For those who haven't read Part 1, Penny and I are both in our early forties, married (though not to each other) and each of us has two teenage children.
Penny is a highly educated professional and, I suppose, not really one of those women you would immediately lust after. She's tall and pale, with short dark hair and brown eyes that are usually a little cold – but which for me became bright and exciting. Her body is angular - perhaps even skinny rather than slim and bears the unmistakable signs of having borne two children. Her breasts are small but round and surprisingly firm. Her face is full of character and distinctive, rather than beautiful and she has a commanding, somewhat aggressive personality which many find off-putting.
And she is without a doubt the most exciting lover I have ever had.
*
Not surprisingly, after Penny and I had spent those first incredible hours in bed together, the rest of the day passed in something of a daze. I drove northwards to my business meeting – a meeting in which I had to fight hard to concentrate – and Penny of course went to her work.
I simply could not believe that it had all really happened! But the memory of her wonderful body, the smell of her on my clothes and the hot soreness between my legs were all too obvious evidence for it to have been a dream.
For the first hour of my homeward journey, I felt as if I was riding a cloud! Barely noticing the heavy traffic, my mind raced back to the way Penny had looked in her silk underwear; how she had enticed me; how she had tasted; how she had smelt; how she had sounded. How different all these things were from my wife.
Oh my God! My wife!
Suddenly an avalanche of guilt descended upon me. God! How it descended! A cold, almost painful fear gripped my chest and I began to sweat.
...How could I have cheated on my wife Jane?
...On my friend, Paul, Penny’s husband?
...On our kids?
...Had we just destroyed both of our marriages?
...How on earth could I behave normally with Penny now?
...How could I see her again?
...And how could I not see her?
...How could I carry on at home as if nothing had changed?
...Did I want it to stop now and forget it happened?
...Did I want it to go on and on?
...What if Penny had an attack of conscience and confessed all to Paul?
...What if.....
There were just too many questions. My head span as I drove along, going over them in my mind as the miles passed by painfully slowly.
Eventually, I realised there was only one possible way forward. Penny and I had to talk and talk soon if my mind was ever going to be pacified. I dialled her mobile with my hands-free phone. The ringing tone echoed around the car as I waited anxiously for her to pick up the call, my chest aching with anticipation.
It rang and rang and then went to the answer phone. Penny's recorded voice, cold and professional, filled the car. I swore aloud and hung up. Ten minutes later I dialled again but with the same frustrating result. Reluctantly giving up, I turned the car radio on, increased the volume and tried to concentrate on the road.
The loud music and heavy traffic helped to make me think less about my conscience and more about my driving as the weather deteriorated, so I was surprised about an hour later when my mobile rang once to tell me I had received a text message. I pressed 'show' and eagerly looked at the screen. It was from Penny.
'Saw your calls. In a meeting can’t talk how do you feel?' I read.
As luck would have it, a motorway service station was only five miles ahead. I drove far too quickly towards it and parked in the far corner of the car park.
I took my mobile out of its holder and, clumsily typing with one finger, I replied:
'I can’t believe it happened' There was a long pause after I pressed 'send'.
'Do you regret it?' eventually appeared on my screen.
'God no but I feel v v guilty' I replied, honestly.
'Me too can we meet tomorrow to talk it through?' Penny asked.
'Not easy for me. What time?'
'8am ok?'
'Ok' I typed. There was an even longer pause.
'I’m not sorry. I really hope you aren’t' Penny's words twisted the knot in my chest further.
'I want you Penny' I typed and pressed 'send'.
I was aghast at myself. Where had the guilt and remorse suddenly gone?
After a minute, my phone beeped once again. I looked nervously at the screen.
'I want you too''
There was a long, long pause before my phone beeped a final time.
'My house tomorrow 8am. GTG now xx'
I sat back in the driver's seat, staring at Penny's last message, bewildered.
It was so hard to keep my mind on my job that day. I tried but was badly distracted. Needless to say, the evening with Jane was also difficult and after a night of broken sleep, the following morning found me once again in my car outside Penny's house. I watched and waited until Paul had left for work, taking the kids to school on his way, before driving quickly up the driveway and parking outside the front door.
The automatic gates closed silently behind me.
I knocked on the front door just as I had done the previous morning and waited, pacing up and down on the driveway, still wondering what on earth to do for the best – my conscience and my lust in full pitched battle.
