Sweet Bliss

She didn't immediately respond, so he added, "How about $1,200? I'll cover your vacation by giving you twelve-hundred dollars -- that should certainly help with your bills and should help you with your tuition in September." He also fully realized that taking a girl out-of-town meant sleeping with her, and he didn't want his offer to sound like an offer of prostitution, but he just didn't know how else to phrase it.

Taking both of her hands in his, he looked straight into her eyes and said, "Kat, I'm not married. I've never been married. I've had long-term relationships before, but none of them ever lasted more than two or three years. I have no children; I have no brothers or sisters, and now I have no parents. I'm retiring from the Air Force in May due to medical issues. I've already got my twenty years in with the Air Force, so I've already earned full retirement benefits. My parents have left me a ranch in Texas which is fully paid for. In addition to a tidy sum of cash. Kat, I mean this with all sincerity, there is absolutely no one on earth I would rather help me spend that money than you."

Buck realized he had just dropped an enormous bomb shell on this poor girl, and he wasn't surprised that she didn't immediately respond. Katy still just barely knew him, and he could have been absolutely full of shit for all she knew. So, he decided to give her some time and allow her to consider the offer without him sitting right in front of her. Buck took a business card from his pocket and jotted a number on the back.

"Here," he said as he slid the card across the table towards her. "My office number is on the front, and I've written my home number on the back. You can call either number anytime, day or night. I should be in the office all week, or you can call me at home any other time. I live alone Kat, I'm not married. And I don't have a girlfriend or a roommate." As he stood to leave, he added, "Please call me." He then bent down and gently kissed her cheek before turning and walking out the door.

Yes -- the Answer is Yes

"Major Russell, you have a call on line two Sir," the airman said aloud as he put the call on hold.

"Major Russell," Buck said, picking up the phone.

"Buck," a weak feminine voice said over the phone. "It's Kat -- yes, the answer is yes."

Totally elated but trying desperately to remain professional, Buck said, "That's great Kat -- thank you. Can I meet you at the club tonight to go over the details?"

"Not at the club," Katy immediately responded. "Can we meet someplace else?"

"Oh sure," Buck said, still euphoric that she said yes. "Can I take you to dinner?"

"Huh, sure -- that would be fine," Katy replied, but still a little uneasy about dating a customer -- especially one old enough to be her father.

Buck was now beaming with excitement. "What are you hungry for?" he asked.

"How about Red Lobster," were the first words out of her mouth.

Buck tried not to laugh, but almost couldn't help himself. "Kat, if you're hungry for seafood, I'll bet we can do better than Red Lobster. How about Schmitt's? Have you ever been there?"

"I've heard of it," she said. "But I've never been there."

"Great," Buck said. "I know it's not saying a lot, but it is definitely the best seafood in Wichita. Do you want to meet me there?"

Katy didn't actually own a car, and she didn't really want Buck to know that. "No, why don't you pick me up?" she said, knowing full well that she was violating another fundamental principle of the Stripper's Code -- never let a customer know where you live. But she was committed at this point, and the only other concern she had was that he'd see what a dump she lived in.

She gave him the address, and he was there at seven on the dot as promised. She opened the door the moment he knocked and immediately stepped out, quickly closing the door behind her, hoping that he wouldn't get a glimpse inside. But he wasn't there to spy on her or judge her. He was totally convinced that whatever her current living conditions were -- he could and would only make them better.

As they were driving toward downtown, Katy reached over and offered her hand as if to introduce herself for the first time. At first, a little startled, Buck quickly accepted her handshake leading her to say, "Hi, I'm Katy Franklin. I'm very pleased to meet you."

"Katy," he responded with a smile. "I'm Major John Russell Jr. And I'm very pleased to meet you."

There was a moment of silence before Katy added, "Kat is just my 'dancer name.' My real name is Kathleen, but I've gone by Katy all my life."

"Were you named for the railroad?" Buck asked with a smile.

Katy laughed, "You know I'm not sure, but it certainly is possible. My dad has always had a thing for trains."

The moment those words left her mouth, she realized that she had mentioned her parents and she really didn't want to go there. As her voice trailed off after the word 'trains,' Buck sensed that maybe that was a sore subject and quickly moved on.

