Mary By Moonlight

"Nathan, I appreciate that, but I'm not beautiful. I'm...okay, I guess. But, again, thank you."

He shook his head, his eyes still looking directly at her. Sparkling with moonlight, his eyes then roamed all over her body. She shivered yet again as she watched his eyes exploring every inch of her. She was breathless, and a tiny bit uncomfortable. She'd always fantasized about a romantic interlude with Nathan, but she felt more and more self-conscious as his eyes openly fondled her body. Finally, he just smiled and nodded. "Oh, yeah, Mary...trust me, you ARE beautiful." Before she could protest, he asked, "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well....no, Nathan. No...you never have." Then with a wink, she added, "Not that I know of, anyway."

His returned smile was a wry one. He chuckled a bit as he said, "No, Mare, I've never lied to you. So, when I say you're beautiful, you can trust me on that."

Adept at warding off compliments, Mary quickly changed the subject, diverting Nathan's thoughts once again to the odd circumstances that brought the two of them here. He would have none of it. Every time she started to talk of the beach, the moonlight, her painting, or even this weekend trip with their other friends in general, Nathan would again tell her how much he enjoyed her company, how pretty her dress was, how he liked her eyes or her hair, how lovely her smile was. Parry and thrust....the verbal fencing duel went on into the night...the moon rising higher and higher....it's light washing more and more over them as the shadows receded from its advance.

Finally, in the middle of a statement by Mary of how intense the moonlight was becoming, Nathan suddenly said to her, "Mary, I know one of your weaknesses." His grin was at once dashing and disarming...and totally wicked. That grin made Mary want to giggle...among other things. She felt giddy just looking at it.

"Weakness? I have no weaknesses," she kidded, laughing openly.

"Oh, yeah, you do. Remember...um....I think it was two boyfriends ago....that fellow..what was his name? Ralph...Rich....Rex? He told me some things about you." Again the evil grin.

"You mean Ryan? Oh my God. He was such a prick. What did he tell you?"

"Well, he told me you have certain 'weaknesses'...things that really drive you crazy. Things that relax you and make you open to...you know...suggestions."

Now Mary was really getting warm. Never had she and Nathan spoken of such things before, and she wasn't sure how she should respond. "Nathan, Ryan was a self-centered asshole. He's not the type of guy you should be listening to when it comes to women."

"Yeah, maybe," he said, looking upward toward the sky thoughtfully, "but maybe what he says is true in some cases." That grin was becoming more playful by the second.

Mary was squirming now, wondering whether she should grind the conversation to a screeching halt, or see where it was leading. With her tongue firmly in cheek, she decided on the latter. Nathan was way too cute for her to just try to shut him up. If events began to carom into an unsavory direction, she could easily enough squelch things, but she just couldn't see sweet, sexy Nathan turning into the kind of jerk Ryan was. So, she decided to bide her time and see where the wind blew. Maybe it was the romantic, moonlit beach setting...or maybe just the sweet, sexy Nathan. But for now she would ride this out.

"Okay, then, Mister Recorder of Weaknesses....exactly what did Ryan the dirtbag tell you?"

"Well, how about I just show you?" he replied.

"Oh, no....if it was something Ryan said, you might've been led to believe that being pounced on against my will was a turn on for me. Or that pleasing a man while getting nothing in return is something I aspire to. Nope...you TELL me what he said. Then we'll discuss whether it's correct or just something from Ryan's fevered little brain."

"All right," Nathan said with a chuckle and a sly wink, "but if what he told me is true, THEN do I get to show you? Then can I get to do it for you?"

His grin was warming her inside and out. Her interest was indeed piqued now. She bit her lower lip as she replied cautiously, "All right...but only if it's true."

"Fair enough. Okay....one thing that Ryan said relaxed you to the point where he could just about have his way with you, was..." he grinned from ear to ear, "if he rubbed your feet. He said that made you all weak and willing. So...is it true?"

Mary laughed, but she knew it was true. Then she looked at Nathan and imagined this strong yet gentle man massaging her feet....with the hopeful intent of "making her weak and willing." Hell, she'd be willing with Nathan no matter what! If he touched ANY part of her, it would be all over except for the lighting of the cigarettes!

She sighed, "Well...yes, I have to admit...he's right. Foot rubs are definitely a weakness of mine."

"So," Nathan smiled back at her, "now I get to do it for you, right?"

