me,” David grinned into the phone. Mike was confused.

“What are you talking about,” he asked him. His mind was still trying to figure out how to make the shit work.

“Your hair, buddy,” David reminded him. Mike sounded more distracted than normal. Kris had told him she had let him into Carrie’s place so he knew he must have something up his sleeve. Maybe that’s why he forgot about his hair catastrophe, David thought.

“Oh yeah. I did look pretty funny. I have to admit. But I shaved it all off so I can start again. The uneven look wasn’t my thing, ya know,” Mike chuckled.
David laughed with him. He had mellowed. He remembered a time when Mike was very particular about his hair. He had been surprised when Kris had told him that Liz asked Mike if she could cut his hair. He had been even more surprised that he let her. Kris said the results were awful, but he didn’t appear pissed about it.

He snuck a quick glance at his sister in law as she waited impatiently for her bags before he asked, “She know you shaved your head?”

“No, I forgot to tell her. I don’t think she’ll care, do you,” Mike asked his buddy. It never occurred to him that Carrier would care. She was pretty laid back about his appearance. When he tried to get any kind of feedback from her about stuff, her usual answer was, “as long as you like it, it’s fine by me.” It was totally opposite from Lisa and he was still a little disconcerted by it.

“I didn’t tell her I was growing my face out yet either,” Mike chuckled at him.

“You’re living dangerously, aren’t you,” David teased him. He didn’t think Lil’ Sis would care about any of it, he just wanted to tease his buddy.

“What’s up that up that you have time to call,” Mike asked him.

He heard David sigh quietly and say, ”Waiting on her bags, and she’s getting pissed.”

Mike grunted, but didn’t say anything else. “What are you doing that you needed to get over there?”

Mike debated with himself quickly, not sure if he wanted to tell his buddy what he was trying to do. Screw it, they were like brothers anyway. He’d probably laugh at him, but maybe he had some pointers. He took a deep breath and told him what he was doing and how much trouble he was having making it work.

“No shit?” David laughed. He saw Lil’ Sis look his way so he turned away so he didn’t spoil Mike’s surprise. He nodded to himself as he thought about what Mike was trying to do. He didn’t know if Lil’ Sis would enjoy it, but he knew she’d appreciate the effort.

“Here’s my problem,” Mike said as he explained what was causing him problems. David grinned into the phone and offered him some pointers. Mike thanked him, since some of them he hadn’t thought of. David was just ready to clarify a couple of things for him when Lil’ Sis walked his way with her bags and a scowl.

“Gotta let you go, Buddy. She’s walking this way. Good luck. Sorry about your hair. Talk to you later,” he said as he closed his phone and grinned at Lil’ Sis. “I see they finally gave you your bags. Did you have to kill someone,” he joked.

She looked at him and shook her head without speaking. She was in a foul mood and was tired, so she didn’t really want to take it out on anybody, so she opted to stay quiet. She hoped that Mike didn’t have any big plans tonight. All she wanted was a hot bath and a warm bed. She didn’t care if there was his usual nutritious meal thrown in.

David looked at her and knew his buddy was going to have a challenge tonight. He could see that she was tired by the long week and all the damn adjustments they’d had to make. Yesterday they flew into three separate towns for media stuff before that night’s show. He knew he was tired, but he could see she was beat. He had the luxury of catching some sleep on the planes or in the cars while she was smoothing out the next stop.

As they climbed into the taxi, she looked over at him and asked, “Any idea what’s on your schedule tonight.”

He grimaced before he said, “nap, dinner, play with kids, put kids to bed, then Kris promised something interesting.” She smiled at his evening’s plans. She knew what Kris’s plans were. But she wasn’t about to spoil it for him.

“You,” he asked, knowing she had several surprises in store for her.

“I have no idea, but I hope it’s quiet and it involves an early evening and a hell of a lot of sleeping,” she said with a small smile. He grunted but stayed quiet. She flipped open her portable and reviewed her notes from today and yesterday, trying to ensure that the last minute scramble that she gave her a headache, didn’t happen again. She knew she couldn’t control the airlines, but it didn’t stop her from getting pissed about it anyway.

She noticed she had an email from Kris, so she popped it open. She was a little confused, but okay. She was fine with Kris letting Mike into her place early so he could start dinner. It was just unusual, that was all. Maybe that meant he would have dinner ready and she could eat quickly and go to bed. That would be great, she thought. She flipped her portable closed since they just turned on to her street. She hopped out quickly as David reached into the back for her bags.

