Chapter 15 - The Visit

by Monica Rose and Marina Kelly
Editor: Qmodo

They dropped Emily off at her place before heading out of town. Leslie and Emily had spent a few minutes talking quietly before Emily turned away with a smile. Leslie watched her walk inside before getting into the car with a smile of her own.

“I take it that you have plans for this evening?” Mary Sue asked, looking at Leslie with a grin.

Leslie turned her smile on Mary Sue and replied, “Yes, I think so. I hope that our visit to the Kaylock ranch won’t take all afternoon.”

The drive to the Kaylock ranch took almost forty-five minutes. Pat had elected not to accompany them on Leslie’s interview of the Kaylock’s and had agreed to remain at home for safety. Leslie had convinced him that he might not be safe to return to work until she had spoken with the Kaylocks and informed them that Mary Sue would be leaving town. The last thing that Leslie would do before returning to her regular duties would be to make sure that Mary Sue was safely on a flight back to New York.

The two women talked about Mary Sue’s research and the direction her thesis seemed to be taking. When that ran down, Leslie regaled Mary Sue with some of her milder experiences from the military. Talk finally turned to the Kaylocks. While Leslie was loath to reveal much in the way of information, she did admit that nothing seemed to implicate the Kaylocks in any of the events other than the fact that Tom Kaylock had been in possession of the library key at the time the fire had been set. The other interesting item was that the lock that had been used to chain the door of the building was a special lock that was mostly used by military and law enforcement. It was possible for them to be used by civilians, but not common.

An interesting fact that Leslie shared was that Tom Kaylock really was positioning himself as a Congressional candidate. That meant that he would be very interested in keeping any sort of controversy out of the media. Leslie was non-committal when she agreed with Mary Sue’s statement that Tom actually had a good reason for wanting to suppress any news about Yolanda. Never mind that Yolanda had not been a member of the Kaylock family until she married into it. Apparently, just having Yolanda marry into the family was bad enough.

The passing landscape was mainly low, rolling hills and Mary Sue could see the beginnings of the mountains lying low on the horizon to the west. The ground was covered with dense scrub grass, but it was early enough in the spring that the grass seemed to be more gray than green. She wondered how anyone could manage to raise cattle with only this kind of vegetation being available. But there was a kind of beauty in the countryside.

Not too long after they left the outskirts of Laramie, they started seeing signs of land development and construction. It appeared that new retail and residential construction stood poised to add substantially to the choices already available in this section of the county. She could see that her friends might not be concerned about this development as there did not appear to be any competition that would affect them. The mercantile might be the only retail establishment that would notice any impact when the chain stores realized that there might be a market to be exploited.

The last fifteen minutes of their drive was within the Kaylock ranch. The road was marked at several points by signs warning that the road they were travelling was private and the fences that lined the road also informed the reader that they were trespassing.

As they got further into the ranch, the vegetation appeared to look healthier. When Mary Sue commented on it, Leslie nodded and said, “Yes. It’s because the Kaylock ranch controls several natural water springs. I learned about the springs in high school. It seems like I’ve lived a couple of lifetimes since then.”

The road they were travelling had obviously been designed for aesthetics, which became obvious as they rounded a low hill and the complex of buildings of the Kaylock ranch came into view. The main house was immediately apparent because of the number of trees that had been planted and cultivated over the years. There was nowhere else around Laramie that had trees growing like a small forest. It probably helped that there was a constant water supply available.

Outbuildings were scattered around it, most bordering on corrals and feed lots. Pasture land seemed to spread out away from the ranch house itself in all directions. A small river appeared to begin in a field behind the house and meander out of sight around a hillock in the back. The ground was green around the house and river, the remained was sere, dry scrub. Mary Sue glimpse a park-like area between the house and river before it was hidden from sight as they approached.

The driveway wound past the housed in a circle. As they drove up, Mary Sue saw Ron’s truck under a tree beside the house with the hood up. It was strange that Ron would be working under a tree instead of in one of the buildings. Surely they had a fully equipped garage to work in.

The sound of their approach got the attention of the man working on the engine and Ron Kaylock stood back to find out who had arrived. When he saw that the car held Leslie and Mary Sue, his calm expression morphed into a sneer.

He was standing between the car and the house when Leslie opened her door and stepped out.

"What are you doing here, bitch?" On his home ground, Ron made no attempt to exhibit even the little bit of civility that he had shown in town.

