I knelt at my wife’s grave and laid a bouquet of her favorite flowers on it. It had been three years to the day since I laid her in it. Memories raced through my mind; our first date, our first kiss, our wedding, the birth of our daughter. On and on the memories went, until I once again faced the stark moment when it all ended. Injured in a car crash, Karen had died in the back of an ambulance before I even knew what had happened. I never had a chance to say goodbye to the woman who had shared my life for two decades.

“I miss you, Karen,” I whispered as tears began to flow, “And I love you still. Wherever you are now.”

I stood and wiped away my tears. In silence, I walked away.

My grief was quickly, if temporarily, forgotten when I arrived home later that afternoon. The sight of a beat-up old Chevy in my driveway brought a smile to my face. The beater belonged to Kelly Wood, my daughter’s housemate and oldest friend. I had not expected Cathy home, but I wasn’t about to complain. It had been more than a month since I had last seen my daughter, who was going to university in Toronto.

Pulling in next to Kelly, I quickly went into the house. My ears picked up female voices from out back. It was a warm day so they had obviously gravitated to the pool, something their place in Toronto didn’t have.

When I walked out to the deck, I was surprised to find three young women, rather than just the two I was expecting. Cathy and Kelly were there, of course. But it was the mysterious new girl who immediately captured my attention.

The visitor, whoever she might be, was tall and slender. Chestnut brown hair, wet from swimming, hung well past her shoulders and she had a slightly dark complexion. She was dressed, barely, in a skimpy one-piece swimsuit. The young woman had the body for it. In fact, I could picture her being a swimsuit model.

“Hello there, strangers,” I called out, pulling my gaze away from the visitor.

“Daddy!” my daughter squealed, sounding more like twelve years old than twenty for a moment.

Cathy dashed over to give me a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, then Kelly followed with a hug of her own.

“Dad, this is Eloise Caron,” my daughter introduced as the new girl joined us, “She’s just moved in with us.”

“Nice to meet you, Eloise. Welcome to my humble home,” I said, shaking my visitor’s hand.

I tensed at the touch of Eloise’s skin to mine. It was a delicious, sensual tension that stirred up feelings from my brain down right to lower regions. Desperately, I tried to ignore that feeling, to shelve it somewhere and forget about it. After all, this was my daughter’s new housemate who was probably young enough to be my daughter herself.

“Merci, Mister Reid. It is nice to meet you as well,” Eloise responded, her accent redolent of the Champs Elysees.

She smiled a broad smile, which just made her face all the more attractive.

“You’re French?” I commented.

Eloise smiled and nodded.

“Oui. I grew up near Paris. I came to Canada for my university degree on the recommendation of an uncle who immigrated here,” she explained.

“Welcome to Canada, then. I hope it’s going well for you. And you may call me Vincent. My daughter’s friends get that liberty.”

“It is going well, thank you. Cathy has been a good and helpful friend, Vincent.”

“Glad to hear she’s behaving herself and treating our country’s guests well,” I said, “What about dinner?”

“Already ordered,” responded Cathy, “Hope you’re okay with takeout from Imperial Garden.”

“No complaints here. I was just going to reheat leftovers,” I answered.

After dinner, Kelly went home to stay with her own family. Cathy helped Eloise get settled into our guest room. I cleaned up and washed the dishes, then grabbed a beer and sat out on the deck.

Having Eloise around for the weekend was going to be difficult. I was surprised at the intensity of my attraction to the French student. But, then again, I had been celibate for several months. Maybe that made me more vulnerable.

After a while, Cathy joined me with a beer of her own in hand.

“How are you doing, Daddy? Still dating that woman from work?” Cathy said after a long swig from her bottle.

I shook my head. “Nah, that didn’t last long. Never even got past first base with her. It really ended before your last visit, to be honest.”

“So, you’re not seeing anyone right now?” my daughter asked, sounding disappointed.

“Nope. Every relationship seems to end with me feeling unsatisfied. I guess I just can’t let go of your mother.”

Cathy took my hand and smiled at me.

“It must be hard for you, Dad,” she said quietly, “I mean, I deal with relationships that last months. You had Mom for twenty years and now you’ve been alone for three.”

“Better than rushing into something, I guess. Look at Uncle Henry,” I answered with a snort.

Cathy laughed. My brother-in-law had lost his wife a couple years before Karen died. He had quickly remarried. Now he was divorced from that wife and engaged to another woman.