Mary laughed nervously, "You want to rub my feet, Nathan?"

"Mary, I'd like to do anything that made you feel good. But," he winked again, "let's start with that. Why don't we just talk here under the moonlight for a while, and I'll massage your feet. I think that's kind of romantic, anyway."

"What's romantic? Rubbing my feet?"

"Well, yeah...but, really, anything that makes a woman feel good. I think it's romantic to pamper a woman..to kinda spoil her."

"And you want to sit here and rub my feet....excuse me, spoil me...while we talk? Why, Nathan?"

"Well," he sighed, "I've always liked you, Mare. You're smart, fun, sexy, cute....you're the whole package. I'd like to get to know you better. I've wanted to for a long time. And if rubbing your feet while we talk gets me in the door, then I'll rub like a pro." The hopeful words were framed by a cute, sexy smile and not one, but two flirtatious winks.

She couldn't believe her ears! She'd been fantasizing about Nathan for almost as long as she'd known him, and here he was sounding like HE had to try hard to win HER! Her head was swimming. She tried to think of something clever to say, but her brain froze. The intellect she'd always been so proud of suddenly and stubbornly seized up on her...squealing to a hissing stop like a barreling locomotive after someone had pulled the emergency brake. Her mouth hung open waiting for the words that never came.

"C'mon, Mare. Put your feet on my lap and let me pamper you a little bit. Then we can talk about anything you like...all night if you like. It'd be a shame to let such a romantic place as this go to waste, no?"

Mary was in a trancelike state as she slowly slid around to face him, plopping her feet in his lap. Smiling at her, Nathan unbuckled her sandals and took them off of her. Moments after the second sandal was placed on the sand next to the first, she felt Nathan's strong hands massaging her feet. He was good. It was a forceful kneading of her foot flesh with strong, but careful hands. It was so soothing, relaxing. It did indeed make her weak. She wondered how long it would be before she'd go from just relaxed to "open to suggestion" And she wondered just what those suggestions might be. She remembered how she'd always told herself that if Nathan ever wanted her sexually, she would never even think of saying no. With a shiver of expectation, she wondered if she'd be called upon to back up that statement...and if push came to shove...would she?

Her focus came back to the soothing hands working on her feet...and the gorgeous man who owned them. As her hazy eyes looked at the moonlit Nathan with his sparkling blue-green eyes and sweet smile, she heard him speak, though it sounded as far away as another planet in the solar system.

"Well, now," Nathan grinned, "this really seems to be working. I think I like that. So, now, while I give these cute feet of yours a nice, thorough massage, what would you like to talk about, Mare?"

His eyes glinted with glee, and Mary knew she was completely in his control. The moon, this incredible beach, being alone with Nathan, his apparent interest in her...and the piece de resistance...the gorgeous Nathan rubbing her feet with the apparent hope of working his way into her heart. Could this all be happening? Was she dreaming? Was the whole thing real? Or was she actually still back at Cedar Point in her beach chair, looking over at a dozing Nathan and concocting all of this in her oversexed little mind?

"Nathan," she sighed weakly, "you talk about anything you like. I'll try to listen, but with you massaging my feet like that, I'm not sure how much of what you say I'll absorb."

He chuckled. "Okay then. All you have to do is lie back and enjoy. I'll just rub. We can talk later."

Mary sighed and tried to focus on the moon. Nathan rubbed long and hard, turning her to mush. She found herself eager to find out what would happen when the rubbing stopped. But, for now, she just went with the relaxing, erotic flow of it. Time enough for moral dilemmas later. She was already hoping that those strong hands would soon be caressing and fondling other parts of her. Would she allow it to go that far, as she'd always told herself she would with Nathan? Oh, yes....yes.....she definitely thought so.

Bright, romantic moonlight. A soft, warm breeze blowing across her body. The faint blips and giggles of playful marine life and the lapping tide. And Nathan's finely sculpted form sitting at her feet, eyes glinting the moonlight back at her along with his grinning teeth. His hands kneading and pampering her feet. How could Mary possibly hold back the many sighs? How could she not melt from her beat-skipping heart straight to her liquefying core? She couldn't possibly have dreamed a more perfect scenario with a more perfect man. As bright as the moon was, her eyes were too hazy with desire to focus on it. Her eyelids fluttered too much to allow a clear picture of it. She gave up and just smiled in the general direction of that warm, vibrant sphere. If this wasn't a dream, then she surely must have died and gone directly to Heaven.

