Good Scotch
written by:
Prybar

A two lane asphalt road climbed steadily toward distant green hills. We had left the city far behind and were surrounded by open rolling lush pasture. It was simply gorgeous. Small dips in the pavement that matched the deeper gullies in the pasture on either side of the road gave us the pit of the stomach zero gravity moment as we dropped in and then climbed back out. I was driving quickly enough that we got a little whoop de doo each time. After dip number five Julie looked over with her complete disdain face on.

"Do you have to do that? I'm trying to text here and you are making it impossible! Slow down already!"

"Uh, sorry. Just trying to keep up with the traffic."

"Screw them! I've work to do, and you are messing me up."

So I let off the gas enough to drop us a few mph closer to the speed limit, and the cars in the mirror began to stack up behind us. It was Saturday morning, the spring weather was fabulous, and everybody was in a hurry to get up to the mountains. Nobody wanted to follow at my prudent pace. Every time the view ahead allowed, one or two cars would pass, honking horns in anger as they drew alongside. Then they would accelerate into the distance and disappear.

An old leviathan of a Chrysler passed. The little blue haired grandma in the passenger seat waved at me with her middle finger. Oh, I need this.....

One guy in a little two seat British racing green sports car tried to pass on a blind corner, and the old pickup wobbling down the road in the other direction was nearly into his grill before it dove for the grass to miss him. The idiot trying to pass me darted to his right, directly into my path. I of course punched my brakes and the little German car obediently stood up on its nose. Julie was sipping her cold coffee. Shortly thereafter, she was wearing it. This did not improve her mood.

"What are you doing!!?!"

"Sorry...Thought I should miss that guy. He nearly hit that truck head on when he tried to pass us."

"Well, why are you going so slowly?"

"No excuses Ma'am. More appropriate speed coming up."

"Why do I always get stuck with the morons?"

("Just lucky, I guess.")

I thought that one, but I didn't speak it. Ya don't do that when the pretty lady beside you is your boss rather than, say, a friend or wife or other significant other. Twas my job to do as I was told. It was my vacation too, but my enjoyment would have to wait while I served someone else.

Times are tough these days. No need to tell you all that. And only a damn fool goes to law school now, what with the dismal prospects of ever finding a job in the field. Law schools are closing all over the country, and former students are suing their alma maters for luring them into disaster. So why the heck would I, a veteran fresh from my service, be a second year law student working as a paralegal in Julie's firm just to pay some of the bills? Sometimes, like about then, I wondered.

But it was just possible, if I impressed the right people, I might land a job with Cheatum and Howe after graduation, so I was giving it a shot.

Julie was a junior partner, a rising star. She graduated Harvard Law at age 22 and quickly made her mark. Four years later she made junior partner in the firm, and she showed no signs of slowing down.

She was a beautiful woman, blonde and built, but she played that asset down, with the stern makeup and a wardrobe that made her look ten years older. She had quickly built a reputation as a go-for-the-throat trial attorney, and she wasn't about to reveal anything that might distract from her tenacity for winning. No one could recall seeing her smile in the office, and in the courtroom she was a raving bitch MEAN person. When you win cases as often as she had, you get noticed, and promoted. But that doesn't mean you have to be nice. The paralegals stayed out of her way when they could, and they kept their mouths shut when they could not.

I worked mostly with Mitch, her immediate superior. He was a full partner, and he supervised Julie. No doubt he knew she was gunning for his job, but he also benefitted from her success, so he played his cards carefully. He was first chair on the Struthers case, and she backed him up. So he had her doing backup work, and she was left making suggestions as to how they'd handle the case. And she was seething in his shadow.

Julie had been texting him all morning as we drove toward the mountains. Her damn phone played three bars of some Beethoven symphony each time Mitch texted back. Shortly after she wiped her coffee of the screen of her i-phone, she read his latest missive, and then slammed the phone to the floor.

"Stupid son of a bitch!!!"

"Bad news?"

"None of your damn business!"

"OK"

I'd picked up Julie at her condo in Berkeley at eight that morning, and after waiting while she bought coffee at Peets, we hit the road. I was comfortable in jeans and one of my short-sleeved canvas shirts. She wore a khaki skirt, designer version, that ended correctly just above her knees, and a sheer white blouse which buttoned most of the way up the front, leaving only enough showing out the top to get me into trouble if I took the bait. Coffee did not improve the appearance of her expensive clothes.

The outside scenery was getting better as we approached the foothills. Everything was green from the winter rains, and wildflowers sprang up everywhere I looked. Don't know if Julie saw any of this, but that was her loss. I was having a ball. And so were the Herefords that wandered about, grazing the lush grass of springtime. I watched hawks soaring on thermals and meadowlarks sitting on fence wires, and I wore a smile to trump Julie's sour expression.

We climbed up past the first row of hills, and then the routes split, and I took the smaller road to the south, through the remnants of a gold rush town, past the small reservoir, and then up into the pines between those picturesque rock cliffs. Traffic thinned a bit.

I looked over, and Julie had fallen asleep, slumping in her seat as I motored on. Her skirt rode up as her legs parted. Those legs were deeply tanned, no doubt thanks to some tanning bed since it was a bit early in spring for soaking in the sun. I knew she was no stranger to the gym, so her legs were nicely shaped.

That gap between the buttons of her blouse revealed some soft white skin bulging above the frilly edge of her bra. One button had gone loose, and the view improved over time. Was that a bit of pink nipple? I glanced more than once; I'm not dead yet. But since I would have been, dead that is, if she caught me, I returned my gaze to the pavement ahead. Another half hour, and then I watched for and found the obscure left turn onto the even smaller road that led to the cabin.

