Romance The Good Neighbor

Ashley Bennett is a good neighbor. Ashley is the type of neighbor every neighborhood should have. Whenever a new family moves into the neighborhood, she is there to greet them, usually with a casserole or a plate of sweets. It's old fashioned, but she feels it helps to grow the family feeling that a neighborhood should have, especially nowadays. In these days of tweets and likes and upvotes, she likes to retain some of the ways of how things were done in the past. Even though she's on Facebook and Instagram quite often with her posts of her garden or her most recent recipe, she enjoys being offline for the most part.

She and her late husband, Gregory, moved into their house 35 years ago. They were married for 37 years until his death 5 years ago. They raised 2 daughters and, by all accounts, they are both very happily married. Throughout the years Ashley and Gregory always maintained their house quite well, even remodeling it a few times to update it to current standards. The last remodel added a nice workout area in their basement, which Ashley loves to use almost daily, and home office for the two of them. She had always been health conscious, but even more so since Gregory's passing. Even at the age of 62, she is an incredibly attractive woman who most people assume to be at least a decade or so younger than she is.

Standing at 5'2", she weighs in at 120 lbs. thanks to her workout regimen. She has wavy red hair that's shoulder length that's beginning to show some gray streaks (she refuses to color it as she likes it the way it is), her eyes are a deep sapphire blue, and she still turns heads when she walks down the street, especially because she's quite buxom. Her favorite pastime, other than working out, is gardening. It has been a passion of hers since she was a teenager. And since her retirement 7 years ago as an elementary school teacher, she's outside working on it as often as possible. She even has a greenhouse in the backyard so she can do some winter gardening, as well.

Her daughters have children of their own. Both of them have moved about 20-30 minutes away from her Chicago suburban home. She sees them often as possible and spoils her grandchildren as much as she can. Holidays have been difficult these past 5 years, but they're growing more tolerable, as is her life in general without Gregory. She's even gone on a few dates, but they all end in failure as the men just want sex in the end. Granted, she still loves sex and the feeling it elicits, but she needs that connection, like the one she had with her late husband. For now, her only "boyfriend" is that of the battery operated kind.

The neighborhood changed once again when the family next door moved away after the father got an excellent job opportunity in Seattle. Unfortunately, the house sat vacant for nearly a year until it was finally sold in early April. It seemed as if one day the "For Sale" sign was in the yard and the next day a moving van was pulling up in front of the house. Ashley wondered who was moving in next door as the movers took the furniture into the house. She then saw an emerald green 1967 Mustang pull up into the driveway and she noticed that a tall man get out, alone. He walked into the house and she didn't see him again for the rest of the day.

The next day, being the good neighbor that she is, she put together a plate of cookies and walked next door to meet her new neighbors. She rang the doorbell and patiently waited at the door. And waited... Odd, she thought, I didn't see anyone leave. As she turned to leave, she heard the lock on the door click and the door open. Turning back around, she saw a very disheveled man with dirt on his face, wiping his hands in an old rag.

"Yes," he asked, "may I help you?"

Ashley said, "Oh, hello! I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood. I'm Ashley, Ashley Bennett. I live next door to you."

As she handed him the plate of cookies, she looked him up and down. She thought that he was a very nice looking man and even though he seemed to be much younger than her. Well over 6', quite possibly 6'3", broad shouldered. Dark tousled hair, but not unkempt. Very dark brown eyes.

"What? I... Oh, thank you! I'm Joseph Stuart. Nice to meet you. Sorry for taking so long to answer, I was in the basement working on the water heater. Looks like I need a new one."

Smiling, Ashley said, "Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Stuart."

"Please, call me Joseph."

"And I'm Ashley. Well, um, I shall let you get back to your work. I'm sure you'd appreciate having some hot water!"

Before she could walk away, Joseph said, "No, please, come in. I need to take a break anyway, mainly to call a plumber. The least I could do is to repay the kindness by offering you some coffee or tea or...?"

"Oh, tea would be lovely, thank you!"

As Ashley entered, she noticed the stack of boxes still unpacked in the living room, but, from what she could see, the kitchen looked immaculate.

