Rastus at the market (No 6)

I lied of course when I said we had slept well that night we stayed at Penny’s for the first time. That probably gave you the impression that with the walks and the food and the wine we soon zonked out and woke up refreshed in the morning. In Rastus’s case that was true. I think he had a few doggy dreams as his feet twitched away in his sleep chasings cats or rats and occasionally he would utter a stifled woof as he guarded us from danger in his imaginings. For us though there was that beautiful discovery period as we nervously shared Penny’s bed for the first time. I was not confidant as I was unprepared for her offer to stay overnight despite her instruction to share whatever I needed to make myself comfortable. We joked about which of her nighties I might wear and whether I needed rollers for my hair. I grabbed a quick shower and returned to the bedroom draped in towel. She had chosen the side closest to the window with the clock radio on her side so I assumed that was where she always slept. She had placed a chocolate Caramello Frog on my pillow just as though I was a welcome guest in a hotel. I put that aside and pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. She had been looking at me all the time and but then turned over and put the light out on her side of the bed. I reached over and found her hand to hold. She in her turn reached out with her other hand and touched my face and in doing so the scent of her body wafted over me. I let go of her hand and lightly touched her naked body with my fingers as I traced my way up to take my first steps like an early explorer setting foot in finding a exotic tropical island.

“You are so beautiful, Penny.” My fingers continued to explore her and she uttered little murmurs of satisfaction as my lips now sealed my approval on every treasure I found. She was not passive though for with each new territory I charted she in her turn checked out and savoured the intruder in her domain. She traced her fingers over my nose and ears then ran them through my hair and leaned over and placed her head on my chest to listen to my heart beat.

“Penny, we can’t make love, I am not prepared.”

“I didn’t expect you to be. I may have been little peeved if you had, assuming I was a push over. The more I know you the more I find to like about you.”

So we continued our exploration of each other and to relieve the frustration every new found delight I found from her knees to her navel I scored with points out of ten. Most were nine or ten but Penny moderated the score down a little in self criticism. At some stage as I lay between her breasts I fell asleep with her arms wrapped around me.

Strangely soon after dawn she was up before me. She was standing by the window without a stitch on.

“Come back to bed”

“I daren’t, I want you so much” she stated simply. “I’ll get a cup of tea.”

We were up and taking Rastus for his walk through the park quite early and after breakfast went into Stirling township where there was a Sunday market with flags and bunting waving, the call of the vendors selling their wares and of course the inevitable smell of a barbecued meat and onions filling the air. Rastus behaved himself quite well in the crowd probably more concerned that the barbecued sausages would be on the menu. We needed nothing but to be with one another but I dallied at a bookstall and I found a couple of Leigh Child novels for Penny.

I asked her how she came to read him. Her response was unusual.

“My days are spent in a rigid environment of hospital discipline and with sick and frightened people. I find that I can enter an escapist world in his books that others might with fantasy novels or even gaming.”

I nodded an agreement; holding on to her hand which I felt was now mine. “I can remember a bookshop owner in the city telling me a similar story where a lawyer dealing with the court system, crime and criminals all day long would escape with “Mills and Boon” light romance to get it out of her system.”

We finally found a seat, a few yards from the busy market and I said simply “I am so glad I found you” and leaned over and kissed her tenderly as the world passed us by while Rastus tried to decide whose knees he should put his head on.