We bored through a tunnel of pine trees on a narrow one lane that alternated between asphalt and oiled gravel. I steered between large boulders and larger trees, up over small rises and then through verdant meadows. A deer darted across the road, and squirrels danced before us in that suicidal race to extinction they like so. For a while, the road clung to the very edge of a canyon that fell away for over a thousand feet to the river churning below. I was thrilled, and Julie was terrified.

"Be careful! You're going too fast! Look out! Shit!!"

"Isn't this beautiful?"

"Beautiful? It's fucking terrible. Where are you taking me?"

"The cabin should be about fifteen miles further along this road."

"This isn't a road. It's a fucking joke. Nothing can be out here. We are nowhere. You are going to crash, and we will die out here, and no will find the bodies for years."

"You don't go to the mountains much, do you?"

"I've never been in a hell hole like this in my life. I go to hotels. I go to B&B's with picture windows overlooking the city. This is pure horror."

"Mitch thought you'd like this. I've never been on this road before, but I think this is wonderful. This is God's country."

"This is hell."

"Relax. We need about another half an hour, and we should be there."

A road junction loomed ahead. The small sign said: "Pickle Lake, 11 Mi" and the arrow pointed left. Left would be that canyon. I remembered the directions mentioning crossing the river, but it didn't say anything about that canyon. From our perspective, the road disappeared into space. Julie screamed when I turned.

The narrow switch-backing road dropped swiftly into the canyon, but it wasn't worth screaming. I could sense Julie's foot slamming the invisible brake pedal on the floor in front of her. I was having fun flicking the small sedan left and right on the narrow track. Birds flitted through flowering trees. Green was everywhere. Water trickled down the canyon wall, splashing off moss covered boulders.

A modern bridge crossed the river, which was a broiling caldron with early season runoff. I paused for a moment with the window down to listen. Julie suggested I was out of my mind.

A similar set of switch-backs led up the north side of the canyon. When we topped out we were in pines again. I followed the deserted path of the road. Just past a cattle guard, another sign showed us the way at a junction. I turned right and slowly crept around a rocky prominence. The lake lay on the far side, a shimmering blue mirror on this windless day, it reflected snowcapped mountains and large expanses of glittering granite.

We passed a line of small vacation homes, cottages and log cabins if the truth be told. Each faced the lake and the mountains beyond. Then the trees closed in again, and we crawled another half mile to where the road ended. The flat parking area could have held three cars if they liked each other. The cabin lay just beyond.

The house was sided in red cedar, with a river rock foundation and a flagstone walkway that led around the house to the lakeside entrance. Its roof was steep to shed the heavy snows of winter. Old drifts still lived in the shadows, slowly melting. Red snow flowers sprouted from the wet soil, looking as if they sprang from another world.

The cabin nestled in the pines, with a rock studded hill behind and nothing but forest beyond. The lake was a short walk away, with a meadow dotted with flowers laying the foreground of a rather fabulous view of mountains and ridge, blue lake and rocky island, and what was almost a sandy beach between. It seemed perfectly sited and welcoming. I was thrilled.

"This is it? This?"

Julie was less than overwhelmed.

I found the key in my pocket, and the door opened smoothly. The great room beckoned. A large picture window on my left faced the lake. In front above I could see the loft, with a wooden rail draped with a hide I took to be buffalo. A large mule deer head mount adorned the wall to the left. The fireplace was under it, with a hollow in the wall holding split firewood. A leather couch faced the fireplace with a small table behind flanked by two comfortable looking matching chairs. To the right a roughhewn wooden dining table with four armed chairs sat before a large window that opened on the lake. The kitchen lay beyond. A door led to a bedroom just left of the kitchen. This was pretty much the whole place.

Julie pushed past me into the cabin, paused for a moment to look around, and then she headed for the bedroom. The door closed behind her.

I figured that meant she was sleeping there, and that I probably had the loft. Oh, and it would be my responsibility to haul in the suitcases, ice chest, and food boxes and such.

Mitch offered the cabin to all the employees of the firm as a vacation option, but he favored those who worked the hardest. He had promised me a week alone, but at the last moment, when it was obvious to everyone that Julie needed a break from the pressure and tedium of the work, he pulled me aside and "suggested" I take her along. She wasn't thrilled, but had no choice. Needless to say, I agreed.

So I brought in the three suitcases she had brought, my one duffle bag, and the large plastic boxes with a week's worth of groceries I had procured for us. Then I found the folder on the kitchen counter with the directions for all the features of this place.

I located the thermostat although I let it be for now as the temperature was pleasant. The heater for the hot tub out back was turned on at a panel on the wall, and the chemicals were in the box over there. The sauna was a small wooden shed down by the water. I turned on the refrigerator. And then I found the switch for the water pump at the well head. Once the valve was turned at the propane tank, I started water for coffee.

Three suitcases sat next to the bedroom door, my duffle was up in the loft, and I had a fresh cup of coffee in hand as I looked out the picture window at the dramatic view of the lake. It was about one in the afternoon, but since I'd taken off my watch, I wouldn't swear to it.

I heard the bedroom door open. Julie stepped out, still in the khaki skirt and white blouse, both stained with spilled coffee.

"I'm hungry."

"What would you like? I've got soup, ham or turkey sandwiches, some polish sausage, brats, and hot dogs, salad, coffee, tea and beer, and some diet sodas and lots of crackers, cheese, and potato chips."

Julie just stared at me with a forlorn look on her face. She clearly was not having a good time.

"Tomato soup and a toasted cheese sandwich, with American cheese?"

"Yep, got it."

I thought she was going to cry. Her shoulders slumped and she trembled. I poured a cup of coffee, led her to a chair facing the view out that window, and handed her the brew.

"Give me just a minute, OK?"

She only nodded.

