The Way You Make Me Feel
By Jeremy Spencer
Copyright 2005

All rights reserved.  This story may be downloaded for personal use, but any posting to a website, free or otherwise, is strictly forbidden. If you have found this story somewhere other than my page (http://www.asstr.org/~Jeremy_Spencer/) or at Storiesonline, please let me know by filling in a feedback form at either place.

Author's Note: The following is a fictional story. In it, fictional characters have hot, sweaty, unprotected, fictional sex. They live in a fictional world without fictional diseases. You do not. Be careful. All characters in this story are old enough to know what they're doing. Now, on to the show!

*****

"There you are, Peter. I was wondering where you'd run off to."

I turned at the sound of Katie's voice, as amazed at her beauty as the first time I'd ever seen her. She was simply gorgeous. I held out my arms and enjoyed the sound of her sigh when she snuggled against me. The concrete bench, on the cliff overlooking the ocean, was cold and hard, even in the middle of summer, so we stood, lightly buffeted by the warm wind. Winters would be less pleasant, but it was the middle of July, so what did that matter now? Besides, as I'd learned, one simply didn't spend the winter in one's summer home.

"Hey you," I said quietly. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Katie's voice was barely audible over the crashing of the waves below us. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking," I answered. The truth was I was still trying to make some kind of sense of things. It had been a whirlwind six or seven months, and none of it had really sunk in yetÑnot the wedding in a castle in Ireland, not the mansion Katie quaintly referred to as the "summer cottage," not the private island the "cottage" was on, and not the small army of servants staffing it. It didn't feel real, and I had my doubts it ever would. What was a nice guy like me doing in a joint like this?

It was crazy! I had delivered pizzas and washed dishes to pay for college, for goodness' sake. It was a crazy roll of the dice that brought me here. Even more unlikely than this comfortable world was that Katie wanted me to be a part of it with her. Not an hour went by that I wasn't sure I would wake up and find it had all been a dream. A pleasant one, to be sure, and one I would remember fondly, but a dream nonetheless.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

I shook my head, not wanting to tell my wife how lucky I felt that she had chosen me.

"Come on, what are you thinking?" she asked. But still I was silent. "Okay, if a penny isn't enough, how about a dime? A dollar, maybe?" she teased.

"Too rich for me. I'm not sure my thoughts are worth that much at the moment."

Katie looked at me, a look of intense curiosity in her bright green eyes. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, more insistently this time. "What's bothering you?"

I sighed, realizing what an open book I was to her. It both thrilled and worried me. What if I ever needed to keep a secret?

"Are you sure about all this, Katie?" I asked. "About... about me, about us? How can you be?"

A melancholy look flickered over Katie's face. She gazed at me, her expression changing from serious to something else as her lips formed a gentle smile. She leaned up and placed a tiny kiss on the tip of my nose.

"How could I not be sure?" she asked. "Don't you remember what I said? Why do you even need to ask?"

Why indeed? I wondered that myself. As frightened and insecure as I had been about our relationship, Katie had always been completely sure, one hundred percent at ease. Even from the moment we met.

*****

"Dammit!"

Stranded. Again. In the snow. For who knows how long this time.

I slammed the receiver back down onto the cradle and looked around my hotel room. Everything was packed, and I was ready to leave. In fact, to make my flight home for Christmas I needed to be at the airport in an hour, but my mother had just called with bad news about the weather.

"Honey?" she had started. "The airport is closed here. An ice storm blew through this morning and everything is shut down."

"Shit," I had sworn before I could stop myself. Certain habits I'd picked up at college my mother wouldn't approve of. Swearing was one.

"Peter!" Came my mother's shocked reply.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'm just... frustrated. I was looking forward to seeing you guys for Christmas, even if it was going to be a short visit."

"Oh, Peter. I was too."

I could sense her frustration, even if my mother didn't let it creep into her voice.

"I suppose..."

"What?"

"I suppose I could try and get a train ticket, or something. Maybe a bus? Are the roads clear?"

"Peter, that would take days."

"I know. But I'd like to see you. It's been since September."

"It would be good to see you."

"It will work out. I'm sure of it. A bus will take two days, and two days back, so..."

"You'll only be here for one day." This time my mother did sound sad. "It's not worth the effort."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, hush. There'll be other Christmases," my mother replied, trying to make the best of it.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But I graduate in six months. I'll get my own place, and I'm guessing it won't be too long before my room won't really be my room anymore, you know?"

"I would like a sewing room," my mother said wistfully.

"See?" I laughed. "It's starting already. I can't even see you but I know the look you've got on your face right now. You're already figuring out how to arrange the furniture, aren't you?"

"I am not," my mother protested, but we both knew it was a lie. We burst out laughing at the same time. But deep down I still wanted to say, 'Fuck!'

"Dang it," I said instead trying to avoid another motherly language lecture.

"What's wrong now?" she asked.

"I just realized I have nowhere to go." While my Christmas break was actually two weeks long, I had stayed at school an extra three days, working to prepare for student teaching in the spring. I'd also made plans to return a few days before New Year's in order to complete my preparation.

Because the school dorms were officially closed during the holiday break, I had stayed in a hotel, and while I had room reservations again for the days before the second semester, I figured my chances of finding a room on such short notice this close to a holiday were slim, especially considering where I go to school. Bozeman isn't a large town, but it is a resort town. A lot of people came to Montana to ski over the holidays, and I'd been fortunate to find a single room available even after New Year's.

"Can't you stay at the hotel?" my mother asked with concern in her voice.

"I'll check," I sighed. "But I really doubt it."

"And the dorms are..."

"Locked since finals were over. And none of my friends are staying around. Unfortunately, I'm not really close with anyone who's actually from here." I began to get a bit desperate as I went through the list of people I might stay with and coming up empty.

"Oh, honey, I know this is sudden, but..."

"I'll figure something out, Mom." We said our goodbyes, and I hung up the phone. I thought one of my study partners from my English Literature class might still be on campus. Ted worked in food service, and in the past he had stayed close to school to help cater events, but when I tried his apartment his answering machine said he wouldn't be back in town until after New Year's.

"Dammit!"

There was no point in going to the airport. My flight was cancelled. Thankfully, I was able to get a refund on the plane ticket, for all the good that did me in the short term. My bank account might have been a couple hundred dollars richer, but I was still stuck with no place to go.

I walked down to the hotel lobby. The chain offered a continental breakfast, which turned out to be toast, cereal and all the juice I could drink. It wasn't much, but I wasn't that hungry.

"Peter?"

At the sound of my name, I turned in the chair to see who had spoken. Behind the counter stood Kathryn Stewart. We had been study partners for a Freshman biology class. Not to say we really knew each other, however. I knew her name, and that she was a bit squeamish around dead frogs. Much to my regret, our relationship had been purely academic.

Katie was a nice girl and very easy on the eyes, if you call gorgeous easy. But during the time we were study partners, I had been involved in a slowly deteriorating relationship with my "girl back home." There had always been a little something, a spark of interest, between the Katie and I, but the timing was off.

"It is Peter, right?" she asked.

I nodded. "That's me."

"I thought I recognized you. From biology?"

"Yep. Good old Professor Harris. Hey Katie." I remembered she hated being called Kathryn. "I didn't know you worked here."

Katie squinted at me as if she were unsure about something, She gave me the look a person gives when trying to decide if a joke is funny. I hadn't meant to be funny, but I suddenly found myself hoping Katie thought I was. Apparently she did.

"I guess I have to make some spending money, don't I?" she said, flashing me a smile full of brilliant white teeth. I breathed a bit easier.

Katie had a model-quality face, stunning, wavy red hair, and a body most women would kill for. Why she was working behind the desk at a hotel was beyond me. But as she said, I guess Katie needed the spending money.

"I can understand that," I said. I deposited my trash in the garbage can, refilling my cup with orange juice before heading over to the front desk. While Katie filled out forms, the two of us chatted about school and work. We agreed we'd both be much happier without either.

"It's just so frustrating sometimes," Katie growled, throwing her pen down on the desk. "All of this paperwork... it's just like school!"

"Why don't you try something else?" I asked. "Surely there are other jobs that pay just as well."

"I would if I could," she said sadly. "It's not that simple though."

"Why not?"

Katie blushed. "Hotel Management is my main focus. I'm a business major."

"And you hate it?"

"Kind of, but... it's sort of a family thing."

"And let me guess, everyone would be really disappointed if you did something else?"

Katie nodded.

"I know how that goes. My father, and his father, and most of my uncles and cousins have been either firemen or police officers. It made for some really awkward family reunions since the firefighters in my family didn't always get along with the policemen, but either career would have received a warmer reception than the one I received when I told my parents I was going to be a teacher.

"I can still remember Dad's eyes narrowing as he stared at me. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but for some reason he paused. Instead, he shook his head and walked out of the room. We never spoke of it again, but I could feel his resentment just under the surface every time the two of us talked about anything. I always wondered what he was going to say.

"And then, a few weeks after I graduated high school, there was a call. A warehouse on the edge of town was on fire, and there were people trapped inside. My father was the first to go in after them. No one knew about the gas leak, and with the first spark from his axe the whole place exploded. He died instantly.

I looked at Katie. She smiled sadly and it helped sooth the feelings of anger and frustration I felt whenever I thought of my father's death.

"My mother, on the other hand, was thrilled at my career choice," I continued, ignoring the tight feeling in my throat. "The life of a fireman's wife is maybe worse than actually being a fireman. At least, that's how it looked to me growing up. My mom died a little bit each time my dad answered a call. Even though he'd never been injured, the thought that this time might be the one hung over my mother. And when it finally happened, and the job took him from her forever, she was a complete wreck. So the fact that I had decided to teach kids how to paint and mold clay pleased her to no end.

Ê"My dad's never home," she said quietly. "Not that it's anything close to what you went through with your father," she added quickly. "He loves me, and always brings me a present from wherever he's been, but I wish he wasn't so busy."

"At least you've got your mom."

"I wish I did," Katie replied. "I never knew her. My dad keeps a picture of her on his desk, but he doesn't talk about her much. She died when I was really little."

"I'm sorry," I reached out to hold Katie's hand. She jerked at the contact, her entire arm stiffening in surprise when my fingers brushed over the back of her hand. She smiled apologetically and her hand slowly relaxed, allowing me to give her a quick squeeze before withdrawing.

"Thanks," she whispered.

We stood there a moment before her face brightened. "What are you doing here anyway? I'd have thought you would have headed home to see your mom and brothers."

"I was going to," I said. I explained that my flight had been cancelled due to icy runways.

"So you can keep me company, right?" Katie asked. "It's so boring this week. I'll be your best friend if you hang out with me." She batted her eyes in a playful, puppy dog look.

"I wish!" The idea of having Katie as my best friend, or more, was certainly appealing. "Actually, I came down here to grab a little breakfast and hand back my room key. I have no idea what I'm going to do for the next few days. Sleep in my car at a rest stop, I guess."

Katie frowned. "Sleep in your car? Why can't you stay here?"

"I'd like to," I said.

"Do you need money?"

"No. I was able to get a refund on the plane ticket."

"Then stay here!"

"I would if I could. Isn't it tourist season? Are there actually rooms available?"

"Should be," Katie said. "Let me find out."

I waited while Katie looked through the room assignments and reservations.

"Well?" I asked once she finally looked up from the computer screen. "What's the situation?"

"Good news and bad news," she said. "Good news first?"

"Sure."

"You can keep your room for... five more days."

"Seriously?" I asked. "That's great! So, tonight, tomorrow, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas, right?"

Katie nodded.

"But after that business starts to pick up and we're all booked through the New Year," she continued. "Sorry."

"Eh, at least it's a start. Seriously, I had no idea where I was going to crash so this is great." I leaned over the counter, surprising Katie by planting a kiss right on her cheek. "Thanks! You're the best."

Katie blushed. "Make it up to me by getting me out of here, if just for an evening," she winked. "It was no problem, though. Really. Besides, you'll still have to find somewhere to sleep until school starts up again."

"Yeah, but that's only a couple nights. I got a special okay from campus housing to move back into my room a few days early."

"How early?"

"Four days."

"Four! Wait a minute. Classes start up again on January third, and housing actually opens back up a day earlier, so you're allowed back in on..."

"December twenty-eighth," I said.

"So you're only stranded for one day!"

She was right; I just hadn't done the math. At the realization, I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders.

"Excellent," I said, laughing and high-fiving Katie's offered hand. "That's great. I won't even mind sleeping in my car for one night."

"Oh, no you don't," Katie said. "We'll work something out. Trust me."

"It's not a big deal, believe me," I said. "I've slept in my car instead of getting a hotel room before by choice, so this will be fine."

"You have?" Katie asked, clearly shocked. "Why?"

