I worked my fingers through her toes and across her very ticklish feet and up her legs. Slowly, I felt every crease, crevice, and sweet spot that either made her laugh, cry out in pleasure, or squirm because she was ticklish.

I’d given up a few times already that we were going to have one more round of great sex, but this seemed to be just as unforgettable and lustful as the act of sex. It would be enough for now, even though my body craved more. The beast inside was begging to be set free from his cage.

As I approached her slit, I continued to stroke and massage. My fingers became lighter, my hands slowed into lustful strokes that were designed to awaken sexuality. She bit her lips, ran her fingers up and down my arm where she could reach it, and whispered to me.

“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt in my life. I can’t believe you are doing this to me. I should be leaving. You should be leaving. And here we are, you are massaging all my worries away and making me forget everything I should be thinking about.” She smiled.

“Shh, just relax, and don’t think of all that. Let’s just enjoy these final moments we have to share together.” I had to speak then and be honest with her and myself. “I know it’s unlikely you are going to come with me to California. So, I want to make this moment unforgettable for us both. I want you to remember this, and me like this.”

She nodded her head, and her eyes fell closed again as she sunk deeper into the sensation, I was causing in her body with the way I touched her skin. I moved up the rest of her body and finished with a relaxing head massage.

When I was done, I was exhausted. “Wow, it’s been a few years since I’ve done that for anyone. It takes a lot out of me. It's like an energy exchange between two people. How do you feel?” I sat down on the couch across the room, and she looked at me, confused.

“I feel amazing. You mean, we're not going to…” She smiled, then frowned.

“No. I mean, not unless you want to. Of course, you have to know I’d do it in a heartbeat, but you’ve already made it clear that you need to move on with your life and not come to California with me, so I don’t want to overstep your boundaries.”

I was playing with fire, and I knew it. Where this was going to go was anyone’s guess. Gwen could hop on a plane with me in a few hours to California and never look back, or she could high tail it out of town in the first Uber that pulled up.

I wanted her so badly as she sat on the bed naked, looking at me, and not too concerned about getting dressed. She looked so beautiful, exposed, and relaxed. I wanted to press her to the soft sheets and make love to her until we both forgot about tomorrow. No one had ever done this to me before and it was a little unsettling.

I gave her some space and let her relax until she was ready to get dressed. “Let me know when we can talk. I’m going to go sit down and make a few phone calls. I would like to have an answer one way or another before I go back to California.”

She smiled. I could tell she was still stunned by all I’d just done. I made my phone calls, and my back was turned, but I heard the bathroom door close, and eventually it opened again. After about ten minutes, she came to sit with me, her hair neatly pushed up in a messy bun.

“Hey, so what do you think?” I was on pins and needles, knowing this moment might be the last time I saw Gwen.

I turned to her and smiled, soaking up every facial feature and nuance of her appearance.

She smiled. “Well, I had some time to think, and I know this goes against everything I have planned for myself, but I guess I can give it a try for a little while. But you have to promise it will be all business, none of this.” She pointed between her body and mind in a gesture of our connection. “All business.”

“Understood.” I couldn’t believe my ears, I felt so happy it was almost too good to be true.

All I kept thinking was,is this real, and who am I anyway?

“No sex, just business. You work for me, and we will see how it goes.”

She held out her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

I shook and felt an electric shock run through our hands where they were joined. When I let go, I wanted to hug her, kiss her, take her in my arms, and have my way with her.

“Alright, then we’d better get going. You have some packing to do, as quickly as you can. I will see about getting you a ticket and then we can talk about everything else along the way.”

“Okay.”

Chapter Ten

Gwen

“Iwanttobringmy cat. I can’t leave her here. She’s too old and she’ll get lonely.” My poor, precious Lucinda was going to be very upset being alone for who knew how long.

Not to mention, I didn't know how long I was going to be with him in California, and I needed someone to take care of her.

“No. I don’t like cats. Besides, I have a dog. What if I pay for boarding her?”

“No. She will be miserable in a kennel. You want me to come to work for you, but I don’t know how long it’s going to last or where I will be staying. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” I had to rethink this. I wanted to take the job for now, since I could use the money and it was too hard to refuse, but I couldn’t do that to Lucinda.

“What have you been doing with her all this time?”