Curiosity and Compromise

The next week was a busy one for VaLysia. Emily had called her telling her that the party was in fact still on and would be at their home as originally planned.

"What about Mr. Hendricks?" Val asked curiously. "He seemed mighty upset to me."

"Don't worry about him, I have everything under control" Emily replied. She then promptly asked Val to meet her for lunch so that they could talk.

They had agreed to meet on Tuesday which worked out perfectly since Val was only working a half day that day.

Emily asked her to meet her at Tripps Restaurant and Val found her waiting outside the door. Her red hair was loose and she was wearing a pair of white Capri pants and a green top. She waved frantically at Val when she spotted her.

"So glad you came." Emily said walking in. The people seemed to know her and immediately led her to a table.

"Thanks for the invite" Val said.

"Tut, tut! This is nothing!" Emily replied laughing. Her big green eyes reminded Val so much of Matheson.

The waiter took their order and Emily sipped her water. "Look VaLysia, I want to apologize again for the other night. Gregory...well he's Gregory! Anyway, he'll come around if he knows what's good for him."

Val laughed. "I don't know how you'll do that, but Matheson thinks that you can."

Emily smiled. "My baby's in love" She paused with a far away look in her eye and then she reached across the table. "You don't know how happy this makes me." She paused for a moment staring off in space again.

"You know, it's been said that I'm a little off you know." She paused again. "Maybe I am, but who's perfect in this world? Mavis said that I didn't breathe for a whole five minutes after I was born, so that may be the problem." She laughed to herself and patted Val's hand.

"You know, Mavis has been my anchor all my life!" She patted Val's hand again. "I remember my father. He was so mean and ornery. I can get that way too sometimes, you know. He'd get riled up something fierce and start to kicking ass and taking numbers." She laughed again. "I get like that sometimes when I get upset. I kind of lose it...that's what you saw the other day and I apologize."

"That's alright" Val replied.

"Well, it doesn't happen often and Gregory doesn't like me to get that way because he doesn't know what I'll do...and to tell the truth,I don't either!" She laughed again. She looked across at Val. "Once, you know when Gregory and I had a huge fight and we didn't talk two weeks...I was so mad at that man that I walked around the house buck balled naked in front of everybody for a full week! " She laughed again.

"I told him that until he paid attention to me, I was going to remain naked and even answer the door naked! Mavis had a fit, but I didn't pay her no never mind. I told her it was a marriage issue." She laughed again. "Anyway, Gregory was fit to be tied. He threatened to have me committed, but I told him that there was no law against walking around naked in your own home." She laughed again. "I had him so stressed out and horny that he practically dragged me in the bedroom and had his way with me by the end of the week. Of course we did make up!"

"Where was Matheson?" she asked shocked.

"Oh, he was there. Mavis got him out of the house and off to school. She had a time keeping him and I separated so that he wouldn't see me walking around naked. He was about five I think" she giggled again.

Val laughed in disbelief. This woman was something else! She had to admit that Matheson's mother was a little strange, and she wondered whether Matheson had any of her quirks.

"So..." Emily said grinning. "I can't believe you and my Matheson! It's like a dream come true. Mavis and I will finally be a real family!" Her face suddenly got serious. "You know people were saying things about my boy that I couldn't believe were true. Some were saying that maybe he doesn't like women...that really upset me. I mean, he's my only son...I wanted grandchildren."

"I can assure you that he's very much into women" Val replied.

"I knew it!" Emily said clapping her hands together. "I told Gregory that very thing! Even with all the yelling and arguing the other day, I could see he loves you. He's just like his father, you know. He has that look in his eye like he wants to devour you." She laughed again. "Devouring me with that mouth of his is not so bad either! Matheson looks like he has his father's mouth...and tongue. You're in for a treat!" She laughed again.

VaLysia blushed obviously embarrassed and Emily laughed again. "Don't mind me, child"

"You know when I met Gregory, he didn't even like me. He thought that I was too little...too juvenile looking. He thought he wanted this girl...Daria something or the other. She was tall and buxom and real flirty. Well I knew that I wanted Gregory the moment I laid eyes on him. He was tall and handsome, just like Matheson. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes and with his dark hair he was a striking piece of man flesh!"

Val leaned forward. "What did you do?"

"Well I admired him from afar at first. He worked all the time with his father in the business. He was doing that and trying to keep up with Ms. Daria. She of course, was seeing him and another fellow because Gregory worked so much. I knew that it was only a matter of time before he found out...and when he did I was ready to make my move!"

