Cafe - Epilogue

Erin was curt when she asked, "Is there anything else?"

Roger looked first at Shawn, then down at the floor. "No, that's all, except again, I'm sorry. I really hope you can work through this."

With that, he walked out the door. Shawn looked over at Erin and said, "Stay right here." He then went out the door himself. By the time he caught up with Roger, he had made it to his office, where he was getting a box of his personal things, ready to take it to his car.

Shawn asked, "Why Erin? Why did you go after her like you did?"

"Are you sure you want me to answer that? I really don't want to get hit here."

Shawn assured him that he wasn't going to hit him, and he only asked because he wanted to know.

Roger said, "Because I'd never met anyone like her in my entire life. That first day I was introduced to her, I was lured by her beauty, the gentle way she shook my hand, the genuine smile on her face. It was easy to see right then and there that she was a great person. I made a heavier play for her than I ever had on any girl before. At first she responded well - she flirted back at me when I flirted with her. I really thought I was getting somewhere.

"But then I could tell she was getting cold feet. She told me to stop, but I didn't want to. Instead, I cranked it up another notch. I would complement her whenever I could. I flooded her with emails - some of which I'm certainly not proud. She would tell me to stop, but I felt like down inside there was always a chance. Then two days ago, I made my hardest play. When the receptionist told me she had gone over to the café across the street, I felt like this was my chance - we would be alone, away from the pressures of the office. I issued her my ultimate plea, and as I'm sure you know by now, kissed her and went back across the street. When she emailed me later that evening, I realized it hadn't worked, but I wasn't about to give up. Then when I found out she had quit and wasn't coming back, I knew she was running from me, and it was over.

"Of course, I didn't know just how over it was until I got called in yesterday and found out I was fired. So I guess in the end, you keep the girl and I lose my job. I guess my punishment is appropriate for the crime I committed."

Shawn had one more question to ask Roger. "In all that time, did she ever mention me? Did she ever mention she was married?"

Roger thought for a minute, then said, "No, not that I recall. I figured she was married because she was wearing rings on her wedding finger. But I don't think we talked about you at all. Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm trying to learn all I can about it so that we can prevent it from happening again. Because of you, we have a lot of things to work on, and I need to discover all the answers I can."

Roger looked straight at Shawn as he said, "Well...believe it or not, I hope you make it. You're a lucky guy, Shawn. I thought I had a chance, but in the end you were the better man. Good luck."

With that, he walked out of their lives. Shawn knew if he never saw him again, that would be fine with him. He went back to his wife's office, just in time to see her shutting her computer down.

She looked up at him and asked, "Why did you follow him?"

"Because I want to learn as much as I can about this. I want to know what it was that caused this. If we are going to make this work, we need everything out on the table so we can try to find ways so that it doesn't happen again. I'm going to do all that I can to try to learn to trust you again, Erin. There may be a lot of events like this that we neither will particularly like, but if it eventually makes our marriage strong again, it will be worth it.

"If you told me the truth the other night - and I still believe you did - then you've got nothing to worry about. I just wanted his perspective. Erin, you're a beautiful woman, and he won't be the last man that looks at you and wants more. Some might be happy fantasizing about a quick fuck with a sexy woman, but others may be like Roger and want more. When that happens, I have to know that you'll be able to resist it."

Erin walked around her desk, and as she moved closer to Shawn, she held out her arms, seeking a hug from her husband, which he accepted. She laid her head on his chest, and was soothed by hearing his heartbeat below his skin. "I'm going to spend all my time trying to earn your trust back, baby. I love you so much! Thanks for coming with me tonight. If you can come back tomorrow, I think I can get done and be out of here for good."

"I'll bring you back - I'm not going to make you come in by yourself. And look at it this way - maybe it was a good thing we were able to confront Roger. It didn't hurt my feelings to find out he got fired for this."

