Angela's Choice Ch. 02

Angela laughed, "So that's where you get it from!"

"I don't know about that, because he never talked about any of it, even to my mother. He said all that was kept confidential. If the women wanted to talk, he wouldn't deny anything, but he never was one to brag. Part of the trust thing he had. If some of the family hadn't met the women who had been at the beach weekend we'd never know about any of it.

"I also have a bunch of relatives about your age who could give you an earful about sexual skeletons in the closet of other family members, too. I guess every family has secrets. The Shepherd family is very close and share things readily. You know, I think they'd like you."

After dinner they all went for a walk along the boardwalk that the town had built along the shore of the bay, and Anna noted that Mike held her mother's hand. After spending a half hour or so in the gazebo built out over the water they headed back.

"Where are you staying, Mike?" Angela asked.

"Where we stayed last time. Room Three. I expected to see you in your favorite Room Four. Where are you?"

"I'll show you."

They turned a corner not far from the Bed and Breakfast and walked another block, ending up at a neat-looking white bungalow.

"You did it! You really bought it! I should have known you would. Wow. It looks a lot better than when you showed it to me last year. You've done wonders with it."

"It is taking a lot of work. After Mr. Stanley died years ago his widow didn't keep the place up. The inside was a wreck and the outside needed major work. I sold the old house to Anna and Don and moved out as soon as this place was livable. Anna and Don moved into our old house a few weeks ago."

Anna laughed "Now Don says we have room for a dog," and added with a gleam in her eye "and lots of rooms with new furniture that has to be broken in."

Angela knew exactly what Anna meant and, by his chuckle, so did Mike.

The next day the three of them walked the beach. Anna donned a wetsuit and tried surfing in the cold water. After lunch they rented a sailboat and spent hours sailing around the bay. Angela was impressed with Mike's boating skills and found the experience exhilarating, never having imagined doing anything like it.

Mike had an appointment to meet with another bookstore a couple of hours away, and reluctantly took his leave for the evening.

Anna said "I know what you see in him. He's really good looking."

Angela laughed "And I saw him comparing us."

"And we both know how that went. I look like a younger version of you. I'd never thought of that before, but we really do bear a strong resemblance."

"I know it's just flattery, but he says we could almost pass for sisters."

"I've actually heard people at home say as much, but I always thought they were out of their minds. But after we did that side-by-side comparison in the mirror and I took time to look closely at you I could sort of see it myself."

When they paused to decide where to eat Anna brightened. "Don's not here. Mike's not here. How about one of those girl's nights out we talked about? We could get dressed up a little and go someplace fancy."

"Are you serious? I thought you were kidding."

"Hey, your guy got me to thinking about...well, got me horny. Don's been run ragged at work with things that have to be done by the end of the month, so he's exhausted when he gets home. Every March it's the same thing. Then there are the things we still have to finish up with the house - painting and decorating and such. I haven't had any for a couple of weeks, and I'll need to go home after the talk. Won't get any for another couple of weeks, either. Mister Johnson will probably have to come out. What do you say? It'll be fun."

"But you're my..."

"Girlfriend, remember? We feel like the same age, so what's the harm? You'll get some more within a day or so, I bet. This will warm you up for him."

"I don't know what will happen with Mike."

"There you go, then. It might be the only opportunity for either of us. Come on, didn't you enjoy it?"

"Well...yes. But it seems so..."

"Great. The word you're looking for is 'great.'"

Angela had to laugh, and relented. "All right. We can go to that fancy seafood place over on the beach."

"Perfect! Let's get dressed up."

Angela had to admit she enjoyed a leisurely meal with Anna, and they talked more like friends than mother and daughter. It was a pleasant new experience.

Back at the house Angela opened a bottle of red wine and Anna produced something she had bought earlier in the day.

"Chocolate! It goes great with the wine. I was thinking I'd have to force myself to eat it all, but it's better to share," Anna laughed.

A few glasses of wine and some fine chocolate had them in a mellow mood. Anna stood behind Angela's chair and rubbed her shoulders. "Your room or mine? Or maybe out here in the living room. That new sofa you have looks comfortable."