He handed them to her with a quiet, “Have a good evening, see you later.”

She smiled her thanks and said,” you too.” She didn’t get a chance to reach for her key before Mike opened her door for her with a smile.

“Hi Babe, let me take those for you,” he said quickly as he reached for her bags. She handed them over without a word. She could see he was nervous, maybe it was the hair thing? Did he think she’d yell at him for cutting off his great hair? It was his head and he could do with it what ever he wanted. The goatee thing was also new, not sure if I like that, she thought to herself.

“Thanks,” she said as she slipped off her coat and hung it up. She slipped off her strappy sandals and knew she was going to tell Kris to never buy those kind again. They were damned uncomfortable. She didn’t care if they were by some famous choo guy, they hurt. “What’s up with the hair and stuff,” she asked him as he returned from her room without her bags.

“Liz,” he said with a smirk. She frowned at him, and waited for him to elucidate. He shrugged. “She wanted to try to cut someone’s hair. Her and Jess conned me into being their first guinea pig,” Uncle Mike, the sucker, admitted sheepishly.

“What? They shaved your head? That’s an easy hair cut. I think even I can manage that one,” she said with a smile as she went into the kitchen to grab a water.

“No. No way. I did this. They started out with scissors and clippers and couldn’t seem to decide what they wanted to do. One side was a lot shorter than the other,” he continued. She almost sprayed out her water as she stifled a laugh.

“Did both of them cut your hair? Is that what happened,” she asked him. The mental image was making her giggle, she couldn’t help it. She leaned against her counter and tried to imagine the large man in front her letting two young ladies butcher his hair.

“It didn’t start that way, but by the end, both of them were attempting to fix it. It didn’t work very well,” he finished.

“Did Kris see it,” she giggled. He nodded as he watched her drink her water and picture it. He guessed that she would talk to Kris about it and get a better account. “You going to let them try again,” she giggled.

“Maybe,” he said with a wink. She shook her head at him and what he allowed his nieces to get away with. Liz wasn’t the only one who had her Uncle Mike wrapped around her finger, she knew.

She was interrupted from anymore musing about little girls and how they worked their magic on adult men by his comment, “Babe, I knew you’d be tired from your shitty week, so I drew a bath for ya. Dinner’s later if you want it,” he said as he reached for her hand. She allowed him to lead her up to her room where she could smell the fragrance of one of her favorite bath oils.

“Thank you,” she said as she slipped out of her suit, stockings and frillies. He watched her wander into the bathroom. He heard the water slosh as she slipped into it. He smiled, knowing she enjoyed a hot bath almost as much as she enjoyed...He stopped himself, since he had some stuff to take care of before she got out.
Several minutes later, he heard her ask, “Mike?”

He peeked his head around the corner with a quick, “Yeah?”

“You want to join me,” she asked. He smiled, shook his head and withdrew, leaving her to soak and relax. He smiled at the image he just saw of her deep in her bath with her hair pinned up in a huge knot on the top of her head in an attempt to keep it dry. He saw some of it had already escaped and knew more would, the longer she had it up.

Eventually he heard her leave the tub and let the water start to drain. He looked around the room, saw everything was set up, candles were lit, new sheets were on the bed, among other things. He tapped at the door and asked if he could come in. She answered with an of course. He walked in and saw her sitting on the edge of the tub, wrapped in one of her favorite huge towels. They were taller than her, he remembered.

“Babe, I wanted to give you a massage before you go to sleep tonight,” he said quietly. She lifted her head as she pulled out the clips and let her hair down. She blinked slowly before she said anything.

“Mmm, sounds nice. Is that what you have in your hand, nice man,” she asked in almost a purr. He nodded, as he tried to keep his composure.

“One condition, Babe,” he told her. She frowned, but nodded. “You have to close your eyes for me.” He saw her start to open her lips to say something but he stopped her with, “Just for a minute, then you can open them, I promise.” She stayed quiet for a brief second, thinking back to his flower surprise, knowing he wouldn’t knowingly hurt her so she nodded.

He took her hand and started to lead her out the door, but stopped long enough to say, ”close ‘em, Babe. No cheating.” At his last words, her lips twitched but she followed his request and let him lead her into her bedroom.

***

David opened his door and was met by his youngest running behind him and squealing. He looked up and saw Mikie on the stairs chasing her. He stopped as he saw his dad. David quirked his brow at his son and waited for an answer.
“Daaaadddd. She was in my room,” he said as if that explained everything. Dad didn’t appear moved by his reason and shook his head at his son. He knew that the message was received and understood. He felt Lissa tugging on his pant leg and set his bags down so he could talk to her.