They got in the car and headed for home. It was late enough that they both headed straight for the bedroom. Once again, Shawn snuggled up with Erin as they pulled the covers over them. He reviewed the day, and what they had accomplished - especially the meeting with Roger. He knew there was a long way to go, and he was concerned when he found out that Erin never mentioned him to Roger during the two months. That would have to be addressed - perhaps when he visited with the counselor, she could help him understand that.

That night they slept together again, cuddled against each other, but nothing more. It was an awkward situation - being intimately close, but not progressing any further, even though they both were sure they wanted to. And yet despite the awkwardness of the situation, the comfort they felt from the closeness allowed them to experience deep, restful sleep, something they both needed as they wrestled with the elephant that was constantly in the room with them.

******

A couple of days before they were scheduled to have their first appointment with Dr. Brown, the marriage counselor they were going to see, Shawn and Erin were sitting in the living room together following supper. The incident was three weeks behind them now, and both felt they were making progress in healing their damaged marriage. But they still hadn't made love, and Erin could see that there was still pain in Shawn's face. They didn't talk about it much, because they were at the point where talking sometimes only brought the bad memories back. They both had hopes that the counseling would prove to be as successful for them as it had been for their friends.

But even though they were spending every evening together, Erin missed the small talk they used to have all the time, talking about each other's day, making plans for weekend adventures together, and that sort of thing. On top of that, now that she wasn't working, she was finding the days being home alone were void of enrichment of any kind. She missed working every day, using her brain the way it had been trained for accounting work. She also missed the camaraderie she shared with some of her office friends. They had been a part of her life for nearly 10 years. Suddenly not having those opportunities she had enjoyed for so long was a painful reminder that her actions not only hurt her husband, but also hurt her as well.

So as they sat together that evening, Erin asked Shawn a bold question. "Shawn, what would you think if I came to work with you tomorrow? I know I don't know anything about what you do, but maybe there might be some ways I could help you. Sitting around here all day is driving me crazy, so it would be great if I could spend the day with you."

Her idea surprised Shawn, and he gave it some thought for a few minutes. There were times when he was working by himself that he wished he had a second pair of hands to help with a project, or someone to run errands for him or help him with cleanup before he left for the day. He never really had enough work to hire an assistant full time, so he had just resigned himself to the fact that he had to do those things on his own.

"Do you think you could handle it?" he asked. "It's not glamorous office work, sitting in a comfortable chair behind a desk crunching numbers all day." As he said this, he looked over at her and got the smirk he knew would soon be coming once he teased her.

She grinned as she said, "I know it would be much better than sitting around here all day by myself. Would there be things I could do to help you? I'd love to know that I helped you do your job better!"

Shawn nodded. "There are times when another person would be a wonderful addition. I'm sure we would start you out slowly. But as smart as you are, I know you'd pick up some things fairly quickly. However, you have to understand that when I'm at work, it's all about the business. We can't talk about our relationship, because I don't need the distraction."

"I know," Erin replied. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you or myself. Shawn, this will just give me a chance to be around you and help with what you do so well. Can we try it for a little bit at least and see how it works out?"

"Sure, why not? Sounds like you have a job to do tomorrow."

Erin came over to where he was sitting on the couch and sat down beside him. She leaned over to give him a kiss, and he pulled her over close enough to wrap his arms around her. Looking into his eyes following the kiss, she said, "Thank you, Shawn. I'm going to try my best to be an asset for you. But just being with you is the nicest gift you could have given me."

When they went to bed later, instead of waiting to shift over to her in the middle of the night, he grabbed her and pulled her close to him. He put his right arm over her as she lay against him, and put his hand up under her t-shirt until he found her breast. They went to sleep with him gently massaging it, teasing her nipple lightly. She sighed and brought her own hand up to place on top of his. It was their closest night together since the incident.