"Where would you prefer?"

"Maybe we don't want to take a chance on messing up the new sofa. Let's save your room for Mike and use the guest room I'm staying in."

Anna turned off the lights and lit a couple of scented candles in glass containers. "How's this for mood?"

"Okay. I'm not used to all this preparation, though."

"Ooh, a spur of the moment gal, huh? Well, Don and I sometimes set a mood, although we can be quite spontaneous, too. I thought for our first time we'd keep it low key."

"So, what do we do now? I'm really still a novice at this."

Anna bit her lower lip in thought, and then brightened. "If we were both really horny we could just go after it right off, but I think maybe we need to do something different. A game. A sort of romantic game. How about we put our arms around each other and maybe kiss. We've done that before. Then we can take turns removing an article of clothing from each other. We can be as fast or slow as you want."

Angela wasn't sure how it would work; especially since she wasn't completely convinced they should be doing it in the first place.

They embraced, and Anna pressed her body against Angela, kissing her on the neck. In the semi-darkness the kiss and the full body contact caused a thrill to run through Angela. She intended to kiss Anna on the cheek, but Anna turned her head so their lips met in a real kiss. Anna started things by reaching around Angela and unzipping the back of her dress. Continuing the kiss, she slowly pushed the dress off Angela's shoulders and it slid silently to the floor. Anna skimmed her hands over Angela's arms and shoulders.

Angela slowly unbuttoned the front of Anna's blouse and it joined the dress on the floor. Angela played her hands over Anna's back and sides, noting the creamy smooth skin, so like her own.

Anna kissed Angela's throat and upper chest as she unhooked the bra. She removed the bra slowly, caressing the skin as it appeared until the garment was off. She held a breast in one hand and used her other hand to caress Angela's face, bringing forth a sigh.

Angela turned Anna around to unhook her bra. When it was removed she reached around from behind Anna to cup her breasts. Firm, smooth breasts. She rubbed her thumbs over the nipples and Anna moaned "Oh that feels so nice. Please do that a while longer." Angela nuzzled Anna's neck while continuing to manipulate the breasts, and Anna leaned back against her with her eyes closed.

While still leaning back against her mother Anna reached around behind her back and hooked her thumbs in the waistband of Angela's underwear, slowly working the garment down over the hips until it dropped. Then she turned around and slid a hand up and down between Angela's thighs until her hand rested against the heat of the vulva, and used her thumb to rub the mound above the clitoris. Angela gasped with surprise at the sensation, and kissed Anna with a bit more passion than before.

She unzipped Anna's skirt and whispered "No fair. You have more clothes than me."

Anna laughed "So you get an extra turn."

When the skirt was gone Angela caressed a breast and cupped Anna's heat through her underwear. "You're soaked."

"Damn right I am. What are you going to do about it?"

Angela thrust her hand down into Anna's underwear and played in the trimmed triangle before cupping her again and rubbing fingers up and down the outside of the vulva, avoiding the protruding labia. Anna pressed against her to force a finger in, but Angela relaxed her hand so she stayed on the outside. Her fingers got wetter and wetter.

Anna hissed in her ear "Damn it, you're not supposed to be good at this game. Stop toying with me."

"This was your idea, my dear. So you want me to stop?"

'Yes. No. I don't know. I want to get on with it."

"Do you?" Angela slowly worked Anna's underwear down while continuing the touching, and Anna squirmed, finally blurting "Enough playing!" and maneuvering them toward the bed until they both tumbled onto it. Anna immediately attacked Angela's clit until she cried "Enough!"

"Oh, you can dish it out, but you can't take it, huh. Let's see what you do with this. I'm going to make you scream."

Anna pushed Angela down and attacked her vulva with her lips and tongue.

Angela wriggled away. "Not if I do you first," she said as she twisted around to tongue Anna.

