Fantasy The Time War

​

Marion​

Three years earlier....

Calle couldn't get Marion out of his mind.

The time they had spent together at the gazebos, watching her sing in the play... she was gorgeous. He was clearly smitten with her.

But Marion was in New York and he was in California. And he didn't even know if she were interested in him. After all, when the play had ended, Marion had disappeared. Calle thought she had seen him in the audience. Why would she leave so quickly when she knew he had stayed to see her performance?

She was on the other side of the continent, and probably wasn't interested in him.

And yet... he still thought about her. It was starting to interfere with his work, as Charlie would find him daydreaming in front of his virtual terminal.

He had to go back. He had to see her, one more time.

And so, a month later, in early April, Calle took a long three day weekend, and flew back to New York, and then rented an air car and drove up to the Mohonk Mountain House. The road leading uphill to the Mountain House was steep and winding, and at one point there was a hairpin turn which was more than a little dangerous, especially when the roads were slick, as they were today. But Calle made it there safely.

He arrived on Friday night, and was up bright and early for breakfast Saturday morning. He tried not to appear looking anxiously for Marion in the dining hall, but saw no sign of her. He was terribly disappointed when a young man came to take his order. He ate breakfast in silence, feeling more and more unhappy. Finally, after he had finished, he went over to the hostess and, feeling very embarrassed, said, "Last time I was here there was a young waitress here named Marion. Does she still work here?"

"Yes," said hostess. "Let me check...." A small eternity passed. "Yes. Marion works lunches and dinners on weekends."

"Thank you!" said Calle, giving a broad smile.
​

********​

Calle tried to appear calm as he entered the dining hall for lunch. He didn't see Marion when he entered. But as he looked up from his menu his heart jumped.

He saw her. She was wearing the same baggy sweater and long dark skirt she had worn the first time he had saw her.

She looked at him, and her eyes widened and her eyebrows lifted. She batted her eyelashes quickly, and then walked jerkily to his table. "Good morning, sir. Are you ready to order lunch?"

Sir?

Calle looked up at her. He was totally confused. She was acting like she didn't know who he was. Their time together--just a month ago--it hadn't meant a thing to her. This entire trip back to the east coast--it had been a fool's errand. He felt like his heart was crushed.

Calle nodded, and ordered his food. Marion took his order and left.

And then a curious thing happened.

After Marion left to give the order to the kitchen, she returned to his table.

"John... it is John, isn't it?"

Calle's eyebrows shot up. "Yes."

"I... I met you a few weeks ago. I gave you a tour."

Calle nodded.

"Listen... I'm so sorry that I acted like I didn't know you just now. I was just..." she seemed to have trouble speaking. "I was just surprised to see you again."

"I... uh...." Calle had prepared a cover story, but he too seemed to have trouble speaking. "I'm here consulting, with the New York office."

"The New York office," said Marion uncertainly.

"Yes, and I had a free weekend, so I thought I'd come back here," said Calle. "You did say there were other nice gazebos to see."

"Yes, I did say that," said Marion, giving a fearful smile.

Now was the moment of truth. "Would you... be available to give me a tour again?" Calle asked.

An eternity seemed to pass. Calle watched Marion's hands wrestle with each other. "Sure," Marion finally managed to say. "I'd like that."

"I would too," said Calle sincerely.
​

********​

This time Marion dressed differently. Her baggy clothes were gone. She wore a tight blue blouse and tight white pants, and they took Calle's breath away.

Marion had breasts! Calle had suspected that, even though her baggy sweater had concealed them. Even her flower print dress didn't reveal the nature of what was on her chest. But there was no more need to guess now.

Marion had gorgeous, womanly teardrop shaped breasts that gave her body the most gorgeous curves. Calle tried not to look at them, but he had to really work at it not to do so. Sometimes he would find himself staring at them and had to remember to look away.

But that wasn't the only beautiful part of her. Marion had a high, well rounded ass that was so perfectly sculpted in her tight white pants. Why had she hid behind skirts and baggy sweaters for so long?

He looked at her face, at her green eyes and luxurious hair. Her hair was jet black and straight and very thick. Calle found thick hair to be very erotic. It made her look even more womanly, more feminine, and even more sexier, if that was even possible.

