Northern Closure

Chris reluctantly broke the kiss. "Let's get some breakfast and take Encore out in the canoe. The lake is very tranquil this time of year before the boats make an appearance."

"I need to grab some clean clothes from my place and I wouldn't mind a shower if your solar system is charged up."

"No problem. I added a thermal regulator that balances the solar heated water and the water from the boiler on the furnace to reach the temperature you dial up in the shower. So during the off season, the furnace helps and there's always plenty of hot water when you want it, sunny or cloudy day."

As soon as she was dressed and ready, Megan, Chris and Encore were gliding around the lake in the canoe. A few boats were on the lake but the full armada hadn't been launched yet with the water being too cold for water skiing and wake boarding. Paddling as quietly as possible, they were able to see a couple of beavers working on dragging branches into the water near their lodge to make repairs to the dome of the lodge. Further around the shore, in a swampy area they found a cow moose grazing on the early season green shoots. Lazily overhead an osprey circled them and moved on to dive into the water after a fish.

Megan was propped in the bow of the canoe having slid off the seat to rest on the ribs with her paddle stowed and her arms draped over the gunwales. Encore was in front of her seat watching over the gracefully upswept stem as Chris paddled them around the lake. Chris was enjoying the view over Megan's shoulders as she reclined in the bottom of the canoe. Her breasts were gracefully rising and falling with her relaxed breathing. With a slight chill in the breeze, Chris realized she hadn't bothered to put on a bra. Her nipples were pushing hard at her t-shirt trying to escape their confines to seek his renewed attentions, or so he fantasized.

"In all the years we cottaged here, we never had a boat in the lake. I always wanted to go around the lake and see more of it. It really is big." She pointed off towards a channel, "how far does it go up that way?"

"Quite a ways, it opens into two more bays or sections about as big as this one. What you see here in this bay is a lot less than half the lake. This is the most open area, the other sections have more islands and side inlets. There's a marina at the far end where most of the big boats are stored for the winter and they can get through all of the passages as long as they are careful in a couple of spots. I don't know how many acres it covers but it takes me at least forty five minutes cruising to make my way through all the twists and turns from here to the far end in my fishing boat."

"Wow," Megan said and they both broke out laughing at their private joke. Chris even more so as her chest gently shook with her laughter and he watched appreciatively as her breasts bounced lightly under the t-shirt.

After they were back on shore, Megan pointed over towards her cottage. "I better go and finish the tidying up I was doing when the storm hit. If my folks do decide to come up, I want them to find the cottage in a somewhat upgraded condition compared to the last time they saw it."

"Okay but make sure you come back for dinner. I've got some juicy pork chops defrosting and we can whip up a nice salad to go with them. Come back about five or so and we'll get started on dinner."

Chris gently kissed Megan and she headed home to finish her work.

Around five, she was back carrying a plastic grocery bag. Chris was curious but didn't say anything as Megan disappeared into the bathroom. In the kitchen, they quickly worked out the division of labor on the dinner preparations. With Chris in charge of the manly art of cooking over an open flame, Megan concentrated on making the salad. They met back on the deck with the various meal items and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine with their culinary efforts. Each commented on the prowess of the other and they both realized they had slipped into an easy arrangement of equal contribution.

Megan sighed. "We're pretty good at this after only a couple of days. I wish that I didn't have another life in another place waiting for me."

Chris silenced her with a "shhhhhhhhh."

"Let's not talk about that now. We both know you're leaving tomorrow and we'll have to deal with that then. We have tonight to explore. That is, if you'll stay with me again even though there isn't a storm to hold you hostage."

"Of course I'll stay the night. You do magic things to me and I want to get as much of that as I can. Speaking of which, it's getting late. Time to clear the dishes and go to bed."

Chris chuckled. "But it's only seven o'clock. Aren't you rushing things a bit?"

"Oh, okay if you're not tired yet we can sit around a while and chat."

"Just kidding, I like your plan better. Last one to put their dish in the sink is a rotten egg."