"I'm here to speak to your father as part of my investigation," Leslie replied. She had verified that Ron had used his influence to get her co-workers recalled and she had as much respect for the man as he had for her. She knew that anything that might inflame the situation could be used against her at some point. That was the main reason why she had brought Mary Sue along. She might not be the most impartial witness, but Pat already had a bad relationship with Ron and it would have been a bad idea to have him accompany her. Mary Sue's presence as an eyewitness should be enough to make Ron back off.

"This is private property! Get back in your car and leave."

"I'm here on official business Mr. Kaylock. As such, I am authorized to go anywhere I deem necessary. I'm here to speak to your father and finish my report."

"I can call some of my ranch hands over and make you leave," Ron threatened.

Leslie dropped her voice to a deadly calm level and said, "I am authorized to defend myself. I promise you that I will not be shooting at the men you send at me." Her hand dropped to the top of the holster on her hip.

Her threat brought him up short and his mouth snapped shut. While he wanted her gone, risking his life for it was not something that he was willing to do.

"Fine!" he spat out. "Go talk to the old fool!"

As he turned to leave, Leslie said sweetly, "Just a moment Mr. Kaylock."

She hadn't been born yesterday. Letting Ron out of her sight meant that the danger level would jump for her and Mary Sue.

When he turned back to her, she continued, "I think that it would be wiser if you joined us Mr. Kaylock and I know that I would rather have you in front of me than behind me. Let's all go up to the house. When I'm done speaking to your father, you can go back to what I interrupted when we got here." Leslie's rather blatant insult did not go unnoticed and Ron's lip curled in an angry sneer, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

Without taking her eyes from Ron, Leslie motioned to a wide-eyed Mary Sue to get out of the car. Mary had watched the entire confrontation with rising fear and was shaking a bit as she joined Leslie. Leslie gestured to the man to lead the way up to the house and the three of them tramped up to the door. Leslie had Ron stand back while she knocked and waited for an answer.

The door was opened by a servant who acknowledged Leslie's request to speak to Tom before leaving the door. After a few minutes, the elder Kaylock came to the door.

Ron's father stood in the door, studying the tableau on the porch. His arm rested on the door frame so that he appeared to be lounging, symbolically barring their entry. He favored Leslie with an expression of annoyed disinterest, but the look he gave Mary Sue was positively venomous before looking back at Leslie. Mary Sue shrank back in the face of his hostility.

He focused back on Leslie and said, "Well? This must be important for you to have my son escorting you around."

"Mr. Kaylock, I'm…" Leslie began.

"I know who you are Deputy," Kaylock said, cutting her off. "What do you want?"

"I have some additional questions that need to be answered to follow-up on the questions that Sheriff Jackson asked you regarding the fire at the library," Leslie said, unperturbed.

Her ace-in-the-hole was that Tom was working hard to be a congressional candidate. If he refused to co-operate in her investigation, she would make sure that it was public knowledge that he was being obstructive. Tom seemed to know his vulnerability in this situation though, because he said nothing further as she continued.

"I just need to know a few things so that I can file my report." Leslie's tone was light, almost friendly. "Could we come in to talk about this?"

As much as Tom obviously did not want to have them in his house, he had no excuse to keep them out and any refusal to co-operate could affect his chances to become the next Congressional candidate. He fell back before Leslie so that she could step in, followed by Ron and then Mary Sue.

The entry from the porch opened into a large lounge area with a walk-around hearth in the center of the room. Tom walked to a well-worn armchair and turned to face these intruders.

"Very well. I can't make you leave, so ask your questions and go." He sat down, ignoring the fact that Leslie and Mary Sue remained standing. When he saw that Leslie made no move to take a seat, he levered himself back to his feet and, with ill grace, gestured to a place on a couch. Leslie took a seat at the end of the couch he had indicated while Mary Sue sat down in the armchair on the other side of Tom. Ron moved behind his father and stood with his arms crossed.

Once she was down, Tom went to the mantle above the fireplace and took down a humidor. Like the perfect host, he walked back to the couch and held the open box out to Leslie with the invitation, "Cigar?"

The insulting gesture was not lost on her and she knew that he did not expect her to accept a cigar. Instead, she reached in and took out one of the proffered cigars. She looked at it critically, rolled it between her fingers, and inhaled its aroma.

"Coronas?" she asked. "These are pretty good quality. I prefer a Robusto myself. But Cubans are hard to come by these days."