"Is something wrong?" Marion asked, when she showed up to give him his second tour.

"Wrong?" Calle said. "Absolutely not! Everything is as far from wrong as it could possibly be."

Marion gave him a nervous smile. She was shy!
​

********​

She took him on another gazebo tour. They started at the lake, at a gazebo built on a giant boulder, but then they took a path going upwards and came to gazebos offering incredible views, that showed the Shawangunk Mountains and puffy clouds as far as the eye could see.

"That one looks like a tiger," said Calle.

"Which one?" Marion asked.

Calle pointed at one of the clouds. As he did, his arm brushed against hers.

"That's no tiger," said Marion.

"Sure it is. See the arms... and the tail?"

Marion smiled at Calle as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She had a way of turning her head and looking at him, with a sly sideways glance, with just a hint of a smile, that was totally irresistible. "You have quite a vivid imagination, John Calle."

Calle stepped forward and took her hand. "I do at that," he said, looking into her eyes.

Marion shivered as he caressed her hand gently.

"You know... you can call me John, if you like," Calle said, feeling like he was asking for sex.

"I... I have been," said Marion, looking bashful.

Calle shook his head. "You have always called me John Calle. You have never called me John."

"I have!"

"No." Calle shook his head.

"All right... John." She smiled at Calle, and as they stood there, mere inches apart, up among the clouds, Calle felt a connection had been made.
​

********​

Marion showed him an amazing wooden bridge which actually sloped sharply upwards right in the middle, and had a gazebo roof built over it.

"The woodwork here is increidble," said Calle.

"I think so too," said Marion quickly.

"That's what's so great about this place," said Calle. "An alpine lake, surrounded by white cliffs... that would be stunning enough. But being surrounded by hand crafted gazebos and a charming mountain house makes this place feel like a fantasy land."

"Yes!" said Marion excitedly. "That's exactly right! You know, there's a park not far from here, called Lake Minnewaska. The lake and cliffs are almost identical to Mohonk; but there's no hotel there. It's pretty, but not a fraction of the beauty you see here. I've always known that the combination of the two was what made it prettier, but I never heard anyone quite put it into words... you have quite an eye for beauty, John."

"I like to think so," said Calle, staring into her green eyes and squeezing her hand experimentally. Marion shivered and turned away for a moment. But a moment later she turned back to him and smiled.
​

********​

They climbed up to a spot where they saw an incredible view. The clouds were obscuring the sun, but as they watched, the sun peeked out, getting brighter and brighter, and the scene changed before their very eyes, as the light and color of the sun turned darkness into brilliance.

"It's like God is putting on a play, just for us," said Calle, almost spellbound.

"Yes! Yes!" said Marion. She looked at Calle accusingly. "You have such a talent for saying exactly what I'm thinking, John."

Calle faced her. She was beautiful. She stared up at him adoringly. He angled his head down, downwards, towards those beautiful red, plush lips... and then, gasping almost inaudibly, Marion pulled back.

Calle tried to hide the disappointment on his face.
​

********​

They returned to the hotel just before tea time. As they took tea and cookies, Calle said quietly, "I had a really nice time with you, Marion."

She smiled at him. "I did too, John."

"I'd love to see you tomorrow," said Calle.

Marion looked up at him. "I'm not working tomorrow."

Calle looked at her expectantly.

Marion forced herself to go on, with visible effort. "And... I'd like nothing better than to spend more time with you."
​

********​

Bright, glowing orange eyes, staring out at him. They seemed almost electrical in nature, like small suns, staring at him, burning into him.

Calle gasped as he woke up. His body was sleek with sweat.

He had dreamed about the glowing orange eyes again. It had been a recurring dream, for as long as he could remember. He didn't know where the dream had originated from. He had never seen anyone with glowing orange eyes in real life.

But now was not the time to be distracted. It was time for another day with Marion.

Their relationship had progressed.