"Hotels can be expensive, especially when I'm not splitting the cost with someone, and usually when I'd do it, I was driving somewhere to see a concert, so I was already paying for a ticket and gas for the car."

"Humph," grunted Katie. "I don't like it."

"I know, but what are you going to do about it?" I shrugged, not caring one way or the other about sleeping in my car, but Katie seemed determined.

"I'll think of something," she said.

"You do that," I replied. "While I think of a fabulous date we can go on."

*****

Over the next few days, Katie and I spent quite a bit of time together and not so surprisingly, I found I was falling for her. We weren't going on romantic dates, far from it. Most of our time was spent in the hotel's lounge just outside the front desk. Although one evening after Katie finished working, we did go out. It wasn't muchÑjust dinner and a movieÑbut she seemed more than relieved to get away from the hotel.

One of the ironies of the typical dinner and a movie date is that the two people don't really get to know each other. You spend the first part of the evening watching each other eat, and the other half not allowed to talk for fear of angering other moviegoers. Katie and I were lucky to spend most of our free time together, so we'd already gotten to know one another very well.

Because of Katie's job, whenever she was available and I wasn't working on school stuff for the next semester, we chatted in the hotel lounge. I'd like to think it was because of all that talking that the two of us clicked so well, but I don't know if that's really true. But whatever the reason, I was falling for this girl, hard and fast.

Even with the fabulous company, I was ready to scream. Hotels were great, but after a while I needed to get out. Katie seemed altogether too wrapped up in the day-to-day workings of the hotel. The place was obviously understaffed so Katie found herself working more than either of us would have liked. Especially me.

"It's okay," she said when I asked her about it. "If I really get into this hotel business I know I'll end up working a ton of hours and there won't be overtime pay, so this is fine."

She had a point. I was pretty sure I'd end up doing the same in my teaching profession. Long hours, before and after school, hours I wouldn't be compensated for, but which would be necessary.

Still, it was frustrating that I had basically nothing to do and Katie seemed to always be on the run. I brought her snacks, and once, a dozen roses to say thank you for finding me the spare room. It was a fun time, but I still wished the two of us could actually be alone.

On Christmas Eve, I got my wish. The day had been surprisingly slow, so Katie and I spent most of it together. That evening, it was once again the two of us, alone in the lounge. Katie said that most hotels are really busy the day before Christmas, but in a small town like ours it was often just the opposite.

"Everybody comes here the day after Christmas," she said, and the nearly-empty parking lot proved her correct. I started telling her about some of my family's Christmas traditions on Christmas Eve, and I was suddenly reminded I hadn't talked with them.

"Oh no," I said, nearly knocking my chair over in my haste to stand up. "I'll be back in a second. I've got to run up to my room and call my mom."

"Just use the phone down here," Katie said, pointing to the phone on the front desk.

"Katie, I can't do that."

"Why not?

"It's a long distance call," I reminded her, but Katie simply shrugged.

"Not a big deal," she replied, smiling up at me.

The look she gave me sent chills over my body. I had to make a real effort to remember what I was doing.

"W-won't you get in trouble?" I stammered.

"Trouble?" Katie asked me, laughing a bit. "Do you really think that's likely?"

"What do you mean?" I looked at her, not exactly sure what she was getting at, but Katie ignored my confusion.

"Go!" she said. "Just try to keep it under an hour, okay?"

"Oh, you get in trouble after an hour?" I asked.

"I'm not going to get in trouble, Peter," Katie insisted. "And neither are you, unless you stay on the phone forever."

"Why?"

"Because I'll be bored out of my mind out here by myself if you talk that long!" Katie laughed and pushed me toward the desk "Now hurry up and make your call."

I shook my head. Clearly, there was something I was missing here, but if Katie wasn't going to get in trouble for letting me make a long distance phone call, then who was I to argue the point?

My mom was sad I wasn't going to make it home but pleased all my housing worries had been taken care of. I didn't bother to tell her about the night I would have to spend in the car. She would have just worried.

"You should really thank the girl," my mom said. "What was her name?"

"Kathryn. Katie," I corrected. "She goes by Katie. Thank her, you said? Besides the flowers? You think so?"

"She found you a place to stay," my mother said, feigning exasperation at having to explain such a simple thing to her son.

"Mom, she's a hotel desk clerk. Of course she's going to try and find me a place to stay in her hotel."

"Well, she sounds like a lovely girl all the same."

"I'll tell her you said so," I said, smiling. "Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, okay?"

Just on the other side of the counter, Katie was sitting at one of the tables, ostensibly watching television. But she was looking at me, a big smile on her face. It led me to believe she had overheard the conversation.

"Ten minutes and thirty seconds," Katie said as I lowered myself into one of the soft arm chairs that decorated the lounge.

"I was on for that long?"

"Mmm-hmm. And I think you have something to say to me, no?"

I sat dumbly for a moment before realizing she'd definitely heard my end of the conversation.

"Yes, yes I do, as a matter of fact." I stood up, holding my hand out to help Katie out of her chair.

"Yes?" she asked, cocking her head to one side. She was already smiling.

"You see, my Mom said something on the phone..."

"Yes?"

"And..."

"And you always do what Mother tells you, right?"

"Of course," I answered.

"Thought so. And what did she say?" Katie asked.

"She said... this is embarrassing," I said.

"What is it?" Katie pressed.

"Well..."

"Yes?"

"She said... she said I should be sure to ask for new towels, since I'd be staying here longer than I'd planned."

"What?" Katie looked confused at my request, but I played it cool and slowly walked away, only turning to look back at her once I'd reached the hallway entry.

"Yeah, she was worried the old ones would get kind of smelly if I didn't get new ones. You can bring those up to me, right? I'll be in my room." I walked away, barely hearing her reply over the rumble of the ice dispenser and the electric hum of the soda machine.

"You rat!"

*****

Twenty minutes later, Katie showed up at my room.

"Room service," she called through the door.

I cracked open the door to see she was holding an extra set of towels.

I opened the door the rest of the way and gestured back toward my bathroom with my thumb. "I was joking. I don't actually need the towels," I said lamely. "You didn't need to come up here."

Katie practically flounced into my room, dropping the pile of towels on one corner of the bed. "I know." She flopped into one of the chairs by the window. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Um... I had nothing planned."

"Hmm... that doesn't sound like a very good date. Surely you can think of something!" Katie scrunched up her face in a parody of deep thought.

"You okay?" I asked after a moment. "My mom says if you make faces like that, one day you're bound to get stuck."

"Your mom says a lot of things, doesn't she?" Katie said.

"Well, yeah. I guess she does, but..."

"Shh... I'm thinking," Katie said, waving her hand to cut me off. After a few silent moments, Katie jumped to her feet, an exuberant look on her face. "I've got it!" she cried.

"Yes?"

"You're going to take me on another date," she said smugly. "Not that there was anything wrong with the last one," she hurriedly assured me. "But this one is going to be so much better than dinner-and-a-movie."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well, for starters there will be a big fancy dinner. And then more than likely dancing, actually there will be lots of dancing, and then maybe a long walk by the lake. What do you think?"

"A date?" I didn't mind the idea. In fact, I had been working up the courage to ask Katie out on a real date. I didn't count our earlier date as anything more than two friends using each other's loneliness as an excuse to get out and have some fun. But this... this seemed different. At least it was for me, and it seemed to be different for Katie. After just a few days of sitting around and spending nearly all my time with her, I felt I knew Katie about as well as I knew anyone, and I really liked her.

"Yes, a date," Katie said, laughing at my expression. "Don't you think we're a good couple?"

"I guess... sure, of course we are... would be, but... we're a couple?"

"Good," she said, ignoring my question. "It's settled then. Dinner, dancing, maybe a long walk." Katie clapped her hands, almost bouncing up and down on the bed.

"Kind of excited, huh? Don't go out much?"

"Not with the guy I'm going to marry someday." Katie blushed as she watched my face. "Surprise!" she said, leaning down to kiss me quickly on the cheek before bouncing toward the door.

"What?" I said weakly.

"I'll pick you up in an hour, okay?"

It's possible I may have managed to squeak out a reply before Katie stepped out the door.

But I doubt it.

*****

It has to be some sort of syndrome. At least that's what I kept telling myself all through dinner. Kind of similar to how two people thrown together under traumatic circumstances often find their feelings for each other heightened beyond what they would normally be. I figured there must be something like that for two people stranded in a hotel. They're bound to fall in love, right?

But whatever it was, Katie seemed more than content to be with me. In fact, she seemed thrilled, almost as if her comment about marrying me wasn't some kind of joke.

"Isn't this great?" she whispered into my ear as we danced. We had just eaten what had to be the largest meal I'd ever had. Course after course was paraded in front of us by a wait staff that must have numbered in the dozens. Appetizers, soups, salads, fish, poultry... it seemed never-ending. And each course was followed by a tiny cone filled with lemon sherbet, to cleanse the palate. It was quite the experience, and one I certainly couldn't afford on my own.

But Katie seemed unconcerned and, when the bill was presented to me, she grabbed it out of my hand before I could get a good look at it. Scrawling her signature along the bottom, Katie handed it back to the server, who bowed and quickly exited the little alcove in which we were seated.

"Don't we need to wait to get your credit card?" I asked, assuming I'd missed her hand the waiter her plastic. "And how much do I owe you, anyway?" This was supposed to be my way of thanking her, or at least I thought it was.

Katie waved off my question, telling me everything was taken care of. I brought up the idea of hitting one of the newly-released movies at the theater, but that idea was quickly shot down. It was on to the dancing.

At the insistence of my mother, and much to my father's chagrin, I had taken a few dance classes at the community hall when I was younger. Because of those lessons I was fairly comfortable in a ballroom setting, but Katie was simply amazing.

For nearly two hours we flowed around the dance floor, effortlessly moving from one song to the next. Katie was light as a feather in my arms and she seemed to know which direction I was going to lead almost before I did. I was having the time of my life.

"This is wonderful," I said.

"Beats hanging around the hotel watching bad movies on cable, doesn't it?" Katie asked.

I laughed at the way she described our recent activities. "Got that right." Changing the subject, I said, "You're such a great dancer. Have you taken lessons, or are you just a natural?"

"A little of both. I took dance lessons when I was a little girl, but nothing like this. Don't you just love it?" she asked, looking up at me.

I nodded. "Like I said, this is great."

Katie smiled, pulling me tightly against her. I was dressed in the one good pair of slacks and somewhat unwrinkled suit jacket I hadn't left at school, and looked fairly presentable. But Katie... I don't know if she always lived her life prepared for anything, but she had managed to find the most perfect gown I'd ever seen.

It was obviously not an off-the-rack purchase. It was fitted to her size and made of a rich burgundy fabric that shimmered in the soft lights of the dance hall. She was breathtaking, and I imagined every man in the place looking at the two of us in envy. I wouldn't have traded places with any one of them.

"You're beautiful," I said, almost not realizing what I was saying until after the words slipped past my lips.

"You're quite the charmer, aren't you?" Katie teased. She pulled her hand from mine, and latched her arms around my neck. My hands gravitated to her hips, pulling us closer together. Her green eyes sparkled as she tipped up on her toes. Her lips parted as her face neared mine.

My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. It was an obvious invitation to kiss her, and I certainly wanted toÑonly a dead man wouldn't haveÑbut for some reason, I hesitated. Everything was happening so fast. I wanted it to happenÑthere was no doubt about thatÑbut it felt rushed to me. When I didn't immediately kiss her, Katie pulled back with an embarrassed look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she started. "I thought..."

Go for it! I screamed to myself, bending down to press my lips against hers. Katie melted against me as our lips met, her words lost as we leaned together. My hands moved up and down Katie's back, the material of her dress cool and smooth and soft beneath my fingers.

The kiss quickly escalated as the heat of the moment increased. Soon our tongues dueled, gently parrying for space in our mouths as our bodies moved together on the dance floor. The passion I felt at that instant was nothing like I'd ever felt. Katie's reaction told me she felt the same way.

As we continued to dance, Katie pressed her lower body firmly against me. Her soft thighs pushed insistently forward, one of them forcing its way between my legs. The fabric of her dress flowed as we moved together. Katie and I were as close as two people could be, at least in public. Katie slid ever so slowly against me, the tautness of her body evident, even through our layers of clothing.

As Katie slowly ground her body against me, the heat and pressure between us soared. Her breasts, soft and full and tipped with tiny pebbled nipples, felt like hot points of fire against my chest. The nonstop pressing of our groins against the other's thighs had the predictable result, at least as far as I was concerned.

"Is that for me?" Katie whispered, rubbing her soft belly against the engorged stalk of my erection.

My face burned when I nodded. Katie's movements grew bolder. I wondered if other people

noticed anything peculiar. Certainly I could feel the rhythm of her hips as we dancedÑthe primal rhythm of lovemaking.