“yes, baby,” he signed and said. He received a big grin for his efforts.

She said, “da, da, da,” as she signed at the same time. It never ceased to amaze him. The doctors had told them her speech would take several steps back but she was catching back up quickly. He grinned at her and picked her up and kissed her cheek. As he pulled her back so he could kiss her tummy, Kris walked in.

“I thought I heard the door open. I was hoping it was you, not someone trying to break in and steal our lovely children,” she said with a gentle smile. He could see she was tired. He stepped up to her and hugged her with his free hand and nibbled her neck.

“I love you,” he said quietly.

“I hope so, or you can have all these kids back,” she announced with mock sincerity. She smiled at him and Lissa and told him to go play, dinner would be ready in a few.  He walked with his youngest in his arms towards the family room. She started wriggling and making noises like she wanted down. He set her down and watched her run full speed into the family room with her blonde curls bouncing. She jumped up on the couch and looked back at him and waited expectantly. He smiled at her. She wanted to sit with him and knew that was where he usually fell asleep on the couch. Was he that easy to figure out that his toddler knew his routine? Yeah he was, he thought with a grin as he sat next to his baby. She climbed into his lap and waited for him to put his arm around her. Once he did, she settled down and leaned back into him, ready to fall asleep with her daddy.

Kris peeked around the corner a few minutes later and was greeted by two peacefully sleeping souls. She didn’t want to wake either of them, so she left them to sleep through dinner. She warned the older two to keep it down because Dad was sleeping. Both complied, since neither wanted to be the one that woke him. Kris cleared all the dishes away, set some dinner aside for him later and went to pluck Lissa from his lap and put her to bed for the night. He didn’t stir as she lifted the tot from his lap. Lissa was out for the night also, she barely stirred when Kris changed her into her jammies. She kissed her cheek and pulled the door to, even though she knew it was needed anymore to keep the noise down. It was habit and it didn’t hurt her so she continued. She debated about letting Dave sleep downstairs for a while but thought better of it as she considered his back.

She checked on Mikie, he was playing a video game in his room. He looked up at her as she peeked in and grinned. His smile was so much like his dad’s, she thought for millionth time. Liz was in her room, pretending to do homework, but was really on the phone talking. Kris shook her head at her, letting her know she knew what she was doing.

She walked back into the family room and saw her husband sound asleep on the couch, still in his suit. He had managed to take off his tie, but that was it.

She leaned down and kissed his cheek and whispered, “Time to go to bed baby.” He stirred slightly and smiled. She watched to see if he really was going to wake up, but he didn’t look like it. She reached down and stroked his chest slowly, causing him to groan. She tried again, “Baby, time to go to bed.” No change. Time to use the big guns, she thought with smile. “Baby, I want you,” she whispered before she kissed his lips and rubbed her nails across his clothed chest. His arms reached up for her and grinned into her kiss.

“What a thing to say to a tired old man,” he rumbled into her hair. She giggled.

“C’mon, old man. Let’s see how tired you really are,” she teased him with as she helped him stagger to his feet. She grabbed his discarded tie from the floor and led him upstairs to their room with her free hand held loosely in his large one. He was content to follow his wife upstairs. He knew he’d follow her most places, but the view he had as he followed her woke him up more thoroughly than her teasing caresses on the couch.

She watched him as he slowly slid out of the last of his suit for her. He quirked his brow at her, knowing she loved to watch him undress for her. He crooked a finger but she shook her head.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said as she retreated to the bathroom. He shrugged and sat down on the bed to wait for her. She returned from the bathroom in a baby t-shirt, one of his that said animal lover on it. He grinned at her. He didn’t know she bought that. He appreciated how it hugged her curves. His gaze slid down and he suppressed a chuckle as he noticed new black panties to almost match the shirt. His wife was always coordinated and he loved her for it.

“Lay down baby. I see some knots that need to be worked out,” she said. His eyes widened at her request but he complied, no argument from him. If she wanted him down, he was happy to oblige.

“Face down baby,” she told him. He obediently rolled over on their bed, showing her his broad back and naked backside. She poured the new oil into her hand and rubbed it to activate it before she put her hands on his shoulders. She climbed on him and straddled him so she could reach his shoulders and neck. He groaned as her fingers started their magic. She kept quiet, but waited for him to say something about the sensation, she knew he could feel it.

“That feel so good baby. How come it seems hot,” he asked her in between his groans at her ministrations.