Marion was no longer even pretending to be an employee giving him a tour. They were going to spend a day together as a man and a woman who were attracted to each other. It was a small step, but an important one to Calle. He had been disappointed when Marion pulled back from his kiss, but he realized she was shy, and worth the wait.
​

********​

Calle was sitting in an elegant, 19th century padded chair next to an old fashioned incandescent lamp as he waited for Marion to come down the stairs. There were no bathrooms on the first floor of the hotel by the lobby, so Marion had gone up to use the one on the second floor by the smaller gift shop. The main stairwell at Mohonk was carpeted with bright orange, yellow and green patterns like a quilt. The stairs creaked with every step, giving guests the authentic feeling of stepping on genuine wood. Every time Calle heard the crunchity creaking sounds, he would look up to see if it was her. And finally, it was.

Marion came down the stairs, all smiles, wearing a tight white blouse and blue jeans. Calle loved the curves of her breasts as well as her well rounded behind. She was a pleasure to look at from front, back, and sideways.

They walked around the grounds for a while, and finally sat on a beautiful wooden bench made of small tree limbs curved into a beautiful decorative design. And there they talked about their lives.

Marion had grown up in the suburbs of New York City, just north of White Plains in Westchester. She had an older sister named Chloe, who Calle sensed she had an adversarial relationship with. Marion had been fascinated with nature and the outdoors, and the first time her mother took her to Mohonk, she had fallen in love with the place. She had gone to college in SUNY New Paltz to be near to Mohonk, and now attended graduate school there as well. When she graduated, she planned to buy some farmland and grow genetically modified blueberries that were always sweet.

She asked pointed questions about Calle, and his work in San Diego, and somehow he didn't have the heart to lie to her anymore. He confessed that Astrodyne didn't really have a New York office. He told her the truth, that he had returned to New York just to see her.

Marion took a deep breath and her breasts heaved beneath her tight white shirt. "John... I don't know what to say."

"Tell me... tell me you like me," said Calle desperately.

"I... I do," Marion smiled. "That first day... the first time I saw you...." Her voice trailed off.

"I had another waitress assigned to my table, didn't I?" Calle asked.

Marion nodded.

"But you took her place."

Marion nodded again.

Calle raised his eyebrows, and left his question unspoken.

Marion wet her lips. "Because of the way... you smiled at me. You just looked kind of... interesting." She rubbed her palms together nervously.

"Did you know that I was in the audience in the play?"

Marion paused a moment, and then nodded.

"But you left before I could talk to you."

"I... I knew why you were there," said Marion. "It was... a bit overwhelming for me. To know that you were attracted to me."

"And... that's why you pretended not to know me when you saw me again yesterday?"

Marion nodded unhappily. "I... I was just surprised. I had never expected to...." Her voice trailed off. Her face started to angle close to his.

Calle, his heart thumping, leaned towards her. He saw her plush, red lips trembling. He gently pressed his lips against hers.

Marion's lips were hot and moist against his. As Calle was taking from her, Marion was taking from him, each trying to satisfy their carefully hidden lust and desire and need. The kiss went on and on, and before Calle knew it, they each had their hands around each other's backs, rubbing and caressing and feeling, and several long moments passed before Marion reluctantly pulled back.

"That... was more intense than I expected," she whispered.

"I'll say," said Calle. He shamefully put his hands on his lap. Marion noticed without noticing.

"You're a very handsome man, John Calle," said Marion.

"You are too," said Calle. "Pretty, I mean," he added hastily. "Not handsome. Never handsome."

Marion laughed, and the sexual tension between them was suddenly broken. They both relaxed and breathed a bit more easily.
​

********​

The gift shop at the hotel was just as cute as everything else at Mohonk. It gave off a vibe of an old fashioned gift shop from the 19th century. Calle saw a cute stuffed giraffe that he offered to buy for Marion. She blushed and said, "No gifts!"

"Why not?" Calle asked.

"Because it's not necessary," she said, facing Calle with her magnificent breasts pointed at him.

"I don't do it because it's necessary. I do it because I want to," said Calle.

Marion's eyes wandered for a moment. "All right," She said. "If you want to buy me something, you can buy me one of these."

These.