Val was entralled with Emily's story. "Then what did you do?"

"I asked him out." she said simply. " I told him that I knew that I wasn't what he thought he wanted, but that I knew I could make him happy. I told him that he was the sexiest piece of manflesh I'd ever laid my eyes on and that even though I may not be a size 36DD, I was still very much a woman! Well since Ms. Daria had damaged his ego, me telling him that he was sexy really picked him back up."

"Did you go out?"

"Of course. I could hardly keep my hands to myself and when he tried to return the favor, I'd smack his hand! I told him that I wasn't that kind of girl that I'd been taught to wait for marriage. My hands wandered every time he kissed me! I couldn't help myself!"

VaLysia laughed. "I guess he didn't like that very much."

"No, but those were the rules. I could touch him, but he couldn't touch me! I kept telling him that he was so sexy that I could hardly help myself. Besides that, I would do other things for him. I'd have a meal ready for him when he had a long run and I'd rub his back when he was tired. I even talked his father into letting me help with the business. My father had left everything to me and I had the resources that allowed the bakery to expand. Of course his family loved me and told him that I'd make a wonderful wife."

She laughed again.

"He told me that he liked me a lot but wasn't in love with me and I told him that he would be because even though I was a virgin, there wasn't another woman alive that would fulfil his every fantasy in bed like I could. You should have seen the expression on his face! I told him I'd been studying a book from France on pleasuring a man and that I had quite a few things I'd like to try out on him if he'd marry me. He asked me to marry him the next month." She laughed again.

"Matheson told me that you always get what you want!" Val replied laughing shaking her head in disbelief.

Their food came and they began to eat. Emily was quiet and seemed almost brooding. Val wasn't sure how to take Matheson's mother. Her emotions seemed to go from one extreme to the other.

"Is everything alright, Emily?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

Emily looked up and smiled. "Yes, dear. I was thinking about poor Matheson. He's working so hard...twelve and fourteen hours a day. That's not good. He won't listen to me. Maybe he'll listen to you. He tries so hard to get his father's approval. I don't understand why he doesn't know he already has it. Gregory loves Matheson with all his heart. I know he does. If he's thinking about marriage, he needs to slow down."

She looked knowingly at Val.

"You have the power, you know. The woman always does." Emily grinned at her across the table.

VaLysia couldn't help but to think about her conversation with Emily several days later.

She knew that she wouldn't get to see Matheson since he was pulling long shifts so that he would be off for the party. He sounded dog tired when she talked to him on the phone at bedtime, and a couple of nights he was actually falling asleep on the phone.

Val felt that he was working too much. He ran from store to store covering for persons on vacation as well as keeping up with his own location downtown where he was totally in charge of.

It was now Thursday before the Saturday party and she was worried. Matheson hadn't called her and it was after eleven. He normally called her around ten o'clock. She texted his cell and called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

She decided to leave home after eleven thirty which was something she never did in order to check on him. She didn't want to call his mother and worry her. She put on her gym shorts and a tee shirt and flip flops and got in the car.

When she arrived at his apartment, she found his car in the parking lot. She breathed a sigh of relief. She went to his apartment and knocked on the door, but he didn't answer. She continued to bang loudly until the next door neighbor opened their door to see what was going on.

"Is there a problem?" the older gentleman asked.

"I hope not" Val replied. "I know my boyfriend's here because his car is in the lot, but I can't get him to come to the door. He's worked twelve hours today and I want to be sure he's alright."

"Have you called him?" the man asked.

"I have, but he doesn't answer" Val said.

"Look, I don't mean to sound unfeeling…but perhaps he has other company with him tonight. I mean that can happen you know."

Val looked away. Could Matheson be seeing someone else? She had been to the doctor a couple of days ago for her physical and had the report with her. No, she could not believe after all they had been through with his father that he'd cheat on her. She gave the neighbor a smile.

"Oh, I'm sure that if someone was by here, it wasn't like what you're implying" she replied with more confidence than she felt.

"Please don't continue to bang on the door then" the man said. "It is very disturbing for the rest of us."

"Of course" Val agreed even though she wanted to continue banging.

She walked back t the car wondering what was going on and she started to get back in her car, but walked across the lot to Matheson's BMW instead. When she looked inside, she was shocked to see Matheson with the seat back sound asleep. She tapped on the glass.

"Matheson! Wake up!"

He opened his eyes and was shocked to see her.

"Val, what are you doing here?" he asked letting down the window.