After what seemed an age, the door opened and a serious-faced Penny let me in. I gulped. No seduction was planned for me that morning; she was dressed for work in a smart dark blue, pin-striped skirt, a freshly pressed white blouse and dark blue cravat. She wore only a little light makeup and her hair was brushed and shiny.
Whereas the previous day she had looked sexy and available, today she looked calmly professional; very cool; very intimidating. On a coat hanger in the hallway hung her suit jacket and her laptop computer stood in a soft leather case ready to be taken to her office.
I could barely relate to this sophisticated academic with the hot, passionate, woman I had made love with so passionately only 24 hours before. And yet.......
"Hi," I said as I crossed the threshold, feeling the inadequacy of the greeting but unsure how to respond given our newfound intimacy. We pecked each other awkwardly on the cheek.
"Coffee?" Penny asked as if nothing had changed.
"Please!" I said, remembering that I never did get my coffee the previous day. The reason why made my loins stir. I tried to dismiss the feeling as I followed her through to the kitchen.
This time there were no spurious problems with the coffee grinder and in awkward silence, I watched Penny's skilful preparation of the hot, strong drinks, trying to think what to say to the old friend who had just become my new lover.
In the end, Penny saved me.
"I don't regret it, Tom." She said, characteristically coming straight to the point. "I had a bad night thinking about it, but I don't regret it."
I breathed a sigh of relief for so many reasons.
"I feel the same. I hardly slept at all. I just can't believe it really happened."
Penny opened the large American style fridge door and poured milk into the two coffee cups. She passed one to me and sipped her own.
"Cheers!" She said ironically and sat down on a tall wooden stool at the kitchen table, staring slightly vacantly out of the window. It was a beautiful bright morning, cold but sunny.
She took another sip of the piping hot, strong coffee. I stood behind her, sipping my own tentatively. Our bodies were close; almost, but not quite touching.
"Did you... Did you enjoy it?" I asked, hating the gauche words but, like all men, needing to know – at least needing to hear the 'right' words whether they were true or not.
Penny smiled. "I'm surprised you need to ask." She swivelled on the stool until she faced me. "It was… quite pleasant."
My face must have betrayed my inner feelings because her mouth suddenly broke into a wide grin.
"It was fantastic. You know that." She laughed. "And don't fish for compliments again!"
I happily accepted the scolding.
"But is that it? Should we stop now before we do any lasting damage?" I asked. Penny stared out of the window again, apparently lost in thought.
"Do you want to stop?" she challenged, giving me no clue as to her own desires.
"I mean, where do we go from here?" I continued, trying to keep my voice steady, matter-of-fact.
"I wondered that too." Her voice was oddly flat, unemotional. "Where do you want to go?" she countered again.
I laughed awkwardly, but the truth burst out of me. "Right now? Straight back to bed with you!"
God! What a stupid thing to say at such a moment! I felt like hitting myself on the head with a brick. Or perhaps Penny would do it for me!
"What are you like?" Penny laughed.
I offered up a silent prayer of thanks as she turned on the stool to face me again. Our thighs touched. It was deliberate. It had to be! Putting my cup down on the kitchen worktop, I placed my hands gently on her shoulders. Penny tilted her head to one side until it rested on my forearm. Her short hair was soft and silky. I could smell her perfume – today light and unobtrusive in contrast to yesterday's rich, heady seductive scent.
I began to relax as it dawned on me that perhaps everything would be alright.
"The right thing to do is to stop now and try to forget all about it," Penny continued almost objectively as if she was talking to one of her clients.
"I know," I replied, gently massaging her shoulders and neck. "But I'm not sure I can just go back to how things used to be. Not after – you know!"
"Just say it, Tom!" Penny said, slightly annoyed. "Say what really happened! After we made love – had sex – fucked each other yesterday! We'll never decide anything if we don't face facts!"
The sound of these crude words coming from this smart, intelligent, successful woman was unbelievably arousing.
"And the facts are...?" I prompted her.
"The facts are that we both wanted it, we both enjoyed it and – frankly – we were both good at it - Ouch!"
I had continued to massage her shoulders gently as she spoke, but her words had distracted me and thoughtlessly I had pressed too hard. The unexpected compliment made me feel ludicrously pleased.