As her tongue began to slide to and fro between her lips, a dim corner of her brain became aware of sensation above her ankles. At first her brain didn't care. It was too inundated with satisfying stimuli to pay attention. But the tiny sparks skipping along her calves wouldn't be denied. Her eyes fluttered open more fully. Her neck lifted her head off the blanket and aimed her moonlit face toward Nathan.

The strong, tanned hands were caressing and stroking her calves. It felt almost as wonderful as the foot massage had. Her feet were still tingling from those incredibly talented fingers, and now her calves had begun to follow suit. Her eyes watched numbly as Nathan rubbed her calves, only slightly aware of the implications of such an upward climb of those hands along her body. She just sighed and watched.

Nathan noticed her watching him. "Is this okay, Mare? I'll go back to rubbing your feet if you don't trust me."

Her response was low and soft, as if whispered into a lover's ear. "I'd trust you with my life, Nathan. Besides, it just feels way too yummy for me to stop you."

Nathan smiled at the encouragement. With Mary sighing and cooing like a dove, he slowly rubbed higher and higher up her calves, eventually slipping his hands under her soft, summery dress. Consciously unaware of it, Mary squirmed. She smiled up at the warm, winking moon. Softly...oh, so softly...she breathed, "Ohhhhh, Nathan."

Again unconsciously, Mary separated her legs just a tiny bit. But as Nathan rubbed above her knees, the distance between her thighs increased. Her legs spread inch by inch as he rubbed ever higher up her thighs, the palms of his hands and pads of his fingers taking special delight in her soft inner thighs.

Mary's brain, previously relaxed and soothed, was becoming a convoluted mass of liquid fire. It bubbled over with erotic thoughts about Nathan's strong, persistent hands. It seethed with visions of his full lips replacing his hands on her inner thighs. It roiled and hissed with the desire for his masculine body to be pressed against hers, his firm, throbbing manhood inserted deeply within her yearning center.

Her mind left her. It floated free, soared high above, a hovering companion to the voyeuristic moon. From above, she saw herself lying on her back, her filmy dress hiked up to her hips, Nathan's relentless hands caressing her thighs much higher than she had thought. She saw her wicked indulgence revealed as Nathan's twinkling eyes caught sight of her softly curled, decadently unclothed mound. Sliding his hands up to her hips, raising the dress still further, she saw him lean down to kiss just below her navel. It had to be a dream.

Her eyes fluttered open again. Her entire field of vision became filled with the smiling face of the gorgeous Nathan. His tempting lips were mere inches from her own, but she was too weak to jump up and suck on them. His warm breath cascaded over her mouth and neck as his heavy breathing became more and more apparent.

When her eyes had finally focused completely on his handsome face, she saw the look of love in his eyes. It smoldered deep behind their pale, blue-green hue. Those wistful eyes focused on her lips. His hands no longer stroked her thighs. Rather, one hand was on each side of her face, holding it firmly as he gazed longingly at her mouth. The thumb of each hand lightly stroked her cheeks. He sighed as he moved his lips closer still to hers.

"My God, Mare..." he said so softly she could barely hear it, "you're so beautiful."

Mary instantly lost all will power. Her muscles became jelly. Her body temperature increased by several degrees. She became limp, weak...yielding. Her jaw dropped, more from the need to let extra air in to help her failing lungs than anything else. When it did, Nathan leaned slowly downward, traversing those last few millimeters, and pressed his mouth against hers, accepting what he saw as an invitation.

His kiss was deep, erotically tender. At the same time it was needy, insistent...brooking no resistance. He kissed her long and hard, his lips capturing hers and savoring them, his mouth clamping against hers and sucking the air from her. His tongue explored deeply and at will, savoring the moist, hot cavern of her mouth.

Mary could barely breathe, but her arms found strength. They shot up and encircled his neck, holding him firmly in place as they kissed passionately. Slowly their kisses grew hotter, the passion growing exponentially from kiss to kiss. Their tongues danced together, an elegant waltz of lust and desire. Before long, they were panting and pressing their bodies tightly against one another.

Suddenly, Nathan pulled back from her hungry mouth. Her teeth lunged forward and tried to capture his lips, to keep them from escaping, but they weren't fast enough. With a low moan of frustration, Mary opened her eyes and glared up at him. He was stroking her cheek again, looking down at her with longing eyes.