The two of them arrived laughing and panting at the sink. "Tie, no rotten eggs here. You go let Encore out and turn your bed down, I need to use the bathroom. If you have any candles, light them. I have a surprise for you but I would prefer softer lighting to preserve my modesty."

Chris hurried to comply with her instructions, lighting a few candles and stripping before jumping into bed. Flipping back her side --- there he was thinking his side, her side already --- he fluffed the pillows and waited anxiously for her to appear from the bathroom.

The bathroom door opened a crack and he could see her peering out. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, Megan slowly opened the door and slid quietly into the room. Chris' breath caught in his throat with a gasp.

Megan had on a sexy cream colored teddy. It was almost opaque, giving a generous hint about what lay beneath. With the outfit, she had on matching panties, garter belt and shear stockings. The overall effect was stunning and Chris just stared with his eyes roaming all over her, taking in every detail.

Megan saw the raw lust in his eyes and knew that the outfit was a hit. She slowly turned around and as she got past a quarter turn, Chris gasped again. The matching panties weren't panties but a thong! The strip at the back disappeared between those firm, toned globes and reappeared at the top in a small cream lace triangle. She paused briefly with her back to him and glanced shyly over her shoulder.

"You like?"

"I like. You're beautiful. Your body takes my breath away. Come over here and let me show you how much I like it."

Megan gracefully moved over to the bed, seemingly sliding over the floor without effort as Chris watched every inch of her. Reaching the bed, she swung her legs up and lay facing Chris.

Chris reached slowly forward and pulled gently on the tie holding the flimsy garment closed over her chest. As the ties slid apart, he slid his hand inside and cupped first one then the other breast, gently squeezing and running his palms over the hard nipples. Spreading his fingers, he slid his hand over each breast capturing the nipple at the junction of his fingers and squeezing his fingers together while pulling slightly upwards. Her nipples got even harder with this attention and Megan gasped when he let each one snap back in turn.

Sliding his hand down, Chris ran his fingers lightly over her mound as he worked his way to the garters and popped the catch on each one in turn. Moving down by her knees, he grasped an ankle and gently rolled the stocking down before sliding it gently over her toes. When he had the stockings off, he reached up and slid the garter belt off too. Then he turned his attention to her thong.

Tracing his finger lightly over the outline of the thong, he watched her skin quiver in goose bumps behind the route of his touch. Hooking his fingers in the waist band, he gently ran them back and forth while slowly pulling down, gradually exposing her trimmed bush to his eager gaze. Megan lifted her hips slightly when he had the thong far enough down and he slid it right off her feet and added it to the growing pile of lingerie on the floor.

With her sex uncovered, Chris grabbed an ankle again and gently rotated it so Megan had no choice but to open her legs. He slid between her legs and ran his tongue over her slit. Megan groaned and bent her legs, knees up and spread to give Chris access to her pleasure center. Chris had another idea and putting his hands under her butt, he gently squeezed the firm flesh and rotated her hips to expose her rosebud. Flattening his tongue, he ran it from her tight ring up to her clit, slowly and teasingly. Megan couldn't believe the feeling of his tongue back there. No one had ever done that before and it felt wonderfully strange. Chris continued his ministrations, tracing the same route but gently pointing his tongue, probing her openings gently and finishing with a circle around her throbbing clit. Each time he started with her rosebud, he pushed his tongue a little harder against the strong muscle, letting her feel his probing inside the opening. With each pass, he pushed farther between her inner lips as well. Her pussy was very wet and the juices began to run down the crack of her ass.

Before she knew it, she found herself panting with an approaching orgasm. The sensations from her ass mixed with the teasing of her inner lips and the circling of her clit were assaulting her senses. Sensing she was very close, Chris finished his last circuit at her clit and gently sucked the now exposed firm bud between his lips. Nibbling gently on it, he lashed his tongue back and forth several times and her world exploded.