As soon as the image came to me, I moved my hands again, this time sliding down her back to her trim waist, and then further down. As my palms cupped the firm cheeks of Katie's behind, her muscles flexed once before relaxing.

"That feels good," she said, continuing to press herself into me. "You feel good."

I took the hint and caressed and squeezed the marvelous globes of her ass while my erection pressed against her belly.

We danced like that for a while longer until the pressure of maintaining appearances got to be too much. We made a quick exit and found ourselves alone, outside in the winter night.

"Ready for that walk?" Katie asked.

Actually, I wanted to grab her by the hand, rush back to the hotel, and make mad passionate love, but my sense of propriety stepped in. Damn my mother for teaching me manners!

"Sure," I replied, extending my hand. Katie slipped on a thin pair of knitted gloves as we walked together in the chilly December air, and when she took my hand, her gloved hand warmed my fingers. We made our way to Crystal Pond, very near the hotel. We walked along the water's edge, watching a few brave and heavily-bundled children slip and slide along its frozen surface.

"Do you want to go out there?" I asked, indicating the ice with a nod of my head.

"Not tonight," Katie answered, the words quickly changing to a yawn. "I'm sorry, I'm getting a little tired." We headed back to where the car was parked and climbed in. Katie immediately slid across the front seat and curled up into a little ball as she leaned against me.

I checked my watch. It was close to eleven o'clock. I hated to see the evening end but steered the car back toward the hotel.

"Um, I had a really good time tonight," I said, not sure exactly what I should be saying. "But I really want to know what I owe you for dinner." I felt awkward asking. I had always been the oneÑWomen's Lib or notÑto pay for any dates I went on.

"Don't worry about it," she insisted. "Think of it as the hotel saying thank you for staying with us an extra few nights." At my look of confusion, Katie giggled. "This was my treat, and I had a wonderful time, too. Thank you."

After parking the car, we stood outside the hotel, holding each other for warmth and protection against the cold wind.

"I'd invite you up," I said, "but my room's a mess." I looked around the lot, trying to figure out which car might belong to Katie, but couldn't guess. "Did you need a ride home?" I asked. We'd never talked about it, but I had always assumed Katie lived somewhere nearby. In the few days we'd spent together, we had never left the hotel together. Katie just always seemed to be there.

"Ride?" she asked in amusement, digging into her coat pocket and retrieving a set of keys. She jingled them in my face. "I'm home, too."

*****

Home? I was more than confused as I lay down to bed that night. What had Katie meant? It didn't make sense to me, but as we were standing outside, Katie had used her key to enter the hotel and allowed the door to close behind her, leaving me searching for my own key. By the time I managed to get inside, Katie was nowhere to be seen. I sprinted up to my room, which overlooked the parking lot, and searched for any signs of Katie leaving the hotel but saw nothing.

Over the next couple of days the hotel parking lot filled up, as did the dining room. When I went downstairs for my customary breakfast, I found I very rarely had the room to myself. Because of the increased business, Katie was often with other guests, and I had to entertain myself, which generally meant reading or watching television in my room.

I thought about Katie and what her situation might be. For someone who was nothing more than a front desk jockey, she appeared to have the run of the place. Curiosity finally got the best of me. I waited until Katie wasn't around, called down to the front desk, and asked one of the other workers about her.

"Miss Stewart, you mean, sir?" the girl asked.

"Yes. Miss Stewart. Katie. What do you know about her? I'm trying to find her, but haven't seen her lately."

"Isn't she in her room?" the girl asked.

"Room? You mean she's staying here?"

What the girl said next almost blew my mind.

"No, sir. Miss Stewart lives here."

"What?"

"Her room," the girl answered. "On the first floor, just behind the offices. Is there a problem, sir?"

I mumbled out that I was fine and hung up as quickly as I could.

Who lived in hotels? The only person I knew was someone from a pizza place where I had delivered pizzas. This guy had lived in a hotel for a couple of weeks when he first moved into town until his apartment was ready. But the girl at the desk had talked as if Katie's situation was something permanent.

My mind raced through possible scenarios. Had she been kicked out of student housing? Who could even afford to live in a hotel for an entire school year? Not that the Bridger Trail Inn was the most expensive hotel in the world, but it wasn't exactly cheap, and it was nothing I could afford as a college student, except for these strange circumstances.

Was Katie selling drugs? Was she turning tricks? I shook my head to clear it. Katie was great; she was perfect. I was falling for her. She had shown me nothing to make me have bad thoughts about her, so I refused to even entertain the possibility of something unseemly in her life.

But the questions still plagued me as I tried to sleep that night. Why was she was living here? I was dying to know, but I decided not to pressure her about it.

The next day was my last in the hotel, at least for the one night I'd be in my car. I'd been thinking about what my mother had said about thanking Katie for everything she had doneÑ although mom didn't know the half of itÑand had finally thought of something appropriate.

The first step was finding a florist willing to help and who could accommodate my budget. Thankfully, there were quite a few grocery stores in the area which also sold flowers, and I found that if I showed up right before closing, they were more than happy to sell me flowers that might be a bit wilted for a more than fair price, especially after I begged and pleaded and made sure they knew just what a poor college student I was.

Next, from one of the other girls working the front desk, I finagled Katie's room key.

"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked the girl, who nodded happily in response.

"Technically I'm not supposed to do this," she whispered. "But I see the way Katie looks at you. I don't think she'll mind at all!"

That settled, I perfected my plan, or so I thought. My idea was to wait until Katie was on duty and sneak into her room. Hopefully she wouldn't find any reason to stop by while I was there, but it was a risk I was willing to take. I needed only a few minutes by myself, in order to complete my redecorating.

It was an idea I'd had since Katie and I had watched the movie American Beauty. The image of Mena Suvari almost swimming in a sea of rose petals had fascinated me, and Katie had mentioned thinking the image was beautiful as well. I knew this wouldn't be quite the sameÑ I had no illusions that Katie would be wiling to immediately strip naked for meÑ but I hoped she would like the image a roomful of rose petals would present.

All that was left was finding the right moment.

*****

I slowly inserted the room key into the slot on the door and prayed Katie wasn't in her room. I hadn't seen her around the hotel for a couple hours, but that didn't mean she wasn't napping.

As I pushed open the door I held my breath, hoping the door wouldn't creak, announcing my presence. Thankfully, the door was as silent. Leaving the lights off for the moment, as some measure of secrecy, I allowed the door to closeÑbut not latchÑand walked past the bathroom toward the bedroom area. It was then that I saw her.

Clothed, Katie was beautiful. Naked, as I found out at that moment, she was even more gorgeous than I could have imagined. Far from being in another part of the hotel, Katie was very much in her room, very much in bed, very naked and masturbating. I should have left. I know this, but I just couldn't. I'd like to say I fell in love, but it was most likely lust. At that moment however, I didn't care. I was transfixed.

The bag of rose petals slipped through my fingers, falling silently onto the carpet of the short hallway. As slowly and quietly as I could, I crept closer and closer to the bed, finally stopping about six feet away, still hopefully in the shadows, and watched.

Katie's long, red hair flowed down over her shoulders, barely covering the tops of her uncovered breasts. Her face was a mask of passion. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she concentrated on bringing herself off.

Her movements were slow and languorous, one hand idly toying with her erect nipples, the other straying lightly over her pubic mound. She seemed in no hurry, as if she enjoyed playing with her body as much as I enjoyed watching. My cock swelled and lengthened, pressing out against my jeans.

As I watched, Katie quickened her pace and soft panting escaped from her lips. My cock bulged. I considered unzipping my pants and pulling out my penis but couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I slowly stroked my shaft through the front of my slacks.

Katie's panting became more fevered and deep. Her hips rocked insistently against her right hand. Although her hand was covered by a fold in the bedspread, it was plain it was buried in her pussy. Katie's other hand alternated between her beautiful breasts, tugging frantically at her nipples. Her flush deepened on her cheeks and spread down her neck.

I never would have stood there as long as I did if her eyes had been opened. I was hidden in the shadows, but I was still incredibly nervous about being caught. Still, even as anxious as I was, I couldn't have left. Katie was the embodiment of sex appeal, so sultry that I wanted nothing more than to join her. But I didn't want to embarrass either one of us. And I didn't want to think what would happen if she opened her eyes and saw me.

Katie's hips began to thrust harder against her hand, her face opening up in ecstasy. Her head fell back on the bed, her mouth hanging open, frozen in a silent scream. I watched in amazement, my cock standing at full attention as her back arched up into the air. It appeared for a moment as if she couldn't breathe, until the breath that was caught in her lungs burst out in something close to a scream.

Katie's orgasm rolled through her body, the quivering of her lips and the jiggling of her breasts the proof as wave after wave washed over her. She kept her eyes shut as she settled back down on the bed, her hands still working slowly along the insides of her thighs, but slower and more gently, now that she had reached her peak. And then she spoke.

"Oh, Peter... I love the way you make me feel... Peter!"

My eyes nearly burst out of their sockets and it was suddenly hard to catch a breath. Had she somehow spotted me? Did she know I was there? I fought the urge to run from the room, embarrassed beyond belief at being caught. But there was no way she could have seen me! Her eyes were closed the entire time. But she somehow knew I was there. She just said my name.

"Oh Peter, fuck me Peter..." she moaned. Suddenly her hands were moving more insistently over her breasts, tugging roughly at her turgid nipples. I watched in amazement, feeling my own passion growing again.

"Oh Peter, fuck me Peter..." She moaned it over and over, as if imagining me between her thighs, slowly pumping in and out of her soaked pussy. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, my nervousness gone, replaced immediately by a surge of arousal. She was imagining me! She was fantasizing about me.

I watched for a few more moments as Katie's fingers once more moved between her widespread thighs. She had thrown off the bedspread, and I could see her in all her naked splendor.

Her pussy was framed by the tiniest thatch of pubic hairÑthe same fiery color as on her headÑneatly trimmed into a tiny strip. Even from a distance, I could see how darkened and engorged her labia were, damp and opened wide with arousal. Her bright pink inner lips were clearly visible, like delicate flower petals. Damn, I wanted to suck at her nectar.

Adjusting my erection in my slacks in the hopes it wouldn't be so obvious, I backed quietly to the door. Peeking out, I saw the hallway was clear and with one last look at Katie, still coming down from her orgasm, I closed the door behind me.

When I arrived back in my room, I realized I had quite a lot of thinking to do. Katie was great, there was absolutely no doubt about that in my mind. She was fun to be around, smart, pretty, vivacious, and oddly enough, seemed to think I was a pretty cool guy.

Only one thing bothered me about all of this, and that was how sudden all of this was. I liked Katie, I really did, and I would be thrilled to get to know her and go out with her, but she had somehow gone way beyond what I was feeling and seemed to be well along on the way to "love."

I didn't know if I was ready for that, as fantastic as she was.

I decided to take advantage of what my father had said was one of mankind's greatest inventions. I took a nap.

*****

"What do you mean she's gone?" I asked a very confused desk clerk, who unfortunately for me was not the one who had helped me acquire Katie's room key. "I just saw her earlier this afternoon!"

"I'm sorry, sir," the girl stammered.

Unbelievable! I had just woken from a nap, and Katie was gone.

"Do you know where she went? Is she coming back, or did she check out?"

The girl looked at her computer screen, punching in a few keystrokes until she received the answer she was looking for.

"I'm sorry, sir," she repeated. "She checked out an hour ago, and isn't due back for another month."

"A month?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great." I was almost at a loss, and was considering heading back up to my room when something else occurred to me. "Miss, did she leave me any messages?"

"Let me check," she replied. "Hmm... nothing in the system. Let me check the office." The girl hurried away, returning shortly with a piece of paper.

"Thanks," I said, taking the offered note. I quickly read it over, finding out to my surprise that KatieÑalthough she had somehow failed to mention this earlierÑwould be spending the entire month of January in Europe. The good news was that her room was now unoccupied, and I was welcome to it for the one night I was without housing.

"Is there anything else, Sir?" the girl asked. I shook my head that there wasn't, before remembering the cost of the room.

"Should I pay for the extra night now, or later?" I asked.

"Oh no, sir," the girl exclaimed. "There is no charge."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Miss Stewart signed for it before she left."

I was beginning to wonder if I was crazy. First this girl I'd looked at from a distance in college just happened to be working in the hotel I'm staying in, then she tells me she's going to marry me. Then I see her in bed, obviously thinking of me. And then... she's gone, but she somehow manages to get me set up in her room.

"I don't understand," I said. "How can the room be free, and how does Katie manage to keep her job if she's going to be gone for a month?"

"Sir," the girl said, fighting hard to stifle a laugh. "Miss Stewart doesn't work here!"