I actually had all that shit. Don't ask me why. Mitch handed me this assignment, and I took it to heart, and came up with everything I thought I'd need to survive. So far, it was working.

Good ole Campbell's tomato soup, some white bread and margarine and artificially colored yellow pasteurized processed cheese food, and soon enough I had a spread laid upon the plank for Julie. I led her to the table, pulled back a chair, and settled her in. She sat and stared for a while, then her shoulders shook and she began to cry. I let her be for a bit.

When I came back, she had finished off the food and was sipping her coffee, peering out the window.

"I'm sorry. I feel such a fool. I'm just so tired and so frustrated with work, and my mind won't settle down. I think I'm losing it. But this, this is without question the prettiest window view I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy."

"Yep"

"My mother......made me lunches like this. They always made me feel better, even when I didn't know why. She died last year, and now I have no one to turn to. With all the pressure, the work and the stress, I cannot begin to tell you how good this feels. Thank you."

"Yep"

"Did you, by any chance, bring something more, uh, potent to drink than this lovely coffee?"

"Yep"

"OK, what ya got?"

"Let's see...bourbon, gin, vodka, rum, and scotch. There is some beer in the fridge, and there might be a smidge of cognac in here somewhere."

"You are a boy scout. Might I have a scotch on the rocks?"

"Will be a while before we have ice, but there is some snow out there in the shadows."

"Neat will do, thank you."

Julie took a nap after that, and I cleaned up after our lunches. I found where the kayaks and canoes were hidden, and the path that I would explore the next morning. Out front, I wandered down to the lake, some decent bourbon in the glass. It smelled of wet forest and clean air. Not a single sound suggestive of civilization invaded the space. Instead I listened to chickadees, nuthatches, stellar jays, and those little gray birds that go chip, chip as they flit through the tree branches.

I stood and watched the lake and the rocky island out there, and the mountains rushed by, and any cares I had left and were not missed. A trout rose to an unseen bug, and I wondered if fishing tackle might be found in the cabin. Time was wasted, or not. And then I went back to the cabin, climbed into the loft, and I slept.

It was dark when I woke. I climbed down the ladder and went to the kitchen to start the sauce. Pasta and a vege tomato sauce, with grated parmesan cheese, chianti, and some garlic bread fresh from the oven. It would do. I left things simmering

Julie came out, in jeans and a sweatshirt. Yawning. She carried her laptop.

"Coffee, or wine?"

I looked at her laptop.

"You working or playing?"

"Working."

"I'll get you a cup of coffee."

Julie settled in on the couch in front of the fire I'd lit. She was busy reading something off the screen when I handed her a cup.

"Struthers?"

"Yeah. Mitch wants to use Bowers v the State of California. I think he is wrong. The prosecutor will have that all scoped out, and he will counter with good ole French, and we will be floundering. I want to do Smith v Ross. Just makes more sense."

"You interested in an outside opinion?"

"From a second year student and para legal? OK, sure. What ya got?"

"Stewart, Fox, et al."

"You're shitting me. Nobody's used that in 100 years. It's all about horses."

"Yeah, and Struthers used a horse. It goes to his mental state. Think about it. The prosecutor pulls out French, and you've now got three ways you can go, all winners if the judge allows Stewart."

"No way....Unless... Shit! You might be on to something. Get me some more coffee. I'm sorry...please may I have some more coffee?"

My dinner was excellent, but I don't know if Julie tasted it at all. But she spent some time on the computer, some more time writing, and then with a really spent look on her face, she headed off to bed. I watched the fire for a while and then I crashed too. I slept next to an open window, and the birds introduced me to Sunday morning.

I dressed, made coffee, built a new fire, and then left the cabin to enter the mountains. The path went north through the trees. Frost covered everything. The air was crisp and cold. The lake was in and out of sight on my right, the meadows peeked at me under their bits of ground fog, and the trees loomed above, quietly in charge of it all. Squirrels chattered their objection to my intrusion. The stellar jays commentary never ceased.

A doe with its brand new spotted fawn held my attention for a short eternity. I climbed to an overlook, with the lake below and even more mountains out there. The sun climbed past the horizon and I felt its warmth. Nothing could be better than this, two hours passed, and so I headed back. Julie was awake when I arrived. She cried out.

"Where were you? I thought you'd left me alone up here."

"Geez, I'm sorry. I just took a little walk. I'm sorry."

She stood there in the clothes she had slept in. The extra large T-shirt hung halfway to her knees. There was no bra, and the outline of erect nipples into the thin cotton fabric was hard to ignore. But she was freaked. I keep forgetting that some folks don't appreciate the alone part of being in the mountains. And Julie was a hang with a group of people kind of person.

"Sorry. Next time I'll tell you if I'm gonna leave. I'll take care of you here. I promise."

"Oh, I'm just being silly. I've never slept where there were no streetlights. It gets fucking dark here."

"Yeah, and no moon right now. Wait til you see the stars. You won't believe them."

"Stars? You look at stars? Really?"

"Oh yeah! You can't imagine how many stars you can see when you get away from city lights."

"People don't get away from city lights; they go to them. You know...night life? Who goes to bed at ten on a Saturday night? And what time did you get up this morning? I didn't even hear you leave, and I got up early, at nine thirty I think."

"I'd been walking for three hours by then."

Julie simply stared at me, her mouth gaping open. Then she glanced toward the kitchen.

"So, are you ready for breakfast?"

"I'm starved."

"You can help yourself, you know. The coffee is in the freezer, and there's eggs and stuff in the fridge if you don't want to wait for me."

"Uh...I get my coffee from Peets at home, and usually I eat out. I don't cook much. Hell, I don't cook at all. Don't know how, really. I can't even make my own coffee. It's kind of embarrassing."

