Welcome Home

A special thanks once again to LadyVer for editing assistance!

Chapter 1

The Logan Airport exit was next, and as usual for this time of day the traffic was dense and slow moving. Glancing at his watch he saw he had 45 minutes until his love's plane landed. That should give him plenty of time to find a spot in the parking garage and hoof it over to the arrivals terminal.

He missed her. She'd been gone an entire week on a business trip to the West Coast, leaving him home with the kids. He didn't mind. He could handle the kids and their busy social calendars.

What he wanted most was to see her smiling face, feel her arms around his neck, and listen to her voice. It didn't matter what she said, he just needed to hear her. She'd talk about her trip, and about how it was exhausting but productive, full of meeting team members, and board meetings. Then she'd ask how the boys were while she was away, and he'd tell her how they learned a new swear word, and got in trouble for roughhousing in class. And she would scowl at him for a moment before her beautiful smile came back to her face. Then they'd just talk about anything and set their worries aside for the evening. He was hoping she wouldn't be too tired, so they could make love when they got home.

Their kids were set up for the night, each having a sleepover to go to. He didn't have to pick them up until tomorrow morning, giving him an evening alone with his wife. It was like hitting the lottery, and he wanted to make the most of it. Dinner and romance were on the agenda. Wine, dine, and some other thing... He couldn't remember how the saying ended, but that is what they'd do. Dinner reservations were squared away at one of their favorite restaurants in Boston's theater district. It was a beautiful rustic Italian place full of atmosphere and stonework. The open kitchen featured a wood-fire oven that rose from the floor to the ceiling. The lighting and woodwork, along with the amazing mouth-watering smells from the kitchen made him think of their plans to visit Italy some day. This place was perfect. There was no better setting for a nice evening out to relax and catch up on the events in each other's lives.

Entering the mayhem of the parking garage, he wound his way through the garage towards the sky bridge. He got lucky and came across someone leaving a spot. Within minutes he parked and was on the walking bridge heading into the terminal area. The arrivals/departures monitors showed that her plane was on time, and was on approach to land. He knew he had a few minutes to kill while the plane landed.

Wandering over to the terminal bookstore, he scanned the latest bestsellers on paperback and perused the magazine covers. As usual, there were a number of James Patterson books, a Dr. Oz self-help book, and a few romance novels with hot couples intimately entwined on the covers. The tech magazines showed some cool new toys. The Cosmo headlines were always eye-catching. He picked it up and read the obligatory sex features. One read: 20 great standing positions! The second one read: Reader Poll: Craziest places to have sex! Every issue had these types of articles. It was a never-ending fountain of sexual suggestions and imagery. That was totally cool by him. If a monthly magazine wanted to give advice on how to get your significant other off, that had to be a good thing. Some of the things in these articles seemed hokey, but mixed in were some fun suggestions too. He'd like to try everything in those articles, just for the fun of it. Some of the ideas could result in a good laugh, but some others would no doubt lead to delicious results.

Leaving the bookstore, he went over to Starbucks and ordered a vanilla latte for his wife, then went to the arrivals waiting area. As he walked into the waiting area, she emerged from the long tunnel from where passengers disembarked.

"Jack!" she exclaimed. She was wearing a thin sweater, light green, with a black skirt that hung down to just below her knees, with black shoes. The outfit may have been too much for California weather, but should work just fine in the late spring weather here on the East Coast.

"Hey, babe!" he said, smiling.

He caught her in his arms, embracing her in a tight hug. She felt good, warm and comforting. After a moment, they parted and he gave her a kiss, being sure to taste her lips. He felt a spark deep within him ignite. He smiled and handed her the latte. Her eyes were beautiful and sparkling, a sea of green and blue.

"Thanks," she said, taking the cup and taking a sip. "I need this!"

"How was the flight?" he asked as they followed the signs to the luggage area.

"As good as can be expected. Long and so-so," she said. "I'm glad it's over."

He smiled. "I've got a surprise for you. You can relax tonight. I'm taking you out to dinner. Then we can do whatever we want. The kids are all set until morning."

"Aww! I wanted to see the monkeys!"

"They jumped at the chance for a sleep-over. Besides, we'll pick them up first thing tomorrow and we'll spend the day together. Tonight it's dinner and some time for us."