As they walked into the kitchen she was correct, it was indeed immaculate. It seems he likes to keep his place neat and tidy, even with the chaos of moving, Ashley thought. Joseph gestured for her to take a seat at kitchen table as he put a pot of water on to boil.

Joining her at the table, he said, "You definitely showed up at my door at the perfect time. I had completely given up on getting the water heater to work and I was getting frustrated."

"Oh, well, that's no good, you getting frustrated."

Oh, that came out wrong, she thought.

Chuckling softly, he said, "No, that wouldn't be good. Say, would you have a suggestion for a good plumber? I'm not from this area and still a bit lost."

Thinking for moment, she finally said, "I can't think of anyone offhand, but I'm sure I have a number for one at home. I never had need of one since my husband was quite handy."

"Oh? Maybe he could give me a hand then?"

A sadness appeared on Ashley's face and Joseph caught it. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"No.. no... not at all. It's just that Greg, my husband, passed away just over 5 years ago."

"My sincerest condolences. I'm sorry for bringing up a painful subject, I didn't know."

Smiling softly, she said, "It's fine, Joseph. Like you said, you didn't know. But I will get you that number after we enjoy our tea."

Noticing the pot was whistling, Joseph got up and poured them each a cup of tea. Sitting back down they resumed their conversation.

She said, "Thank you. So, um, is your wife at work or...?"

"I'm not married. Well, not married any more. It's just me here. I needed a fresh start and this house seemed perfect."

Handing Ashley her tea, he sat down his own cup in hand.

"Would you like sugar or milk with your tea?"

She said, "If you have honey, that would be nice, but sugar is fine as well."

Smiling, he turned to the large pantry and pulled out a few varieties of honey for her to chose from.

Placing them in front of her, she looked up at him and grinned, asking, "Beekeeper?"

Laughing, he replied, "No, I just enjoy having a variety. Whenever I travel, I always try to find a jar that's local to the area. So why settle on just one variety when I can have, um, orange blossom!"

Picking up the small jar of honey, he opened it and poured a little into his cup.

Handing it to her he said, "Try it, you may like it."

She took the jar and poured some into her tea, gave it a stir, and took a sip.

"Oh my, that is delicious! I just have plain ol' honey at home, now I may need to hunt down a jar of this!"

"Then keep it. As you can see, I have plenty!"

Laughing softly, she said, "Thank you!"

"You're quite welcome."

And for the next hour or so they sat and talked. Ashley was pleasantly surprised in how easy it was to talk with him and Joseph was completely drawn into her eyes.

Noticing the time, Ashley finally said, "Well, I should probably let you get back to work if you want to have a hot shower! And I did promise to look to see if I had the number of a plumber."

Standing up, he said, "Yes, I am not a fan of cold showers. Here, let me give you my number and you can call me if you find that plumber for me."

He took out his wallet and pulled out a business card and handed it to her.

Looking at it she said, "Architect?"

Nodding, he said, "Yes, but semi-retired at the moment. I don't know why I keep the cards... Long story. Anyway, that's my cell on the card."

"Retired? You're far too young!"

Grinning broadly he said, "Well, I never thought of myself as young, not any more, but I'm 45 if you're wondering."

"Well, you're much younger than me, that's for sure!"

"Really? I wouldn't think you're too much older than I am. Maybe 5 years or so?"

Ashley positively beamed when she heard that and said, "It's never nice to ask a woman her age, but I will give you hint and say it's a bit more than 5 years And that is all I shall say of that subject!"

Raising his hands in defeat, "All right, I'll need to just find out another time then. Let me walk you to the door. Thank you for the visit, it was very nice to meet you. We'll need to share a cup of tea again sometime soon."

"I'd like that, thank you."

And with that Ashley walked out, turning around briefly to wave good bye, and headed over to her house. Joseph stood in the doorway and watched her for a minute or two, admiring her shape and wondering just how far he was off in guessing her age. Reluctantly, he closed the door and went back to work.

True to her word, she called moments later and gave him the number of a very reliable plumber and Joseph was able to get him out that day, even though it cost a bit more. It was well worth the cost if it meant having hot water.