"I was worried. I was calling you. I woke up the neighbors banging on the door! I thought something had happened to you. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He said opening the door and rubbing his eyes. "I just thought I'd rest a minute, I could hardly make it home. I just needed a minute to get myself together."

He got out of the car and Val saw that he looked exhausted. His white chef's coat was dirty and he looked sweaty.

"A minute? What time did you get here?" she asked concerned.

"My usual time, I guess" he replied. He looked at his watch. "Damn! It's after midnight!"

Val walked with him to his apartment and he threw the keys on the table and shut the door.

"I'm sorry I worried you" he replied. "I ache all over. We had a big delivery today and Gary was out sick."

"You can't keep doing this Matheson. You're killing yourself!" she said worried.

"I'll be fine" he replied. "You need to get home. You have to get up in the morning."

"I'm off tomorrow, Matheson. I'm supposed to take Grandma out." She said. "Come on"

She led him up the steps to his bedroom. "Undress sir. You need a nice hot bath and I'm going to run it for you."

"I don't take baths anymore Val." He protested mildly.

"That's an order, Mister" she said leaving him and walking into the bathroom.

She ran some warm water in the tub and came back into the bedroom. Matheson was sitting on the bed. He looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"Get undressed, Matheson" she demanded.

"If I wasn't so tired, I swear you would get your request and more" he teased.

She laughed and helped him undress. He winced when he took his arm out of his coat and she knew that his muscles were sore.

"Come on. I'll rub you down after your bath" she said.

She had seen plenty of pictures, but she had never seen a man naked before. She helped him out of all of his clothes and she couldn't help herself, she had to look at the package he had to offer. It didn't look so scary now that it was resting. She giggled to herself.

"What's so funny" he mumbled walking to the tub.

"I 've never seen a naked man in the flesh before" she snickered tapping him on the behind.

"You're lucky I'm incapacitated" he replied climbing in. "If I wasn't so tired, I'd show you more than my nakedness."

She had him lie his head back on the back of the tub on a towel and instructed him to close his eyes. She decided to wash him herself. He did as she requested and she soaped a wash cloth and began her task. She ran the soapy rag over his body and was surprised to find the act arousing for her.

Matheson continued to doze and she went about her task thinking about what it would be like to make love to this man. She found herself thinking about it all the time and if she wasn't thinking about that, she was thinking about him kissing her…the other part of her. She blushed thinking about it.

"Matheson" she whispered. His eyes were still closed.

"Hmmm" he responded not opening his eyes.

"Do you mind if I wash…you know…down there?"

"Be my guest" he mumbled "Put some soap on your hand and do it."

She giggled but complied with his request. She reached under the water for him. He was warm and flaccid, but it was not long before she could feel him come to life in her hands.

"You're starting something." He whispered opening his eyes.

"I didn't mean to" she said giggling. She could feel herself getting wet and hot. He didn't have any hair on his chest, but it began at his navel on down and she ran her fingers through it. She gently cupped his scrotum in her hand and he groaned a little making her hotter still.

"Come on Mister. It's time for you to get out." she said trying to get herself together.

He stood up and she saw that he was perfectly erect. "I thought you were tired" she said to him as he got out of the tub. The sight of him wet and erect made her hotter still.

"I am. My shoulder hurts. " he complained. "Looks can be deceiving."

Val immediately felt guilty when she saw the pained look on his face.

"I'll rub it for you" she replied. She tried to focus her attention on his shoulder instead of his member which now bobbed up and down as he stepped out of the tub.

Matheson let her dry him off and she led him to the bed. She rubbed his shoulder with some liniment and he climbed under the covers naked when she was done.

"Aren't you going to put something on?" she asked. He didn't even kiss her and he was still hard when he climbed in the bed.

"Nope" he mumbled half asleep. She stared at him as he dozed off. How could he sleep? She was all hot and bothered from giving him a bath and watching him salute in all his glory. She looked at her watch and noted it was after one. She had better get on home.

"I'm about to leave Matheson" she said looking at him.

He opened his eyes. "Stay." He said. "You don't have to go. Come on climb in with me."

He moved over in the bed. Why not? She thought. It was perfectly safe…she hoped. Besides she got her birth control shot when she went to the doctor.

She climbed in beside him in her sweats.

"No, get undressed" he protested.

She hesitated but then took off all her clothes and climbed in the bed with her back to him. He pulled her close and she could still feel him semi erect against her back.

"Remember you're tired" she warned.

He put his arm around her and pulled her to him kissing her on the shoulder. "Goodnight" her murmured.

"Goodnight" she replied reaching for the light.