"I've seen her, though... she's been working... here... behind the counter. I don't understand."

Even as I was saying it, I happened to glance at a brochure on the front counter. "Welcome to the Bridger Trail Inn," it said, "Part of the fine family of Stewart Hotels." It went on to name and give a short bio of the corporate owner of a half dozen large hotel chains. Suddenly everything fell into place. Why Katie was staying at a hotel instead of a dorm. Why she was able to pay for things at the drop of a hat. Why she was able to be gone and why she was able to sign off on my room.

If I'd been staying in a Stewart Suites, I might have made the connection far earlier. As it was, I felt like a bit of a dolt.

"Katie Stewart. Stewart, as in Stewart Hotels, right?" I asked. "Her father owns this place?" The girl nodded.

Holy crap. I couldn't believe it. I was falling in love with an heiress.

*****

A month later, I was still trying to figure out what was going on. I'd called the number for Katie listed in the campus directory, but the girl that answered said she'd only seen her "roommate" a couple of times, and had no idea where Katie was now.

"She didn't leave any kind of note or anything?" I asked in desperation. "You really have no idea where she might have gone?"

"Sorry, no."

"Okay. Well, thanks, I guess," I said, hanging up the phone a bit more harshly than was necessary. I didn't understand Katie! I liked herÑa lotÑbut she was driving me up the wall. Or maybe that's what love was. I don't know.

If I ever found Katie, I'd be sure and ask her.

*****

Then one day, early in February, I returned to the dorm from studying in the library to find an envelope taped to door of my room. I tore it down.

Still standing out in the hallway I ripped open the envelope. Inside was a note, written on official Stewart Hotels stationery, and a very familiar room key. I read the note with growing excitement. It was from Katie, She was back and wanted to see me.

I unlocked the door, rushed past my startled roommate, who managed a quick, "how's it going?" before I was past him, and then I bolted into the bathroom. I had some grooming to do.

Did I look okay? What did Katie want? Had she seen the bag of rose petals? Did she figure out that I'd seen what she was doing? I started to panic. I dug out the note from my pocket.

"Love, Katie," she had written. I felt better. I was still uneasy, as a million butterflies churned away in my gut, but that signature assured me Katie was happy to be back and excited to see me.

I looked myself over in the mirror and decided my library clothes were good enough. I ran past my roommate, tossing a "Don't wait up for me" over my shoulder as I slammed the door shut.

On the way over to the hotel, I could hardly contain myself. The month I'd gone without seeing Katie hadn't been the worst time I'd spent away from someone. That belonged to the time my father passed away. But aside from that, I couldn't remember missing anyone as much or as deeply as I had missed Katie.

I felt a bit silly since I had Katie's room key in my pocket, but I didn't want to just barge in on her. What if she wasn't expecting me this early? Or what if she had left the key for me early in the day and wasn't home right now. So, I stalled. I breathed into my cupped hand to smell my breath. I smoothed out my sweater. I checked my hair. Finally, I heard movement from inside and decided I'd wasted enough time. With my pulse pounding wildly, I knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Katie's voice was faint from inside the hotel suite.

"It's Peter," I called back through the door.

"Wait a minute." A moment passed before Katie called out that it was okay for me to come in. I tried the knob, surprised to find it locked, before realizing I had the key.

I fumbled with the lock, finally getting it unlocked. There was no light on in the apartment, which confused me for a moment.

"Katie?" I called out.

"In the bedroom," Katie replied immediately. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, I could make out a trail of rose petals leading me back into the suite. Could Katie possibly be doing what I hoped she might? My pulse quickened a bit as I walked past the bathroom and into the bedroom.

Resting on the table next to the bed was a single candle. The room was nearly dark, but the light was enough for me to see Katie, just as I'd imagined. She was naked, her red hair fanned out around her on the pillows. The bed had been stripped except for a single sheet, and spread all over the white cotton were hundreds ofÑwhat else?Ñrose petals.

I gawked.

Katie's voice drifted up to me, quiet and nervous. "Say something," she said.

"My God, you're beautiful."

Katie smiled at that, reaching up to me, opening her arms in invitation. She wanted me. I wanted her. I inched my way to the bed until my thighs pressed against the edge of the mattress. I hadn't noticed my state of arousal until Katie reached out to me, her hand brushing over the bulge in my jeans. Her fingers squeezed lightly up and down my shaft, cooing as she felt how hard I was.

Hard for her.

And then I almost ruined it. I'd like to think it was because I was in love, and men in love often do crazy, stupid things. But this had nothing to do with love. Sometimes I'm just stupid.

"You own this place?" I asked. "No wonder you didn't want me to pay for dinner. Must be nice being rich."

I hadn't meant to sound snippy, but at my words, Katie pulled back as if I'd slapped her. Her arms, which a few seconds before had beckoned me closer, now covered her breasts protectively. She stared at me in surprise, her eyes opened wide.

"What?" she finally managed. "No. I don't own it. My father does. What does that matter?"

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling like a twit, my cock now embarrassingly obvious, no longer exciting but obscene. I sat down in a chair beside the bed.

"Sorry, for what?" Katie asked. She no longer looked offended or angry, but genuinely curious.

"I... I thought you worked here," I stammered, as if that explained everything. To me it did, I suppose. I couldn't understand, and still was having a hard time understanding, how she would want me. Surely the daughter of the owner of one of the country's largest hotel chains would be interested in someone a little more a part of her world. Someone who didn't drive a beat-up Ford, someone who owned more than one pair of dress shoes. Someone... someone not me.

"I do. Sometimes."

"But you don't "work here" work here," I insisted. "You don't really need the money." I was almost accusing by now, my tone darker than I intended. Katie shrank back against the headboard.

"It's good experience," she said. "I need that if I want to go work for my father."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. "God, I feel like such an ass."

"Why?" Katie replied. "Peter? Why should it matter?"

"I don't know." I really didn't know. I'd like to think that I'm confident enough that it shouldn't matter if the girl I loved has more money than I do, but now, faced with that reality...

"Would it be better if I was poor?"

"Like I am, you mean?" I snapped.

"Peter!"

"Isn't that what you meant? God!"

"Peter, no!"

"Then what? What do you want?"

"I just want you to love me."

"I do!" God, did I ever. "But..."

"But what, Peter?"

"How can you love me? I have nothing to offer, nothing to bring to this relationship."

Katie looked stunned at that, and when I realized what I'd said, I was just as surprised.

"Peter, you think that..."

"I'm sorry. That's not really what I think."

We were silent for a moment, sitting there in the dark, the flickering of the candle beside the bed our only light. Finally Katie scooted close to the edge of the bed where I was sitting, and placed her hand on my chest. Her fingers felt like hot pokers, and I reached to cover her hand with mine.

"All I want from you in our relationship is you," Katie stressed, looking me dead in the eye, her eyes begging me to understand. "I don't want money from you, I don't need the money."

"I know!" I blurted. "But that's..."

"That's not important to me. Is it to you?"

Was it? I have to admit the idea of it not mattering one bit if I was the breadwinner in the family was slightly disconcerting, but did it really matter?

"I don't know," I said, exhaling deeply. "Yes. No. Kind of?"

"Oh, Peter," Katie said, patting me lightly on the chest. "I should have told you before, but..."

"But what?"

"But for the first time in a long time, you were looking at me and appreciating me for who I am, not for who my father is, and I liked it. At first, I thought you were just beyond all that, but all your comments about getting in trouble finally made sense, and I realized you simply didn't know."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. "I could have handled it."

"Really?" Katie arched an eyebrow at me. "Handled it. Like you just did?"

I laughed, bitterly at first, but quickly the humor in her observation got to me.

"Maybe not so well," I admitted. "Katie, you're amazing, you know that?"

"Really?" she smiled. "Tell me more."

"I feel like a big ass right now. Look at you! You're kind, gorgeous, funny, sensitive, smart... you're everything I want, and instead of being happy about it, I seem to be doing everything I can to push you away."

"I noticed."

"But you're still here," I said. "You're still trying to convince me that you're right and I'm wrong."

"True. But it is my room. But how am I doing on convincing you?"

I laughed. "You still think we're good for each other?"

"Absolutely perfect," she replied.

I don't know if I came to a conscious decision or if it just felt right, but I realized Katie was one hundred percent right. Maybe I was too stupid, too slow, to prideful to admit it at first, but money didn't matter. Not one bit.

"So now what?" I asked, almost startled to realize we were still sitting in bed together, me fully clothed while Katie was completely naked.

"Now? Maybe for starters you kiss me," she said.

That seemed like a damn good idea, so I did. Katie's lips were soft and warm, and it wasn't too long before I felt them part, allowing her wet tongue to slip between them and probe insistently at my lips. I opened my mouth and her tongue slipped inside. She was warm and wet, her tongue slithering over mine as we kissed.

As we kissed, I brought my hand up from the bed, slowly tracing a line up Katie's naked back. Her skin was smooth and dry, warm to the touch and incredibly soft. I could have spent hours just touching her, feeling her muscles move under my hand, but Katie had other ideas.

With a contented sigh, she caught me by the wrist, forcing my hand around to her front, where she placed it squarely on one firm breast. Katie wasn't the most well endowed woman I'd ever met. But what she may have lacked in volume, she more than made up for in quality, and as I soon found out, sensitivity.

"Oh!" she squeaked when my fingers first touched her nipple. The pink nubbin of flesh was already engorged with blood, puckered and almost hard to the touch. I traced a circle around the aroused flesh, bringing another moan to Katie's lips. Breaking away from our heated kiss, I slowly worked my way down Katie's body, first planting a line of kisses along her jaw and neck and then directly between her breasts.

When I had reached the pale valley between her breasts, I turned my head, kissing the soft mass of one breast, then turned to kiss the other. All the while, my hand gently squeezed and teased Katie's warm flesh while my other hand rested on her hip.

Katie's hips flared out nicely from her waist, and as I smoothed my hand along her hip and buttock I felt her squirming under my touch. She wanted more from me and now all my doubts had been erased. If not during our conversation, they were certainly put to rest the moment our lips met.

While her hips rotated in small circles on the bed, Katie's chest began pushing insistently against me. Her nipples danced teasingly in and out of view, as if begging me to capture them between my fingers or lips. Katie saw where I was looking and gave her shoulders a gentle shake, causing the firm flesh of her breasts to jiggle enticingly in front of me.

With a low growl, I darted forward, managing to capture a fleshy nipple between my teeth. As I gently manipulated the sensitive bud, Katie brought her arms up around my neck and pulled me closer.

Even in candlelight, I could see a pink flush spread over Katie's neck and chest. The scent of aroused woman permeated the air and mixed with the candle to create a heavy, musky aroma. I let Katie's nipple pop out from between my teeth so I could move to the source of the heady smell.

"No," she moaned when I lost contact, but she squirmed in delight when I carefully pushed her back on the bed. Working my way down her torso, I kissed and licked her hot skin, moving ever closer to her wet center.

As I was teasing Katie's belly button, fingering the sensitive flesh, I felt the warm wetness of her pussy rub against me when she hunched up, craving more contact. I moved down, over the soft swell of her lower belly until at last I reached Katie's pussy.

Even without direct contact, Katie's lips were engorged, flushed deep pink, and already damp. Her sex was parted, revealing the lighter pink of her sticky, inner lips. At the top of her slit sat her clit, peeking out from under its hood.

Katie's muscles trembled as I parted her legs and placed them over my shoulders to give myself easier access to her wet opening. The scent of her pussy was stronger now, spicy and sweet with a hint of tanginess that I was eager to taste. With one last look at Katie's aroused face, I bent down and stuck out my tongue.

"Oh, Peter," she hissed. Katie's pussy was hot to the touch, pulsing under my tongue as I slowly licked my way between her wet labia. Her legs tightened around my shoulders, pressing against the sides of my neck, holding me in place as I licked and nibbled at her sensitive folds. With each stroke of my tongue, Katie's pussy opened wider for me, my saliva joined her natural lubricant to pool in her opening.

Reaching between her thighs, I coated my fingers with her lubricant. At my touch, Katie tensed, but she quickly relaxed. I returned to my oral ministrations, bathing not just her pussy, but her entire pubic area with my lips and tongue. Each lash of my tongue caused tiny up-thrusts of her hips as she pressed her damp mound to my face.

I climbed up onto my knees, and kissed my way up Katie's body until we were once again face-to-face. I leaned in to kiss this beautiful creature, and our lips met passionately. I held her firm breast, kneading and molding the soft flesh between my fingers, all the while coating her nipple with her juice.

Katie licked her lips. "So that's what I taste like?"

"Good, isn't it?" I asked, mildly amused at Katie blushing because she was enjoying the flavor of her nectar.

After a moment she nodded. "It's sweet," she said.