For the next week or so, Joseph worked on unpacking and getting his house in order. He knew he still needed to furnish it better, especially the living room, but that was the last thing on his mind. Though he did keep eyeing that 77" 4K TV for his new place.

As for Ashley, she was preparing her garden for the Spring planting. Even though it's difficult work, she always loved being able to get her hands into the dirt. It was cathartic for her. One Saturday morning, she had no idea how long she had been toiling away when she then heard voices coming from Joseph's backyard. She stood up and stretched a bit before walking over to the fence to see who it might be. Unfortunately, the fence too tall for her to see over it, though she could tell Joseph was talking with Mr. Miller about something. Mr. Miller was a local contractor, who she knew very well, so obviously he was planning on getting some work done.

She turned to go back to her gardening, but Joseph saw her over the fence and said, "Oh! Hey! Ashley, I could use your assistance here if you have a moment."

My assistance? she thought. Out loud she said, "Oh, of course, let me put my tools away and I'll be right over!"

A few moments later she walked into Joseph's back yard and saw Mr. Miller pointing at her fence. She was confused as to why, but she soon had her answer.

Joseph said, "Hi. I'm glad you were free. I've asked Mr. Miller to help me repair and extend out the back deck as well as put in an outdoor kitchen, unfortunately he discovered a problem. Mainly with your fence."

"My fence? What.... what's wrong?"

Mr. Miller said, "Mrs. Bennett, it seems over the years your fence has sustained quite a bit of water damage. The way Mr. Stuart's yard slopes, it seems water collects at the base of your fence. Here, let me show you. You wouldn't necessarily notice this on your side, but it's obvious on this side. My guess is this past winter with all the snow it made it much worse."

As Mr. Miller pointed out the areas of damage, Ashley bent over to inspect the damage. As much as he tried not to, Joseph couldn't help but admire just how beautiful her backside was.

Joseph came back to reality when Mr. Miller said, "As I said to Mr. Stuart, this is an easy fix, but unless the slope of his yard is fixed, this will continue to be an issue for you."

Before she could say anything, Joseph spoke up and said, "Ashley, don't worry, I'm going to re-slope my yard as part of the work, as well making sure it drains properly, and I'll get your fence fixed for you as well. My yard caused this problem, so I'll pay for the repair."

Ashley smiled softly and said, "Oh, Joseph, you don't need to do that! I'm perfectly capable of paying for it myself!"

This went back and forth for a minute or two before Mr. Miller said, "Look. Just split the cost, ok? Otherwise, we'll all be here till the Fall with nothing done."

Laughing, they both agreed and Mr. Miller said he'd send the both a separate bill for the cost of the fence repair.

After Mr. Miller left, Joseph said to Ashley, "Care for something to drink while we relax a bit?"

"I'd love that. Just water for me please."

"Of course, one moment."

As he entered his house, Ashley sat down on the deck and she could then see why he wanted the work done. It was definitely in need of repair.

Returning, he sat down next to her and handed her a glass of water. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

And, just like it was the first time they met, they talked with ease and before they knew it, well over an hour had passed.

Noticing this, Ashley said, "Oh my, the time has flown! I need to get back to my garden, but first I think I'll grab a bite."

"Hey, why don't I take you out for lunch? I just discovered that diner down the road and, I have to admit, I'm a huge greasy spoon fan."

Smiling, Ashley said, "Oh, yes, Bonnie's Place is an institution in this town! Just allow me a few minutes to clean up and then we can go!"

10 minutes later they were on their way. Neither of them knew this at the time, but this would turn out to be their first date.

2 months later...

Ashley was awakened by the hammering next door. She knew what it was, but it was still slightly annoying, despite her needing to get out of bed anyway. However, she knew Joseph's deck was a day or two away from being finished. So rather than be irritated with it, she decided to surprise the workmen with muffins and scones she had made the night before as a thank you for trying their best to not disturb her throughout the construction. Mainly because most them had her as their teacher when they were in elementary school!

30 minutes later she walked over and knocked on Joseph's door. He opened up and smiled broadly when he saw who it was. "Ashley! Good morning! Did the men wake you?"

Returning his smile, she said, "Yes, but it's fine. I needed to get up anyway. You know I don't like to sleep late and it was past my normal wake up time. We were out a bit later than normal last night." Holding up the basket in her hand, she said, "OH! And I brought these over for the workmen."