"Mary," he sighed, "I want so badly to make love with you...right here...right now. You're incredible. God, how I need you right now."

The gauntlet had been tossed. Nathan had expressed his desire to make love with her, and now the final decision rested in her hands. Was she going to make good on her promise to herself, or miss the opportunity of a lifetime? Would she risk their friendship for a moment of mad, passionate lovemaking? Could she live with herself if she let this chance pass her by? Could she live with herself if she lost the friendship of this incredible man?

"Nathan, I...." she sighed, struggling with her feelings. The look of desire in his eyes was the final, deciding factor. She trembled as she looked into those incredible eyes, saw the deep need there. Her heart pounded and her mind raced. She needed him as much as he needed her. "Oh, God, yes, Nathan....make love to me," she said, her mouth once again seeking out his.

Passionate kisses heated the warm sea air. Mouths explored and savored each other. Two hearts melted into one. They kissed so forcefully that their teeth scraped and their lips became raw. Their throats rasped with each sigh and pant. Their bodies trembled whenever and wherever they touched.

Nathan suddenly got up on his knees. When he clutched at Mary's dress, she knew what he wanted and she assisted him immediately. She sat up and raised her arms, letting him lift the soft, thin material over her head. He tossed the dress aside and instantly wrapped his arms around her totally naked body, kissing her even harder than before. After several more minutes of kissing her, his hands became bolder, exploring her body freely. She made no move to refuse him in any way.

Finally, his strong hands found something other than tired feet to rub. Insistent fingers captured her breasts as he sucked on her hungry mouth. He kneaded and fondled her soft globes, fingers exploring both gently and roughly. Nipples became the eager captives of those insistent fingers. You could almost hear her nipples squealing with glee as they hardened in Nathan's grasp.

Mary wanted Nathan naked, too. As her lips attacked his, her fingers fumbled with his swim trunks. They were tight, and hard to get a firm hold of in their kissing frenzy. "Wait," Nathan said.

Nathan kissed Mary's lips one last time before standing up. In the moonlight, the left half of his body was illuminated a ghostly white, while the right half was shadowed, making him a semi-silhouette of masculinity in the warm night air. He kicked off his sandals and then just stood there in the moonlight for a moment. Then he grabbed his trunks. Slowly, he worked his hands into the waistband and lowered them. He seemed to deliberately take his time, enticing Mary, teasing her...making her quiver with anticipation.

Nathan bent over and tugged his trunks down to his knees, then over them. He let them drop to his feet and calmly stepped out of them. Then he stood up, straight and tall. The moonlight and shadows sculpted his lean, muscular frame into a sensual work of art. The soft white light highlighted his sinewed body in all the right places, while the shadows in recessed areas clearly defined the firmly muscled arms and legs, the broad shoulders, the washboard abs. The tiny shadows of his nipples seemed to be racing across his firm, hard chest toward some unseen goal.

But it was lower, below his flat stomach with it's shadowed navel, that the soft lighting brought most prominently to Mary's eyes and senses. Standing slightly to one side, the rounded curve of his naked left buttock appeared to be contracting and relaxing, in preparation for some hopefully strenuous act to follow. And his manhood...his erect, throbbing penis...bobbed visibly in semi-shadow. The moonlight enhanced its erotic appeal. The mingled light and darkness etched every glorious detail of it into Mary's reeling mind. So thick...so round and full. The shadows played here, too...exposing every detail of its firm texture to her admiring eyes. Her mouth watered and her heart skipped several beats as she took in it's full beauty, and her mind realized it would soon be hers for the taking. Below it, Nathan's dangling jewels could barely be seen hiding in the darkness, but she knew they must be lovely, indeed. She sighed at the thought of touching them, fondling them...squeezing them in her palm. But, even in her heated state, her head dizzy with erotic thoughts, the artist in her brimmed with envy. Despite all her artistic talent, never had she been able to capture such vivid beauty on canvas. For if anything could rightfully be called a work of art, Nathan's naked, excited, masculine body was it.

Mary looked up to Nathan's face, and saw a man filled with lust. But through all his desire and need, his face was still that of the caring man she'd known for at least eleven years. He was powerful, yet gentle...lustful, yet loving. Not only did her sex organs overheat just looking at his naked form, but her heart melted knowing what kind of man he was. And just that quickly she needed him more than ever.