"Ok, that sounds nice," she said, leaning into his arm as they walked.

Chapter 2

The car started with the press of the ignition button. Out of the corner of his eye Jack saw her lean toward him, wanting a kiss. He turned, obliging her. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his fingertips sliding behind her ear to caress her hair. Their lips met, and all at once he could feel her warmth, taste her lips, and smell the delicious scent of her. He could feel the heat in his stomach flare up. It gave him butterflies too, even after all this time. The kiss was passionate and deep. The tips of their tongues explored each other, licking and caressing. She tasted good.

Without warning, she grabbed his crotch and began massaging his cock. Their kiss continued, her hand firm and insistent on his package. His hand moved from her cheek, sliding down to cup a breast through her shirt. She wore a bra, but he immediately found the firm flesh of her nipple and pinched it lightly with forefinger and thumb. A small moan escaped from deep in her throat. His cock was hard now, and bulging through his pants.

Wow, I don't think I have to worry about her being tired! he thought.

"Dinner, then home," he whispered as their lips parted.

"Sounds delicious," she said, smiling.

"Which one?" he asked.

"Dinner, of course," she replied, glancing down at his cock.

He chuckled. He couldn't wait to get home.

Chapter 3

Cutting through Boston is never an easy task, but they made good time through the congested streets to the theater district. They parked in a garage on Stuart Street and walked the short way over to the restaurant. It was pleasantly warm, with a light breeze that carried the smells of all the nearby eateries, with a hint of the nearby Atlantic Ocean. The streets were full of people on their way to any of a dozen bars or pubs, or to shows at any of the nearby theaters. It was a typical busy Friday evening, full of people in search of a good time.

The face of the restaurant was a huge sheet of glass, more than half as wide as the restaurant itself, and behind the glass was a massive custom wood bar. Liquor and wine bottles were on display behind the bar and two bartenders were working the patrons like a well-choreographed dance, pouring wine, mixing drinks, and ringing up tabs, all the while smiling and chatting with customers and making them feel like old friends.

Entering the restaurant, they walked into a stone floor foyer. The beautifully tiled walls of different colors created a scene of an Italian countryside. The sounds of clinking tableware, glasses, and talking became louder. Merriment and laughter set the scene for a festive time. Perhaps there was some romance too.

The room opened up into another large common area. Off to the far left was part of the bar they could see from the street. A low bar ran along one wall and there were TV's at intervals down its length. The Red Sox game was being broadcast, but he didn't bother checking the score; this evening he only had eyes for his love, Sally. A few patrons were chatting with the bartender and a handful of college-age kids were drinking beers and watching the game.

At the back of the room stood a tall brick oven, which contained a roaring flame that burned a deep orange red. He felt the heat from it on his face. Inside the oven were pizzas and a couple of bubbling dishes cooking in the intense heat. The smell was fantastic: garlic and other herbs and melting cheese mingling together to make his mouth water like never before.

Just then the hostess came around the corner to greet them. She had the whitest teeth he had ever seen and smiled in a way that reminded him of the Cheshire cat from the story about Alice taking LSD.

"Good evening! Do you have a reservation?" she asked in a courteous, friendly tone.

"Yes," he replied. "For Jack."

"Of course," she replied, briefly scanning a list of names and times. "Please follow me."

She took two menus and a wine list from a niche on the wall and led them to a more secluded table for two in the back of the main dining area. This was fine with Jack. Not exactly privacy, but there was some distance between them and the nearest occupied table.

Beautiful floral lighting that looked to be of paper machete construction diffused the light and several magnificent chandeliers cast a warm glow over the room. The stucco walls and the Tuscan countryside paintings helped give the Rustic Kitchen its name.

The restaurant also hosted a weekly public access TV program, where a dozen or so lucky patrons could attend the taping of the chef cooking some Italian dish or another. This evening was one of those tapings, and the chef was preparing to plate a pasta dish. Jack and Sally could see what was happening perfectly. The chef was talking to the camera as he poured linguini and red sauce into a large oval serving plate and then finished by placing meatballs around the rim. He wiped the edge of the platter and finished by sprinkled parsley over the top.

