The Touch The stars twinkled down from a crystal sky. The moon was just a sliver, illuminating nothing but making the shadows seem deeper. Four cars sat silent in the driveway. The windows of the house were dark. A hush had fallen over the scene. It was not long before the silence was broken by the whishwhish of footsteps moving through the tall grass. Two shadows broke apart from the others and moved to the side door of the garage. The taller of the two fumbled in his pockets for something. There was the jingle of keys and the door obediently swung open. The shadows disappeared within. James flicked on the lights, blinding them both for a second. When Theresa could see again she surveyed the scene. So, this is it? Yep. James said. Be it ever so humbleand they don't come much more humble than this. The interior of the garage appeared to be a cross between a bedroom and a storage shed. Tools hung on the wall. By the door was a rather uncomfortable looking low bed with a bicycle parked next to it. Theresa noticed one of the tires was flat and smiled. No wonder he went into shock when it blew! At the other end of the garage stood a computer desk complete with mandatory computer and plenty of other stuff stacked on the shelves. Beside the computer stand was a large stack of white boxes. She could see comic book covers through the oval slits on the side. The rest of the room was hard to describe. Various pieces of furniture were stacked along the wall, and every horizontal surface had something stacked on it. So much was stuffed into such a small space that there was barely room to swing a cat. Fortunately there were no cats available anyway. Against the opposite wall a large stand up freezer hummed contentedely to itself. Finally she said, This isn't bad. It's a roof over your head. She looked up and saw something strange. A mason jar strung from a hook overhead with a cord running from it, nailed across the ceiling to a light socket with a plug in it. What is that? Oh, you'll like this. James reached up and plugged in the cord. Immediately the little jar lit up with colored points of light. Theresa gasped a little, in spite of herself. It was beautiful. Then James reached out and unscrewed the other ceiling lights just enough to put them out. The little jar cast a pale, subdued glow about the room, like a tiny galaxy all alone. Deep, mellow shadows surrounded them, making the room more cozy and warm. That's beautiful. She said quietly. Nothing special, just some Christmas lights I stuffed in there. Works really well, I think. He moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them and admiring the way the light brought out the highlights in her beautiful long brown hair. Theresa closed her eyes and smiled as a sigh escaped her. That's nice. After a long moment James stopped, rummaging through a sack on the table. He pulled out a small plastic bottle. I have to go get this heated up first. You could, um, get undressed while I do that. He pulled a towel from the dresser. Is this fine? Perfectly fine. Theresa said, accepting the towel. You go ahead and do that. I'll be waiting. Okay. James said, a little nervousness in his voice. He closed the door quietly behind him and a moment later she heard the back porch door open and close. Silly boy. What was he worried about? Theresa was surprised to find her heart was beating a little faster than usual. She sat down on the bed, testing it. Three inches of foam over a solid wood platform with a comforter on top. About as uncomfortable as it looked. Probably about right softness for a massage table, except it was too big and too low. Oh, well, James said it would work fine. She trusted his judgement. In the dim multicolored light she quietly undressed. Standing nude in the middle of a man's bedroom she felt a little vulnerable and shivered, gooseflesh running down her arms and legs. Not worried, though. She felt she knew James well enough to trust him. But one could not be 100% sure until the moment of truth. Well, guess what time it was? She shrugged off her concerns and laid down on the bed on her stomach. She positioned the towel over her back so it covered her from midthigh to her shoulderblades. Then she folded her arms and rested her head on them, waiting patiently. James returned several minutes later, bearing a large plastic bowl of steaming water in which the little bottle floated. He saw Theresa laying there on the bed, her skin given a lovely golden sheen by the mood light. His heart rate suddenly tripled as his mouth went dry. Jeez, get a hold of yourself, man! he scolded himself. Be cool. He set the bowl down quietly on the table. Hi. Mmmm. Theresa replied, enjoying the peace of the moment. James pulled off his shirt, asking her if she minded. Mmmmmm. she replied distantly, vaguely wondering why he had to ask so many questions. It was distracting. James worked his fingers a little to loosen them up. Not that he really needed to, but he did need to regain some of his composure. Having a beautiful young woman laying all but naked on his bed was a little unsettling. No matter, he would act professionally! After a moment he felt more assured. He fished the bottle out of the bowl and pulled the edge of Theresa's towel down to the middle of her back. He squirted some of the massage oil on his hands and rubbed them together. Then he placed both hands on Theresa's shoulders just on either side of the neck and went to work. This was not Theresa's first massage by any means, and she could tell that James hadn't had much practice. He used too much or too little pressure, but not enough to hurt or tickle. It was just uneven. Then