"You're an incredible woman, Ashley." Upon saying that, he leaned over and gave her a soft peck on the cheek. "I definitely enjoyed our date last night. I'm really enjoying the time we're spending together."

Blushing, smiling she said softly, "Thank you so much. I've thoroughly enjoyed myself as well. Quite a bit actually.... Anyway, let's hand out these goodies!"

As they walked through the house and into the backyard, she took notice of how nicely his home has come together. Though I still cannot believe he got such a huge TV, she thought.

As he slid open the backdoor and stepped on to the new deck, the men took notice of who was with him. Many of them smiled and many said variations of, "It's Mrs. Bennett! Hello!! Hey!!"

"Break time, guys," Joseph said.

They didn't need to be told twice, they've all had her baked goods before. There were a round of "thank yous" as they all grabbed an item, followed by a few thumbs up and "oh man this is so good" from them.

After their short break, they went back to work re-energized, while Joseph and Ashley went into the house. By now Joseph knew her fairly well, so he put the teapot on and grabbed an assortment of honey. Once they settled in with their tea, they enjoyed their favorite pastime of just talking.

Joseph said, "Well, the deck should be done today and the outdoor kitchen by Friday. How would you feel about helping me break it in on Saturday night? I could get a couple of steaks, maybe some potato salad?"

"Hm, I'm a macaroni salad kinda gal."

"Ok, macaroni salad then! And maybe a nice green salad as well."

"Oh, I have a few tomatoes ready to be picked, so let me handle the green salad!"

"How could I say no to that? So how does 4:00 sound?"

"Perfect."

After another hour or so of talking, Ashley decided she needed to get back to her house and handle a few things, plus she wanted to get in some aerobics. Even though Joseph understood, he always felt a bit sad in having to say good bye.

He said, "Then I will see you on Saturday with the grand opening!"

Laughing, she said, "I cannot wait!"

They hugged each other and she left.

All day Saturday Ashley was a nervous wreck. She knew it was just dinner, but she didn't know what to wear. She never had this problem in the past. She knew the weather was going to be in the upper 70's, so she could easily just wear a basic sundress, but she felt like she wanted to show off a bit. She didn't know why, but it's how she felt. In the end she decided to wear one of her dressier and shorter sundresses that also showed off a bit of cleavage. She hadn't worn this one in years, but she really wanted to wear it tonight.

At the appointed time, Ashley was knocking on Joseph's door with salad in hand. In less than 30 seconds he answered and the smile he gave her when he saw her was all the verification she needed in knowing she picked the right outfit.

"Here, let me take that off your hands. Go ahead and head out back. What would you like to drink?"

She thought for a moment and said, "Do you have any wine?" His shocked look caused her to giggle and say, "Yes, I do occasionally drink wine."

"Ok, then! Had I known that, I would've stocked up more, but I have a nice Cabernet Sauvignon."

"Oh, that sounds lovely. Thank you."

As she headed outside, Joseph couldn't help but look at her as she walked away. There was definitely more of a sway in how she walked. And that dress...

As he joined her outside, he handed Ashley her wine while he opted for a locally produced IPA called Revolution Anti-Hero. As usual, their conversation came easily. After a short time he said, "I guess I better get these steaks on the grill. Fair warning, this is my first time in using it, so you're my guinea pig!"

Laughing she said, "Oh, maybe I should just stick to my salad then..."

Acting wounded, he stumbled back playfully as if he was shot, causing her to laugh harder. Finally he said, "Ok, jokes aside, how do you like your steak cooked?"

"Medium please."

"Same as mine! Perfect! "

He reached under the bar and pulled out the two steaks he had in the mini-fridge. He said, "I'm a ribeye guy, so hopefully you'll like these."

She smiled and said, "Oh yes! it's been awhile since I've had one. I tend to steer clear of red meat most of the time, but I do love a good ribeye."

"I'll remember that. Well, in this case, I found two beautiful bone-in ribeyes for us for tonight." And with that, he placed each steak on the grill and they began sizzling immediately.

