Annie and Dan Pt. 01

"Okay, let's go. If it starts, I'll drop you off at your stop."

Dan smiled at her agreement and followed her to the car. As he feared, it didn't start right away. He popped the engine cover, and, although he didn't know much about Volkswagens, he was comfortable around an engine. He had her turn it over a few times as he fiddled with spark plug wires and related components. Soon it sputtered and ran. Not great, but it ran.

"Is that how it's been running lately?"

Embarrassed, she answered from the driver's seat, "Yes, ever since it stranded me a few weeks back. It didn't seem right, but I haven't been able to get in to the shop. Normally, my dad would..." and she stopped suddenly. "Get in; it's starting to rain again."

Dan got in the passenger seat, filling most of the passenger side with his six-foot frame. They drove off as he explained where he parked. They talked about the Beetle and all that she and her dad had done to it, how he would show up at college a few hours away and fix anything she needed, and how Kevin can't or won't do anything to help with it. He has insisted she sell it and get something more modern.

They pulled into the station parking lot and Dan pointed out his Bronco. She pulled up next to it. Dan didn't exit immediately but asked her why she didn't get something more reliable.

They sat and talked a few minutes more about her love of the Beetle and the time it represented. She shared that she felt like she was born at the wrong time to which they both laughed. Dan thought selfishly, yeah, at least 10 years late, but she probably meant more like 30.

"Well, I'd better go and let you get back home to meet your plumber." In reality, he wanted to chat for another hour or two, pleasantly surprised at how easy she was to talk to. Normally, Dan was quiet around women, not necessarily introverted, but reserved as he took in the situation. This was likely interpreted as lack of interest, and they moved on.

"Yeah. Thanks so much for everything! You don't know how much this means to me. Really," she confessed and patted his knee this time.

Dan returned her gesture and squeezed her hand. "My pleasure. Really." He opened the door and got out.

"Wait! Are you catching the 6:30 in the morning?" she yelled just before he shut the door.

"You bet. I'll see you then. Goodnight, Annie."

"'Night."

Dan watched as she pulled away, smiling not only at his good deeds, but at meeting a new friend, too. He also had a thing for chivalry; maybe he was born many years too late as well.

He didn't head directly home, but headed in to the suburbs a bit, pulling into a strip mall just off the highway. He walked into The AutoZone.

"What kind of car are we working on, son?" asked the older man behind the counter.

"A '74 Super Beetle."

Chapter 4

"Goodnight, Beth," they both said in unison, sharing a smile as they did.

Beth grinned at them, "Goodnight you two." Annie knew what was going through Beth's mind. In the few weeks they'd know each other, the two had become fast friends. She had shared her frustrations with Kevin's lack of effort in their relationship. Beth insisted that Annie keep an open eye as there were not just other fish, but better fish out in the sea. Annie laughed it off, but that conversation replayed in her head most evenings when Kevin would come home and sit on the couch while she worked on dinner, laundry, and dishes. She understood his wanting to sit and relax after working hard all day. And although she outwardly admitted that she sat all day, her work was far from relaxing. That wasn't as receptive on his end, so she did what she needed to do to make everything work. She didn't mind doing these things for him; she actually enjoyed it, but she would like and appreciate a fair exchange.

Dan opened the door as they exited into the rain and asked her about getting some coffee for the trip home. She grinned inwardly and blushed outwardly feeling like he was asking her out. She thought she picked up on a bit of nervousness on his part. It was cute. And not unwelcome.

"I'd love to, really, but I need to get home. The complex is sending over someone to look at our plumbing, and Kevin is finishing up a job late tonight." She hoped this came across as being honest and not a blow off.

They chatted a bit about Kevin, which she was glad to share that she was with someone. She needed to put up a wall to keep this feeling at bay. This feeling? Shit, what was this feeling? No, go away feelings. Walls, put up walls. Or fences at least, maybe a fence you could look over. Put up fences, that's it. Good fences make good neighbors, right. Neighbors. Hmmmm. Being neighbors with Dan would be nice. What's going on here? She tried to get her mind back on track.

They talked as they approached the train platform, with the subject changing to her car. She explained how it left her stranded a few weeks back, leaving out Kevin's lack of help.

"That sucks. What kind of car is it?"

"A '74 Super Beetle. It was a project my dad helped me with in high school." At this, a rush of sadness flowed through her. Keep it together, Annie, she thought. She was thankful the train approached, and they boarded, sitting together in the back of the train car.

"So, what happened to your dad?"

So there it is. Annie sat in thought. Her mind imagined Paula going on and on about her personal life, and how nobody really cared. She looked over at him. He cared; she could tell.