While the taping was finishing, Sally ordered a Merlot, and Jack a melon ball. Within minutes the chef had left the taping room and the audience filed out and were led into a side banquet room to the main dining area. A few assistants carried off the dirty dishes, and the lights were dimmed low as they exited.

"We should try and be in the audience some time. Whatever he made looked fantastic!" Jack said.

"As fantastic as me?" Sally asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Of course not! I'm sure it doesn't taste nearly as good as you either," he said, holding her gaze.

Her foot found his leg. She had removed her shoe and slowly slid her toes up and down his ankle.

"I wonder what the specials are tonight," she said, apparently satisfied with his answer.

They opened their menus and began perusing the choices.

"Remember they have that great Caesar here, with the crunchy Parmesan chip thing," Jack said. "I know what you are getting; they have gnocchi with apples!"

"Num-num! My favorite. Do you want to get an appetizer?" Sally asked.

"How about this one," he said pointing to something. She leaned over to try and look and he pretended to read straight from the menu: "You slide your panties off and I'll slide under the table when no one is looking. That one is delicious," he said seriously, still looking at the menu.

She knew she had been duped and sat back into her sea, a small smile on her lips. She could play this game too.

"No, not that one, how about this?" she asked, pointing at some random spot on the menu. "You pull your pants down and I'll suck you off under the table. It will be like that scene from When Harry Met Sally. Every man in the restaurant will want what you're having."

"Every man in this restaurant already wants what I'm having," he said. Placing his menu on the table, he reached over and took her hands and looked fondly into her eyes. "I wish we were home right now. I need you. I've missed you so much!"

"Me too, love," she smiled. "Soon. I can't wait either..."

They were gazing into each other's eyes when the waitress arrived with their drinks, setting them down on the table. She was of middle height, with her dark hair pulled back into a thick tail. She wore a black form-fitting top that accentuated her breasts nicely, black pants that revealed little, and short-heeled black shoes.

"Hello, I'm Katrina, I'll be your server this evening. We have a few specials tonight," she started. "The first is an 8 oz filet, wood grilled, with asparagus, and fingerling potatoes. Then we have a central European themed dish: a Polish kielbasa, served with sauerkraut, and traditional borsch."

Sally raised an eyebrow at that, slyly glancing over at Jack. He looked at her, smiling.

"And our last special is a seafood paella, with shrimp, scallops, and chorizo. Very spicy."

"Wow! I can't decide," Sally said breathlessly. "That kielbasa sounds fantastic right now. About how big would you say the kielbasa is?"

The waitress looked at Sally, not sure if she was serious or not. "Um, it's a really big kielbasa." Surprisingly, she continued, "I tried the kielbasa myself earlier today. It's really good. It's very thick and juicy, and long. Enough that you'll have leftovers, you know, for later."

Sally stared at Jack, straight faced. Jack stared right back, his smile widening.

"So Sally," Jack said, "What do you think you'd like this evening?"

"Ah, yes, I don't think I'll have the kielbasa right now," she said pointedly, her eyes never leaving Jack's. "I think I'll go with the gnocchi."

"Very good," the waitress said. "And for you, sir?"

"Something spicy is just what I need. I've got to try your paella," Jack said with a smile.

The waitress paused for a moment after he ordered, glancing over at him as a small smile touched her lips. She recovered quickly. "Excellent, I'll put those right in." The she left the table, leaving Jack and Sally alone.

Sally looked the waitress up and down as she walked away.

"Did you just tell the waitress you wanted to try her paella?" Sally asked, half amused, and a little bit sternly.

"I did nothing of the sort!" Jack responded with a chuckle. "Did you just ask the waitress how big the kielbasa is?"

"Yes, I did," she said, smiling. "And I think she enjoyed telling me how thick, juicy, and long it is."

"Um, I noticed," he replied. "Do women have some weird womanly code—"

"You're just noticing this now. After all this time?"

"—that they use to totally baffle men." He finished as a statement, rather than a question.

Sally giggled. "That was fun."

"I feel like I just got eye banged, and you opened the door for it," Jack said accusingly.

"Oh, I think you're going to be ok, my love." Sally smiled. "I'm ok with it because I'm the lucky one who's going home with you. By the way, I didn't order the kielbasa because I'm having that later."