"I want more." I began to move back down, prepared to bring Katie to orgasm with my tongue and fingers.

"Oh no you don't," she giggled, grabbing onto my hair. I looked up, arching an eyebrow at her.

"No?" I asked. "What did you have in mind?"

"First, we need to get you naked," she said. "You're wearing far too many clothes."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, so stand up."

I dragged myself from the bed. "Now what?"

"We'll just see what comes up," she laughed, waggling her eyebrows as she eyed the bulging crotch of my jeans.

"I think it's already up," I said. "In fact..." the rest of my words died in my throat as Katie reached out to cup her hand over my erection.

"Come here," she said, pulling me closer to the bed. Katie sat up, her nipples digging into my thighs as she stared up at me. her emerald eyes boring into mine. Katie dragged her fingers over my cock before reaching to undo my belt buckle.

"Hurry up," I complained. Her fingers kept toying with me, running up and down my shaft, from the tip of my cock down to my balls. Finally I nudged her away, amused at her petulant pout.

"You're no fun," she groused.

I ignored her and shoved my jeans and underwear to the floor and quickly added my shirt to the pile. "Better?" I asked.

In answer, Katie circled my cock with her warm hand. She gave it a gentle squeeze before bending to plant a wet kiss right on the engorged head of my prick.

"Much," she cooed, still stroking her hand up and down my length. She kept it up, keeping me completely erect as I began moving back in forth, in time with her hand. All the while, she stared at the turgid mass of my flesh as it slid back and forth in her fist.

Soon the sensation became too much; I needed more. Reaching out with both hands, I carefully pulled Katie's head closer to my groin, my desire obvious.

"Please?" I asked.

In response, Katie ran her wet tongue on the underside of my shaft, from the thick veiny root all the way to the crown. I shuddered as she circled the head and engulfed the spongy tip between her lips.

"More," I mumbled.

Katie responded by taking my cock deep into her mouth, all the while fluttering her slippery tongue against my shaft. Suddenly, my cock bumped into the back of her throat. I started to back away, surprised to find Katie's hands digging into my buttocks. She pressed forward, gagging slightly until her throat muscles loosened and my cock slipped completely inside.

"Holy shit," I moaned. Katie laughed, her muscles rippling around my shaft, nearly causing me to orgasm right then, before pulling away.

"You like that?" she asked impishly.

"Oh, God," was the best I could muster in response.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"More," I said again, more insistently.

"Yes sir," Katie said, mock saluting me before once again engulfing my penis in her hot, wet mouth. Time and time again, using her lips and tongue, and occasionally reaching back to cup my balls in a smooth, warm hand, Katie brought me to the brink of orgasm before immediately backing away.

"I'm so damn close," I complained at one point, but Katie just smiled, once again bringing me to the edge before allowing me to slip back. The cycle continued until I thought I would burst if I didn't come.

Finally, Katie didn't back off, instead she increased the suction of her lips. Her head moved up and down my shaft, her hand trailing close behind. I felt the familiar tingling sensation move up my shaft from my balls and knew there was no turning back.

"Here I come," I gasped, more of an announcement than a warning. Certainly Katie knew what she was doing and knew the signs of my impending orgasm.

Instead of releasing my prick as I had expected, Katie clamped down, her lips forming an airtight seal around the head of my prick as I exploded into her mouth. Shot after shot of my semen erupted from my prick, coating the inside of Katie's mouth. To my amazement she kept sucking, draining me of everything I had to offer, before releasing my surprisingly clean cock.

"That was amazing," I said, feeling my cock twitch in arousal as I watched Katie swallow the remnants of my sperm. "Come here, lover." I reached down, pulling a fully aroused Katie to her feet. I kissed her passionately on the mouth, tasting my own semen on her lips, but not caring one bit.

Katie and I stood there for a few moments, bodies glistening with sweat and sexual fluids, our hands roaming over the other's damp skin as we kissed. Eventually, my cock revived, blood rushed back in, expanding and lengthening the hardening tube of flesh. Judging by the insistent grinding of her hip against my arousal, Katie must have felt it as well,

"You ready for more?" she asked, her hard nipples digging into my chest as her pussy pressed against my thigh.

"Well..." I said, pausing to see Katie's reaction.

"Silly boy," she laughed. Quickly, though, her laugh turned more demanding, almost pleading. "Come on, Peter, give me your cock," she nearly whined, her need evident, both in the tone of her voice and the press of her body against my own.

"You want it that bad?" I teased, slowly stroking myself to full erection.

In response, Katie dropped back onto the bed, her legs stretching out in front of her as she leaned against a pillow. Her breasts shone in the light of the burned-down candle. She spread her legs wide, reaching down to run a finger over her matted pubic hair and through her damp pussy. With the other hand she gathered up a fistful of the forgotten rose petals. Her eyes locked with mine as the petals fell from her hand and floated down onto her naked body.

"Come to bed, Peter," she said in a soft, singsong voice. "Come to bed."

How could I refuse?

*****

Afterward, we lay tangled together on the bed, our bodies sweaty from our exertions. Katie's legs were intertwined with mine. My flaccid cock rested against her soft, damp belly. I stroked up and down over Katie's hip, feeling her smooth muscles twitch beneath my fingers as the last of her orgasm moved through her body.

"Oh, my God," Katie groaned into my shoulder.

The remains of my second orgasm dripped onto my leg, but the warmth and softness of Katie's body was too much to give up, so I stayed still.

"That was... amazing," she continued, looking up at me, her eyes half lidded with exhaustion. And she sighed.

"You're telling me? You were pretty fabulous," I responded.

Katie pursed her lips as we kissed, less passionate than before but, if my mind wasn't playing tricks on me, with far more emotion and meaning.

"I have to pee," Katie said with a bit of embarrassment.

With a small groan she pulled herself up from my chest, and I watched as she walked on shaky legs to the bathroom. She returned, carrying with her a warm, damp washcloth and a towel. We spent the next few minutes cleaning up, our bodies so drained that even our gentle teasing resulted in nothing more than two clean bodies.

"I'm really, really hungry," I said suddenly. "What time is it? Let's go get something to eat."

"What are you hungry for?" Katie asked, looking at the clock. The big red, flashing LED display revealed it was just after seven o'clock in the evening.

"I don't care. Pizza, hamburger, anything fast and not good for me."

Katie thought about it for a moment before reaching for the phone by the bed. As she started punching in numbers, I realized she was dialing the front desk, and then room service. Taking advantage of the lull, I got up and took a quick shower. When I returned with a damp towel wrapped around my midsection, Katie was lying in bed. At the sight of the towel, Katie arched an eyebrow. She was still naked so I dropped the towel and climbed back into bed with her. This was her place, so if she didn't care that room service was more than likely going to get an unexpected view, then neither did I.

"Food should be here in about five minutes," Katie said after snuggling up next to me.

"What are we having?"

"It's a surprise."

"I think I've about experienced my day's quota of surprises," I laughed. "Seriously, what did you order?"

"Spoil sport. A burger and milkshake for you and a salad for me," Katie finally answered.

"Salad?" After what we'd just done? Was she serious?

"I don't eat meat," was her response. "Except for your meat," she continued with a grin. To my surprise, my cock twitched at Katie's words. I glanced down at the sheet covering my legs and thighs, hoping nothing was visible from above. Katie must have seen where I was looking, and to my chagrin made it a point of acknowledging my growing erection with a gentle pat of her hand, which only speeded up the process.

"Stop it," I said through gritted teeth. "The food will be here pretty soon."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Katie clucked her tongue. "Ready again, and so soon? Why, Peter, I truly am impressed."

"Enough already," I groaned. Katie was going to think I was some kind of sexual addict. Maybe I was, and Katie was my favorite fix.

"Oh, don't you want to play with me?" Katie teased, pouting her lower lip.

Anything further I might have said was cut off by the quiet knock from the hallway. To my complete shock, Katie got up from the bed, sauntering toward the door and out of sight, still completely naked. I listened while she opened the door and signed for our food, amazed to see her return, still in all her unclothed glory.

"Did you just... ?" I couldn't complete the question.

"What?"

"You're naked!" I blurted. Katie struck a seductive pose, still holding our food order in her outstretched hands.

"And you like me this way, right?" Katie laughed. "That's what you were trying to say?"

"But the food!"

"Oh, are you still hungry?"

"Naked... food!" Obviously, I wasn't making my point very clearly. "You just went and got our food and you're still naked." There, I'd finally managed a complete sentence. Katie laughed.

"I have a robe hanging just inside the door," she giggled.

"Thank God," I muttered.

"Why? Don't you like the idea of other men seeing me like this? Are you... jealous?"

Was I? The idea brought me up short. Was I actually jealous? Of course I was. But I figured I should at least test out my newfound jealousy.

"Was he good looking?" I asked.

"Who?"

"The room service guy."

Katie nodded.

Yep, now I was even more jealous.

"So, are you?" Katie asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Oh, you're so cute when you're jealous!" Katie gloated. "I knew you were. That's why I love you so much."

She'd said it again. Love. She loved me.

"Come here," I growled, all thoughts of food forgotten. I'd show her exactly what jealousy could do to a man. And love. Well, love and a whole lot of lust. I pulled back the thin sheet I'd been using to cover myself.

"Oh my," Katie said. She looked at me, her eyes a mixture of surprise, awe, andÑI hopedÑlust. "Three times, Peter?"

We made it four, just for good measure. And in the end, I wasn't that jealous after all.

*****

The food, of course, was cold by the time Katie and I got around to eating it. As we munched on our respective meals, I had a few small pangs of doubt, and figured now would be the best time to confront Katie with them.

"So, this is what you want, right?" I asked, as nonchalantly as I could.

"What? Cold salad?" Katie looked at me funny. Obviously there was more explanation needed.

"No... you know."

Katie shook her head. Clearly, she didn't know.

"Be more specific," she requested through a forkful of lettuce and dressing. "I want... what?"

I sighed. I was hoping Katie would have at least understood my fears a little bit, but I suppose this was all too newÑour relationshipÑand it was only my insecurities.

"This, us, you and me."

"In bed?" Katie grinned. "Yes, please!"

"No..." I tried to think of another way to put it. "What's Daddy going to say the first time you bring me home?"

"'Hello? Come in? How are you?'" Katie guessed. "I don't know! What are you getting at?"

"What's he going to think?"

"Of you?"

"Well, yes, but more importantly, what's he going to think of you, his daughter, when..."

"Only, beloved daughter," Katie interrupted.

"Yes, his only, beloved... devoted?"

"Yes."

"His only, beloved, devoted daughter... what's he going to think when she brings home some poor slob?"

At my question Katie seemed to come up short, her fork pausing midway between her plate and her mouth.

"Oh, God, Peter... is that bothering you?"

I nodded.

"For how long?"

"Only since about ten seconds after I found out who you were. I'm sorry! This is what I was trying to get at earlier. I just..."

"What?"

"I sort of got distracted."

"I remember," Katie said. "Three... no, four times. It was a good distraction, though... right?"

"Oh, yes. The best kind."

"So, what's the problem?"

"Your father," I stressed again. "He can't have hoped you'd end up with someone like me."

"What about you?" Katie asked. "You're smart, hard-working, caring, funny, reasonably good looking..."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Where was I? Oh yeah. Reasonably good looking, and you're fantastic in bed."

"Which your father never needs to know, by the way."

"Of course. Not until after the honeymoon."

"And that's another thing!"

"You don't want a honeymoon?"

"Of course I want a honeymoon, but..."

"But what?"

"When did we get married?"

"Oh, not until this coming June. Don't worry, you're the groom, so I realize you won't want to get that involved with wedding preparations, which is fine. I totally understand, but please make sure your passport is in order, and check the same with anyone you want to invite, okay?"

"Wait a minute!"

"What?" Katie grinned at me, a sly little grin that let me know I'd been had.

"You seem to have this all planned out."

"And?"

"And don't I get any input into it?"

Katie cocked her head to one side.

"Input?"

"Yes! If I listen to you, it sounds like we're already happily engaged, nearing our wedding, which will apparently be overseas."

"In a castle."

"Overseas in a castle." Now it was my turn to come up short. "Wait a minute, really? A castle?" I asked. Katie nodded. "Cool."

"I knew you'd like it. It's totally amazing. Tapestries everywhere, and an honest-to goodness..."

"Hang on a second. This is what I'm talking about."

"You don't like castles?"

"Castles are great. I think they're wonderful."

"But you don't want to get married in one?"

"No, that's not it. Can't say it's ever come up when I've fantasized my ideal wedding."

"That's because you're a guy. You obviously skip ahead to the wedding night. That's why women have to do all the planning, you know. Because of you men and how you only think with your little..."