"Well let me throw something together. Pancakes OK?"

"Love em."

We were nearly done with breakfast when Julie spoke.

"I was reading the precedent you suggested. I hadn't read that one since school. Nobody uses it anymore, not since the automobile was invented anyway. I thought you were nuts, but you are not nuts, and I owe you an apology. I...we can use this I think. I can't get a cell here, but I will text Mitch as soon as we get back near civilization. Meanwhile, I've more work to do. What are you up to today?"

"I thought I'd take out one of the kayaks. That island out in the lake looks interesting."

"A kayak? You'll tip over and drown."

"I don't think so. I do this all the time and it's a bunch of fun. You should try it."

"I don't think so."

"Suit yourself. Don't work too hard. This is vacation, remember?"

"Fuck you!"

She said it with a smile. And I smiled back. I was going to find a way to survive this, somehow. I left her to her obsession, and I grabbed a water bottle and walked out to where Mitch had stored the boats for the winter. They weren't even locked. At home they would have been stolen twice. I love the mountains.

I had the broad brimmed hat, sun block on the usual places, including the underside that burns from sun reflected off the water, and my gloves. I took the larger, two person kayak. Wanted to get used to it before trying to load Julie in there.

Once out on the smooth water, it felt like home again. Just gliding along, silently, beauty on four sides....never mind, for I cannot describe this joy to you. It was just good.

The lake was about two miles across, with an island about halfway. I followed the shoreline, ducking into the little bays looking for wildlife. The row of cabins was to the south, so I went north. I found an osprey nest, with one white head in there. Likely sitting on eggs. I gave it a wide berth.

The third little bay had a dead snag out on the point. The bald eagle sat on a dead branch hanging over the water. I let him be too.

I saw a few ducks, a kingfisher, and lots of the raucous jays. And then I saw the fucking beaver. We had fucking beavers! Their lodge was near the shore, where the creek flowed in just below the waterfall. This was getting good. I killed a few hours this way. It was tough, but somebody had to do it.

The island was the center of the universe. There was this boulder you could lean against and look out across the lake at the horizon to horizon view of jagged snowcapped mountains, with the intensely green forest skirting their bases, and it was worth another hour or two. The sun was heading for Hawaii when I paddled back to the cabin.

Julie was standing at the beach when I arrived. She held a glass in one hand, and wore a smile. The bow of the kayak ground into the beach.

"Hi...did you have fun?"

"Yeah, you have no idea. It is so pretty out there; I saw an eagle, a beaver...it was just great. How did you do today?"

"I got some work done, but you know...I lost interest in it, and I read from that book I never finished, and then I wandered around out here, and...I don't know...it's weird, with nothing I usually do to do...it felt good, it's so pretty, and the birds and I saw a deer...there's something about this place that just sucks the shit out of your life. It was simply fun doing nothing."

"You are, my friend, beginning to get it."

I left the kayak on the beach and we walked slowly up to the cabin. I found the salmon I'd left in the fridge soaking up the teriyaki sauce. I chopped the veges while the brown rice simmered. Julie hung with me in the kitchen. She wanted to watch me cook. I found the bourbon, and tried to tell her about all I'd seen. She smiled and said little.

I had brought the good wok, and once the rice was ready, it stir fried the salmon, bok choy, celery, shaved ginger, onions, sprouts, and mushrooms quickly. I had brought a decent bottle of white wine. We enjoyed dinner.

We tried the hot tub that evening. I had cleaned up the kitchen, and she had finished the wine, and when the subject of the hot tub came up, and Julie confessed that she hadn't brought her swimsuit, I mentioned just how dark it gets in the mountains, and it wouldn't matter, and she bought it. I checked the temperature of the water, turned on the jets, and left her alone for a bit.

I stood a polite distance away.

"You OK in there?"

"Yes, it is wonderful!"

"Company OK?"

"Yes...come on it."

I climbed into the water. The temp was perfect. I sighed.

"You were right."

"Ah, OK. Right about what?"

"The stars. The stars are simply beyond belief. I don't know what to say except...thank you."

"Yeah, aren't they."

"Frank, this doesn't change anything, you know. I'm still a junior partner, and there will be no fooling around on this trip. Just because I'm not decent in here, and we are in here together....well don't be getting any ideas. All right?

"Of course. Never gave it a thought."

"Good."

We soaked for a while, and the stars kept us company, and when Julie suggested that she had had enough, I exited first. It was left that there was nothing more to this being naked together in a hot tub than the simple reality that she had forgotten a swimsuit. I was feeding logs to the fire when she came into the cabin, and disappeared into the bedroom. I crashed shortly thereafter.

It didn't get as cold that night, and the breeze sifting through the window was very pleasant. I hung around the cabin the next morning, not wanting to terrify Julie again. I read my novel in front of the fire until she awoke. I made coffee, and then bacon and eggs for breakfast. By ten she was wondering what to do for the day. I suggested the kayak.

Julie wasn't real sure, but I promised a safe trip. I showed her how to climb into the boat without tipping, and then climbed in myself. She held her paddle without joining in, and I paddled us along the shore. She soon caught on to the joy of this. The first little bay was interesting. The second held the osprey nest, and she checked out mom on the eggs through my binoculars. The eagle wasn't there this time, but we did find a beaver. And then I took her to the island. The view was the same and it was wonderful.

We lay against the rock and savored the crackers and cheese, and the wine. The sun was very warm. She fell asleep for a bit. I relaxed and enjoyed. When she awoke, she smiled at me.

"This is heaven."

"Yep."

"It reminds me a little of Mykonos. I went there once. I'd like to enjoy this sun more."

"How's that?"

"I'd like to take my shirt off like they do on the Greek islands."