“New stuff. You like it,” she asked quietly, never breaking her kneading rhythm of his lats, working out the knots. He groaned as his response. She smiled, she knew he liked it, he liked it a lot.

As she worked on his back and over his large tattoo, she remembered when he told her he wanted to get it. She thought he meant a small one, but as usual, nothing about him was small. She remembered having to rub lotion on his back to help it heal. They had a nightly routine of rub downs and she remembered that she missed it. It took weeks for his tattoo to be finished and it took just as many weeks after for his skin to heal. They had nightly rub downs for months that both of them enjoyed. Mike’s call a couple of weeks ago reminded her of several things, so she thought she’d relight that fire.

She watched his skin tense and shiver as her massaging continued while she worked down to his ass. She slid off him and started on his legs, saving his backside for later. She worked back to his ass and slid her hands over his ass and slapped him lightly. He grunted in question.

“Roll over baby,” she said. Touching him still set a fire burning in her. She licked her lips as she watched him roll over for her. She saw that he was in a similar state, but chose to ignore that for now. She looked up into his dark eyes and saw they were hot with desire for her. He reached for her but she shook her head.

“Patience, sweetheart,” she smiled. She took his hand in hers and started to massage his fingers, working her way up his arm and ending at his shoulder. She took his other hand and repeated the process. His discarded hand stroked her leg that was thrown over his hips. She finished with his second arm and started in his chest. He reached for the bottom of her shirt, trying to pull it over her head. She shook her head no, but he wasn’t going to take that answer. He sat up quickly and slipped her shirt off.

He blinked as he saw what she’d been hiding. He growled his appreciation. She never ceased to amaze him. She’d done it again with her bra, if that’s what you call it, he thought. He’d seen similar things on some of the dancers in the clubs, but none of them looked as good as her, he thought. She was barely covered with several small strips of black fabric running from the shoulder straps to just under her breasts. The largest of them ran right over her nipples. The other strips were on both sides of her breasts, outlining them for him, so he could appreciate their beauty. He appreciated them alright, he thought to himself. She was the perfect mate for him, he knew. She was reserved in public but was a wild cat in private. That tripped his trigger more than anything else. She was super mom, quiet suburban housewife to the outside world, but damn if she wasn’t his wild baby in their bedroom.

That thought prompted him to say, “Baby, the only thing you’re missing with that outfit is a pole.”

“I don’t think so,” she said as she smiled at him and looked down at his pole.

He grinned at her and reached to take her panties off. They didn’t budge so he ripped them off with one quick movement. She glided on to him and settled back in to her massaging, causing him to groan again. She was still working on his chest, but wasn’t putting more oil into her hands, just rubbing in what she had. He rubbed a finger across his chest to slick up his finger and ran it under the largest of the strips over her nipple, causing her to hesitate in her attentions. He grinned at her reaction. He slid both his hands on his chest and reached for her ass. He wanted to make sure he rubbed some oil on her. He growled and sat up as he gripped her oil slicked ass…

***

Mike heard her breathing gradually shift and knew she’d fallen asleep. She had let him walk her to her bed and set her down on the edge of it before she opened her eyes. He remembered her amazement as she looked around her room and saw what he had done.

“What? What is all this,” she asked quietly as she looked around her transformed room. He smiled at her and put his fingers to her lips. Her eyes widened at his response but she obeyed his fingers and kept quiet. She looked around and took in the flowers strewn around the room, complete with rose petals on her bed. She noticed the new sheets as soon as she sat down and touched them with her hand and shot him a questioning look. He stayed quiet in response. She found all the candles giving off their soft light and mellow scent placed around the room. She looked up into his eyes and tried to understand him, he could tell. Had she never been spoiled like this before, he wondered. Everyone deserves to be pampered occasionally and tonight was her night to get a little pampering from him.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead as he reached for wine glasses that he had hidden on the head board. She grinned at him, but kept quiet. He pulled the wine bottle out from under the bed and bent to the task of opening the bottle. Once finished, he poured for both of them, re-corked the bottle and set it back down. She lifted her glass to him and sipped. He smiled into her green eyes. They looked dark green to him tonight, in the candle light.

He set his glass down and reached for the lotion. He poured a small amount into his large hand and reached for her small foot. She groaned in appreciation of his gentle kneading of her tired and sore foot. She sipped her wine as she considered the large man kneeling in front her with her foot in his large talented hands. He could keep massaging her foot for hours, or at least she hoped he would. He stopped when he saw her glass was empty and refilled it for her. He sipped some from his glass also and smiled at her. He reached for her other foot and kneaded it until it felt like putty to her.