she realized that while he wasn't experienced he was indeed talented and fingers instinctively sought out the tension in her muscles and worked them slowly out. It wasn't long before she felt like purring as his strong fingers slowly worked over her back muscles. Moving downward, downward. James was out of shape. By the time he reached the small of her back his fingers were aching. No problem. He oiled his hands again and gently placed the heels of his palms side by side along her spine. He slowly ran them up her back, putting a little weight behind them. He was rewarded with an Oooohhh. from her and did it again several times. The he pulled the edge of the towel back up over her back. The he swallowed hard and gingerly gripped the lower end of the towel, raising it up over her back. It was a sight worth dying for. Her ass was magnificent, and he just had to stop a second to admire the smooth lines of her form. She had great legs, too. Then, embarrassed, he quickly reached for the bottle and oiled his hands some more, hoping she hadn't noticed the lapse. Theresa had noticed the pause and knew exactly what he was looking at. She blushed a little but she was also flattered. Her pulse quickened and she felt a warmth begin to spread out within her, starting out from a spot not too far from where he had been staring. James began working the muscles of her lower back with gentle strength. His fingers worked down over her hips and around until he had one beautiful cheek in each hand which he kneaded slowly. James wondered how she'd feel if she knew he had a massive erection. He doubted she'd be surprised. Theresa's warmth was quickly fanned into a flame by his gentle ministrations, though he didn't know it. Where he was touching and how he did it was incredibly erotic, and she hoped he'd spend extra time there. He did. It was with regret he moved on down to her upper thighs and worked one leg at a time with both hands. He moved slowly, working every square inch with great care. The fire soon cooled but by no means did it go out. For either of them. Finally he laid her other leg down and quietly said, Okay, let's turn over. A gentleman to the end, he closed his eyes and picked up the towel. Theresa rolled over and took the towel from him, positioning it modestly. For a brief second she toyed with the idea of tossing it aside but better judgement prevailed. For the first time she saw the dim golden light wash over his bare chest, and saw how thin he still was, so long after his problems. A brief twinge of pity tugged at her heart, but it quickly quieted. Thin or not, he was still not bad looking. James opened his eyes to see she was looking at him. He smiled back as he began to work the muscles over her lower legs. Soon he was working up to her thighs. He raised the edge of the towel as high as he could. His eyes were well adjusted to the light and he couldn't help noticing a few pubic hairs poking from beneath the edge of the towel. He kept his face bland in case she was watching him (he didn't want to look) and concentrated on gently knotting the muscles of her thighs. Theresa's eyes were closed as she concentrated on the powerful sensation of his hands moving slowly up to her crotch. The fire had returned and she felt her hips moving slightly in rhythm with his hands. When his hands had moved all the way up one finger accidently (was it an accident?) brushed between the lips of her vagina and made direct contact with her clitoris. She shuddered at the explosion of pleasure from the direct core of her being and he stopped suddenly. She knew he knew what had happened. Eyes still closed, she waited to see what he would do next. Oh, shit, James thought. It was an accident (wasn't it?) but he felt he had messed everything up. He felt it was a violation of trust and for a second he considered calling the whole thing off. But no, if she didn't say anything then why mess it up? She had promised to squawk if things got uncomfortable and he didn't doubt she would. He pulled the hem of the towel down, with more than a little regret. Then he gently worked the muscles of her hand. How tiny it looked in the palm of his hand! For a brief moment he was flooded with an emotion that had nothing to do with sex, then he got back in control. All the trust she had placed in him seemed represented by her limp hand in his, and he suddenly felt fiercely protective of her. Oh, knock that shit off! he scolded himself again. He had no business feeling this way. Put it away and concentrate on the work at hand. He gently kneaded the muscles of her forearm and upper arm, and then leaned over to work the other one. Finally, he placed his thumbs on her temples and massaged the muscles there. Then he sat back, massaging his own aching hands. He needed to build up the muscles more if he did this often. He hoped he would be doing this often. A long moment of silence stretched between them. Finally Theresa stirred and sighed. That was wonderful. I do try. James said, reaching down to gently stroke her arm. He ran his fingers lightly up to her throat. She tilted her head back as he traced the line of her jaw. A smile crossed her lips, small but very, very large in meaning. Almost before he knew what he was doing, James leaned down and kissed her. Their lips met for an endless passionate moment that ended much too soon. When they parted he saw she was looking up at him, and he knew she was feeling the same things as he. Theresa reached up and caressed his chest. That was nice. Let's do it again. So he kissed her again, their tongues meeting in an intimate embrace. This time he didn't break contact, but instead traced