"So, how do you like yours seasoned? Just salt and pepper or maybe some Montreal seasoning?"

"Just a little salt please."

"As you wish!"

She watched him man the grill, she kept admiring how he looked. He was definitely in his element here. She was also slightly impressed that he was using a salt grinder to season the steaks and not just table salt. It's those little details that she has always appreciated when it comes to cooking and it seemed to her that he was a man who took his cooking seriously.

As she was lost in her own thoughts, so was Joseph. Even though he was tending the grill, he kept sneaking peaks over at Ashley. Seeing her sitting there with wine glass in hand, she was mindlessly running her finger over the rim of the glass. He could feel her eyes on him and he was wondering what she was thinking. All he knew was that he enjoyed how she was looking at him, as well as how sexy her legs looked.

She finally spoke up and said, "Is there anything I can do to help? I'm feeling a little useless here."

He chuckled and said, "Sure! Would you mind bringing out both salads? They're in the fridge in the kitchen."

"Of course!" And once again he was treated to watching her swaying as she walked into his house. That woman is...wow, He thought.

As she brought out both bowls, he was taking the steaks off the grill and placing them on a platter to rest. Placing the platter on the table, he sat dawn and joined her.

"Oh those look absolutely delicious!" she said.

"Thank you! Here, allow me to serve the salad that you made."

And for the next 30 minutes they enjoyed their meal. Afterwards she said, "Oh my God, I am so stuffed. I couldn't eat another bite!"

Joseph smiled and said, "Well, hopefully there will be some room in there for some strawberry shortcake later!"

"Seriously? God. That's my favorite. I guess I'll need to find the room then, in an hour though!" And as she said that, the skies opened up on them unexpectedly! They quickly covered up the remaining food and rushed into the house with the plates and bowls in hand.

As they entered the house, Joseph exclaimed, "Oh shit, my grill!" He ran back outside to close it and he tried quickly get it covered, but the wind was not helping. Ashley rushed out to help him and they got it done. By now they were completely soaked. As they re-entered the house, they looked at each other and started laughing.

"Well," he said, "that definitely wasn't in the plans! Rain was not in the forecast! Thank you for the assist."

"Well, I couldn't have you being blown away as I stood there and watched!"

"True, but now we're both drenched. Here, come with me and let's get you dried off."

He took her hand and led her up the stairs to his bathroom. Once there, he pulled out some clean towels from the linen closet and handed them to her. But as he did so, he took a very good look at her. Her wet sundress was clinging to her like a second skin and it was hiding nothing. He gulped and said, "I...I'll let you get dried off. Let me see if I have something for you to wear."

He walked out and closed the door behind him. As he did so, Ashley saw herself in the mirror and understood why he seemed nervous all of a sudden. She should've been embarrassed, but quite the opposite. She found herself slightly aroused that he found her so attractive.

After a few minutes he knocked on the door and asked, "I've got something for you, but it's not exactly the most attractive thing."

She cracked the door open and he handed her an oversized white robe. Thanking him, she closed the door and changed into it after removing her dress, bra, and panties. All were soaked and needed to dry off.

She finally said, "Ok, you can come in."

He slowly opened the door and saw her wearing his obscenely large robe. He started smiling broadly and she said, "What? What's so funny?" He pointed at her in the mirror and she looked. She then broke out in laughter. She looked like she was a little girl playing dress up. They were then both were laughing so hard that they were in tears. She hugged him and he pulled her into his arms.

As the laughter tapered off, they both realized that they were still I each others' arms. Without a word, she reached up and put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him down to her and they kissed. Not just a simple kiss, but one filled with passion. A kiss that expressed every ounce of sexual hunger they both had for one another.

When they broke the kiss, he lifted her up and carried her to his bed and laid her on it softly. Without a word, she removed the robe and placed it next to her. He took off his shirt and was about to remove his pants before she stopped him. "Please, let me...." she said. He nodded without saying a word and she moved to the edge of the bed.