"Stop. Please." I was pleading now. All this talk of weddings and castles and, in my mind, at least, angry, rich fathers, was too much. I held my hand up, an amused Katie freezing with her mouth open.

Ê"Sorry," she said at last. I took a moment to take a deep breath.

"Katie, I'm sorry, this is all just... so fast."

"Yes."

"I mean, God! I really only got to know you a month ago, and now..."

"And now we just got done screwing like bunnies and now I'm talking about marriage and you're insecure about the whole thing because I live in a hotel."

"It's not because you live in a hotel!" I almost exploded, laughing in spite of myself.

"I know," Katie smiled, teasing me again. "But it's the fact of who I am, and who my father is, in regards to the ownership of the hotel. Right?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. Katie understood.

"Yes," I said. "But it's really all of it put together. I like you, heck I may even love you, but it just seems like it's too soon to really know that. And you seem so sure of things, and I'm questioning myself, because I do like you, but how can you know?"

Infuriatingly, Katie simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know," she said. "I just do. From the day you found out you were stuck here until now, I've just known."

"God," I whispered. "That long?"

"Mmmm-hmmm."

"What if you were wrong?"

"I'm not," she said. "I just had to wait around long enough for you to realize it."

*****

That wasn't the end of our discussions, of course. It seemed that every weekend for the next month and a half, Katie and I would go 'round and 'round together, me trying to understand exactly why it was she loved me, and Katie trying to convince me there was no rational explanation where love was concerned.

That part of it I understood perfectly. I didn't think there was anything rational about it either, but Katie was unconcerned by my apparent lack of agreement with her, and to my chagrin she went right ahead making wedding preparations.

"You'll see," she said.

She was right, of course.

But it took a dream starring my father to fully convince me.

When I sleep, I often dream of my father. He was only forty-five years old when he died, just before I was to begin my freshman year of college. Ever since then it's just been me and Mom, except in my dreams. Maybe they're subconscious attempts to seek his approval, but the advice my father gives me in my dreams has always been good advice.

This time was no different.

In my dream, I was walking along an empty street. It was early spring, and the trees had just begun sprouting leaves. As I walked down the middle of the road, I noticed that every house on the street was the same, except one.

"Is this it?" I asked, turning to my father, who was suddenly beside me. He said nothing, but simply nodded.

I walked up the front steps. The house had no front door, only an open space where the door would have been. I knocked on the front of the house, waiting only a moment before entering.

"This way?" I asked, turning back to my father. He nodded, but stayed outside "Aren't you coming?" I asked. He shook his head. He began to shuffle away, somehow much older than I'd ever seen him in my dreams. As he reached the sidewalk he turned back and spoke to me. Six words. But they were enough.

"This is right," he said. "Trust your feelings."

I nodded, turning back inside the house. As I walked through the empty rooms, I wondered what it was that was so right, why this house was the right house. Finally I came to a room with a door. It was closed and when I tried the handle, I found it was locked, and knocked

There was nothing but silence for a long while until at last I heard a sound from inside, so I knocked again. This time the response was almost immediate. I recognized the voice. Katie!

"Come in," she sang out through the closed door.

"It's locked," I called back.

"Try again," she said. I looked down at the door, only mildly surprised to see there was now a key sticking out from the handle. I twisted it, and the knob turned easily.

The room was completely empty, aside from a single window. It had no curtains and the light from outside shown through in a harsh beam, illuminating only a tiny portion of the room. In the center of the beam, almost glowing in the light, stood Katie. She was dressed in a long white gown, from below her jaw line to the floor. It covered everything but her feet and hands.

"You've come," she said, reaching out for me. I allowed myself to be completely enveloped in her embrace, her warmth and softness almost overwhelming me. We stood like that for what seemed like hours until she finally pulled away.

I found I was still holding the key, which I noticed looked nothing like I would have expected. One end was shaped like a heart, the other a diamond. It was like no other key I'd seen before, but somehow I knew it belonged to Katie. I held it out to her, but she shook her head.

"It's yours now," she said. "I'm yours now."

I woke with a start. The meaning of the dream was painfully obvious. Whether my father was actually speaking to me, or whether my sub-conscious was simply telling me to do what my heart told me to, I knew what I was supposed to do: go to Katie, and ask her to marry me.

*****

In retrospect, the decision was really a simple one. My anxiety was smoothed over considerably by Katie's confidence and enthusiasm. I was almost convinced I should have done this a long time ago, but then reality kicked in and I realized Katie and IÑ aside from studying biology together three years agoÑhadn't really known each other for more than a couple months. Then I was left to wonderÑonce againÑif this was happening too fast, too soon. Still, I went ahead with it.

It was a day in mid-March, the third to be exact. Katie and I were at school, ostensibly getting in a last bit of schoolwork before Spring Break. She was studying for a marketing class midterm, and I was preparing lesson plans for my budding Michelangelos. The engagement ring was in my coat pocketÑhad been there for the last week or soÑbut I'd yet to find the right place or time to pop the question.

"Something bothering you?" Katie asked in a hushed voice. Our table was within sight of the main desk and the battle-axe of a librarian was known to keep a tight reign over the volume in the library.

"No," I said quietly. "Nothing much, anyway."

Katie looked at me like a parent might look at a child who claimedÑdespite the crumbs covering his face and handsÑto have no idea what might have happened to the last cookie.

"Come on, Peter," she said. "Spill it. Something's been bugging you for a couple days now. Anything I can do to help?"

Sure, I wanted to scream. Just tell me you'll marry me and everything will be just fine and dandy, at least until I have to go see your parents. The fact of the matter was Katie wasn't the problem. I was. I had the ring, why not use it now? I gulped, my palms sweaty, my throat tight. As I was fidgeting, trying to convince myself to drop to one knee and propose, I accidentally knocked a pencil off the table.

Katie didn't see the pencil fall, and when I slid off my chair onto the floor to retrieve it, still contemplating proposing, Katie gasped.

"Peter!" she squeaked, a huge smile on her face. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

"Huh?" I glanced around, noticing the librarian, typically so constipated-looking, was almost smiling. Looking around the library, no one seemed at all upset by Katie's outburst, and many students, in fact, were looking at the two of us with a mixture of jealousy and happiness. Especially the women.

And then I understood.

"Hi," I said lamely, still down on the ground on one knee. I was no longer fishing under the table for the pencil, however. My right hand, as subtly as I could make it, was digging through the inside pocket of my jacket. Finally, I latched onto the tiny, velvet-covered box and pulled it out. Hand shaking more than I'd thought it would, I opened the box and presented it to Katie.

"Kathryn Stewart," I said, inwardly smiling as Katie frowned at my use of her full name. "Will you marry me?"

Okay, so it wasn't the most romantic place I could have proposed, and I hadn't actually planned on doing it right there, but it seemed to work. Katie took the box from my fingers, looking at the gold band inside. The diamond setting was tiny, almost embarrassingly small, even considering what I could afford. I'm sure Katie had much bigger, more impressively flashy jewelry at home, but she seemed not to care one bit.

"It's gorgeous," she said, slipping it onto her finger. I was relieved to see it fit reasonably well. Katie beamed down at me, holding out her hand to show off the new ring to me.

"Do you like it?"

"I do," she said. "It's beautiful."

Needless to say, the rest of our studying was forgotten and, with a round of applause from some of the nearby students, Katie and I left the library. I was positive it was going to be a fantastic Spring Break.

*****

After spending the night with Katie at her suite back in the hotel, I was kidnapped, although quite willingly.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Katie sang into my ear the next morning. I cracked open an eye, glancing at the clock. It was early morning. As far as I knew, the sun didn't come up until after noon during vacation.

"What do you want?" I grumbled.

"Get up, get up, get up!" Katie laughed. "We have places to go, people to meet."

I tried closing my eyes and pretending I had slipped back to sleep, but Katie was having none of it. She pulled the pillow out from under my head and dropped six inches and landed on the bare mattress.

"That's it," I growled, dragging myself to my feet. My intention had been to drag Katie back to bed with me, a very enticing prospect, but I stopped short. Katie was dressed in a dark pants suit and looked very businesslike.

"Finally," she exclaimed once I stood.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Hurry up," Katie said. "We have places to go..."

"I know, I know... people to meet. But where? Who?"

"It's a surprise," Katie answered vaguely. "Now hurry up, Peter!"

Mumbling dark threats about inflicting bodily harm and lifelong imprisonment and servitude, I managed to shower and dress myself, wondering all the while what the big mystery was.

"Okay, I'm ready, now will you please tell me where we're going?" I asked, beginning to feel a bit exasperated by Katie's playful teasing.

"No, now stop trying to ruin my fun," Katie pouted. She reached into her purse and pulled out a blindfold.

"What's that for?"

"It's a secret."

Of course it was.

Minutes later, I was being led out of the hotel and into a waiting car.

"This isn't your car," I said. Katie giggled in response. "What?"

"You're talking too loud," she said. "I'm standing right here, you don't need to yell."

"Stupid blindfold," I grumbled. "This would be easier if I could see you."

"But then you wouldn't be surprised."

"Whatever." I stayed silent for the next few minutes, simply listening to the sounds of the world rushing past as Katie and I were driven to wherever we were going.

"We're here," Katie announced after the car rolled to a stop. "Keep the blindfold on," she said quickly, seeing me reach for my eyes. I grumbled again, but complied, allowing myself to be led, this time outdoors and up a flight of stairs. Eventually the two of us were seated, or at least I was seated, and when I was allowed to finally remove the blindfold, Katie was as well.

That wasn't for a few moments, however. As I sat there I could hear the sounds of machinery humming and whirring, and every once in a while a quiet roaring sound from outside.

"Where are we going?" I finally asked.

"You figured it out," Katie laughed, clapping her hands. She pulled off the cloth and I could finally see that the two of us, as I had guessed, were seated in a small airplane, while other planes took off and landed all around us. A plainly dressed flight attendant walked past, handing me a cup of ice water before quickly moving out of the seating area.

"Where are we going?" I repeated, once she had gone.

"I suppose I can tell you," Katie smiled.

"I'd appreciate that," I answered, as dryly as I could.

"Miami."

"Really?" Suddenly, being kidnapped didn't seem so bad. Spring Break in Miami? I could handle that. "Great! What's there?"

"My father."

I almost choked on the piece of ice I was chewing.

"What?"

"Daddy's there. I thought it was about time the two of you met."

"Oh, God." Instantly, I was dreaming of a Spring Break full of snow and blizzards. It just sounded a bit more pleasant than Spring Break in Miami with Daddy. I must have groaned out loud, because Katie suddenly looked very concerned.

"What? Are you feeling okay? We haven't taken off yet."

Truth be told, I felt like I was going to vomit, but not from being on an airplane. Flying, I was good with. Fathers... I could be better.

"I'm fine," I said. "Couldn't you have warned a guy?" I pleaded. "Do we have to do this?"

"Don't you think the father of your fiancŽ would like to meet his soon-to-be son-in-law?"

"I suppose, but..."

"Good."

"But... does it have to be now? It's vacation! Spring Break. I thought we might have a little fun together."

"We will!" Katie giggled. "It's Florida! Think of it... sun, beaches, bikinis..."

"But we're meeting your father," I protested, as if that immediately ended all possibility of any fun, even if Katie was dressed in a bikini, a thought thatÑI had to admitÑwas high on my list of have-to-see attractions for this trip.

"He's cool," Katie said.

"But..."

"Peter, it will be okay. Do you trust me?"

"Sure."

"Good. Then enjoy the flight."

I tried, I really did. But in my twenty-two years, and numerous flights, this had to be the worst. Even the Christmas flight I took with my family when I was twelve, where the plane nearly crashed because of ice on the wings, was more enjoyable.

*****

All my worries, however, were quickly put to ease twenty seconds after meeting Katie's father. The private jet taxied to the end of a private runway. A small, unassuming man met us. I initially took him to be some sort of servant (for some reason I assumed Katie's family must have numerous servants taking care of their palatial estates), but that mistake was soon dispelled.

"Daddy!" Katie squealed, looking like a twelve year-old girl. She raced to the bottom of the stairs, her hair streaming out behind her in the breeze, and jumped into the arms of the man I had been fearing for the last three hours.

"Pumpkin," the man laughed, wrapping up his daughter in his arms. The two hugged for thirty seconds or so, before Katie finally pulled away and waved me over.

"Daddy," she said. "This is Peter."

I stuck my hand out, trying to look my potential father-in-law in the eye and appear somehow both confident and wealthy. I'm sure I failed miserably.

"Good to meet you, sir."

Mr. Stewart looked me over for a moment before his face broke out into a warm smile.

"Pleasure's mine," he said. "Peter, right?"

"Yes, sir," I nodded.

"Call me Dad," he said. "Or Ian."

"Um, yes sir. Dad. Ian," I stammered, trying all three on for size.