Annie shared with Dan about how they worked on her Beetle in high school. She told him how, as an only child, she was the son her dad never had. They worked on her car and his cars as well. She admitted that she didn't pick up on the mechanical part as much as he had wished, but they both enjoyed the time together. She went on to talk about the restaurant, the long hours and tough first few years. Annie did the bookkeeping after her homework was done in high school; it was truly a family effort. By the time she went to college, the business was doing well, and her parents were able to pay for a professional accountant and a manager that allowed them to cut back a bit.

She saw that her stop was coming up and so didn't spend a lot of time on her dad's cancer and death. There would be time again later if he really wanted to know. Even the condensed version made her want to curl up and cry, but now, she wanted lean into Dan, to feel taken care of. She couldn't though. Fences. At that moment, Dan put his hand on her knee. A shiver shot through her body from her knee to the back of her neck. Hold it together, she thought. Fences. She reached over that damn fence and grabbed his hand and squeezed. And she smiled.

The train slowed, "This is my stop." She felt the tears welling up but was proud she didn't break down. She was surprised that Dan stood and followed her to the exit.

"What are you doing? This isn't your stop is it?" She wasn't accusing him of being inappropriate or stalkerish and hoped he didn't take it that way. She was just curious as she didn't remember him getting on the train with her this morning.

"I want to make sure that bug of your fires up. Can't leave a pretty girl stranded if her car won't start, can we?" He gave her a smile and wink.

There was that wink again. Annie smiled and hoped he didn't notice her blushing. It was her one tell. "Okay, let's go. If it starts, I'll drop you off at your stop." Her mind flashed back to her and Kevin's phone conversation when she was actually broke down and he wouldn't come help. She could get used to this, however. Fences.

She hopped in and tried the key. Nope. By the time she got back to the engine, he was already elbows deep fiddling with some plug wires, etc. He had her get back in and try it again. It started up, coughing and sputtering.

"Is that how it's been running lately?" He asked, peeking over the back fender.

Embarrassed, she answered from the driver's seat, "Yes, ever since it stranded me a few weeks back. It didn't seem right, but I haven't been able to get in to the shop. Normally, my dad would..." and she stopped suddenly. She didn't want to go there right now for fear of ruining the moment. Moment? For fuck's sake! Fences, Annie, she thought. "Get in; it's starting to rain again."

She laughed inwardly as Dan tried to fit in the passenger seat. He was a big guy, probably six foot and stocky. He didn't look muscled, but not flabby either, working strong maybe. He really didn't fit in the seat.

He pointed her in the right direction of his car as they pulled out of the parking lot. They chatted like old friends about her car, her dad, and a bit of Kevin's thoughts on her car when they found his Bronco.

"Why don't you get something newer?"

"Are you kidding?! I love this car. Makes me feel like a modern day Hippie!" she giggled.

They sat and talked a few minutes more about her love of the Beetle and the time it represented.

"I think I was born a few years too late." They both laughed. She initially meant 30 years too late for the Hippie era, but after looking up at Dan, she thought maybe 10 would work, too. She smiled again.

"Well, I'd better go and let you get back home to meet your plumber."

She knew it was true, but she didn't want him to go. "Yeah. Thanks so much for everything! You don't know how much this means to me. Really," she confessed and patted his knee this time.

Dan squeezed her hand. Shivers again.

"My pleasure. Really." He opened the door and got out.

She bit her lip as she thought for a quick moment then yelled, "Wait! Are you catching the 6:30 in the morning?"

"You bet. I'll see you then. Goodnight, Annie."

"'Night." She grinned. This felt like a schoolgirl crush. And she liked it.

She watched him through the mirror as she pulled away. Annie always thought of herself as independent, but, damn it, she could get used to this guy. She liked being taken care of to an extent. Yeah, she could get used to this. No. No, she couldn't. Fences. Her smile faded. Fences.

Her mind was elsewhere as she drove home. She enjoyed his company, maybe too much. But this couldn't work. He was more than ten years older, they work together, and she was with Kevin. She loved Kevin. That's better. She loved Kevin.

A few minutes after getting home, the plumbers showed up, did their thing and left. This left her alone with her thoughts again. Soon she was distracted with cooking dinner and planning for tonight. She was going to show Kevin how much she loved him. The thought of sex made her smile. She liked sex, and honestly Annie felt she had been a bit preoccupied lately with her father, the new job, the car, the new condo. She loved Kevin after all.