"I can leave."

"No, I want you to stay."

Julie was wearing shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt. She crossed her arms and pulled the shirt off over her head. Her bra was white, and low cut, and very sexy. Her breasts bulged out the top of the cups. She reached behind, and before my eyes she unhooked the thing, and it fell into her lap. Her breasts were full and upright, and not tanned at all. Her nipples were pink and taunt and they looked just fine. Julie, junior partner at Cheatum and Howe, and my boss, was lying on the sand, back against the boulder, with lake and mountains before her. She laid her head back against the rock, closed her eyes, and sighed in pleasure as the sun beat down upon her skin.

I of course, joined her in the shirt off department. I doubt she was nearly as impressed with me. We soaked in the warm sun for some considerable time. I enjoyed the view of the mountains, and of my boss, as she lay there with her eyes closed. My cock swelled, even though I told it to remain at ease. Her breasts moved up and back with her breathing.

Eventually I fell asleep. When I awoke, Julie was propped up on one elbow, turned to watch me, eyes glued on my cock. He was at full attention in my shorts. I must have been dreaming. He left some considerable bulge in my shorts. Julie didn't seem to mind.

That's when we heard the voices. They came from the other side of the island, just down the ridge behind us. Julie was alarmed, but I held my finger to my lips to shush her, and I stood to look back over our backrest rock. I was concealed by a large bush, and I looked down the slight slope to where a canoe was beached and a man and woman were standing on a sandy area below me, hidden from the cabins way back on shore by a copse of trees. They clearly had eyes only for themselves and were taking advantage of the privacy.

Julie came up beside me, and we watched as the two below tore into each other. Clearly, they were much enamored with each other. They were younger than us, barely out of their teens, if that. Arms wrapped around each other, their mouths were locked. Moments later, hands danced all over, on breasts and rear ends, and on the bulge in the front of the man's shorts. She pulled her shirt over her head, and he pulled down the front of her bra, planting his lips on her breast. She was wrapping her fingers around that bulge of his.

Julie stood beside me, and together we watched. The young woman was clearly enjoying her partners' lips on her nipples. Her eyes closed and her head lay back as she presented her chest to him. Julie's arm brushed against mine. I glanced over, and she had her hand wrapped around her breast, squeezing it.

I watched as the young woman dropped to her knees before her man, and with two hands she attacked the front of his shorts. They dropped to his knees and his firm cock sprang up in front of her face. Her eyes were fixed on it, and her lips parted just inches away from the tip. Her tongue flicked over his cock head. It bobbed in front of her. The man closed his eyes as her lips covered and then slid along his erect cock. From fifty feet away, we listened to him moan. She worked on him for some time. I had an unobstructed view of her breasts as she sucked his cock. I enjoyed that. Julie seemed to be enjoying things too.

Our new friends paused long enough to spread a large towel on the sand. He was kicking off his shorts and losing his shirt as she sat on the towel and raised up her butt to pull off her shorts. She lay back and slowly raised and then spread her knees for him. He kneeled between and then bent into the gap between her thighs. His tongue went to work on her pussy. She enjoyed him, and her cries echoed through the trees as she came and then came again.

Julie was panting next to me, still playing with her breast. She seemed flushed. The girl on the towel certainly was, as her chest and shoulders glowed red and her breasts heaved with her exertions. Her partner lifted his head, and then used a hand to guide his cock into her swollen pussy. He rammed it home, and she cried out with yet another spasm of pleasure. The pussy pounding commenced, with him grunting and her crying and writhing about. She left bleeding gashes down his back with her nails as the delirium overtook her. Probably was a good thing he didn't last long, or she might have torn him asunder. But he came with a roar, arching his back as he fired his load deep into her. It looked as if it should come out her mouth, he drove so deeply into her. Her head was lolling back and forth, mouth wide open, unintelligible noises tumbling out. He collapsed on top of her.

I looked over at Julie, and she was simply staring, mouth open in amazement.

"I think we should go."

"Yeah, I guess."

She reached down for her bra and shirt, and I grabbed the daypack and my shirt, and we quietly snuck down to the kayak. I had my shirt on, but she still carried hers. Her gait was a bit unsteady. I helped her into the kayak, still looking at her bare breasts. Then I climbed into the back seat. I paddled for the northern shore. This time the eagle was perched on his branch, but I don't know if Julie noticed.

When I beached the kayak in front of the cabin, Julie still was bare above the waist. I helped her out of the boat, and then she left me to deal with the kayak as she headed across the little meadow toward the cabin, her shirt dangling from one hand. When I got to the cabin, her bedroom door was closed. I heard the shower turn on as I was busy in the kitchen setting the steaks in the marinade, and opening a bottle of cabernet to let it breathe.

I poured a glass of my good bourbon, and then settled in a chair in front of the window with what was left of a very engrossing novel. It was some time before Julie shut down the shower. And some time later she came out. It was growing dark outside by then. My baked potatoes were finished in the oven, and they sat wrapped in foil. The salad was made and all I needed to do for dinner to be ready was broil the steaks and steam the veges. I was still sipping bourbon.

"Hi stranger. Would you like a glass of wine?"

"Nope...something stronger."

Julie found the Scotch, and she poured herself a considerable serving. And she nearly chugged it down. I sensed something was up. I'd expected her to be nicely relaxed, what with that long shower and whatever she might have been doing in there to, ah, wash certain body parts. But she was anything but relaxed. I wondered if I was in trouble again.

Julie wore her old lady baggy jeans and a loose t-shirt. No bra. This was obvious for the usual reasons, not the least of which was the way I could see her nipples through the fabric. Her hair was still damp from the shower, but it was combed into passable shape, and she had applied makeup, just a bit, but nice. She wasn't smiling.