"It's okay to pick just one name," he laughed. "I don't mind."

I smiled, still unsure of exactly how I should behave around one of the wealthiest men in America, but was quickly put at ease when Mr. Stewart began to walk away from the plane and to a waiting limousine.

"Pumpkin," he called back over his shoulder. "Can you get the bags?"

Katie gave a mock squeal of indignation and followed the two of us to the car.

*****

As it happened, I was only around Mr. Stewart that one day. To my surprise, as well as Katie's, her father had plans the next dayÑplans that involved flying off to Europe for three weeks.

"But we'll miss you," Katie moped, trying her best pout to convince him to stay an extra day or two.

"Oh, you don't want me around," her father replied. "Look at the two of youÑsmart, beautiful, young, energetic, in love. Somehow I don't see myself fitting into that mold very well. You'll have a grand time without me."

And like that, the two of us were alone.

"We should go swimming," Katie announced one afternoon.

"Okay. Let me get my trunks."

"Silly boy," Katie teased. "We don't need suits. I'm not wearing one, and you wouldn't deprive me of the opportunity to ogle the man I love, would you?"

No, I most certainly wouldn't. But still...

"Won't other people stare?"

Katie laughed out loud at my question, pausing only after a moment to explain.

I hadn't realized when the plane brought us down, but the Stewart estate was actually a very small part of a very large island, somewhere in the Florida Keys. In fact, the estate was the only thing on the island, so aside from a few staffÑcooks, maids and mechanics for the planeÑKatie and I truly were alone.

"Ah, well if that's the case," I said after hearing our true situation. "I most certainly will drop trousers and let you get an eyeful."

"Thank you, kind sir," Katie giggled. "But what if I want more?"

"Than an eyeful?"

"Mmmm-hmmm."

"Such as?"

"Well, a handful, for starters. Maybe more."

The two of us were sitting in one of the reading rooms and, despite the presence of one of the maidsÑone of whom seemed always to be standing readyÑmy cock stiffened in my pants. I stood quickly, hoping to leave the room before I developed a full-blown erection, but was distracted when Katie began stripping right there in front of me.

"What about..." I trailed off, gesturing with my head to the waiting attendant.

"Oh, right. Michelle?" Katie asked, indicating the maid. "Did you wish to go swimming with us?"

I almost choked on my surprise. Surely Katie wasn't inviting a stranger to go skinny-dipping with us? Thankfully, the maid shook her head demurely. There was a small smile on her lips as she looked at the ground. I was convinced she was smiling at my discomfort, but said nothing.

"Ah, well, I guess you can go then," Katie said, almost laughing at my distress. "Perhaps another time?"

"Perhaps, miss." She turned and left the room, leaving me with a suddenly naked Katie.

"Not fair," I said.

"Oh, are you shy?" Katie asked.

"Well, I don't even know the poor girl!"

"You'll be fine." Katie patted my arm in reassurance, although by this point it was quite unnecessary, as I found myself happily distracted by Katie's jiggling breasts and firm buttocks. As calmly as I could, I began undressing, neatly folding my shirt and slacks until I was naked. Katie gave me an appreciative glance and without another word spun on her heel and walked toward one of the open doors leading out to the beach.

I watched the smooth globes of her ass slide up and down as she moved away from me, stunned as always by her beauty. She must have sensed me staring, for she turned and looked over her shoulder at me.

"Coming?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I called back, hurrying to catch up. Together we walked down a sloping pathway, through a gate. Ahead of us I could hear the crashing of the waves. Katie and I ducked under the low-hanging branches of a tree and suddenly, we were there.

The beach was fabulous. Of course, after having spent half a week lounging around the Stewart estate, I would have expected nothing less. The entire grounds of the estate were immaculate, with neatly trimmed hedges and shrubs, the greenest grass I'd ever seen, and to my surprise I hadn't seen a single insect.

But the beach put everything else to shame. I had once been on a black sand beach while on a vacation to Hawaii, and had of course been to a regular beach, but the sand on the Stewart estate was pure white. I blinked my eyes at first, so blinding was the reflection of the afternoon sun. At first glance, the beach looked like a snowdrift, so pure was the sand.

As we neared the water's edge I sighed. The sand between my toes was as fine as I'd ever felt. I smiled at Katie and prepared to drop down onto it, but she caught my arm, a frown on her face.

"Hang on a second," she said, running back to the edge of the sand and grass. She returned quickly with two large beach towels, which we spread on the sand.

"Thanks," I said as I sank back onto the beach.

"You don't want to come out here without a suit or blanket," Katie warned. "The sand... it gets everywhere." This last bit she said with a grimace and quick glance down to her midsection. I understood fast enough... sand was something I only wanted to feel between my toes, and nowhere else.

"Got it."

The two of us lay there on the beach, talking and enjoying the warmth of the sun for a few minutes, before Katie looked over at me, a gleam in her eye and a small bottle of cocoa butter in her hand.

"Do me?" she asked. "I have such pale skin, and I don't want to burn!" She handed me the bottle before lying back on her towel, her arms down at her sides as she rested on her stomach.

"You have the best ass," I whispered as I dribbled a bit of the scented oil on my hands. I smoothed my fingers over Katie's warm skin as I spread the liquid over her back and sides.

She groaned "Be sure to get everywhere," Katie mumbled over her shoulder.

I glanced up at her face. Her eyes were closed. Very softly, I cupped her firm cheeks. I knelt back and slipped my erect cock between Katie's slightly parted thighs. The tip of my engorged prick bumped against the soft opening to her pussy. She gasped.

Katie was already wet and apparently eager. She pressed against me, but I pulled away, breaking the contact and smiled when Katie gave a small whimper of disapproval.

I spread her legs a bit more. Her pubic area was damp, both from her own natural lubricant and from the warm cocoa butter that had dribbled down the crevice between her ass cheeks.

I grabbed the bottle and squirted out more for her legs. As I stroked her firm muscles her flesh relaxed.

I brushed over the bottoms of her feet, smiling as she twitched. Between Katie's slightly parted thighs I could just barely glimpse her pussy. She was already aroused, her inner lips sticky. Her labia parted easily, offering me the view of her delicate inner lips clinging together momentarily before also pulling apart when Katie spread her legs even wider.

She was so beautiful. Each bit of Katie was perfect, from her smooth shoulders to her flawless back, down to the perfect symmetry of the firm globes of her ass, and of course what lay between her thighs. I could have watched Katie bake in the sun all afternoon, but I knew I had a job to do.

"Turn over," I directed.

Katie lay motionless for a moment, breathing deeply before slowly turning. My cock twitched. Her nipples were firm little bullets of hard flesh, and a flush of heat formed on her chest. Katie looked up at me, her green eyes lazy, sleepy, and glazed over with her growing passion. They fluttered shut as I moved my hands over her flesh.

"Don't want you to burn," I said. My fingers were still slippery, coated with the tanning oil. I teased the soft skin of her abdomen, pressing lightly against the bronze skin of her tummy.

"Looks live you've tanned here before," I said. Katie nodded in response I moved my hands over her tummy and down between her legs.

My fingers brushed against the top of her pubic mound and her legs spread even wider. I had to fight the urge to slip a finger into her pussy but refrained, figuring we had plenty of time. The afternoon was only half over and, besides, I hadn't used all the oil yet.

I moved up her torso, teasing her sides and trailing my fingertips over the firm jut of her breasts. Katie pressed herself up into my hands, but I ignored where I knew she most wanted to be touched. I spread the oil lightly over the top of her chest, bypassing her nipples to caress her collarbones before moving down her arms. Her hands were next, and I spent my time pressing into her palms, pinching at the tense muscles. She sighed with approval when the tension dissipated.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled. "My hands aren't going to burn."

"Shh..." I whispered. "You said everywhere."

Shifting my hips, I straddled her leg. Her thigh muscle twitched beneath me as I stroked ever closer to her pussy. She repositioned herself under my body. As she invited me in, a small smile played over her lips. Her body was completely covered with cocoa butter, but we both knew that wasn't the point.

I cupped the spongy flesh of her breasts. As I teased and pulled at her erect nipples, Katie sighed in pleasure. Her hips rolled and she whimpered in frustration. I could tell she'd had enough waiting.

"I want to fuck you, Katie," I whispered.

Her eyes shot open and I smiled. She bent her knees and the nub of her clit poked up from its fleshy hood. She was breathing heavily now.

I glanced around remembering we were on a beach, in plain view of anyone who might happen to be walking by. Of course, part of the appeal of a private beach was that no one would be walking by.

Her scent was musky and thick but dissipated in the salty spray of the ocean air. It was intoxicating, a heady mix of spice and pheromones. I took what she offered.

"Oh God... Peter!" she squealed as my tongue snaked out to her exposed pussy. With one quick swipe along the wet furrow of her slit, she began convulsing beneath me.

She thrust her hips against me as I buried my tongue in her sticky depths. I licked and kissed over the tender pink flesh, tasting Katie and cocoa butter. I gently pushed first one, then two fingers inside her steaming cunt. I searched for the rough patch of flesh inside her pussy. Katie squealed when I rubbed across this sensitive spot.

Katie's breathing came in great heaving gasps as I continued plunging my fingers into her wetness. She skimmed her fingers over the turgid pink tips of her breasts, capturing a nipple in each hand.

I watched her fingers pull roughly on her breasts, my fingers still thrusting into Katie's squirming tunnel. She hissed in pleasure as she brought herself to a tiny climax. I paused to watch before dropping my lips once again to her neatly trimmed quim to tongue along the smooth outer flesh of her wet cunt.

Suddenly a torrent of juices flowed from her opening and Katie's legs tightened. Her limbs began quivering as a second, larger orgasm rushed through her body. I held her hips tight as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through her body until, at last, she collapsed, limp and utterly relaxed.

As her breathing returned to normal, I moved up her body, kissing my way from her hipbone to just past her dimpled navel, and on up to suck each of her tender nipples before finishing at her mouth. I brushed my lips against her swollen mouth. She pulled me close.

As I pressed my body against Katie, the tip of my erection brushed firmly against the wet flesh of her pussy. Katie smiled up at me as her hands dipped down between our bodies to stroke and pull at my erection.

"Oh God... yes! Right there," she hissed as my prick pushed between the fat outer lips of her pussy. Her snug inner tunnel, twice as hot and slippery as her outer flesh, clamped down on my cock. I felt as if I'd been enveloped in a soft, wet, satin glove.

My thrusts began slowly. I pumped my cock in and out of her slick tunnel and gradually speeded up. Her legs wrapped around my hips, pulling me deep inside her. Her breasts pressed hotly against my chest, spreading the tanning oil over my skin. My slippery flesh slid against hers as her ankles locked behind my hips.

I experienced another of Katie's climaxesÑher third, if I had caught them allÑas she shuddered beneath me. The slippery muscles of her cunt spasmed wildly, trapping my prick inside her tight wetness. Her mouth searched mine, threatening to suck me in as our tongues thrashed against each other.

The heat and wetness were too much and quickly, too quickly, my orgasm neared. My cock flexed and my semen boiled out of my balls, rushing through my shaft to coat the inside of her tunnel.

"Oh shit," I gasped. She panted along with me, holding me tight as my orgasm rocketed through my cock.

Eventually my climax passed, and I rolled over, still buried inside her depths. Katie collapsed against my chest, her nipples pressing into my flesh as we slowly came down from our sexual peaks.

"Wow," Katie groaned. She pulled herself up to a sitting position, and I watched as she evened out the cocoa butter. As I lay there, content to sit back and observe, Katie turned to me, her eyes traveling up and down my body.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Well," she said, holding up the bottle for me to see. "I think there's still some oil left."

My cock twitched, in spite of my recent orgasm.

"Yeah?"

"I wouldn't want you to burn either," she smiled, reaching out to me, her hand moving immediately to my quickly reviving cock.

We stayed on the beach for another hour. Neither of us burned.

*****

The rest of spring break was a blur of sex, conversation and sun. Katie and I, for the first time since Christmas, truly had an uninterrupted stretch of days where we could just sit and get to know each other. It sounds silly, I know, since I'd already proposed and she had already accepted, but somehow that didn't matter. I knew, deep, down that Katie was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and if we didn't know each other as well as we might have, then we'd just need to spend the next fifty years or so making up for that.

When we returned from Florida, it was like coming back to a bad part-time job. I knew school was important, and I knew I needed to buckle down and concentrate on my last semester, but all I wanted to do was spend every waking moment with Katie.

In addition, I found, much to my embarrassment, that I had failed to mention any of this to my family. My mother knew, of course, that I had been stranded for a week in the hotel, spending most of my time with Katie, but no one else had any idea things had progressed so quickly.

"So, surprise them!" was Katie's plan.