From the look on his face, Kaylock hadn't expected Leslie to actually accept one of his imported cigars and her appreciation of the quality surprised him as well. It either put him off his games or he did not intend to offer Mary Sue a cigar anyway because he returned the box to the mantle. As he put the box on the mantle, Mary Sue spoke up. His behavior toward Leslie has been quite apparent and she couldn't let it go by so. Just to piss him off, she asked, “Don’t I get one?” The expression on his face said that he wanted to tell her to go to hell, but he politely took the box over to her and allowed her to select a cigar herself saying, "I’ll save it for later," as she dropped it into her purse.

Leslie examined her cigar again and looked back at Tom to say, "I gave up smoking cigars some time ago. The smoke seems to get into my clothes too much and smoking one is a bit too phallic for me. I'm not into that kind of thing anymore." She glanced at Mary Sue who blushed as she understood Leslie's reference. Tom's expression said that her double entendre was lost on him, but the smirk on Ron's face was just the opposite.

Leslie was the center of attention for both men and Mary Sue was staying very still and quiet so that they were not paying attention to her. From her vantage point, she studied Tom Kaylock as he took his seat in the worn armchair that made up part of the rectangle of furniture. She had only seen him in town on her first day and had only gotten a passing impression of him, but it was of an older man who acted as if he owned everything and everyone answered to him. He looked to be in his late fifties, but his gray hair was the only giveaway that he was probably older. He looked like he was still vital and able to give most men a run for their money in a fight. All of the exposed skin that Mary Sue could see was heavily tanned, but relatively unlined. The image of a hard-working rancher was ruined by his arrogant behavior and look on his face. It was easy to see where Ron had learned how to treat others.

One thing of note was the rather large ring on Tom's hand. When he rested his hand on the arm of the chair, she was able to make out that it was a signet ring with a stylized capital letter K with gemstones inset around it. The stones at the cardinal points of the compass on the ring matched the stone she had discovered outside of Pat's house. The interesting thing was that she could see that Tom's ring was completely intact though.

"Look deputy. Just ask your questions and go," Tom said. He knew that he had missed something in the conversation and he didn't like feeling like he was the butt of a joke. So he just wanted these intruders to finish their business and go. He didn't really care what the other woman with the deputy was there for.

"Very well sir," she replied. She opened a notebook and began looking through her information. While Leslie started questioning Tom, Mary Sue continued to act small and unnoticed. It looked like it was working because both Tom and Ron were focused on Leslie. Ron had relaxed somewhat and his hand was laid over the back of his father's chair, making his ring finger completely visible. The white band of skin where a ring would have been stood out starkly. Mary Sue made a note to pass that piece of information on to Leslie.

Leslie's conversation with the Tom only took about ten minutes before she had reached the end of her list of questions. She closed her book and slid it back into a pocket, thanking him politely for his co-operation. As she stood, Mary Sue took the hint and rose as well and they headed for the door.

Just outside of the door, Leslie stopped and turned back, "Oh one last question Mr. Kaylock. I understand that you had possession of one of the keys to the library building doors. Do you still have those keys?"

This was the first time that anyone had touched upon access to the library's keys, but it was no surprise that the sheriff would have omitted following up on that lead. The look on Tom's face said that he hadn't expected to be confronted about this particular subject.

His response was, “Why? Is that important?”

Her second question was an apparent bombshell, judging from Tom's reaction. Leslie's expression was completely bland as she looked at Tom and said, "I believe the fire in the library was an attempt to suppress information related to the doctoral research that Ms. McLaughlin is engaged in.”

Tom responded, “How does that involve me?” Even though he tried to remain unmoved, the narrowing of his eyes communicated that she might have touched a nerve.

Leslie said, “It might have something to do with a relative of yours that was a member of a wagon train that came through Fort Laramie and. who settled here. What do you know about that?"

Tom's face froze. He seemed to go white with shock, his eyes narrowed again and his face flushed in anger.

He sputtered like a motorboat and spit out, "I think that you have overstayed your welcome deputy and I want you to leave now. If you have any further questions, talk to my lawyer!" Tom took a step back and slammed the heavy door in her face. Fortunately, Leslie was standing far enough away from the doorway that she did not need to be worry about being hit by the door and she only flinched. Her only response was to nod solemnly at the blank surface in front of her.

"Thank you. I'll make a note of that in my report," she said, with a bit of a smile.