his lips down her jawline to the hollow of her throat. She giggled a little at the tingling sensation this caused. Nor did he stop there. Taking his time he explored the lovely lines of her collarbone, then moved down with slow, exquisite deliberation. He moved the hem of the towel down until both her breasts were left exposed. The nipples stood up stiff and hard. He took one in his mouth and the other in his hand. Theresa gasped and squirmed at the waves of pleasure that swept over her. He used teeth and tongue gently to bring her to ever higher plateaus. Her hands roamed over his back, sometimes clenching and leaving light scratches. After a while James stopped. With a contemptuous flick of the wrist he whipped the towel away. Theresa was startled by the action but his smile reassured her. With his mouth he traveled down her belly, pausing a moment at her navel. Then onward again, down to the dark triangle of her pubic hair. The hair was very soft and he rubbed his face against if for a minute, wondering what she must think of that. He moved downward a little more, teasing her inner thighs with little licks and nibbles. With a gentle hand he parted her thighs and brought his mouth to the very center of her pleasure. His tongue flicked out and teased the folds of flesh, then moving in between them, quickly finding that one very special spot. More waves of pleasure, much more intense than the first, threatened to overwhelm her senses. Theresa gasped and shuddered, astonished at the intensity of the feelings. Within moments the pleasure had advanced to true sexual lust that began to build and swell. Relentlessly he drove her to the point of orgasm, and with a jolt she came with more force than she imagine possible, the pleasure exploding in a trillion fragments of feeling, filling her entire body with a shudder. A long moment her body tensed, muscles hard as iron, then all tension drained out like water and she collapsed on the bed, utterly exhausted. James collapsed beside her, holding and stroking her gently. In a breathless voice she said My God. How did you.? He shrugged. I'm not really sure, actually. I just go ahead and do it. You sure did it right. she hugged him close to her, muscles still shivering from the release. She felt his hardness press against her stomach, still covered by his jeans. She tugged at his belt and said, Considering the intimacy of the moment, aren't those kind of out of place? Without a word James stripped off his pants and hugged her close again. The feeling of skin against skin was exquisite. Her breasts pressed hard against his chest, generating more sexual heat. She was surprised how fast she was recovering, and how much she wanted more. She roamed over his ass with her free hand, feeling it's firmness. He was doing roughly the same thing, she noticed. Then she reached around and grasped his erection, a little surprised at its size and hardness. She pressed her hips against his and was more surprised at the spark of sexual energy that exploded in her. There was just one little detail that needed taking care of. So, where do you keep the, um. Um's the word. James chuckled, reaching somewhere over her head and pulling open a drawer. He retrieved a small cellophane package which he tore open with more than a little difficulty (Damn highsecurity bullet proof plastic!). From the package he triumphantly extracted a condom. I knew it was in there! After they stopped their nervous giggling he offered it to her. Would you like to do the honors? She gingerly took the condom and placed it over the tip of his penis, slowly rolling it down along it's rigid length. The pale rubber stood out against the golden sheen of his skin and it looked damn funny, producing more giggles. Then they embraced again, until he rolled over on top of her. Their eyes met, and he once again thought about how dark and mysterious and beautiful her eyes were. In a soft voice she said, Please be gentle. Have I been anything but? He silenced her fears with a last, lingering kiss. Then he positioned his penis and slowly, slowly inserted it. Then he was all the way in and grinding his hips against hers. For Theresa the pleasure returned, faster and more intense than before. It felt so damn good to have him inside of her, so right! She never wanted it to end. James thrust slowly in and out, propped on one elbow and running his free hand along her bare side. He felt her moving under him in time to his movements and her breath was warm on his cheek. It was a passing moment of great power and beauty. He wished it could last forever. But of course nothing lasts forever. Too soon, it seemed, the pleasure built in both of them until orgasm was inevitable. They came together in a fury of gasps and moans, holding each other so tightly as to almost become one, poised for one brief and glorious second on a much higher plain than this one before returning to the real world elated and exhausted. Silently they lay together for a long, long time, enjoying the warmth and closeness and each other's touch. Quietly, Theresa said Thank you. Well, thank you too. James whispered, hugging her tightly to him. Again, the silence. Eventually he spoke. Theresa? Yes? she mumbled, somewhere between waking and sleeping. There's something I been wanting to tell you. I he froze. What? she looked up at him, awake now. He started again, Um he continued, finally he shook his head and finished lamely, I guess I must be tired. She turned away, disappointed. Me too. Maybe later he would be able to say what he was feeling. Maybe. But she did not have much energy left for wondering, and soon both of them were deeply asleep.