"Surprise them?" I wasn't quite sure what she meant. "You mean, invite them to meet my new girlfriend, and 'Surprise!' we're actually getting married today?"

"Something like that."

"That would not be a good thing. My family is not a big fan of telephone calls that start with I have a surprise."

"So, we don't spring it on them all at once," Katie replied. "Come on, don't you like secrets?"

"No!" I laughed. "I don't. I'm bad at them."

I wanted to tell my family, I really did. But about this time I had my second moment of doubt regarding any future Katie and I might have together. She said she loved me; she'd said it many times. I didn't really have any reason to think that was anything other than the truth. But something inside of me kept nagging that none of this could be real. I was poor. Very poor. Katie was rich. Very rich. Or at least her father was, but it was all the same to me.

So I managed to convince myself that something would happen. Maybe it would be one of Katie's old boyfriends. He would come waltzing onto campus one day. Katie would see him from across the courtyard, and all her feelings for him would come rushing back in an instant. There wouldn't be anything I could do about it, because he would be tall, dark and handsome, and also, and most importantly, in my mind, equally as rich as Katie. I wouldn't stand a chance.

What would the point be of telling my family, if it was all going to be over in a heartbeat?

*****

Of course, it wasn't over in a heartbeat, not by any stretch of the imagination. It was mildly surprising to me that Katie seemed to have stopped talking about our marriage as often as she had been, but I took that as a good sign. Perhaps I wasn't the only one having second thoughts about our relationship or at the very least, maybe Katie was beginning to consider what marrying someone like me might mean for her life.

That isn't to say that the two of us weren't still in love. In fact, as I got to know Katie more and more, I fell in love with her all over again. It was all I could do to not scream out exactly how much I loved her whenever I saw her.

Then, about a month before graduation, Katie asked me a series of questions which seemed innocent at the time, but in retrospect proved just how sneaky she could be.

It was nearing the end of May, and Katie and I were sitting outside my dorm, a blanket underneath us to keep the damp grass from staining our clothes. It was a bit cool, but not so chilly that Katie was forced to wear long sleeves, and I found the prospect of studying all the more daunting as we leaned against each other. If I looked at just the right angle, I realized I could just see the tip of one pink nipple, flashing out at me from the armhole of Katie's sleeveless top. It was a view that put all thoughts of how the Italian Renaissance master painters affected modern art right out of my mind.

"Huh?" I asked, startled out of my thoughts. Katie was staring at me, her eyes periodically flashing to where I was looking. Busted!

"I asked, have you ever been to Europe," Katie said.

"Um. Yeah. Sophomore year I went over with a group of art students."

"Was it fun?"

"Oh, yeah. Absolutely."

"Was that your first time in Europe?" Katie asked.

"Yeah." I was preparing to launch into an impromptu lecture about the museums and massive churches we had visited, but Katie seemed finished with the topic, and I went back to my studying, or at least pretended to, while Katie re-immersed herself in preparation for her finals.

*****

Flash ahead to a Saturday in early June. I was a graduate, as was Katie. My entire family, including all three of my brothers, along with an unusually large number of aunts and uncles, had made the trip to see the ceremony, which surprised me. While my family is generally a close-knit group, a hearty bunch of world travelers we are generally not. My trip to Europe two years before was easily the farthest any of my family had ever traveled from home.

That was about to change.

"Honey?" Katie said, walking up to where I was standing, in a middle of a crowd of relatives, receiving their congratulations.

"Yes?" I turned to look, noticing for the first time Katie's own "cheering section" had arrived. The Stewart clan was much smaller than my family, but no less impressive. Mr. Stewart, of course, along with what seemed a small army of half a dozen personal attendants. My first impression was his traveling party seemed to be a bit excessive, but I was soon to shown the reason for their presence.

"I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" I was surprised. Katie and I, or so I thought, had agreed we weren't getting any graduation presents for each other. We would soon, although no dates had been discussed, be a married couple, and as wealthy as Katie's family was, I didn't want to start off our married life by being indebted to her father.

"We're going on a vacation together," Katie said. I looked over her shoulder to where her father and my mother were standing, big grins plastered over both of their faces.

"We are, are we?" I asked. Katie grinned and nodded.

"It's a graduation present from Daddy," she explained. "Your mother thought it would be fun."

"Congratulations," Ian shouted, along with my mom.

"You knew about this?" I called out, looking at my mom who nodded back happily.

"Are you upset?" Katie asked.

"Upset? Nah. Just surprised. It will be a great time, I'm sure."

"Good. Because there might be one more surprise."

"Really?" What?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" Katie laughed at herself and I quickly joined in, along with the rest of the relatives who happened to be standing beside us.

The gathering after graduation soon broke up. Katie and I rode with her father to the hotel where he was staying. I was surprised to find it wasn't one of the hotels in the Stewart Hotels family, but Katie quietly explained it was a smaller company, one her father was considering purchasing, and he wanted to take the opportunity to scout it out, without it being an official visit.

After we dropped off Ian, Katie and I returned to where my mom and brothers were staying. I hadn't realized itÑone of many things Katie was able to sneak by me without me having a clueÑ but my entire family was staying in one of the Stewart family hotels, taking up a rather large chunk of one floor, including a room for Katie and myself. I was officially still occupying one room in my dorm, but it had been weeks since I'd spent any time there, having decided the prospect of sleeping in an upper bunk didn't compare with sleeping beside Katie.

"So, when do we leave? And where are we going?" I asked once Katie and I had settled down.

"You'll see," Katie responded through a mouthful of ice cream. We had stopped off to get a snack and her chocolate swirl was rapidly melting over her fingers.

"You better let me help you with that," I said, pointing to the mess Katie was about to make of the bed. I hurried to where she was sitting and spent a marvelous few moments licking the sweet, syrupy liquid from her fingers.

"Ooh... do that again," Katie moaned, her cone forgotten. She held out her hand to me again. There was a drip of chocolate on one finger, but I was thorough, and licked every single one clean, just in case.

"Where are we going?" I asked again, hoping I had lowered Katie's defenses. To my disappointment, she shook her head, going so far as to pull her hand away from my lips.

"Nope," she said. "It's a surprise."

"Fine," I grumbled. We chatted a bit before turning off the lights. My last thought before I drifted off to sleep was that I rather liked the comforting form of Katie beside me, and was looking forward to feeling it, right there, for the rest of my life.

*****

The surprise, as it turns out, was a nine hour flight to Dublin followed by a car ride into the hills north of Dublin.

Finally, Katie and I arrived in a small village, nestled in the shadows of the ruins of what appeared to have at one time been an enormous stone building. After we settled in, we walked up the hill where I was shocked to learn we were visiting the ruins of the ancestral homeÑan actual castleÑof the Stewart clan. The way Katie told it, the Stewart family (or Stiobhard as the family was known in the original Gaelic), had once been minor lords, the superintendents of a large region, and the ancestral stronghold was still standing.

No one was living in the castle any longer. Instead, daily tours were given, something Katie frowned at joining, but I found the walk-through to be amazing.

"Did you know this castle has been in half a dozen movies?" I asked Katie at one point, parroting the words of our cute tour guide. Katie simply rolled her eyes. Of course she knew.

"It's also the site of many modern-day weddings," she replied, something the tour guide hadn't mentioned, but now that Katie did, I thought the setting would be ideal.

"We should get married here," I said, looking around. "The place is gorgeous. A little windy, but absolutely beautiful."

"Really?" Katie asked, turning to me with a tiny smile on her face. "That's a really good idea."

I found out just how good my idea was the next morning when Katie and I walked down the stairs into the dining area of the tiny inn where we were staying.

"Mom?" I asked in amazement, thinking I must be imagining things. I blinked hard, convinced the vision of my mother would be gone when I opened my eyes, but she was still there. I gaped, slowly looking around the room where I discovered not only were my brothers all in attendance, but most of the relatives I had been surprised to see at my graduation.

"What's going on?" I asked Katie, who stood there with a bird-who-ate-the-canary look on her face. She grinned at my amazement.

"It's a wedding party," she laughed.

"Huh?" Not my most eloquent, but I felt it summed up my state of mind at the moment.

"We're getting married!"

"When?"

"How about today?" I heard from behind me. I spun around at the sound of Mr. Stewart's voice, although my amazement as seeing Katie's father in attendance paled in comparison to seeing my own family.

"Today?"

My mother walked up, beaming with pride.

"I'm so happy for you," she said, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a hug. I looked around the room once more, still shockedÑalthough I knew I shouldn't be, not anymoreÑat just how well my bride-to-be had organized her latest "secret."

Everything was perfect. The people, the setting, the day. The bride. Only the presence of my father could have made it better, but I had the feeling he was watching from wherever he was, and he was pleased.

Katie was beautiful, of course. I felt a bit stuffy in my tuxedo, which I found waiting for me in the bedroom when I finally made it back upstairs. I didn't even wonder at how it had arrived for me in such a short time. I realized my job was strictly going to be making sure Katie had all the support and happiness she deserved.

When we had both said our "I do" and the wedding party was over, Katie practically glowed under the flickering light of the gas lamps mounted to the walls. Her red hair almost sparkled.

"Come here, husband," she said, opening her arms to me. I melted into her embrace, my heart bursting with happiness. Gone, for the moment, were any doubts I might have had, and as I bent to kiss my new bride, I couldn't imagine ever being anything other than happy.

*****

Doubts come and go, of course. When Katie and I returned to the United States, after a month-long honeymoon spent traveling through EuropeÑalthough a good portion of that time was spent in various hotel roomsÑI found that one more surprise awaited me.

"This is our... summer home?" I had asked. "Doesn't your father live here?" We were once again at the mansion where Katie and I had spent Spring Break, only this time I was being informed this was to be one of our residences.

"No. He doesn't really have a place he calls home," Katie said, frowning at the idea. "He has an apartment in New York, one in Paris, and he's always enjoyed spending time down here when he has the chance. But he says he'll be happy to be able to come and visit us when we're here," she added quickly, seeing my look of anxiety that we might be kicking him out of his favorite "home."

"Wow," I said, not quite sure what to say. "This is... a little bit too much."

Katie began to protest.

"That's okay," I said. "I believe you."

"I love you," she said, melting my heart with her smile.

"I love you too."

After a bit, Katie and I went into the mansion and the next few hours were spent opening doors and windows in rooms that had seen little use over the past months and years. They would be seeing slightly more use now, as Katie and I apparently planned to stay here three or four months out of the year, whenever we weren't... wherever we ended up.

After dinner I walked outside, to the side of house that overlooked the ocean from high on a cliff. I stood there, ignoring the concrete bench behind me, which was ice-cold, even in the warm weather of summer.

Would I ever fit into Katie's world? She seemed to think so, of course, and I couldn't honestly say she had been wrong about anything involving the two of us, as long as I'd known her. This was completely about my own insecurities, a fact I knew all to well, but I wasn't sure how I could ever feel truly a part of things. How could I, when it mattered not a bit how much money I brought into the family?

"There you are, Peter. I was wondering where you'd run off to." Katie walked up behind me, her red hair blowing in the wind. She tucked herself into my arm and the two of us stood there a moment.

"Hey you. What's up?"

"Nothing," Katie murmured. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking."

I could never keep anything from Katie.

"What are you thinking?" she asked. "What's bothering you?"

Finally, I spilled everything to her. All my insecurities, all my hesitations, my concerns. I wanted Katie to know that I loved her, but was still amazed, and a bit nervous, about how she could possibly love me.

"How could I not be sure?" she asked by way of reply. "Don't you remember what I said? Why do you even need to ask?"

Why indeed? I wondered that myself. As frightened and insecure as I had been about our relationship from the very start, Katie had always been completely sure, one hundred percent at ease from the moment we met.

"Tell me again," I said.

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you," she repeated, more forcefully this time. I looked at her, my beautiful bride, ashamed at what I saw on her face. Worry lines marked her delicate face, etched there from fears that I might not be as happy as she.

"Katie, tell me again. Tell me I'm everything you ever wanted."

"No."

"No?" My heart sank. Had I brought this on myself?

"You're all I ever needed. Peter, look at me. I love you. I love you!"

"Oh, God," I said as Katie wrapped her arms around me. I don't know how she did it, but suddenly all my fears evaporated. I looked back at the mansion, knowing that inside it waited a tiny army of servants, ready to attend to my every need. I thought of the money Katie had grown up with, an amount so large I had no way to even comprehend how big it was. I felt so tiny compared to it.

But then I looked into Katie's eyes, seeing her love for me, love that ignored all the differences between us and only saw me. Me!

"I love you, Katie," I said. "I'll love you forever."

"You'd better!"

I laughed. How could I not love someone like this? Someone who made me feel the way Katie did. Why would I want anyone else? I realized that I didn't.

"I promise."

The End