She took Mary Sue's elbow in her hand and almost hustled her to the car. Her other hand remained close to her weapon until they had reached the vehicle and they were back inside. Then Leslie made quick work of leaving the ranch house compound and heading down the long entrance road.

For her own part, Mary Sue had been as quiet as Ron had been, almost as if she thought that silence would make her less noticeable. Leslie glanced over at her and asked, "Are you okay?"

It was Mary Sue's turn to nod jerkily in response to her question. "I think so. Just a little shaky."

Leslie smiled as she scanned the road and field around them. "You'll be okay then. I'm sorry that you had to be along for that, but I needed a witness for what went on that wouldn't fan any emotional flames. I understand that Pat's presence could have upset Ron Kaylock and Ron really was not my target."

"I think that he could have been though," Mary Sue replied. She proceeded to relate her observations of Ron's hand and the obvious absence of a ring and the fact that Tom Kaylock wore a completely intact ring.

Leslie was intrigued by this information and resolved to include it all in her report under the heading of Possibly Related Info. If Ron wasn’t a suspect he certainly was a person of interest,

"Were you that concerned that Ron was going to attack you? Mary Sue asked.

"There is a very real chance of that," Leslie answered. "From what I know, Ron has made contacts with some dangerous people. If I had let him out of my sight, there is a very real chance that we would not have gotten back into the car. I've seen his kind of attitude and behavior before. The Wild West may have been two hundred years ago, but some of these cowboys like to think that they can get away with things as if it were still the good ole days. Then you have to show them that you are ready to fight back with as much muscle as they are ready to throw at you. Most of the time they back down when you call their bluff."

"What do you do when they don't?"

"Then I have to defend myself. Most times, I’m more man than most of them. Bullies have a tendency to underestimate a woman," Leslie replied with a smile. "So far, I haven't had to shoot anyone, but I did put one guy into the hospital when I broke his leg. They wheeled him from the E.R. right to his trial hearing."

That broke the tension between the two of them again and they chatted about things for a few moments before silence reigned again. The remainder of the drive was spent with Leslie began to mentally compose her report to her boss while Mary Sue reviewed her project. She had gathered notebooks full of historical information about the wagon train's journey from Missouri and how it had affected the communities along the way. With the discovery of Yolanda's journal and all of her notes, Mary Sue was mulling changing the focus of her thesis from the wagon train itself to the role women on the wagon train played. Yolanda would be a prominent figure in it.

She saw no reason to continue following the path of the train to Oregon, but she really wished she could come up with a reason for not going back to the university yet.

The drive back into town seemed to take longer than the trip out to the Kaylock ranch had taken. Understandably, both women relaxed once they were on public roads and away from anything connected to the ranch. Mary Sue did not ask if they had been in any danger once they left the ranch house itself, she was too afraid to know the answer.

"I need to pick up some things at the mercantile before I sit down to write my report," Leslie said as they got close to their respective home bases. "Emily told me that they are open until about 6. Do you mind if I stop before I drop you off at Pat's? I can drop you off first otherwise."

"No, that's fine," Mary Sue answered. "I need to pick up some jeans to replace the pair I was wearing when I was shot. I'll need them before I fly out of here." Truthfully, she didn't need them. But you need to wash them a couple of times to make them wearable first and she wasn't due back in New York for a couple of weeks yet.

"That's fine. We can both get what we need and I'll drop you off."

The store was fairly empty considering that it was only a little over an hour before closing time. While Leslie was picking up what she wanted in the toiletries area, Mary Sue searched through the racks holding ladies jeans and pulled out a couple that were in her size. She made sure that they both fit and headed directly from the fitting rooms to the cashier.

The cashier was an older woman, probably because teenagers wanted to enjoy their weekends and she was stuck being here, smiled at her. "Hi. Did you find everything you were looking for?"

"Yes, I think so," Mary Sue answered quietly. "I don't need much. I'll be going home pretty soon." The idea of having to leave brought back the depressed mood she had gotten rid of up till now.

"You're staying with Pat Summerfield aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. But it's only because the police felt that it was safer for us both to be close together instead of having me alone in the motel." It was important to try to explain that nothing immoral was going on. More for Pat's sake than her own.

The sales lady looked around theatrically as if to see if anyone could overhear her. Of course, they were alone in this section of the store. The only ones on this side of the store at all was a family of tourists who were looking at souvenirs. She leaned toward Mary Sue and asked in a conspiratorial whisper, "Is it true that Pat was wearing lady's lingerie?"