"Well, my real name is John, but since my Dad's name was also John, my parents needed a way to distinguish us -- so I've been 'Buck' for as long as I can remember," he volunteered. "But if I was called that in reference to a young Indian brave or a male deer -- I have no idea."

Katy laughed. "I think that's why I like you," she said. "You make me laugh."

"Well then, I've done my job Katy," Buck said with a laugh of his own.

At the restaurant, as they dined on the best seafood Katy had ever eaten, Buck explained his family history. "My dad made a lot of money early in his career as an oil and gas man. We lived in South Texas at the time as the area was experiencing an oil boom. However, as the old joke goes -- South Texas is a great place to be from. So, when I was in second grade, my parents bought this land in Central Texas -- near San Antonio -- and that's where I grew up. It's forty acres, so it's not really a working ranch; we just called it that. Other than a few goats and an old burro named Jack, Jack Ass my Dad called him when I was a kid, we never raised any livestock. It was just our home."

Katy listened intently as she had never been to Texas, and all she could imagine were cowboys on horseback, cattle drives, and endless miles of cactus and desert -- just like in the movies.

"So, Katy," Buck went on after a sip of wine. "I have no brothers or sisters or any other close relatives. Once my parent's will has been probated, I will own the ranch free and clear. There is no mortgage or any other debts. I'm not rich, but my parents have left me enough money so that I can retire and live comfortably for the rest of my life."

"I've been flying for the Air Force for over twenty years. But my career is coming to an end. My dad had high blood pressure all his adult life, and I have unfortunately inherited that as well," Buck explained. "Once I reached my early forties, I had to go on blood pressure medication, and that has put an end to my pilot's rating. Flying is all I've ever done and all I've ever wanted to do, and once I lose that -- well, it's time to retire and head for the ranch."

As Katy pushed the last bite of her Redfish Pontchartrain onto her fork, she silently paused for what she knew was coming next.

Buck took another long sip of wine before continuing. "Katy, I'm not asking you to make any quick decisions; I know we just officially met in the car less than an hour ago. But I've never been more attracted to anyone in my life as I am to you. I don't have any kids, and I never will. And I need someone to help me spend this money."

Katy didn't understand about the "no kids and never will." She didn't find out until later that Buck had a vasectomy years ago when he was living with a woman in Germany. But she did understand, "help me spend this money," and if Buck had only been closer to her age, she wouldn't have given it a second thought. It wasn't that she didn't like him, for she really did -- it was just the twenty-five years between them that gave her concern.

Over the course of the dinner, Katy never actually answered Buck's question about moving to Texas with him, but she never said no either. She wasn't trying to string him along, but she wanted to be fair and honest. And to be honest -- she just didn't know.

When he dropped her back off at her apartment that night, he didn't try to invite himself in or even kiss her goodnight. He was the perfect gentleman, making Katy's decision even more difficult. But she had already agreed to the trip to Texas, and she was genuinely looking forward to that.

As they stood together in line at the airport, she couldn't help but feel everyone was looking at them and thinking, 'what's that old codger doing with that cute young chick.' However, the ticket counter agent, the boarding gate agent, and all of the flight attendants never gave either one of them the slightest glance. By the time they landed, Katy was beginning to feel more comfortable. And when the car rental agent sort of flashed them a suspicious glare, Katy was comfortable enough by that time to think to herself, 'what's that old biddy looking at?'

Leaving the San Antonio airport and heading out onto the highway, Katy was surprised to see that there were no cowboys, no cattle, and most of all -- no desert. San Antonio was a beautiful city and much larger than Wichita. In fact, she realized it was much closer in size to Kansas City or St Louis, the only other two metropolitan areas she'd ever seen.

And as for the desert -- there wasn't any. The city was beautiful, with plenty of trees and green grass. And as they headed west out Interstate 10 into the Texas Hill Country, she kept thinking -- 'this does not look anything like what I imagined.' The rolling hills reminded her more of Missouri than any western movie she had ever seen. Of course, the trees and general vegetation were different than Missouri, but the rolling terrain was very similar. And most importantly -- no desert!