He saw her blink slowly at him, not sure of him maybe or not sure what all of this was. He wasn’t sure but he thought she never looked more beautiful than now sitting on her bed, wrapped up in a huge green towel with several strands of her hair still wet from her bath. He poured more lotion in to his hand to continue his treatment on her legs. He felt the knots in her calf that caused her to wince as he touched them. What the hell caused those, he worried. Then he remembered the shoes she wore as she walked in the door. That would do it, he thought. She looked great in them, but they were hell on her legs. He switched to her other calf and worked out the knots he found there also.

He paused to drink some more wine and to fill her glass back up for her. She looked at him again, uncertain he thought. She started to open her lips to say something but he stopped her with a quick head shake. She blinked but stayed quiet. He took her small hand in his and worked lotion into her fingers and palm first. Then worked up her arm to her shoulder, but stopped before he reached her neck. He took another drink of wine and picked up her left hand knowing now that she used this one more than the other. He wanted desperately to put a ring on her finger. He already had in mind the type, style and size that he wanted to buy for her. They had time, plenty of time he knew. As he moved up to her arm, he was reminded how small her fingers were. It amazed him that he would even consider rings and all that went with it when they hadn’t been together very long and he’d been with Lisa for years and never gave it a moment’s thought.

He paused again and kissed her, this time on her soft lips letting her know how he felt. He reached up and plucked her arms from his neck and shook his finger at her with a smile. She raised her brows at his action but stayed quiet still. He slid her towel aside as he massaged her thighs. She had an athlete’s build and he loved it. He’d never know any woman that looked athletic but still feminine. Her thighs, her legs drove him crazy when he thought about them. He knew he better not dwell on her small shapely legs or he wouldn’t be able to finish tonight. He looked up at her and saw her slight smile, signaling she knew what his touches were doing to him, as well as her.

He took a deep breath because he needed to take a break for a moment. He drank the last of his wine and reached for the bottle to refill both of their glasses. They both only got a few sips in their glass from the now empty bottle. He motioned for her to turn around and lay down for him. She blinked slowly at him again, analyzing maybe? He wasn’t sure, but she complied.

He looked at her small form lying face down on her bed wrapped in her towel. He reached down and slid the towel off, exposing her back to him. She didn’t move, but she did shiver. He frowned, worried that the room might be too cold for her after her hot bath. He poured some lotion in to his hands and rubbed them together to warm the lotion before he put it on her back. He started with her shoulders to work the tension out of them. They were stiff with tension and fatigue that eventually yielded to his expert touch. He slid his hands down to her back and continued kneading. As his hands reached her lower back, she groaned quietly. He smiled to himself at her noise. If he didn’t know better he would have thought they were right in the middle of some great sex, her groan sounded exactly like her groans when they made love. He shook his head and refocused on her back and great ass. His hands wandered slowly over her ass, kneading and grasping. She groaned again and he worried that he might be hurting her so he slowed. He slid his hands gently between her legs to massage her inner thighs and was rewarded by another groan. He stopped for a moment because he was so hard he could barely see, let alone continue massaging her. She shifted her ass to him, urging him to continue. He poured some more lotion on his hands and rubbed her ass again. She shifted again, this time lifting her ass for him. If she kept that up, he knew he’d be in trouble. This night was supposed to be for her, not him but if she kept moving and twitching her ass at him he wasn’t going to be able to continue. He rubbed his hands over her hips and slid back to her ass. She groaned again and lifted her ass. He sat back on his heals, and tired to keep his mind on task. He planned a lot of things tonight and he didn’t think he’d be able to follow through if she kept doing that. He looked at the beautiful woman on the bed with her ass in the air for him and thought, ‘to hell with this,’ and slipped his shorts off. He reached for her hips again and pulled her to the edge of the bed. She groaned again just before he slid himself deep into her. He groaned loudly as he felt her clamp down on him…

He felt himself start to relax enough to sleep finally. He slid his fingers into her hair and twisted a few strands in his fingers. He loved her hair, the smell, the feel of her soft curls. Just as he was drifting off, he realized that she never got to see his artwork and his question. They never got that far, he still had his shirt on. He’d try again soon, now he had practiced how to use the shit. He also remembered their dinner was in the fridge, waiting for him to throw it in the oven. Too bad, he thought with a satisfied smirk as he closed his eyes and pulled her close.

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