They were stick candies. They came in all different flavors and colors: strawberry, blueberry, cherry, sour apple, grape, watermelon, light and dark green striped, silver and purple striped, violet and white striped, orange and white striped, and more. Calle bought a grape stick for himself, and watched as Marion sucked on something called peaches and cream. As she sucked on the stick he noticed her thick red lips wrapped around the stick. He remembered his lips pressed against hers. He felt the incredible urge to kiss her anew.

They made their way to the main lounge, where four o'clock tea was commencing.

As they chewed on cookies, Calle said, "Would you have dinner with me?"

Marion took a deep breath. "I'd love to, John, but I have homework that's due tomorrow."

"Oh," said Calle.

She saw how disappointed he looked. "But... I had a really nice time with you. Will you... will you be coming back this way again?"

"Yes," said Calle immediately. "In a few weeks. Can we exchange holonumbers and... keep in touch?"

"I'd like that," said Marion.
​

********​

Marion actually didn't like talking via holo. She felt direct face on face communication a little too intense. Instead they corresponded by old fashioned written netmails. Intellectually, Calle knew there was no way a relationship with Marion could work. His work was in San Diego, and she was wedded to Mohonk and New Paltz. But he couldn't just give her up. He felt a connection between them that was only growing stronger.

So four weeks later he came back to Mohonk. Only this time Marion knew he was coming and was expecting him. Calle had moved beyond the phase of wondering if Marion was attracted to him. She was. The only question was where their relationship would go and how it would progress, if it progressed.
​

********​

Mohonk was beautiful in May. The weather was in the 60's, the sun was shining, the grass was green, and Calle was happy to see Marion again. They hugged, and he felt her warm melons pressed against his chest, as he smiled and kissed her. "I missed you," he said softly.

"I missed you too," she whispered throatily, showing him her intense green eyes.

They walked around. Marion showed him the cute horse drawn carriages which took guests around the lake. She brought him to a beautiful sculpted stone fountain, which were filled with Koi fish that were a mix of bright orange and red and yellow and black and white colors. Calle was about to throw a coin in but Marion stopped him. "The fish will swallow it."

"But I want to make a wish," said Calle.

Marion stood facing him so that their bodies pressed together. "What is it that you wish for, John?"

Calle hungrily pressed his lips against hers, and his wish was instantly granted.
​

********​

They sat in a beautiful parlor room furnished with wonderful 19th century antique chairs and a coffee table and sofa, complete with a fireplace by the far wall.

"This place never ceases to amaze me," said Calle.

"Me neither. That's why I love it so much," said Marion, squeezing his hand.

They sat and talked.

Calle found himself telling Marion very personal details of his life. He told her how for the first three years of his life he was practically catatonic.

"Catatonic?"

Calle nodded. "I didn't talk, I didn't move, I didn't say anything. My parents thought I had brain damage."

"So what happened?"

Calle shrugged. "All of a sudden, when I turned three, I snapped out of it."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," said Calle. He remembered another detail. "Oh, my mother said that after that, for a while, that I would laugh at odd times."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know," said Calle. "But she told me I grew out of that."

"So you started life as a catatonic baby and grew into a brilliant spaceship engine designer?"

"I don't know if I'm brilliant," said Calle.

"I do," said Marion, smiling at him. She realized that Calle had told her something intensely personal about himself. Maybe it was time for her to do the same.

"I've always been very shy when it comes to boys," said Marion.

"Shy in what way?" Calle asked.

"About my... body," said Marion. "I... developed these at a very young age." She gestured with her eyes down to her ample bosom. "Can you imagine what it must have been like to be a 15 year old and have these?"

"You grew those at 15?" Calle asked.

Marion nodded. "All the boys were staring at me in school. All the girls hated me. Even my sister Chloe."

"Why did she hate you?"

"Chloe never... developed like I did," said Marion. "I think she was jealous of me. She used to call me Mammary Marion."

"Mammary Marion?"

Marion nodded. "And the boys... the boys would call me Big Titty Thomas." Marion's last name was Thomas.

"That must have been traumatizing for a 15 year old," said Calle. "Is that why you wear baggy clothes here at Mohonk?"

Marion nodded. "I don't like the way people looked at me."