While the casserole was in the oven, she headed to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. She stopped by her dresser and grabbed a fresh pair of black lace panties and a matching bra. They weren't overly sexy, but better than the nonmatching cotton set she had on already. She stripped off her jeans and pulled off her blouse, throwing both in the laundry basket. She unfastened her bra and pulled off her panties. She leaned out of the bathroom to toss them to the laundry basket and just caught herself in the mirror.

Hmmm. Not bad, she thought. The swimming she stuck with did wonders for her muscle tone. Sometimes, though, she felt her back was too broad, but she liked her arms, legs, and butt. She stood up in front of the mirror and checked out her tummy. It wasn't a six pack by any means, but still pretty flat with a healthy look. She checked her breasts out, giving them a slight rubbing squeeze; still firm and nicely shaped. She had seen her fair share of breasts from the swim teams growing up, through high school, and through some of college. She felt hers were right in the middle; not too small and not too big like Beth's. Her mind drifted to what Beth's looked like in person, absently rolling a nipple with her left hand. She imagined they would feel heavy in her hands if she tried lifting them, pushing them together.

"Mmmmm," she moaned, which took her out of her little imagination and back to reality. Blushing, she pulled on her lace panties, turning to check out her butt in them. She then fastened her bra and stepped back to take in the view. "Nice," Annie whispered to herself.

She applied some fresh blush, although she thought she was already blushing enough. Some fresh lip gloss, a check of her hair, and she was done. Well, not quite. She reached for a simple gray nightie hanging on the back of the door. It wasn't too revealing, but still playful and pretty. Walking back to the kitchen, she looked at the heels in the closet but thought that was a bit much for tonight.

Dinner was now out and cooling on the counter. Kevin still wasn't home. She poured another glass of wine and settled down to watch a few minutes of TV.

"Damn it, Kevin. Where are you?" she asked to nobody and reached for her phone. A few texts back and forth and she realized he wasn't going to be home until later, much later. The big job was finished so the guys were going out to celebrate.

She unceremoniously dumped the still warm casserole into the garbage; she wasn't hungry anymore. Pouring the last of the bottle into her glass, she headed to the bedroom. She could feel the 3 big glasses already taking effect with no dinner. She smiled at the feeling though.

Annie removed the nightie and hung it up in the bathroom. Turning to the mirror she uttered, "Your loss, Kevin." She dropped the bra on the floor as she crawled into bed with her wine. A few more sips and she realized she needed to lie down. She set the glass on the nightstand and turned off the lamp.

Her head was spinning a bit, and her mind was running just as fast. Her hands roamed her own skin, from her breasts, down her stomach, over her panties, and down her thighs. She retraced these motions several times, each time having a larger effect than the previous. Soon her right hand stayed on her panties, feeling the lace on her fingertips; her left massaging her right breast.

Her mind kept drifting to Dan. And there was no guilt now; she was still too mad for that. Besides, this was all in her head, imaginary. She brought her legs up a bit and reached down to touch her knee, just as he had done earlier. She imagined his hand moving up her thigh, moving her hand as if it was his. She moved it higher until it pressed against the crotch of her panties, feeling her wetness through the fabric, pressing it into herself.

Her mind flashed to her sitting in his Bronco, leaning back into the seat, his hand sliding her dress up, and into her panties. Her right middle finger began circling her clit ever so lightly. Her left hand moved from her breasts to her inner thighs, spreading them as she massaged them. She imagined it was Dan's large hand caressing her thighs and breasts, and his other rubbing her clit. She dipped her finger down to gather some of her moisture, bringing it back up to rub more. She arched her back as she brought her other hand into her panties, sliding it under her right hand, rubbing her entire sex. Her eyes clenched tight when she dipped a finger into her wet opening, still circling her clit and feeling her orgasm begin to build. Her mind flashed to Dan on top of her, entering her. She added another finger inside and increased her pressure on her clit. Her head turned to the side, eyes tightly closed, fingers beginning to move with much more purpose. She was getting close.

"Mmmmm, Dan," she moaned. "Yes, yes!" She continued her stimulation of her clit, holding her other fingers inside, adding pressure everywhere. "Yessss!" It was beginning. A bit more pressure, fingers out and in deeper, back arched, eyes tight. "Mmmmmm. Oh my God, yesssss!" She felt her sex tighten around her fingers, and her muscles begin to quiver and shake. She rode out her orgasm, still circling her clit and pressing into her sex. She pulled her fingers out and squeezed a breast, feeling and smelling her wetness. She removed her other hand from her panties, squeezing her inner thigh as she came back down. She rolled to her side and snuggled up to a large extra pillow, squeezing it tightly. Annie drifted off to sleep imagining it was Dan she was cuddling up to.

Satisfied, she slept wonderfully through the night, never waking when Kevin finally came home and crawled into bed.