Mary Sue just looked at her for a moment and smiled slightly. It had been a long time since she had been home and she had forgotten how rumors in a small town tended to grow more sensational with each telling. She imitated the woman's silliness of looking around for possible eavesdroppers before she replied, "Well he wasn’t actually wearing it, somebody had tied him up with it. I was the one who found him."

She wasn't surprised that the story was public knowledge. It was a close-knit part of town and the sheriff probably leaked the information to embarrass Pat. "From what I can tell, it was high-end stuff." She left out the fact that he had had a message written lipstick on his chest or that everything smelled of perfume. If it hadn't been blabbed about, she certainly wasn't going to. It wasn't until later that she realized that she had probably added another couple of paragraphs to the whole rumor.

"Pat did say that his mother never owned anything that good. I assume that whoever attacked him brought it with them just to use on him."

The older woman nodded. "I remember Pat Summerfield's mum. She was a good woman and I know that she never bought hoity-toity underwear. She kept every cent she had to help that boy get through college. All she had was that house and some money that came from somewhere. I never intruded upon her privacy to ask where the money came from."

Mary Sue's interest was piqued. She had not learned much about Pat's family from talking to him. Maybe she should try harder to find out.

"Did she work around here?" Mary Sue asked.

"She took care of the library for years. That's why her son decided to go to college to get a degree in how to be a librarian. He got the job a few years before she died of cancer."

"What happened to Mr. Summerfield?"

"I understand that he left his wife before Pat was born. I never heard what happened to him. Actually, I never even saw him."

"I wish I could have met her. She sounds like a wonderful person to have done what she did for Pat," Mary Sue said. "So if she never bought that kind of clothing, I wonder where it came from."

The lady shrugged. "The only woman who ever bought that kind of clothing was Mrs. Kaylock. That family is the only one with big money around here."

That kind of information was rather interesting to Mary Sue and she was sure that Leslie would want to hear it, even though she was not investigating Pat's assault. The two of them exchanged thank you’s and good-bye's and Mary Sue went to track down Leslie. She found the officer finishing up her own purchase so the two of them went back out to the car.

Leslie assured Mary Sue that they had nothing to be concerned about regarding another sniper attack. Whoever was orchestrating the crimes would know that it would draw a major investigation. As it was, Leslie considered that limit had already been reached and that there should be more than just herself present in town.

The drive from the store to Pat's house took less than ten minutes all told. Leslie expressed no surprise at the information that Mary Sue had for her, but she was very happy to get independent confirmation that the Kaylock's had purchased the kind of lingerie they had found in Pat's house. It reinforced her theory that the senior Kaylock was somehow involved in the assault on Pat.

As they stepped on to the porch, Pat opened the front door. "Hi. How did your interview go?" His half-smile said that he was sure of what kind of reception Leslie had received.

"I believe that I got the information that I need," Leslie said. "I need to finish my report and send it off to my supervisor." She turned to Mary Sue and shook her hand. "Thank you for staying here in Laramie while I looked into what was going on around here. And thank you for coming with me today. I know that it had to be a little hairy today."

Mary Sue smiled back. Leslie had become a friend quickly and she really did not want to say goodbye. "I can't say that the Kaylocks were folks that I would ever invite to a party, but it was an education."

"Now that I have all of the information I need, you don't have to stay here any longer than you want to," Leslie told her.

Mary Sue acknowledged her with a nod. She knew Leslie's statement was coming, but she still felt a twist in the pit of her stomach when she heard it. She had originally planned on using most of the summer for her research excursion, but the damage done to her poor car pretty much told her that driving it across country would be a bad idea. She had already arrived at the decision that Laramie was the end of the line for her research. Her smile was forced as she thanked Leslie as the state trooper took her leave.

Leslie stuck her hand out to shake hands with Pat. Mary Sue's smile was forced as she stuck her hand out to bid Leslie farewell. The other woman wasn't having any of that as she brushed her hand aside and hugged Mary Sue which brought the two woman face to face. The sensation of her breasts rubbing against Leslie sent a warm feeling through her body. She wasn't accustomed to a great deal of physical contact. But then who is? As they moved apart, Mary Sue thought briefly about Leslie and Emily. What was it like for them when they were together? Was it really any different from what she imagined she could have with Pat?