"I can have dinner ready in just a few minutes if you are interested."

No response. Julie sat sideways in an easy chair, legs draped over one arm. She cradled what was left of her drink in two hands. And she stared off into space. I let her be.

Time passed. Outside it was full dark. I was wondering if I should turn on the oven to warm the potatoes again. Finally, out of nowhere, Julie spoke.

"Frank..... I'm not a virgin. I know the women in the firm have a name for me. You know how nasty women can be. They call me the Iron Maiden. They say that I've never had a...you know...that all I need is a good fuck. I know they talk about me behind my back. I hear them laughing. My job comes first, and if I want to succeed I cannot let personal things get in the way. But they hate me for this.

Well, I have had a lover. I even lived with him for a few months when I was still in school. It didn't end well. But I'm not a virgin. I never can see why those women hate me so. I mean, what's the big deal with sex? It is just what you do because you have to. But when my boyfriend left me, he said that making love to me was like trying to fuck a cold fish. I never knew why he said that. And I sure never know what those women are trying to prove when they say those nasty things about me. And then.....this afternoon....watching that woman and man together....

I didn't even know what they were doing to each other half of the time. But boy, did they have fun. Sex was never fun for me. Am I that weird? Am I really an Iron Maiden?"

"I doubt it."

She started crying.

"I don't want to be the Iron Maiden. But I don't know what to do. What am I doing wrong?"

"I have no idea, but I'll bet it's not so much about what you are doing. Can I ask you a few very personal questions?"

"I suppose..."

"What was sex like for you, you know...with your boyfriend?"

"We'd go to bed, and he would play with himself until he was ready, and then he'd climb on me and put it in. After a while it stopped hurting, but I was glad he didn't do it for very long. He'd grunt and tremble, and it was finally over. Then he went to sleep, and I went to the bathroom to clean up. For the life of me, I had no idea why the other girls talk about sex all the time. I can live without it."

"So, he never kissed you, touched you on your breasts or there."

I pointed to her crotch.

"No....well yes, when we were first dating and he wanted to spend the night with me. It felt good, and I would get wet.....uh, down there, so I let him stay. When we had sex then it didn't hurt. I kinda liked it, and I was disappointed when he was done so fast. But once he moved in with me, other than grabbing my breasts when we were out in public, and he wanted people to see, he almost never touched me for sex."

"Let me guess...what you saw this afternoon never happened with your boyfriend."

"I've never seen anything like that in my life. She really seemed like she enjoyed that."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Is it like that with other people? Does everybody like it that much?"

"Girl, sex is different with everybody. Way different. Is that guy the only one you've had sex with?"

"Yeah."

"How old were you when you first were with him?"

"Twenty-two"

"And he's the only one. Please, allow me to say one thing. You could have done better."

She began to cry. I moved to stand beside her.

"You never had a chance. That Scotch in your hand. Do you like it or do you simply drink it because it is the attorney drink of choice?"

"No, I like it."

"Now tell me this....The first time you tasted Scotch, did you like it?"

"Ugh! No! It took me a while, but now I like it."

"Kinda like sex, ya know. It's OK or so-so when you first try it as a kid, and then it can get a whole lot better. And like Scotch, it helps to not drink the cheap stuff. Your old boyfriend was cheap Scotch."

"I never thought of it like that. So, those two people today....good Scotch?"

"Yeah, and lots of practice. How do I get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice."

"That sounds like fun."

"Oh, I recommend it."

And before this turned into an awkward moment, I turned and walked into the kitchen to finish fixing our dinner. And I poured a fresh bourbon for myself. I was chopping the vegetables next to the sink when Julie appeared next to me. She didn't say anything. Just stood there a hair's breadth away. The edge of her t-shirt sleeve brushed against my arm. I could smell her clean hair.

"That looks like fun."

"Yeah, it kinda is. You want to try it? I'll teach you."

"Oh, I do. I've so much to learn."

"OK, first ....this is a very sharp knife. A sharp knife is safer, but it will cut you if you make a mistake. You hold it like this...Go ahead ....Yeah, like that. Now, let me show you how to hold this carrot so you slice it and not you. Fold your fingers like this, and slide the blade against your knuckle. Yeah, like that. Do it slowly until you get more practice."

I stood behind Julie with my arms around her and my hands guiding her hands. I was talking softly just beside her left ear. I watched as goose bumps rose on her arms. I felt her shudder a bit.

"You OK?"

"Oh, you make me shiver when you talk into my ear."

"Should I stop?"

"No....don't stop. I like it.

That thing I said last night....about no fooling around? Well....I think that rule can be rescinded now. New evidence has been introduced. I think you should proceed with your testimony, under oath of course. Would the witness please speak directly into the ear so the jury can hear clearly?"

"Yes, your honor.

Hi, is this better?"

That would be me whispering directly into Julie's left ear. She didn't answer. There was just this sharp intake of air, her mouth gaped open, and she shivered again. I made a point to breathe into her ear. That worked too. So I let my lips brush against Julie's ear. A little touch of tongue can't hurt, right? So that happened also. Another shiver. She dropped the knife on the counter, and she took my hands in hers and pulled them to wrap my arms around her. I took the hint, and applied a hug.

"Oh gawd, yes! Please hold me."

I held her tight, and began to kiss the side of her neck, just below her ear. A shiver and then a moan. My fingers began the light stroke along her sides, just shy of a tickle. Her muscles twitched under my palms. Her body pressed against me, feeling very warm. I moved my kissed forward until my lips were under her chin. She let her head loll back to let me in there. Her hand went to her breast, grasping it through the thin cotton fabric, the erect nipple squeezed between two fingers.