"But you're wearing rather tight fitting clothes now," Calle pointed out.

"I said I didn't like the way people looked at me," said Marion. "But I... I kind of like the way you do." She tiled her head upwards, almost pleadingly.

Calle leaned down, and made the natural connection.
​

********​

They both had the same question of each other.

"How come such a smart, handsome man like yourself is single at 28?" Marion asked.

"How come such an attractive, beautiful woman like yourself is single at 23?" Calle asked.

They both looked into each other's eyes and laughed.

"You first," said Marion playfully.

"No, you," said Calle.

"All right," said Marion. She took a deep breath, causing her shapely breasts to momentarily lift upwards. "I've actually been very popular with the boys. But the boys haven't been very popular with me."

"Do you like girls?"

Marion slapped his arm playfully. "No, I don't like girls!" she said, her face reddening. She laughed. "You made me lose my train of thought, John Calle. You always do that to me."

"And you always call me John Calle," said Calle.

"I know... it's just a habit... I don't know why....." Marion said. "Your name is just so... short. It feels like it needs more. Do you mind if I do that... sometimes?"

"I like the way you say my name," said Calle, leaning towards her.

"You do?" said Marion, leaning towards him.

"Yes. The way you smile when you say it... it makes me excited," said Calle.

"Not too excited, I hope," said Marion.

"Of course not," said Calle.

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment.

"Where was I?" Marion asked, when the spell was broken.

"Why you're not married."

"Oh yes. The boys. They... they only wanted one thing."

"What thing was that? A good game of three dimensional chess?"

Marion laughed. "You know what I'm talking about. They just wanted one thing," said Marion. "They didn't want to get to know me, as a person first. Like... like you do." She looked up at him shyly, as her fingers played with themselves slowly.

"So... no real boyfriends?"

Marion made a face. "Not really."

It was amazing. Marion was a gorgeous 23 year old who had never had a real boyfriend. Calle saw that she was shy. But did she have intimacy issues? Well, he would find out soon.

"And now your turn," she said, poking him playfully with a finger. She was doing that more and more, using every excuse to touch him when she could.

"My turn, ah, yes, my turn," said Calle, his mind racing. What to say? "I have had a bunch of girlfriends."

"A bunch? That sounds like you've gone through half of San Diego," said Marion, frowning.

"No, no, no," said Calle, alarmed until he saw the hint of a smile. "Just a few. But they were short term."

"So you loved them and left them."

"I guess the answer to that would be yes," said Calle. Suddenly, he realized he had said the wrong thing. "But... but you need to know why. They were superficial. I could never have real conversations with them. The talks we've had... about the lake, about the clouds, about everything... I could never do that with another girl."

Marion took a deep breath and shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Calle asked.

"That's exactly the way I feel," said Marion. "I go for nature walks with guys and ask them what they think of what they see, and all they do is grunt 'nice trees', or 'nice lake'. They don't...." she frowned, looking for the right word, "They don't have the sense of aesthetics that you do."

"So... maybe we have something in common," said Calle, his eyebrows raised in hope.

"Maybe one thing," said Marion, reaching over to grasp his hand and intertwine her fingers with his. "A little thing."

"A tiny thing," said Calle, leaning his head down. Marion closed her eyes and accepted everything he gave her.
​

********​

They had dinner in the dining hall. Marion was wearing a blue dress that seemed to sparkle when she smiled.

"Thank you Thomas," she said to the server as the meal was put on their table. "You know, it's so funny to be served here instead of being the one doing the serving."

"And it's so funny being here with the most attractive woman in the world," said Calle, as he ate his steak.

"Don't say that!" said Marion, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"Why not? It's true," said Calle, enjoying her obvious discomfort.

"When did you think that?" Marion asked.

"From the first moment you smiled at me, here in this very room. I knew I had to get to know you, whatever the cost."

"Ooooohhh," said Marion, and she seemed to almost melt with happiness in her chair, and gave him such a loving smile.

They talked in soft voices and smiled and laughed over dinner. But as the dinner came to an end, they both felt an increasingly underlying tension, a tension that only grew as Marion escorted Calle to the main stairwell. Calle looked at the bright orange and green and yellow patterned carpet and wondered what would happen in the next sixty seconds.