The next morning, Erin was actually up before Shawn was. When he finally woke, he could smell the aroma of fresh coffee brewing and bacon cooking on the stove. He wandered into the kitchen wearing only his shorts, and saw her standing on front of the stove. She was already dressed for the day, wearing a long sleeve plaid flannel shirt and faded blue jeans, and the work boots she wore when they worked in the yard together. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, which was stuck through the hole above the adjusting strap on the cap on her head.

She looked over at him and grinned. "Good morning, boss! I thought that for our first day as work partners, you deserved a big breakfast to get your day started off in the right way!"

As he continued looking at her, he realized that she was a handyman's fantasy. He made a mental note of the picture standing in front of him, then moved over to her and gave her a kiss.

She took the bacon out of the skillet and set it on a plate to drain, then broke four eggs into the grease in the pan. As she looked after them while they cooked, she said, "I can't promise I will be able to get up and fix a meal like this every day, but today this is a thank you for taking me with you. I'm so excited to spend the day with you!"

As they ate the breakfast she had prepared, he couldn't help but compare her excitement to that of a kid coming down the stairs to a tree full of packages on Christmas morning. When he had finished, she gathered up their plates and utensils and took them to the dishwasher. He went and took his shower and got dressed as she finished cleaning up in the kitchen.

The day turned out to be better than either of them expected. Shawn got right to work, and for the first few moments, Erin just sat and watched as he worked on his current project - a bathroom remodel. Eventually there were things for her to do as well. She quickly learned what the tools he needed were called, and was able to go and get things for him while he continued to work. She also was able to help him by keeping the work area clean throughout the day, which saved him time later in the afternoon when it was time to quit for the day.

Shawn also had to admit that it was pretty nice to be able to look over at her while they were working. He loved how she looked in the long sleeve shirt and faded jeans. He also loved when their glances would catch each other looking, and the smile that would come over her face accompanied the blush in her cheeks as he smiled back at her.

Once when they were working particularly close to each other, side by side, he had reached out to rub his hand across her shoulders and back, and discovered she wasn't wearing a bra. His groin suddenly tightened when he discovered this. She really didn't need to wear a bra, he mused, as her breasts weren't particularly large, and they had remained firm. She had buttoned her shirt all the way up, and it was large enough on her that he hadn't noticed prior to rubbing her back. But he had to admit he thought it was sexy, and he spent the afternoon trying not to let this fact interfere with his work.

As they were packing up the tools they used at the end of the day, Shawn realized he got more done than he had planned. He looked over at Erin as she was finishing the final cleanup before they left. She was working just as quickly and efficiently as she had when the day started. Having the extra set of hands meant he might finish this job more quickly than he had estimated. He knew his client would be happy about that, and if she continued to help him like she had today, they might be able to schedule even more work, increasing their income opportunity.

As they drove home, he asked, "So what did you think of your first day?"

She giggled like she could hardly wait to share with him. "It was great - I really enjoyed spending the day with you. I realized just how much you know and can do, and I'm not even close to knowing all about your skills. But I also know that I learned lots of things today, and I hope I was enough help for you that we can try it again tomorrow!"

He smiled as he answered, "Well...to tell you the truth, having you helping meant I got a lot more done today than I normally would have by myself. You were a good employee today, and if you'd like, the position for my assistant is still open."

"Seriously?!? I accept! I'm so glad to hear that I was helpful for you. I can hardly wait for tomorrow!"

He pulled the work truck into the garage, and they got out and went inside. She started to remove her cap, but he stopped her. Instead, he turned her around and kissed her on the lips, full and hard. His tongue invaded her lips, forcing them to open as he sought out her tongue on the other side. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, so that they were essentially grinding their mid-sections on each other.

His attack surprised Erin. She had longed for this moment after the incident, but was afraid to push Shawn too quickly as he still dealt with the pain she had caused. Her heart fluttered as he kissed her, and she felt the moisture start to run between her legs. The three weeks' sexless period had been the longest of their marriage, and she hoped he would continue and see this through to a satisfying conclusion.