Before did she anything else, she ran her hands up and down his bare chest, marveling at sexy he looked with the small amount of chest hair he had and how chiseled he looked as well. She then reached down and with great ease undid his belt, unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and let them drop to the floor. He stepped out of them and then she slowly pulled down his boxers. She was greeted a large hard penis that was sticking straight up. Now she was marveling at how gorgeous it looked. It was slightly larger than her late husband's, as well as a bit thicker, but she wasn't thinking of that at the moment. All she knew at that moment is she wanted to feel him inside her.

Before she knew it, Joseph had his hands on her shoulders and he was gently urging her to lay down on the bed and then he laid next to her. For the new few moments, their hands were all over each other as they kissed. Not a word was spoken, but they knew exactly what the other wanted.

Joseph then re-positioned himself and started to kiss her neck and work his way down her body. He focused quite a bit of time on each breast and nipple. Softly sucking each nipple, gently nipping them, which got a gasp of pleasure from Ashley. He then worked his way down her belly to right above her pubic hair. He was pleasantly surprised to see that she kept it neatly trimmed, but not shaved. He began to slowly spread her legs and he could feel her shivering a bit. He knew she was probably nervous, so he looked up at her and whispered, "I'll go slow." She nodded and began to relax a bit.

The second his tongue touched her clit, she arched her back and let out a loud moan. The more licked and sucked, the closer to orgasm she got. She was already quite close after he had played with her nipples, but now she was right on the cusp... and then it happened. Her orgasm hit strong and fast. Her hands were already on his head, but when she came, she grabbed hold of his hair, arched her back, and screamed out in pleasure. The first orgasm she's had without use of her vibrator in years.

But Joseph wasn't done yet. He was determined to give her as many orgasms as should handle, which turned out to be 3 more before she finally asked him to stop. She really needed to feel him in her. He got up on his knees between her legs, lifted her legs up and pulled her closer to him, and then slowly guided his penis into her. He teased her slightly by rubbing the head on her clit at first, but she started to beg. As he entered her, he was amazed at how tight she was. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Am I going too fast?" She responded with a "no" that sounded more like a moan.

Once he was all the way in her, giving her time to get used to him, he then started to move in and out, increasing his pace slowly. As he was making love to her, her moans kept getting louder and louder, until she screamed out in pleasure again. Once again he had given her an orgasm. He leaned down and kissed her deeply and she hungrily responded. He could tell he was close to cumming and let her know. When he said that, she wrapped her legs around him and told him to not hold back.

When he heard that he exploded inside of her and she came once again. Her nails dug into his back, but he didn't care. Eventually they were both spent and she reluctantly unwrapped her legs to let him go. He rolled off of her and laid next to her. Both of them breathing hard. They looked at one another and he said, "Well, that happened." She laughed and said, "Yeah, better than strawberry shortcake." Which got him to snort and then laugh.

They laid there together, his arm around her and her head on his chest. Just enjoying the moment. Then he noticed she was shaking. He moved a bit to see what was wrong and noticed that she was crying.

"Hey...what's wrong...?"

She kept sniffling and crying, shaking her head no, not able to form words just yet.

He held her closer, stroking her hair softly, he said, "It's ok. I'm here. Shhhhh...it's ok."

Finally after a moment or two, she got out of bed and excused herself to the bathroom and was gone for a few moments before she returned. She saw that he was sitting up in bed, leaning up against the headboard and with the sheets covering him slightly. She smiled and crawled back in bed with him and getting under the sheets as well.

He pulled her close to him and she took a deep breath, before saying, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the moment."

"Hey, it's ok. I'm willing to listen if you want to talk. Or we can just lay here in silence. No matter what, I'm here for you."

Sitting up, she said, "I don't know what came over me. All of a sudden I was filled with such joy and such sadness at the same time."

"I..."

"Please, let me finish." He nodded and she continued, "Since... since losing Greg, I haven't been with anyone. Oh I've had my chances, but I'm not a woman who can just have random sex with someone. I need more. I need that connection. A connection I have with you. I haven't had anything like that since Greg. As we laid there, I realized that you're only the second man I've made love with in my life. And you're also the only other man I want in my life now."

"Oh Ashley..."

"Please... I...I really need to get through this. The reason I was so happy and sad is knowing how happy you make me in every way, but also realizing that our age difference could be a problem."

"Now wait a minute," Joseph said, "I don't care about our age difference!"