My hands went all over her belly, sliding lightly, fingertips tracing lazy circles. Down to the top of her jeans and up to the bottom of her breasts. Her hand finally reached down and grabbed one of mine, which she placed squarely on her breast. I knew what to do with that.

The other hand joined it, and they danced upon Julie's breasts, fingertips sliding lightly about, teasing her nipples, gently pressing here and there, all while my lips and tongue explored all of her neck. She was panting now, her face flushed, her eyes going out of focus, her mouth open with pleasure sounds seeping out.

The time had come for the t-shirt to go. My hands raised it as Julie lifted her arms to free it. Off and tossed away, it was soon forgotten. Bare skin beckoned, on belly and breasts, under her arms and along her shoulders. My kisses went down her back for a while, and then back up to those red swollen lips that now ached for them. She tried to suck my lips off my face when I pinched her nipples.

Julie seemed ready to burst, and when she pulled away to look me in the eye, smile, and then softly say, "You can have sex with me now if you want".

I could have done anything I wanted with her. So I did.

I took her hand and led her back to the great room, past the open door to her bedroom, over to the couch, right in front of the warm, blazing fire.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, I figure we have all night, so we should relax and enjoy ourselves."

I sat at one end of the couch, one leg up on the seat, and invited Julie to sit in front of me and lean back against me. My arms wrapped around her, and her head lay back against my shoulder. I had two handfuls of breast for a while, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Then I rubbed her shoulders and massaged her back and neck. Then some more breast time. She grew weary of none of this. Her shoulders glowed red, which spread over her breasts. Her nipples grew more sensitive with time, and she began having spasms of pleasure that visibly spread through her body. Hers eyes were half closed all the time now, and her breaths came with sharp intakes and then left with soft moans and little chirps and cries. She shook all over.

Looking down, the wet spot in her pants spread down the fabric of both legs of her jeans. Her legs spread instinctively when my hand touched the front of her thigh. I didn't accommodate her right away, but only gently squeezed her thigh with one hand while still keeping her at high simmer with the other on her breast. My tongue and lips continued working on her shoulders and neck. Each time a finger slid inside her thigh for a moment, her breath sucked in.

An hour had passed on the couch, but no one was counting. Julie twitched and shuddered, moaned and cried soft yips and squeals. I finally let a finger slide slowly down Julie's inner thigh, which was soggy and so warm. It came to rest on the wet seam right in the middle, and parked there for a bit, pushing down until she realized that she could press herself back against it and then move about to pleasure herself. She caught on quickly, and soon she was thrashing against my finger, seeking out the pleasure she discovered there, and I watched her belly muscles tighten as she went from bent forward to arched back, the pleasure driving her beyond her conscious mind, back to the primitive side she had never before met.

The climax, when it came likely surprised her, but she didn't try to stop it, and it took her over and drove her beyond the precipice, into the cauldron of ecstasy.

My fingers found the button and zipper, and with a cooperative wiggle on her part, her pants slipped down and off. She leaned back against me again, and her legs spread, and my fingers went quickly to nestle in between her thighs. Her pussy lips were swollen and sensitive, and soaked with her juices. I explored her gently, and she reacted to each touch with a squirm and a hiss or moan. A finger fell inside her, while another found the little button. Just a fingertip wet from her own supply, with only the slightest pressure applied, slipped across her clit, again and again, back and forth, side to side, just a tickle of touch, and it slowly built the fire within her, and she tensed and twitched and then cried out. Her thighs closed around my hands, driving my fingers deep into her, and crushing her clit as she squeezed my hands until they went numb. Her pleasure burst forth in screams as her whole body tensed and shuddered, her breaths jerking in and wailing out.

Her cries filled the room, over and over again as she had found the secret place and she exploited it. She came and came again, time after time, and then as if the fuse finally blew, she went very limp, and I had to hold her up. I let her come down from the mountain, her jerking breaths slowing and then settling into normal. She still twitched if I touched her nipple, and I gave her one more little climax doing just that. And then she slept.

It must have been about 10 when she awoke. My leg had fallen asleep. She looked around as if confused. The lights came on in her eyes, and she turned to face me, a silly smile covering her face.

"That was.....amazing. Simply amazing. I've never felt anything like that before. You did that to me, didn't you?"

"Nope. You did that yourself. I just helped you find the way. The path was always there simply waiting for you. I'm glad you found it."

"But you didn't have sex with me. I didn't give you what you need. You must hate me now."

"Ah, no."

"I don't understand. Pete, my old boyfriend always got angry and then pouted if I didn't let him, you know."

"I won't disparage a man not here to defend himself, but I'm not Pete."

"No shit!"

"Can I get you anything? A drink? Some dinner? Another orgasm?"

"I'm getting a bit cold. On my bed I left a shirt..."

"Got it. Anything else?"

"A drink?"

"Good Scotch?"

"Yeah, I like good Scotch."

"Yeah, you do."

She was smiling.

The shirt was long sleeved and flannel, and she didn't button it. The view was enticing and distracting. I handed her the glass, and again asked if I could do anything. She wasn't hungry, but she said her whole body was getting stiff. I mentioned the sauna. It wouldn't take but a few minutes to get hot.

"I've never been in a sauna."

"It takes a moment to get used to it, but after a while you will like it. Go easy on the Scotch, for you don't do this one with too much of that in your system."

"Sounds intriguing."

I went out and flipped the switch. Then I filled the wooden bucket with water from the lake. Twenty minutes later, the little wooden room would be warming up.

"We do a sauna wearing only a towel."

"Works for me, because these pants are done for the night. I guess I have you to thank for that too."

I only smiled. She came out of the bedroom with the large white towel wrapped around her. I made a point to undress before her, waiting just a moment before wrapping the towel around my waist. My cock was about half way up, and I noticed Julie noticed.