"Well, this is it," said Calle, feeling tension building in his chest.

"I guess so," said Marion.

Calle searched her face rapidly. "Listen... I notice I have a fireplace in my room. Would you like to come up and... watched the flames grow?" His offer sounded lame to his own ears.

Marion looked down for a heartbeat. Then two, then three. Then she looked up again. "I'd like that... but not tonight. Would another time be all right, John?"

"Of course," Calle smiled.

Marion winced as she saw the pain in his face he was not able to hide.

He reached down and gently pecked her on the lips. She responded in kind.

"Sweet dreams," Marion said, her eyebrows raised, a bit fearfully, it seemed.

"You too," said Calle.

As he went to his room he realized what an idiot he was. Marion was very conservative when it came to matters of sex. This was only the third time he had seen her. And yet... they had talked so much, that it seemed they had gotten to know each other quite well in a short period of time.

It took him some time to fall asleep, and when he did, it was an uneasy sleep, filled with dreams of glowing orange eyes.
​

********​

The next day Marion was wearing a white shirt and tight blue jeans. She looked wonderful. She proactively smiled and hugged Calle as if she were trying to wipe away the pain of the previous evening.

"I'm delighted to be spending another day with you, John," she said, looking earnestly into his eyes.

"I am too," said Calle.

Marion searched his eyes anxiously and was relieved by what she saw. "So let's go up to the tower!"

There was a stone tower on top of the ridge line opposite the hotel, a memorial to Albert Smiley, the founder of Mohonk.

Calle and Marion started the hike upwards. There were boulders and evergreens all around them. In the warm May morning Calle could smell the pine needles, it made him feel like he was in the wilderness, even though the hotel was only a few hundred feet away.

As they climbed up the path, Calle purposefully lagged behind in parts. He loved looking at Marion's ass. In her tight jeans, her big, round ass cheeks stood out. Calle had never been attracted to women with flat asses. Somehow, it made him feel that they were less womanly, less feminine. He also wasn't attracted to women with sagging asses.

Marion's buttocks were big and round without a hint of sag, like two ripe cantaloupes. Calle watched happily as they clenched and unclenched as she took every step. Thinking about her ass made him think about the space between her legs, the space he was increasingly thinking about day and night....

"To our right is the Labyrinth," said Marion.

"What?" said Calle.

Marion grinned. "Something on your mind, John?"

"No," said Calle, hastily looking away. "Tell me about this Labyrinth."

They looked down. Below them they could see a boulder field. But there were narrow wooden walkways and even ladders on them.

"It's a rock scrambling path," said Marion. "People use their hands and feet to climb in and out of little caves and up and around boulders. It leads up to the tower, the same place we're going, but it's more of an adventure to get there."

"It sounds like fun!" said Calle, looking at two hotel guests climbing up a wooden ladder on the side of a tall boulder. Calle watched as they disappeared momentarily into a little cave formed by several boulders, and then reappeared from another ladder coming out of the top of it a moment later. "Have you ever done it?"

"Once. I wasn't able to get all the way up," said Marion. "There are long ladders at the end leading to a crevice. I... I got too scared and backed down."

"Would... would you like to try it again, sometime?"

"Maybe," she said. "Maybe... with the right person who could give me courage." Her eyes sparkled shyly.

Calle looked at her. She was so beautiful, with her thick black hair framing her perfect face. Her high cheekbones only accentuated her beautiful green eyes. Marion was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his entire life.

They continued their trek to the top. Every time they stopped and admired a view, Calle did so too, but also furtively admired the view of her. Marion's heavy womanly breasts made her look so soft, so feminine. Her tight blue jeans showed every contour of her feminine thighs. And between her legs... her tight jeans created stress lines in her groin. The old fashioned slit of her vertical zipper looked very sexy and reminded Calle of a slit of a different kind, one he hoped to get to know intimately well.

He tried not to look at her body when she was looking at him, but sometimes Marion noticed, and when she did, she would blush, or smile shyly at him, sending a secret thrill through his body.