"Neither do I! But... others.... others will care."

"Your daughters you mean."

She nodded and started tearing up again. "I just know how they can be...."

He said, "Look, who cares? We never expected this to happen, but it did. The past few months in getting to know you has been the best time of my life. Our dinners out, our movie dates, our occasional afternoon teas, I've enjoyed it all! We had no expectations other than just friendship. However, with what has happened here today, I think we're well beyond friendship. I've grown incredibly fond of you. Is it love? Maybe? But I am not going to let it slip away without a fight. Who cares what anyone else thinks?"

Ashley hugged Joseph even harder, wrapping her arms tightly around him and said, "Oh Joseph, I think I may love you, too!! And I never want to lose you!"

She pulled him in for another kiss and it was just as powerful as their first. They continued to kiss for a few moments and then she flipped off the covers and saw that he was getting hard once again. Without a word she went down and took him into her mouth. Joseph's reaction was immediate. The moment he felt her mouth on him, he had a deep intake of breath and said, "Oh God, yessss..."

Ashley worked on him for a few minutes before she stopped. Before he could complain, she shifted a bit to straddle him cowgirl style and lowered herself on to him. She was a woman possessed now. She knew without a doubt that she loved this man and she was going to show him just how much. She was a lady in every aspect of the word, but at this moment in bed she didn't want to be a prim and proper lady.

Realizing what she was doing, Joseph grabbed her ass and took a bit of control. He lifted her up a bit and then started thrusting into her harder and faster. The quicker he went, then more she begged him to go faster. For the next few minutes the only sounds coming from his bedroom were her screams of pleasure and their flesh slapping together. It didn't take long before he knew he was close. He let her know and she scrambled off of him and took his penis in her mouth again. She was quickly rewarded as he started to cum. She didn't lose a drop and kept softly kissing and licking until he was soft.

She looked up at him and smiled. He looked at her and said, "Yeah, I love you too."

For the next few weeks, they were inseparable. In and out of the bedroom. He took her to places and restaurants downtown that she had only heard about and she got him into gardening with her. As Labor Day approached and was only a couple of weeks away, he had a suggestion. One he hoped she'd be all for.

Laying in bed after making love again, he said, "Y'know, I've been thinking about something, my love."

With her head laying on his chest, say said, "Yes, what's that?"

"Well, I think it's time I met your daughters."

Ashley immediately sat up and said, "Are you serious? I mean, we both know how it could go... Especially Mae..."

"Yes, I'm dead serious. If we're going to be together, then it's time for them to know. You know I've already told my sister, but she's still stuck at sea for another few months until her contract ends with the cruise line."

"I know, but.... I'm scared. I love them dearly, but..."

Pulling her to him again, he said, "I know, but I told you that I'm not going anywhere."

He felt her give a heavy sigh before she said, "You're right, I know you are, but when and, most importantly, where?"

"Well, I'm thinking we could something in public. Nice restaurant. Your daughters and their husbands. Kids, too, if you want."

"I like that, but I think just the adults the first time, just in case."

"Ok, so let's do this. We can do dinner next Saturday at that Brazilian steak house you love so much. It'll be my treat. And if things go well, let's do a whole family thing here at my place the Saturday before Labor Day. I'll do burgers and hot dogs, etc. Plus an awesome salad from your garden!"

She smiled, "Ok! Yes! Let's do it!"

The next day, Ashley called her daughters and plans were set. All she told them was that she wanted them to meet someone very special in her life. They tried their best to get more information out of her, but all she said was his name was Joseph Stuart and that they'll need to wait until Saturday to meet him.

They agreed to meet outside before heading him for dinner. So at 6:00 PM on that fateful Saturday, Joseph met with Ashley's daughters and their husbands. He was dressed to impress, with Ashley wearing one of her favorite dresses and high heels. While dressing up wasn't required, they both wanted to.

As they nervously waited for her family to show, she kept fidgeting a bit. She so wanted this to work out and she didn't know what she'd do if they disapproved. She was deeply in love with this man and she didn't want to make a choice. Finally she saw them pull up and impatiently waited for them to walked over to her and Joseph.