Val couldn't go to sleep with his naked body next to hers. She listened the steady rhythm of his breathing. He was next to her totally naked with his arm thrown across her and she was aching for…well she knew she wanted something! She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on going to sleep despite the ache that was growing between her thighs, but it did no good.

She tossed and turned several times trying to think of something else besides the heat that was escalating inside her.

"What's wrong" Matheson murmured sleepily.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Val said sheepishly.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

She was embarrassed. "I guess its just that I'm not used to the bed." She lied.

"Oh" he said pulling away from her. "I'll give you some space. This is a queen size bed."

No! No!No! Her mind screamed. "Matheson, I'm…hot" she said finally.

"I can turn the ceiling fan on" he responded. She didn't say anything, so he got up and turned it on and then climbed back in bed turning his back to her. She was totally disappointed. What was wrong with her? The man had worked thirteen hours. Get a grip, hussy! She said chastising herself.

Matheson had gone back to sleep and she tried to think of anything besides his naked body lying next to hers. She had never resorted to self pleasure before, but she knew that she had to do something if she wanted to go to sleep. Matheson had opened the door of her sleeping libido and she was now having problems keeping it in check.

She listened for his continued steady breathing and she slowly moved her hand back and forth over her sensitive flesh. She was trying to keep quiet, her eyes were tightly shut and she stifled a moan as she felt her self slowly being drawn towards the goal she was seeking. She paused one moment as Matheson turned over again facing her. She waited until she heard his steady breathing and continued her task.

She slowly turned on her back for better access. The room was so hot and she felt as if she was going to burst. Her fingers moved slowly back and forth and the ache was growing steadily and she caught herself before she let out a moan. She didn't want Matheson to wake up and catch her.

The room was unbearable now and she found her fingers took on a life of their own as they moved back and forth. She felt her breath catch as she was climbing. The spasms were intense and she put her other hand over her mouth trying not to make any noise. Her breathing was labored as she tried to recover.

"Damn, that was hot!" Matheson whispered quickly grabbing her hand and sucking on her fingers.

Val didn't have time to be embarrassed as he quickly took the fingers out of his mouth, pulling her to him. He then parted her legs with his and she felt him rubbing his member against her opening, though he made no attempt to penetrate her.

"Matheson-"

"Don't worry, tonight's not the night" he said kissing her. She wondered what he was doing, but it didn't take long for her to figure it out as he continued to rub himself against her her sensitive flesh.

Matheson had awakened to her erratic breathing and then he realized what she was doing. The thought of her masturbating made him instantly hard. He lay there holding himself with his hand. He was dog tired but listening to her had given him a burst of energy. He was now wide awake and was erect and throbbing.

It took all of his self control not to push his way in, but he wanted to please her and get some release himself. He rubbed himself against her opening which was so wet and ready. He rubbed the head of his member against her sensitive nub and it wasn't long before he received the reward he sought. Her orgasm hit her and he covered her mouth with his as his hand moved up and down his shaft.

Val placed her hand over his. "Let me. Tell me what to do." she whispered. She wanted to please him just as he had done for her.

"Whatever you feel comfortable doing." he replied.

The room was dark and she couldn't see his face, but his body was hot and she ran her hands over him and he groaned.

"Tell me exactly what you want, Matheson. I'm still learning. You know what you like" she insisted.

He hesitated. "Kiss me there" he whispered. "Please". He seemed almost hesitant in asking her. She lowered her head and tentatively touched him with her tongue and then took the head into her mouth and licked him.

He groaned louder which was encouraging to her and she took more of him into her mouth moving slowly up and down. She was surprised to feel his body stiffen and he ejaculated only after a few seconds. She didn't know much, but she knew that it shouldn't have happened that quickly. He instantly went flaccid in her hands.

He pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry" he said his voice sad. "I have this problem sometimes when I'm extremely tired-"

She cut him off by kissing him. "I don't care about that Matheson."

"One day you will" he said and she could hear a bit of fear in his voice.

"Baby, don't you worry. We'll work it out" she reassured him. "You're working too hard, stressing yourself out."

He paused for a moment as if he was thinking about what she was saying. "I want things to be right between us." he said. "I should have told you. It is something that is important, but it is so...embarrassing...and humiliating.."

"Have you seen a doctor." she asked.

"No"

"Then we'll go to the doctor. I'll go with you. Regardless Matheson, I'm here for the long haul. I won't leave you because you have this problem. We all have something going on, so don't worry about it. What you gave me before and what you did tonight was good for me."

"I love you" he said simply.

"Love you too." she replied.