About twenty-four miles northwest of San Antonio, they reached the small town of Leon Springs, and Buck exited the freeway. Katy laughed at the quaint name of this picturesque small town. But to Buck, this was home. Along with the nearby town of Boerne is where he grew up from second grade on, as well as playing high school football for the Boerne Greyhounds.

After exiting the freeway, they turned left onto Boerne Stage Road, which later became Beauregard Road, and then eventually turned right on Upper Balcones Road, at which point Katy realized she was totally lost. Buck finally turned onto a private gravel road and stopped to unlock the gate. Katy sat and watched as he pushed the heavy metal gate open. It was made of what appeared to be seven or eight evenly spaced steel pipes welded horizontally to the gate's frame with a large steel circle in the middle like the steel rim of an old wagon wheel. And in the center of the circle was welded a large metal 'R.'

As Buck got back in the rental car, he said, "Welcome to the 'Circle R Ranch' Katy, this is where I grew up. The only permanent home I have known since second grade."

Katy couldn't see the house as they passed through the gate, but after about six hundred yards down the gravel drive, the house came into view. It was a classic ranch house just as she had imagined it would be. It was low and wide in the classic western ranch style, with an unpainted metal roof that had probably been shiny bright when it was first installed. But had now dulled to a cloudy silver-gray. A covered porch appeared to completely encircle the house on all four sides, which shaded every window from the relentless Texas sun. The wooden siding was painted a color that could best be described as 'Rawhide,' and the entire house was skirted in local stone from the ground to the bottom of the porch. The porch roof was supported by native cedar columns that had been stripped of their bark and varnished, giving the house a hand-made rustic feel. A leaded-glass front door was centered on the front of the house, and a massive stone chimney protruded through the middle of the roof, dividing the house into equal left and right sides.

"Wow," Katy exclaimed. "It looks like something straight out of a John Wayne movie -- only bigger."

Buck smiled as he slid out of the car, and holding Katy's hand, walked her to the front door. "My Dad was a huge fan of John Wayne, and I wouldn't be surprised if one of his movies was the inspiration for the house. But wait until you see the back deck. I think you'll really like that."

Once inside, Buck proudly continued his tour. The front door opened almost directly into a side view of the stone fireplace, which was centered in the middle of the house. To the right was a small formal living area and a small office or den. The bedrooms were apparently down a hallway further to the right. To the left of the fireplace was a huge family room and formal dining area that opened to the kitchen. The open kitchen concept, though common now, was pretty cutting edge when the house was built probably thirty-five years earlier.

But what Katy couldn't keep her eyes off of was a wall of sliding glass doors on the back of the house that led to a massive deck. Just as Buck had promised, it was an amazing view. Buck quickly showed her around the house's living areas and then unlocked one of the glass doors, slid it open, and invited her out onto the deck.

"Wow," she said. "Wow -- this is incredible. Did you grow up here?"

"Yep," Buck responded with a smile as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "You know, as a kid, I really didn't think that much of it. But coming back after twenty-five years away, you really began to appreciate it.

"I would have never left," Katy said, gazing out over the Texas Hill Country as the sun was beginning to settle in the west.

"That is exactly what I was hoping you'd say," Buck said as he gently squeezed her waist.

Katy realized she may have tipped her hand regarding her future plans. But it was a breathtakingly beautiful view, especially compared to Wichita, which was her entire life other than the one-semester she had spent in St Louis. As she surveyed the expanse of hills, trees, and sky that lay before her, Buck nudged her to look down closer off the edge of the deck.

"See that row of tall trees?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, breaking her gaze on the distant horizon and looking down toward the southwest.

"Those are Texas Bald Cypress," he said. "They line both sides of a small creek that crosses the bottom of our property. They look small from here, but they are actually over sixty feet high and may be several hundred years old." Then redirecting her attention to a clump of trees to the southeast, "And there in that thicket of Cypress over there to your left. That is a natural year-round spring. I used to play down there all the time when I was a kid. I always thought of it as my secret hiding place, even though my parents always knew that was where I was hiding if there was work to be done."

"Are there snakes down there?" Katy asked in an apprehensive voice.

"I don't know," Buck said as he jokingly tugged at her waist. "Do you want to go down and look?"

"No," Katy squealed as if the class bully had just dropped a spider on her desk. "I want to see the rest of the house," she said sweetly as she turned and faced him.