She walked up to them as Joseph stayed back. After hugs and kisses and a few pleasantries were exchanged. Ashley walked them over to meet Joseph.

Smiling, Ashley said, "Carrie, Mae, this is Joseph Stuart."

Holding out his hand to shake theirs, he said, "Hi, very nice to meet you. I've heard so..."

Mae interrupted and said, "MOTHER! I'm sorry, but I have to say this! I wasn't going to say anything right away, but I need to. Are you serious? He's, like, old enough to be your son! Yeah, I know who you are, I looked you up!! Mr. big time architect, the one who abandoned and sued his wife!!!"

Joseph tried to intercede, but Carrie then held up her hand and said, "Oh no, you do NOT get to say anything! You...you...you lothario! How could you do what you did with my mother?!? And, you, mother, what is going on in your head?? You're not a young girl!!! And you're not that stupid!!!"

This went on for a moment or two, Ashley's daughters kept berating her, while their husbands stood off to the side thumbing through their phones trying to be invisible. Finally Joseph had his fill. He yelled at them and said, "OK! That is ENOUGH!" The two daughters looked at him with daggers while their husbands had "oh fuck, he didn't, did he?" looks on their faces.

Carrie tried to say something, but Joseph shut it down and said, "NO, it's MY turn to talk now. I don't know what your problem is here, but I am not going to stand here and watch you treat a wonderful woman like she's some piece of shit!! I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the two of you, but obviously she was talking about two other daughters. You two are nothing but pissy little Karen wannabes who got their panties in a wad because their mother is happy!! I was eager to meet you all and to get to know you, but definitely not after this display of complete and utter childishness! I was more than willing to buy us all dinner, but that's definitely not going to happen now. We're going to take our leave now and go home, but before we do, I expect an apology to your mother for your rudeness and crassness."

They started to protest, but Joseph said, "That was NOT a request."

They looked at him, then at Ashley. They were so focused at their anger at him, they failed to notice the tears in their mother's eyes.

Carrie said, "Mom... I... him? C'mon... what would daddy say?"

Then Ashley's temper flared! Through her tears, she said, "How DARE you say that! Just.. how dare you! Your father was the love of my life, but even he told me that he wanted me to find happiness! His final words were that he loved me and he wanted me to go on living. Well, I'm living, Goddammit! You and... and... your sister do not get to tell me who I should love or who I should date! You....you.... ohhhh... damn it all to hell!"

And with that, she ran into the parking lot towards Joseph's car crying profusely.

Joseph looked at them and their husbands, no one daring to say a word now. He shook his head in disgust and said, "Not quite the apology she deserved. That was disappointing. Grow the fuck up. I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Go ahead and use the reservations if you want, they're under Stuart." And he turned and walked away.

When he got to his car, he saw Ashley leaning against it still in tears. He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms to hold her. They stayed like that for a few minutes before getting into the car and driving away in silence. Not a word was spoken during the 30 minute drive. He held her hand through most of it, but he could tell she wasn't exactly reciprocating. Once back to her place, she said that she just wanted to be alone to think and he reluctantly left her be. He tried to give her a hug and kiss, but she pushed him away and walked into her house. It was a sleepless night for the both of them in their own beds.

He called Ashley the next day, but it went to voicemail. He only left one message asking her to call him when it was convenient. He tried one more time that evening, but it, too, went to voicemail. He wasn't going to keep bothering her, he wasn't the type of man to do that, he figured she'd call back when she wanted. If she wanted.

After 8 days of silence, later she finally called him. He didn't pick up. After calling twice more with the same results, she walked over to his place and she found an envelope on his door for her. Her eyes began to well up with tears and she feared the worst. With a trembling hand she took out the note and began to read it:

My dearest Ashley,

This is not something I was expecting to ever write you, but after 4 days of waiting I can only guess what's going on with you. You know I'm not the kind of man who'll keep sending you numerous messages in hopes that you'll eventually respond. It was my hope that you'd only need a day or two to process everything and then we'd be talking once more about how to hopefully resolve the issue with your daughters, but here it is on day 6 and I feel I like I'll never see you again. The silence is truly deafening. I just cannot and will not go through another silent treatment like this. At this point, I realized need my own time to figure things out.
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