"Well, I can't wait, my love," Jack replied, looking into her eyes. "Until we're alone, how about you tell me about your trip? Did you get to do any sightseeing?"

"We had some time in the evenings. The whole gang went to a Mexican place on Sunset Blvd. on Monday. You would have loved it. Traditional tacos—not Americanized—lots of fine chopped onion, cilantro, and lime juice. So good!"

"I'm jealous, that is almost the perfect food!"

"The best part, though, was the drive down Sunset. There was a ton of traffic, so we watched the sights go by. It was like driving in a wild game reserve."

"I'll bet," Jack said, smiling. "Do tell."

"There was some sort of parade going on. We weren't sure for what at first. It seemed to feature celebrity look-alikes, then it quickly became apparent that it was a gay pride event."

"This sounds interesting. Is this going to get weird?" Jack said with a smile.

"You have no idea," she replied. "Then on Tuesday, we—"

"Hold on, hold on. You have to finish the Monday story first. This sounds too good to miss out on."

Sally smiled at him, flashing her eyes at him. "What's it worth to you?"

"I'll do anything you ask," Jack said seriously, glancing down at her cleavage.

"Ok then. I want you"—she leaned in with a sultry look in her eyes, then finished—"to vacuum the house and dust everything."

"What!" Jack said in mock outrage. "Your demands go too far!"

"Oh, shush," Sally said, smiling. "You're going to love it."

"Fine then, but I'm doing it in the buff," he said, leaning in closer.

"Fine," she said, smiling.

"What did you see?"

"Well, there were several Tom Cruises," she said, matter-of-factly. She waited, looking at him expectantly.

After a moment Jack said disappointedly, "That's it?"

"They were holding hands and skipping down the middle of the street all perfectly in step with one another."

"Now you're talking!" he said with a laugh.

"Yup, five Tom's, side by side, in unison."

"That must have been something," he said, smiling and shaking his head slightly.

"I thought you'd get a kick out of that."

"Absolutely. That's so out of our normal day-to-day experiences that it is fascinating. More power to them," he said, taking a sip of his drink. "I've no problem with it; it's just the delivery style is sometimes over the top and attention getting!"

"Ok, then," Sally continued, "how about this? I saw Jack Sparrow getting a little friendlier with Will Turner than they ever did in the Pirate movies."

"Wow, I didn't see that one coming," Jack said, chuckling.

"And then there were some superheroes and other cosplay characters, and many others."

"I would have been star struck!"

"That's for sure. As we were getting to where we were going to turn, I happened to glance down an alley and I would swear I saw Conan O'Brian giving Ellen DeGeneres a blow job," she finished.

"Holy shit!" Jack exclaimed. "That will have huge repercussions in the entertainment world. Wow."

Just then the waitress arrived with their meals and set them down on the table. The paella smelled fantastic, and looked even better. The gnocchi looked excellent as well, served with thin apple slices in a pink sauce.

"Ok, folks! Is there anything else I can get you?" the waitress asked.

"No, thank you, this looks great!" Jack replied.

"Ok, enjoy," she said, then left them.

"A toast," Jack said, raising his glass. "To my wonderful and sexy wife, whom I will bed this evening like I've never bedded her before."

"Cheers," Sally said with a smile, raising her wine glass. "I can't wait!"

They ate in silence for a moment. The waitress brought fresh drinks, and the atmosphere in the restaurant grew merrier as the tables filled with more patrons.

"This is excellent," Jack said as he enjoyed another bite of paella. "There's only one thing I want more this evening."

Sally slid her foot up his leg again, looking at him, smiling. "The gnocchi are superb, as usual."

"Apples? In pasta?" Jack wrinkled his nose.

"You don't like savory and sweet together?" Sally asked coyly.

A smile spread across Jack's face. "Well, there is one thing..."

After their plates were cleared, the waitress returned with a dessert menu. "Would you like coffee or tea?"

"Tea, for me," Sally said.

"I'm good," Jack said, looking at the dessert menu. He glanced up at Sally, "Do you want to split a molten chocolate explosion cake?"

"Yes, that sounds delicious!"

"Ok, one explosion, coming right up," the waitress said, smiling as she left for the kitchen.

"She has no idea how right she is," Jack said in a low voice. Sally smiled.