Taking her by the hand, he led her through his parent's room. It had the same view as the family room looking out across the deck, but that wasn't the room Katy really wanted to see. Sensing her curiosity and with a bit of apprehension, he guided her to his old room.

"So, this is where the magic happened?" Katy said in a suggestive tone.

"No -- not unless you call sleeping until noon magic," Buck replied with a chuckle. "If you're suggesting I brought girls here -- well, it never happened."

"You never brought a girl home?" Katy said teasingly.

"Oh yeah, I had girls over to the house, but never in my room," Buck insisted.

"Well -- I'm here," Katy said with a sultry tone in her voice. "You brought me here, and I think it's time we broke the curse on this room." And with that, she reached up, and wrapping her arms around Buck's neck, planted her lips squarely on his.

This was the moment Buck had waited for since the first time he'd laid eyes on Katy, but now that it was actually happening, he was caught off guard. It took him a moment to realize that Katy was actually kissing him, but once the initial shock passed, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back -- passionately.

After several fervent minutes of their lips locked in that unforgettable moment of initial intimate contact, Katy pulled back, and sweetly gazing into Buck's eyes, started unbuttoning his shirt. Quickly recognizing that the next step of their relationship was beginning, Buck reached behind Katy's back and tried to lower the zipper that ran down the back of her dress from the collar to her waist.

The dress was tight, and though Buck could fly a massive KC-135 with the skill of a surgeon. He quickly realized he was not as skilled in the art of undressing a woman as a man of his age should have been. Sensing his frustration, Katy hastily finished with the last visible button on Buck's shirt and then, reaching behind her back, quickly pulled the zipper the rest of the way down. Taking one more step back, she smiled seductively at her lover as she slipped one shoulder at a time from the now loosened dress, before tantalizingly allowing it to fall to the floor.

She now stood in front of him wearing nothing but a pink lace bra and matching lace panties. Buck had often seen her at the Camel Toe wearing a lot less, but never had he seen her sexier. The fact that this was a private performance for him and him alone -- shielded from the gaze of fifty other undeserving male admirers. Buck was so awe-struck that he almost forgot to continue his own undressing until Katy shook her still covered breast and suggestively wagged her tail in anticipation.

Instantly taking the hint, Buck quickly finished removing his shirt and dropped his pants to the floor. He then sat on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes and finish pulling his pants off from over his socks. As he stood to drop his shorts, Katy quickly kneeled in front of him and pushed his hands away from his waistband. Removing his shorts was her responsibility and one she eagerly looked forward to.

As she seductively pulled his boxers down to his knees, she was fully prepared to 'ooh and aah' at his manhood regardless of what she found. However, she was genuinely surprised at what had been lurking just inside his trousers these past several months. She had never seen the genitals of any man older than twenty-five in her life, and for some reason, she expected them to look different -- older somehow. But to Katy's surprise, Buck proudly possessed all of the manhood she would ever need, and she cheerfully 'ooh and aahed' in genuine admiration.

As she marveled at her new lover's endowment, she gently stroked him several times and lightly kissed his quickly reddening head before slipping his engorged protrusion into her salivating mouth. She gently applied the slightest of oral suction as her lips slowly slid back and forth for maybe eight or nine tantalizing strokes before she returned to a standing position and playfully pushed him backward onto the bed. As Buck's feet flew up in the air, Katy grabbed his shorts that were still around his ankles and tossed them across the room in a 'we're not going to need these anymore' gesture. She didn't bother with his socks; later, she reasoned, there was plenty of time for that.

With Buck stripped naked and flat on his back, Katy did a cute little strip tease of removing her bra and throwing it at him. Then slowly and seductively, she pushed her panties to the floor, revealing her bare camel toe to Buck for the first time. No longer was it only visible in Buck's sexually starved imagination -- it was now on full display. Teasingly turning her back to him, she gracefully bent at the waist, copiously exposing her ass and southern lips as she reached down to pick up her now discarded panties. Before turning back to face him, she spread her legs, and stretching her panties like a rubber band, shot them towards him from between her legs. Buck reached up and managed to catch them just as they were about to fly over his head. He quickly brought her flying undies to his face and immediately buried his nose deep into the heavily scented lace fabric.