“True enough. Still, three years is a long time. Surely you’re ready.”

“I’ll get there,” I responded. Even to me, it sounded unsure. “Your Mom was so right for me, honey. Makes it hard to really get into another relationship. I keep looking for Karen even though I know she was one of a kind.”

“You loved her so much, Dad. That’s what I want when I eventually get into something lasting. Someone I can love even long after they’re gone,” Cathy said, sounding wistful.

We hugged and then went on to talk about work, school, and anything but my love life.

The next morning was Saturday, my shopping day. I returned from my regular circuit of local stores to find the house quiet. Sleeping late wasn’t my daughter’s style, so I figured the girls had gone out.

“Out for the day. Not sure if I’ll be home for dinner. I’ll call when I know. Hugs, Daddy,” read a note on the fridge, confirming my suspicions.

I shrugged and put the groceries away. Cathy still had a lot of friends in the area so I figured she and Eloise were out and about visiting. After putting things away, I went outside to do some yard work. I cleaned the pool, then set about trimming the small amount of grass between the edge of the deck and the flowerbeds.

“Good morning!” called out a soft, accented voice that startled me.

Eloise was standing on the edge of the pool, dressed in a loosely-tied bathrobe over a blue satin nightdress. My guest’s hair was a mess and Eloise looked like she was still half asleep. And, yet, I found myself captivated again.

“Good morning,” I replied, “I assumed you had gone out with Cathy.”

“I have a migraine so I stayed home,” she explained, massaging her forehead, “I hope that is okay. I get these now and again.”

“No problem. Was my noise bothering you?” I asked.

“I prefer quiet when I feel this way but you did not know. It is okay.”

Eloise lay down on a lounge in a shady corner of the pool deck and closed her eyes. I put the trimmer aside and did some quieter work, not wanting to disturb my guest any more than I already had.

Noon rolled around and Eloise had not stirred. I was not sure if she was asleep or just resting. Quietly, I crept over to check. An urge to touch her came over me, but I resisted. My guest’s eyes flickered open.

“Do you feel like eating?” I asked, “I was just going in to get some lunch.”

Eloise sat up and yawned.

“I am better now, yes. Some food would be nice. I skipped breakfast.”

“Okay, give me a few minutes. I can whip something up for the two of us. Cathy said she wouldn’t be home until dinner.”

We both went inside. I went to the kitchen where I pulled together some salads, bread, and cheese. Eloise went to her room, returning after a while in tight green shorts and a white tank top. She had also fixed her hair, putting it up in a loose bun, and applied a bit of makeup.

The feelings from my first meeting with the French beauty stirred again. Eloise looked extremely sexy in this outfit. The shorts exposed her long, lean legs and fit snugly over her neatly curved bum. Eloise’s top fit just right over her ample bosom and I could make out a hint of nipples beneath.

“Planning to go out somewhere?” I asked, suppressing my lust as we settled down to eat.

“Not really. I just find that fixing myself up to look better helps me feel better,” Eloise answered with a smile, “But I would like to get out. Maybe just a walk somewhere. What is a nice place to visit in your town?”

“What do you like?” I asked, “We have a lot of nice parks if you just want to get outdoors. If you want some culture, there’s a decent gallery of local and Canadian art. And there’s the old downtown strip if you want some shopping and a bit of history.”

“Just a walk in a nice park to start, I think. Cathy talks a lot about Weatherton Woods. It is near here?”

I nodded.

“There’s an entrance just up the street. I might come along if you don’t mind the company.”

“Not at all. You can show me your city since Cathy is not around to do it.”

“You’re on.”

Eloise and I pretty much had the trail to ourselves that afternoon. We wandered through the woods, chatting as we walked. My guest seemed to be feeling better. Certainly, she had become much brighter and more talkative after lunch.

“I haven’t been down here in a long time,” I commented, “Karen and I used to come here for strolls. Often with Cathy when she was little.”

“You still miss your wife badly, don’t you?” Eloise said.

I nodded.

“Yeah, I miss Karen a lot. It’s been a lonely three years. Worse since Cathy moved out. At least having a teenager at home gave me some distractions,” I replied.

“My mother also died when I was young,” Eloise said after a moment’s thoughtful silence, “I think my father was very lonely for a long time. But he eventually took a young woman as a lover and that seemed to make him feel better.”