Megan came so hard, her pussy gushed sweet nectar all over Chris' chin and neck. Megan grabbed his head and held him still with her clit in his mouth as the tremors shook her body over and over. Chris worked his mouth lower and lapped up all of the juice that was still leaking from her charged pussy. Megan shook again and gasped as another mini orgasm rolled over her just from the probing of Chris' tongue at her wet opening. Sensing it might work again, Chris slid further down and tongued her anal ring, thrusting slightly into the tight opening. Megan gasped again as another wave rolled through her core, her flat stomach fluttering and the tight ring of muscle squeezing hard on Chris' probing tongue.

Gently applying pressure to her legs, Megan understood Chris wanted her to roll over. Rolling onto her stomach, she wasn't surprised when he pulled gently upwards on her hips. She raised herself to her hands and knees and Chris slid in behind her, gently pushing the head of his very eager cock into her very wet and sensitive pussy. He slid in to the hilt with a long, slow stroke and Megan groaned as the new position put Chris further inside her than before. After a few strokes, Megan's still sensitive pussy trembled with another mini orgasmic aftershock. With her ass still covered in her slick juices, Chris pushed his thumb gently against her anal opening. With a groan from Megan, his thumb slid into the opening and the muscle tensed in time with the fluttering of the walls of her wet tunnel around his cock.

Her pussy was very tight and Chris was very worked up. On her hands and knees like this, he found her incredibly sexy; it took his breath away. Stroking his cock in and out of her pussy, he watched as her lips grasped at his length as he slid in and out. Gently stroking his thumb in her anal opening, Megan started to pant and grunt.

Thrusting her hips back, Megan was slamming her ass against his thighs with an urgency she had never felt before. The sensations accumulating from his hard cock and his thumb in both her openings were building another fantastic orgasm. She wanted his hard cock as deep as she could get it. Chris watched the firm globes of her ass quiver every time they met his thighs with Megan's exuberant thrusts and he felt the cum boil in his balls. Her firm heart-shaped ass was fantastic and drilling it like this was visual overload.

His groans and Megan's pants and grunts grew louder and louder. Megan was losing control of her thrusts and Chris used his free hand to grab her hip and help control the action. Chris balls felt impossibly tight, he was so close to cumming that it hurt. Leaning over, he whispered in her ear, "you're the sexiest thing I've ever seen. Cum for me, Megan, cum hard for me NOW."

Shouting the word NOW, Chris drove his cock hard into her pussy and held it there while simultaneously driving his thumb as far as it would go in her ass. His balls squeezed hard, Megan's pussy clamped down on his throbbing dick and he shot load after load into her sweet, tight pussy. His vision narrowed to a small tunnel as he came harder and longer than he ever had before. Megan was right there with him. Her orgasm exploded, the sensations of pleasure crashed over her and she passed right out cold from the overload.

Chris' spent cock slid from her pussy and he collapsed on the bed pulling the quivering Megan into his arms

When she came to, she said, "Wow. I've never come that hard before. Your thumb felt so good back there it drove where I've never gone before."

"I've never done that with anyone before either, but you seemed to enjoy me touching you back there."

Megan wiggled back against Chris and they spooned gently in the warm afterglow of their mutual, mind-blowing orgasms. Both heaved contented sighs and were asleep in minutes.

The next thing Chris knew, the sun was streaming in to his bedroom. He was alone in bed again. Other than the lingering smell of her shampoo and a pleasantly raw feeling to his cock, there was no sign that Megan had even been there.

Not sure how she would handle the departure, Chris leapt from bed with some urgency. Racing to the bathroom to relieve the morning need and find some clothes, he hurried out into the kitchen with his sweats on. Megan was nowhere to be found. Encore was eagerly waiting for him and he let her out to deal with her morning needs to. It was then that he spotted Megan putting what must have been her last suitcase in the trunk and closing the lid.

Getting Encore, Chris raced over to her cottage.

"Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"Not really but I wanted your last memory to be the ecstasy of last night not the sorrow of my departure. I enjoyed this weekend so much, I loved being in your arms and feeling loved again. We clearly have something together but we can't be together. I have a new job far away and you've built your life here."