He broke the kiss, and moved her back a couple of steps. "Let's go to the bedroom." Her heart jumped again as she turned around and practically sprinted to the back of the house. When he got there, she was standing and waiting for his next command. Whatever he wanted, she was willing to make sure he got it.

"Take off your boots and socks." She sat on the edge of the bed, quickly undoing the laces of the boots and throwing them with a loud clunk into the corner of the room. Her socks quickly followed, and then she stood up in front of him again. She could tell her face was flushed, and a warm feeling was invading her body.

"Unbutton your shirt, but don't take it off." Starting from the top, she quickly unbuttoned the shirt, until it was hanging open, exposing once again the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Now take off your jeans." She did this as gracefully as possible, knowing that sometimes it took an extra effort to get her jeans off, since she liked to wear them as tight as possible. As she bent over to pull them off of her legs, her shirt would open, and Shawn could see her petite breasts, her pink nipples proudly on display, erect now with the excitement his attention was creating.

With her jeans now off, she was standing in front of him in only her panties, her open shirt, and the cap that was still on her head. Without taking his glance off of her, Shawn began to strip as well, starting with his boots first, then his jeans and shirt, and then finally taking his cap off. He put all of these clothes in a pile behind him. He was now standing in front of her, wearing nothing but a pair of blue cotton briefs. They did little to hide the erection that was threatening to tear a hole in the fabric.

They stared at each other for a minute. She could hardly contain her desire to run over to him, yank his briefs down, and take as much of his erect cock as she could in her mouth. But he had other plans, which he was just about to make known.

"Take off your panties." She did, and since the shirt was unbuttoned, her naked pussy was fully in view, shaved as he liked it to be. He could see that the outer lips of her pussy were engorged and distended, letting her inner lips peek out in the light of the afternoon. Without removing his eyes from her pussy, he stripped out of his briefs, his erection now fully free from its restraint as it stood tall and saluted her.

He moved over and climbed on top of the bed, laying on his back, and then motioned her to join him, which she quickly did. He positioned her on top of himself, and as he grabbed his cock, he guided it between her legs. When her hot moist center made first contact, they both gasped. She continued her downward plunge, until her ass was fully seated against his waist.

Without any more verbal cues, they both began to move, up and down against each other. She shook her head at first, her ponytail flailing wildly about her face as her speed and intensity increased. She closed her eyes, which meant she wasn't aware that he was staring at her face the entire time, looking for visual clues of her approaching orgasm.

It didn't take long for him to see the clues appear. Her mouth opened as if in a silent scream. She leaned over and grabbed his shoulders, which allowed him the opportunity to molest her breasts as they fucked. Finally he could see that her upper chest flushed a deep red as it always did right before she came. He knew he had to get ready to hang on to her, because in just a few seconds, she was going to thrash around as if all hell broke loose.

Just as he predicted, she took off. Her head threw back, causing her cap to fly off behind them. She squeezed his shoulders with extra pressure as her hips thrust madly around his cock. The silent scream face of a few seconds ago went away, and in its' place was a high pitched squeal, followed by a resounding chorus of "YES, YES, YES..." until she collapsed on top of him in a heap, struggling to catch her breath.

But he wasn't done, and he told her to keep fucking. She did the best she could, as her orgasm extended while she kept on grinding. Finally he came as well, with a loud grunt as stream after stream of sperm filled her pussy. When she could no longer take anymore, she crashed for good this time, and they both held each other, feeling the warmth of their orgasms subside, leaving them nearly breathless.

Eventually she turned her head enough to kiss him on the cheek. She whispered in his ear, saying, "Oh my god, Shawn, that was incredible! Was that a reward for being such a good worker today?"

He chuckled as he replied, "I don't care what you call it, but you were so sexy in your little handygirl outfit, and I could barely wait until we got home to show you the effect it had on me!" They kissed once again, each one thinking on their own that the entire day had allowed them to pass another hurdle that stood in the way of getting things back close to normal.