The two laughed as they tried to get an advantage on the other, but ended with Angela on her back and Anna furiously licking and sucking. Anna straddled her mother's chest so her mother could tease the protruding labia with her tongue. The pair sixty-nined until Angela began to thrust against Anna. Anna's knees got weak as she neared climax and she sank down until her body rested on Angela's and Anna's swollen labia pressed on Angela's mouth. Angela found that to be much easier than having to bend her neck up to reach it, but she also found that Anna got so wet Angela almost felt like she was drowning. Anna ground against Angela and whimpered. Angela bucked against Anna, but Anna fastened on Angela's engorged clit and sucked until Angela fairly bounced on the bed

Angela felt and saw the pulsing of Anna's vagina as her climax began, and was aware of her own climax. When Anna came hard her mouth was buried in Angela, so her moans and curses were muffled. The sounds only intensified the sensations Angela felt, and coupled with the warm wetness of Anna gave her an even greater climax. Anna felt Angela's tongue trapped between her swollen labia, and that intensified her climax. The two of them lay exhausted, mouth to pussy, panting.

Anna finally rolled off and turned to face Angela. She held her face in her hands and kissed her, mixing the tastes of them in their mouths.

"We really have to do this girlfriend thing once in awhile. My pussy is still screaming with joy."

Angela forced a leg between Anna's and rubbed her thigh against Anna. Anna moved her hips to bring her vulva in contact with the leg and she humped it until she came again.

"Damn, mom. Where did you learn that? That was a nice one. Not as big as the first, but nice, and a surprise, too."

"I didn't learn it anywhere. You seemed to be ready for more and it just looked like something that would work."

"I bet one day we could do it to each other, just like that." She traced Angela's hair heart and caressed a breast.

"Mmm. That feels nice. I think I'm going to like that heart after all. I'm glad you showed me how to keep it up."

"And you've done a good job with it. I'm impressed."

The next day was spent browsing through the shops and checking out the bookstore to scope out where they would sit later that evening.

Mike joined them for dinner and then returned to the B & B to make final preparations for his book talk.

At seven-fifteen Anna and Angela were seated in an area of the store that was rapidly filling up with excited women clutching copies of G. M. Stroud books for him to sign. A couple of women nudged each other and pointed to Angela, whispering that they had seen her with HIM.

At seven-thirty the owner stood to introduce the speaker, G. M. Stroud, best-selling romance author.

Mike stood to applause and thanked everyone for coming.

"Tonight I'm going to give you a preview of my next book, due out next month. I Hope you'll enjoy 'Rose's Revelation'. It takes place in a town near the beach, much like this one. It is a bit of a departure from my previous books. Rose is a different heroine for me. I'll read several passages from different parts of the book so you can get an idea about her. The first one is from Rose's early life."

He read a couple of pages of text about a young woman raised in a strict family and brought up to believe sex was just a woman's obligation to her husband.

"So far not too different from my other books. The next section takes up where most of my other books end."

The next reading showed Rose married to a man she thought she loved, but disappointed and unhappy with her life. Several of the women in the audience nodded in understanding of Rose's situation.

"Well, that was unexpected, wasn't it? We like 'happily ever after.' Let's take a little peek into the future."

The last reading showed Rose divorced and independent yet despondent, meeting a man who promises bring out the woman she was meant to be.

During the questions afterward one woman asked "What happens to her? Does she find real happiness in the end?"

"Well, it is a romance, but you'll have to read and find out. I think you'll be surprised at Rose. I know I was as I wrote her story. She's closer to a real woman than my usual heroine. I hope you like the book and find Rose's story to touch your own lives."

At eight-thirty the bookstore owner had to call time. "I know we could probably stay here all night for questions, but Mr. Stroud has agreed to sign books for you."

Angela and Anna got up to leave, but Mike caught their eye and made a subtle hand motion for them to stay. After the last book had been signed and the last woman gushed over him he came over to embrace them both and give Angela a kiss.

He handed Angela the book he had read from. "I want you to have this. It's an advance copy that is sent out to reviewers before the book hits the bookstores. I must say the early reviews are surprisingly good considering the book is so different. Some other writers have given me good blurbs for the back of the dust jacket. But I'd like to get your reaction. Please, I want to know what you think. It's such a departure for me. Let's talk tomorrow."

Back at the house Angela couldn't wait to start the book. As she read there was something about it that did seem different from most romances, different yet somewhat familiar at the same time. She riffled through to random pages throughout, eyes widening. Her hands shook as she skimmed the final pages and she had to lay the book down. Anna noticed.