Chris started to interrupt but Megan shushed him with a finger to his lips. "I would like nothing more than to stay here but I can't. I accepted a job on the west coast and we won't be able to see each other very easily. I wish it could be, last night was especially magic. I've done things this weekend I've never done before and it was beautiful but we're like the proverbial two ships passing in the night. Next week, we'll be thousands of miles apart."

At this point, she was crying gentle tears. Chris reached up and wiped them softly away with his thumbs.

Sensing she was resolved to continue with her career plans, he softly replied, "you're right, we had a beautiful friendship when we were young, we're magic together in bed and I've fallen hopelessly in love with you but we've got to let each other follow their chosen path. Let's stay in touch on e-mail and if our paths can cross again, we'll see where we're at when that happens. You were my first love and we found each other again after all those years. It is magical but can't be right now. We're still young, let's keep in touch and see if things change in the future. I love you Megan Farnsworth. After this weekend I know I always have and always will love you."

"I'm so glad you understand. I love you too Chris Martin, always have and always will. You're very special to me but I've got to go, there's a plane to catch in a couple of days and a lot of packing to do in the meantime."

Chris wiped away the fresh tears and kissed her gently. Megan crouched and hugged Encore before casting one last look at her cottage.

Seeing the direction of her glance Chris said, "Don't worry, I'll keep looking after it. If you or any of your family are planning to come up, just call or e-mail and I'll get everything up and running. I can close it up again after you're gone."

Megan hugged him again. "Thanks."

With that, she got in her car and drove off with a small, shy wave.

Chris headed home. He felt really empty. More empty than when Clare walked out of his life, more empty than when he left his job. Encore felt it too, and walked quietly beside Chris to flop down by the fireplace. They spent the rest of the day moping and almost forgot to eat until it was very late.

The days slid by, slowly at first and then the pace seemed to gradually return to normal. Chris closed up the cottage next door and returned to his consulting. Soon summer was in full swing and the lake was busy with boats. Chris enjoyed Monday through Thursday for the relative quiet, listening to the loons and the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore in the still evenings. Megan and Chris exchanged regular e-mails but something had changed. It was like a shield had come down around Megan, blocking the spontaneity and bounce in her previous e-mails. Chris kept his e-mails light and airy, relating the changes of the season on the lake, sending pictures of the loons with their chicks, pictures of Encore out fishing with him and the fish he caught.

By the time fall rolled around, Chris noticed he was sending more e-mails than he was getting back. Megan was drifting away. She provided little information on her new job but the omissions were almost as telling as information would have been. Chris sensed it wasn't going well and she wasn't happy with the promotion to regional project manager. Still, he kept his e-mails the same --- upbeat, light and positive.

Then a bonanza.

Chris' consulting work had led him to develop a piece of software to automate web-based data management. His client was ecstatic with the potential and told everyone about Chris' simple and elegant software. His old company was really struggling in this area. It seemed his former boss and the remaining staff from his team lacked vision and had no notion of how to brain storm and build new product concepts. Negotiations began with an offer for an even million. Chris was in a "fuck it" mood and the final, desperate counter offer reached five million when he accepted. Chris was over the moon. Financial independence was secure now. With his client, he helped groom a full-time employee to let them phase out his consulting role and they parted on great terms with a promise of a role in the future if Chris ever wanted in again.

Free to pursue his interests, he cast about for new ideas. An offhand comment in the local general store started his new career path in a matter of minutes. The store was a real country gem, with a hardware, dry goods, produce, perishables, building materials and penny candy business model that worked well on a small local scale. They had dabbled in supplying energy system components but there wasn't enough local market to make it pay. The day Chris dropped in to pick up a part for his system, it didn't take long for the owner to convince Chris to design the systems the store would sell over the internet. They set up a simple sliding scale profit sharing agreement and they parted as new friends.

When Chris got back to the cottage, he immediately got busy setting up a website for "Encore Energy Systems" with photos of components of his system with the corporate mascot and descriptions of how to make the components work together, what pieces were a must and which ones were options and how to troubleshoot the setup. The store owner set up franchise or dealership agreements with the companies that had supplied Chris' system components and they were off and running.