The little sauna room was lined in some light colored wood strips, running diagonally up the walls. The wooden bench bent around one corner of the little room, stretching along two walls. Two people would fit on each side, if they liked each other. The heater box topped with black stones resided in the opposite corner. It was warm headed toward hot when we entered.

"Have a seat. Make sure you have some towel to sit on, for the bench can get hot enough to leave a mark. Your job is to sit until you feel too hot, and then we add water for some steam, and you sweat out all of life's evil quickly. And then we get out. Then I will be jumping into the lake. That is a jolt, but it has its pleasures too. You may join me or not, as you wish."

"Women don't sweat...we glow."

"Yeah, you'll do that too."

I sat with my towel wrapped around my waist, but I opened it to get comfortable. Following my lead, Julie dropped her towel too. I stole some quick looks, and I noticed she did too. The room got hotter.

"This is getting a bit much for me."

"Let me make some steam. Stick with it as long as you can so that you sweat. You'll thank me later."

Cold lake water sizzled when it hit the hot rocks. Steam enveloped us. It filled my lungs, and sweat poured from me. I watched as droplets of sweat ran down her breasts to drip off her nipples. Julie was a trooper, but I called a halt before she got over done. We stepped out into the cool evening. I headed for the lake.

"You're kidding...right?"

"Nope."

"OK"

Hand in hand, we waded into the frigid water. About thigh deep, I flopped into the water. It was a rush. When I came up, Julie was whooping. I gave it about a minute, and then led her back up the beach. Our towels were welcome. I dried her all over, being real careful to rub her breasts and pass the towel between her thighs. She smiled.

Back inside, in front of the fire, Scotch and bourbon in hand, we tingled all over.

"Wow! That was different. But neat. All my muscle stiffness is gone, but I notice that's not all the stiffness that is gone."

She was looking at my cock. The cold water had the predictable effect on him. I was naked, and Julie wore only the flannel shirt, unbuttoned. I was about to mention that my view of her would soon fix that, when she reached out to grasp my cock.

"Can I do anything to help?"

"By all means."

"That woman this afternoon. She was kissing his penis.....I've never seen that before. It seems a bit weird, but he sure seemed to like it. You have shown me so many things in three days that I didn't know existed....Can you show me how to do what that woman did to her man?"

"Sure, if that's what you want."

"Oh, you don't want..."

"Ah, no. That's not it at all. I'd love for you to learn this. I just don't want to make you do something you don't really want to do."

"I think I want to."

"Well, then let me introduce you to...I don't really have a name for him."

"Men name their penises?"

"Yeah. We do."

"How cute. What if we call him little Frank?"

"That would not be a complement."

"Sorry. But look....He's not so little anymore."

Julie was right about that. She'd been holding my cock in her warm fingers, and I'd been subtly enjoying the view she presented, one breast exposed by the open front of her flannel shirt, and that lovely nest between her legs as she sat cross-legged on the couch. Little Frank was growing larger and harder. She smiled at him.

"I like little Frank."

"Well, feel free to get to know him better. He likes to be kissed."

Julie was looking my cock up and down, holding him to one side and then the other. She sniffed his tip. She squeezed him. I moaned just a bit. She smiled again."

"I get it. You like this."

She didn't wait for a reply. She squeezed me again, and then she noted the little glistening drop on the tip of my cock. She touched it, and when she noted how slippery it was, she rubbed it over the tip of my cock. Another moan. She smiled. More squeezes; more stroking. Then she leaned in and kissed my cock head.

"That's not so bad. I think I like this."

"I do, too."

Julie took that as an OK to keep experimenting. I watched as she took more of my cock into her mouth. I felt her tongue dance over the tip. I made a point of telling her when she did something that felt good. She caught on quickly, and with just a few hints, she was soon sucking away, stroking with her hands, letting her fingertips tickly my balls. The room went out of focus as I concentrated on my pleasure. I watched my cock slipping in and out of Julie's mouth, her head bobbing back and forth. I watched her breasts, and reached down to stroke them. She was drooling just a bit.

I felt the burn starting deep within. My body wanted to cum. Julie must have sensed something, because her eyes turned up to peer into mine. My face must have given something away.

"You're ready, right?"

"Yeah, oh gawd yeah."

"Oh please, just let it go. I want you to let it go."

No problemo. The pressure built while Julie sucked my cock, and as my eyes closed and the stars began to pop along the insides of my eyelids, I let the torrent loose, splashing my cum into her eager mouth. She took it in, except for that part that leaked out the side of her mouth, and I spurted time and again. My legs went rubbery as the roar in my ears subsided. I finally ran out of juice just as my cock slowly slipped out of Julie's mouth.

"Uhh! Thank you, Ms Dickson. Thank you. The defense rests."

Julie began to giggle.

"That was fun. Can we do that again?"

"Give me a minute."

This time she brought me a splash of bourbon. I'd given up on the steak dinner. It would wait for morning, when the baked potatoes would become fried, and the chopped veges would go into the scrambled eggs, and the steaks would make for fine lunch sandwiches later that day.

We went to bed hungry, together in her bedroom that night. We awoke together, and in the predawn quiet, just as the birds began their morning ruckus, I introduced Julie to the joys of a man's tongue upon her clit, and then shortly later, I climbed aboard with my cock inside her, and we rode each other into multiple orgasm history.

After her cries quieted, and she moved off the huge wet spot on her sheets, she looked across the pillow toward me.

"What day is this?"

"Tuesday."

"Wow...We have until Sunday, right?"

"Yep"

"Good. I hope you brought more good Scotch. I really like that stuff."

"All you need or want, boss."

"And stop calling me boss."