“A lover? So not a serious relationship or anything?”

She nodded and smiled.

“Just to keep him company and have some fun together,” she confirmed, “It lasted a year and then there was another, longer one. I think he found enjoying relationships easier once he decided to stop looking for a new wife.”

I paused and thought about it.

“Maybe that’s my problem. Every woman I date, even casually, I see as a potential replacement for Karen,” I said, “Perhaps I need to lower my expectations and just be happy having some fun.”

“Karen will be with you all the time, just like my mother was for my father. So why make other women try to live up to that?”

“Never thought I would get relationship advice from my daughter’s housemate,” I cracked.

Eloise laughed, then sighed softly. The look on her face darkened.

“I have some life experience, I guess.”

There was an odd note in her voice, as if she was thinking of something more. Whatever it was, Eloise held it back.

We continued our stroll. I told my guest about the summer I had spent touring Western Europe with Karen, which had included a couple weeks in France. Eloise and I even discovered a past connection. My wife and I had stayed at an inn in the Loire Valley that was owned by one of her aunts.

After spending more than an hour exploring the trails around the woods, we returned home. I had a lasagna to make for dinner and Eloise, still recovering from her migraine of the morning, was feeling a bit tired. The phone rang just as we entered the house.

“Hello, Daddy,” said my daughter when I picked it up, “How’s Eloise?”

“She’s better. We even went for a walk in the woods. Want to talk to her?” I replied.

“Sure, put her on.”

Eloise took the phone and I started collecting ingredients. I didn’t really pay attention to their conversation until my guest hung up.

“They are going out to a dance club tonight. I am still not feeling well enough for that so I will stay home,” she told me.

“Well, with her gone, there’ll be plenty of lasagna for us.”

“May I help? I like cooking,” Eloise said.

“Sure, come on in. It’s my special recipe. Well, Karen’s really, but I’ve made some changes of my own over the years.”

It ended up being one of the most delightful dinners I had enjoyed since Karen’s passing. My guest and I talked and laughed as we prepared, then ate, our dinner. I broke out a bottle of my favorite Cabernet and we drank a couple glasses each with dinner.

After we ate, Eloise and I retreated to the living room. We watched a French comedy while consuming the remainder of the wine. Both of us had seen it before, me in English and Eloise in French, but we both liked it. Eloise dissected the English subtitles, pointing out some glaring mistranslations. Her commentary on the translations was as funny as the jokes themselves.

When the movie ended, I closed my eyes and yawned.

“Tired?” Eloise asked.

“Yes,” I replied, turning to look at her, “You know, this has been one of my best dates in a while. Even if it wasn’t supposed to be a date. Thank you.”

I slid a hand over to touch hers.

“You are welcome, Vincent. It does feel like a date,” Eloise responded, taking my hand in hers.

“Karen and I used to have date nights like this,” I reminisced, “Just dinner, wine, and a movie at home. Sent Cathy to stay with a friend or my sister.”

Eloise smiled and squeezed my hand.

“I will bet there was more after the movie.”

I smiled and nodded. Sometimes my wife and I had not even made it to the bedroom, making love on the couch or the floor.

“There often was,” I responded with a sigh.

We were silent for a minute or two. I found myself seriously wondering if there should be more tonight. My desire for Eloise was peaking and I had to mentally remind myself who she was and why sleeping with her was a bad idea. Or was it? Her comments about her father’s young lover came back.

“I should get to bed,” Eloise said with a yawn, “I really should not have stayed up so late as it is.”

“Yeah, I should, too. Looks like Cathy isn’t coming home.”

“She is having fun, too, I am sure.”

I stood up, then offered Eloise a hand. She took it and I helped her up. We walked down the hall to the bedrooms, pausing at the door to mine. I was wrestling with feelings that I wasn’t sure I dared express.

Then, before I could do or say anything, Eloise moved in close. Her lips brushed mine. It was a light, brief kiss, but the sensation set my body afire.

“Good night,” she whispered.

I stared at her a moment, then returned the kiss. Her lips were soft and warm against mine.

“Good night,” I replied.

Eloise walked to her room, then turned to look back at me before entering. I almost spoke, almost invited her to join me in my room. But I faltered, still wrestling with my desire for the French beauty. Instead, I just smiled and nodded before shutting the door behind me.

I slept in the next morning, awakening to daylight and a quiet house. Cathy’s door was shut, so I at least knew she had come home.