Calle never knew that walking up a hiking path could be so fun.

When they got to the top, they saw a tall stone tower, made entirely of tan stone, with a sign over it which read "Albert K. Smiley Memorial". Marion led him inside, to a stairwell.

"More climbing?" Calle groaned. They had just climbed up to the ridgeline!

"If you're tired, you can wait here," said Marion, starting to climb the steps. Calle looked up at her well rounded buns perfectly framed in her tight jeans, and found the strength to follow. Marion smiled as she heard Calle following her.

When they got to the top of the tower, they saw a tremendous 360 degree view. They could see the hotel, the lake, New Paltz, The Shawangunk ridge, forests, farms (a lot of farms!), and a partially cloudy skyline for hundreds of miles.

"It's amazing," said Calle, feeling the wind blow gently on his face. "It's like being on top of the world, looking down. It's like the planet is a plaything, that a giant could lift and shape and sculpt with his hands."

"That's exactly how I felt, the first time I saw it!" said Marion, looking at Calle's expression as she enjoyed herself thoroughly, through Calle, savoring his first time experience.

Calle looked down at her. "And now I know why you love this place so much."

Her face arched upwards, and Calle obliged her.
​

********​

They sat in a gazebo and talked.

"John, there's something I want to tell you," said Marion, looking down.

Oh oh.

"I'm sorry about last night," she began.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Calle said quickly.

"Just wait, and listen," said Marion, raising a restraining hand. "I know what you were inviting me up for, and believe me, I wanted to go. But... I'm scared."

"Scared?"

"John... I'm 23 years old and I've never been with a man," she said. "Not... in that way." She slowly made eye contact with him.

Calle tried to figure out how to respond to that. "Is it... you don't want to have sex?"

"No! No, I do!" she said, grabbing his hand. "It's just... I need a little more time than most women. When I first... developed... I told you how traumatizing that was to me. It made me a little more... defensive... a little more cautious. Don't you see?"

Calle nodded.

"I... I just need a little more time."

Calle took a deep breath. "How much time?"

Marion struggled for an answer. "I don't know."

Calle thought for a moment. "Marion, I respect what you're saying. But you know... I fly across the country every time I come to see you."

"I know that," said Marion, bowing her head and making Calle feel awful.

"I don't want to rush you, but do you think... do you think you will be ready when I come back in June?"

"I don't know."

"July? August? September."

"I said I don't know!" Marion cried, and Calle suddenly felt ashamed of himself. He took her in his arms and held her tight. "It's all right," he said.

"It's not all right," she said, and he could hear she was sniffling now. She looked up at him, and he could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"I... I feel a special connection to you, John," she said. "The way you see things. The way you appreciate nature, just like I do. I feel something special between us."

"I do too Marion," Calle said, holding her hand tightly. "I really do."

She nodded, and said nothing more.
​

********​

They enjoyed four o'clock tea and cookies in the main lounge, sitting on a soft sofa facing the lake. For a long time neither of them said anything as they chewed on gazebo shaped cookies and drank tea from elegant cups. Marion could practically see the wheels moving in Calle's head. She desperately wanted to know what he was thinking.

Calle looked at Marion, and saw the worried expression on her face. He smiled reassuringly. She was so beautiful. Her hair was so thick and luscious. It made her look so womanly. Her lips were so thick and plush, he just wanted to kiss them. And the curves of her gorgeous breasts... they sloped down over her chest, like ripe melons. He fought back the strong urge to pick and harvest them for his own designs.

And yet... Marion clearly had intimacy issues. It clearly explained why such a gorgeous woman was single at 23, apparently had never even had a boyfriend. It was a bit disquieting.

"What are we going to do for dinner?" Marion asked.

"Dinner?" said Calle, as if that were an alien concept. He shook his head minutely. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. I'm afraid I can't make dinner tonight. I have to catch an early flight back. I have a big meeting I have to be ready for tomorrow morning."

"I see," said Marion, her head bowed. "When will I see you again?"

"Um..." Calle bit his lip. "A few weeks, I think. I'll check my schedule and get back to you."

Marion nodded, and bravely held back the tears in her eyes.​