"So where DO we go from here?" I re-iterated the question.
Suddenly a car engine sounded close by in the street outside. Penny jumped up and went to the window to investigate. I followed, leaning forward over her to see, my body pressed against hers, but my head hidden from view – riddled with guilt although as yet we had nothing to hide from the world.
"It can't be Paul back this early," she insisted in a hoarse whisper.
"It isn't," I said looking down the long driveway and through the closed gates at a long dark saloon parked across the end. "Whose car is that?"
Penny breathed out heavily in relief. "It's that nosy old man from next door in his new jeep. He's not very good at parking it yet."
"Or perhaps he just wants to know what my car is doing here at this time of day," I suggested.
We watched in anxious silence as the saloon reversed clumsily out of the gateway and drove away.
Penny breathed out theatrically in supposed relief.
"It's not as if we were… doing… anything..." she said, wriggling her bottom against my thighs.
Suddenly I felt overpowered by the warmth of Penny's body close in front of me. I pressed forwards slightly, my midriff against her firm, slightly bony buttocks. In silent response, she reached back with her hands until they rested slightly clumsily on my hips, then leaned back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, all regret forgotten, all pretence of reluctance dismissed.
"We've both got work to go to," Penny whispered softly. From behind, I kissed her hair, nuzzling her ear as my arms drew her close to me.
"Well, soon. Anyway… Perhaps..." she whispered, giving me a meaningful look. I took my cue.
"I reckon so," I replied and stroked my palms slowly up and down her wiry upper arms, feeling the warmth of her body through the thin silk of her blouse. I bent my lips to her ear again and whispered, "Have we got time?"
"Mmmm!" Penny murmured breathlessly.
I buried my nose in her hair as she leaned back against my chest, her firm buttocks pressing against my groin. My hands slid down over her hips to caress her taut cheeks and thighs through her smart skirt, teasing the hem of her blouse from under its waistband to allow my fingers to explore the smooth skin beneath.
My fingertips danced on her flat stomach. I felt her shiver as her weight pressed against me, turning her head to one side, tilting her chin upwards and backwards to offer me her soft lips. I kissed her lightly, our mouths barely touching as my fingers climbed towards her breasts.
Penny responded passionately; mouths opening and tongues entwined. My fingers climbed further up her flat stomach until at last, they found her tiny, firm breasts enclosed in a small stiff bra. Under the material, I could feel her nipples already erect. I slid them between my fingers and nipped them lightly.
She giggled, her back still towards me then, grasping the loose hem of her blouse with both hands, she slowly rolled it up her body and over her head, pulling her slender arms out of the fastened cuffs before casting it aside.
I felt the warmth of her naked tanned back through my neatly pressed shirt and the strain of my hardening cock within my pants. My hands fumbled with the central clasp of her bra, my wrists pressing on her nipples until I finally flicked it open and slipped it down her slender arms and away.
I cupped her small, firm, freshly exposed breasts in my palms. The touch of my fingers excited her as she ground her buttocks firmly into my groin, my cock now a hard growing pressure in her lower back.
My hands slid automatically down her slim bony body as I lowered myself to my knees on the wooden kitchen floor behind her, looking up at her long slender legs, loving the contrast between her pale skin and the dark smartness of her pinstriped skirt. I ran my hands over her stockinged ankles and calves.
Penny said nothing but I thought I felt her brace herself, grasping the edge of the kitchen table in front of her. I lowered my head and, as my fingertips began to stroke the outside of her ankles, I drew my tongue in a long straight line up the inside of her right calf, to rest momentarily behind her knee.
Penny seemed to hold her breath, her body tense and eager.
I lowered my head again, and this time gently licked the back of her left calf, my fingers again stroking her soft nylon covered flesh as my tongue drew a cool wet line across her skin. Penny held the table more tightly still. Pausing only to adjust my position, I gently slid my palms up the outside of Penny's thighs to the hem of her skirt, then back down again to her knees.
I waited for a response and found it in a distinct hesitation in the rhythm of her breathing.
I felt bolder now and began to run my firm, moist tongue up the inside of her thighs as my hands once again began their journey up their outsides. I paused as my face met the hem of her skirt and my tongue moved to her other leg, descending to her knees once again, the coarse mesh of her stockings contrasting sharply with the smoothness of her skin.