"What's wrong mom? It's not like you to read the end of a book first, and you're white as a sheet."

"It's me. Rose is me. She's old and meets a younger man. He teaches her about..." She took a deep breath. "Everyone in town will know it's me."

"You're overreacting. Here, let me see it."

Anna skimmed through it as her mother had done. "Well, it does sound a little like you, but there are differences. Her character could probably fit a number of women. And look, Rose ends up married again and happy. Don't you want to be happy?"

"Oh, God. What will I say to him?"

"He wants to know what you honestly think. Be truthful."

The next morning, after Anna left for home, Angela found him sitting in the gazebo chatting with a couple of women, who left before Angela got there.

"I can tell from your expression that you read it. Did it upset you?"

"It's me. Everyone in town will know it's me."

"It's not you. I write from life, but I only took certain characteristics from you. Rose is a composite of half a dozen women."

"So, you've done with others what you did with me?"

"No, no, no. I've never met anyone like you. You are quite unique in many ways. Yes, I drew from you, but it was because I admire you so much. Look at you now. This time last year would you have even thought of coming up to me to criticize my work? I think not. You have so much more confidence in yourself. Last fall you were stuck somewhere close to the second passage Rose in my reading. You've been my inspiration for this book. I never could have written it a year ago, before I met you. Please, take it as the homage it's meant to be."

Angela sat down on a bench. "What am I supposed to think about all this?"

"I'd hoped you'd be pleased. Pleased that I wrote a story arc for a character like you, an arc that carries the heroine beyond where you are now and into new territory, a new life."

"Damn, Mike. Why do you have to make so much sense? Why do you even care what happens to me?"

"I care a great deal - more than you know."

Something about his tone made her feel uneasy; it was veering into territory she didn't want to think about. She excused herself, got up and left him there, thinking about what he said. Along the way home she ran into two women she knew casually, and they stopped her.

"It's you, isn't it? You and him? I'd give my right arm for him to write about me."

Angela reflected on what Anna and Mike had said before responding. "He did write about me. But he wrote about you, too. He wrote about all of us, what we could become."

"But, we've seen you two together."

"He travels a lot looking for material, for inspiration. Maybe he did start with me, but I've come to realize he thought about us all. All us women of a certain age. He wrote a new life for us. He doesn't know how my life will turn out, it's all made up. Don't you see? It could be any one of us. For years we've read about these beautiful young women in book after book. Now someone has noticed us and given us something to dream about - not regrets of what has or has not happened in our lives before, but what can happen. It gives us hope."

The women stared at her. "What can happen. I see. Yes, it does give us room to dream. I'm glad we bumped into you."

Anna went home and picked up the book again. This time she read it through.

It took until well after dark for her to finish. Then she realized she hadn't eaten lunch or dinner and decided to go out.

After a meal that strangely tasted better than she expected, she went for a walk, stopping before the bookstore window and looking at the displays.

"It's not there yet," said a familiar voice.

She didn't turn around. "It will be. And it will sell out here. Even if they order fifty copies it will sell out in a day."

"What makes you say that? It is so different than all my others."

"Because it's about all of us women. I understand that now. We will all see ourselves in it."

"Then I've been successful. That's exactly what I was aiming for. You know, I already had a half written book and I had to rewrite it after I met you. I was possessed, and reworked it into this book in record time, forfeiting sleep and sometimes even food. It was a story I had to tell, and it poured out of me. My editor only tweaked it just a little. I got an email from him today that the New York Times book critic is recommending it. I've never had that happen before."

She turned to him and said "I'm pleased for you about that. I think it may be your best work." She placed a hand on his chest and was silent for a moment. "Spend the night with me."

"What will your lady friends think?"

"They'll be jealous, but they'll understand. It will give them something to dream about."

"In that case I accept. I've missed you, Angela. I can't deny I thought about you the whole time I was writing this book."

"Me? Don't you have women your own age to go out with and think about?"

"When I go out with them I look across the table and see your face. What the hell am I supposed to do about that?"