Mary Sue didn't want to leave. It had been less than two weeks, but she had found Pat to be interesting and she wanted to get to know him better. Working as a waitress in a casino exposed her to a lot of men, but none of them had ever affected her like this guy did. She would burn through her money only slightly slower if she stayed in one place than if she were traveling. Her biggest problem was that she had no excuse for staying here. She had more than one text on her phone from her department head demanding an update on the progress of her paper. She hadn't bothered to reply.

Once Leslie had driven off, Pat took Mary Sue's hand and drew her into the house. He hesitated for a moment before he drew her to him and hugged her close. It was pretty much what he had done while she slept the night before, but they were both fully awake now.

She wasn't much of a prude, but she wasn't a girl who slept around either. Being close to him both thrilled her and scared her. She wanted to give herself to him, that is why she let him hold her, but surrendering herself was a scary thought at the same time. She didn't pull back though and she rested her cheek on his chest, smelling the deodorant he had used that morning mixed with his sweat.

"She said that you can leave whenever you want," Pat said into her hair. "You can stay as long as you want though."

"I know," Mary Sue said as she turned her face into his shoulder. She shouldn't be feeling this away about someone she had met just a short time ago, but she didn't want to stop holding him. She had to go home to finish her thesis and earn her doctorate. She wished that she could stay here too, but she had no way to support herself. She didn't think she could get a job at the diner or the mercantile. Even if she did, it wouldn't support her.

She mashed her face harder against Pat's shoulder as her tears started to run freely. She needed and wanted to go home, but she needed and wanted to stay here too. She really wished that she didn't have to make a choice and she cursed the fates that forced one upon her.

"I have to go back," she said quietly as she turned her face to one side. Pat's response was to hold her tighter, as if she was about to vanish. Mary Sue snuggled closer to him, sliding her arms around him. If she had to leave, the best course of action was to accept the fact and enjoy the moment. It was a wonderful feeling to be held and to hold someone close. She didn't want it to ever end.

When she pulled back to look up at Pat, he threw his inhibitions away and kissed her. Mary Sue pressed herself into Pat's lips, being wrapped in Pat's arms making her feel safe.

"I wish that I didn't have to go back," she said when they came up for air.

"You don't have to go back right away do you?" Their eyes met just a few moments before their lips did. It was a short walk down the hall to Pat's bedroom, which they made arm-in-arm. Standing beside the bed, they kissed each other again, tongues slipping exploring each other's mouth. This closeness is what they both had been dreaming of for days and they had each had been so afraid of rejection.

She was wrapped tightly against Pat and it felt like she couldn't get close enough. She felt Pat's hands rub her back and sides, the sensation warming her wherever they passed. The feeling was just wonderful. When his hands moved to her shoulders and neck, she almost wanted to melt.

She squirmed a little and let her hands begin to wander too. She could feel the hard muscle running across his back and shoulders, it made her think of what her brothers looked like when they were baling hay. But she had never felt like this about her brothers. Pat certainly was not a typical bookish librarian. She was no weakling, but Pat would be like a Titan beside her.

After they exchanged another deep kiss, their hands began to wander to other areas. Just feeling Pat's hands rubbing and squeezing her bottom got her entire being tingling. She wanted more. Any thought of leaving Laramie was completely gone from her mind for the moment.

It wasn't long before they were helping each other out of their clothes and kissing other parts of each other. Her nipples were almost painful with their stiffness and her panties were passing the point of just being damp. She was more than ready when Pat's hands brushed her groin and pressed into her folds. She pressed her hand against Pat and could feel how much he wanted her too.

May Sue wasn't a little girl in any sense of the word, but she felt positively petite when Pat easily lifted her and lay her down in the middle of the bed. The feeling of being small next to him aroused her even more. She was definitely ready when Pat got into bed between her legs and slid her panties down her legs.

She had prepared herself for a heated session of intense sex and she would have welcomed any intensity, if it came from Pat. She had spent more than one night fantasizing about being with him. Instead of roughness, the two lovers engaged in a give-and-take where each was more concerned about showing the other that they cared. The actual act of sex lasted for less than 15 minutes, but the foreplay and afterplay took far longer as they traded kisses and caresses.

Of course, Mary Sue outlasted Pat and she fell asleep several minutes after he had dropped off into soft snores. Before she wriggled deeper into the arms that seemed to fold around her automatically and drifted off herself, Mary Sue wished that there was some way for her to stay here. She didn't want this feeling to ever go away.