Eloise was sunbathing by the pool in her swimsuit. Her hair was damp, suggesting she’d been in swimming already. She looked stunning as she lounged in the morning sun.

“Good morning. How’s the water?” I said, taking a chair next to my guest.

“Perfect. Your pool is lovely, Vincent.”

“Can we talk about last night?” I asked, cutting straight to what was on my mind.

“If you wish to. I have been thinking about it a lot,” she answered with a smile.

“The kiss…,” I began, then faltered.

“I lost control, Vincent,” Eloise picked up, “I forgot who I was with. But it felt right. And your kiss back felt even better.”

She touched my hand and I smiled at her.

“It felt good to me, too. That’s why I kissed you back,” I said softly.

Eloise was quiet for a moment, staring out into the sky. Then she turned to me.

“Vincent, when I told you about my father, I left out my own story. Perhaps you should hear it.”

“I would like to.”

Sitting back in her chair, Eloise began, “When I lived in Nice with my Uncle Paul, there was a very kind, friendly man who was a good friend of my uncle. Leo was a widower like you, but older. He also mourned his wife very deeply. We became friends and, after a while, lovers.”

“Being with me made him very happy. I was happy, too. Leo was my first lover. He took my virginity and taught me how to give and receive pleasure in a way that I do not think a young man could have done. I have always been thankful to Leo for that. There was never any thought of marriage, just a very real affection and strong desire for each other.”

I was silent, not sure yet how to respond.

“I know I did it because of my father,” she continued, “Because of the happiness I saw in him when he was with his young lover. And in the end, I guess Leo did get over his wife. My uncle told me recently that his friend is getting married again.”

“So, you kissed me because I remind you of your lover?” I asked, still parsing the story and its relevance for me.

“I wasn’t really thinking, Vincent,” Eloise said, “I felt like I was with Leo again. We used to have evenings like that. We just drank wine and watched the TV or read to each other. They always ended in his bed, of course.”

“Did you fall in love with Leo?”

“I did not really realize it until I left France, but yes,” she answered after a pause, “Not, perhaps, the kind of love that makes a marriage, but the affection and intimacy I had with Leo affected me very deeply. It is probably one of the reasons why I left. Once I knew he was ready for a lasting relationship, I wanted to be out of his way.”

“There’s a song I remember from years ago. Something about singing and laughing for a year and then being on our way,” I said quietly.

“I know the song, I think. It says it well.”

We both fell silent. I was thinking about what Eloise had said, about the kind of relationship she’d had with her friend Leo. Is that what I needed? A short relationship without a commitment? Just have fun together for a while, then be on our way?

“Do you want me, Vincent? As a lover?” Eloise asked, breaking the stillness.

“Part of me wants you very much, Eloise,” I replied, “But I am struggling with it. You’re so much younger and it’s hard to see what I could give back. I don’t have much to teach you like Leo did. You’ll be teaching me as much as anything.”

“I am older and more experienced now. Perhaps we can learn from each other.”

I looked at Eloise. Reaching over, I took her hand. I wanted to kiss her but wasn’t sure I dared.

“Perhaps. But with you a couple hours away in Toronto and living with Cathy … I don’t know how we would do it. I wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing your bed with my daughter in the next room.”

Eloise smiled and nodded.

“I know. Perhaps this is a dream.”

The sound of the sliding door made us both look back. Cathy came out in her nightie, rubbing sleep from her eyes. I released Eloise’s hand.

“What’s for breakfast?” my daughter groaned as she flopped into a chair.

“Pancakes?” I suggested, “Or have you eaten already, Eloise?”

“No, that would be good,” my guest replied.

“I’m in,” added my daughter.

I got up and headed indoors, still mulling over the conversation with Eloise.

The girls took off with Kelly shortly after breakfast, leaving me alone for the day. They planned to give Eloise a tour of the city and then introduce her to some of their local friends.

With the girls gone, I tried to find something to fill my time and keep my thoughts of Eloise at bay. I went to church and had a lunch meeting with a church committee I was on. After that, I came home and lounged by the pool with a ball game on the radio. The weather had turned muggy and I didn’t feel like doing much else.

Late in the afternoon, dark clouds moved in. Thunder rumbled in the distance, so I retreated indoors. After a quick dinner of leftover lasagna and a salad, I went to the basement rec room. Unable to find anything to watch on television, I began thinking about Eloise again. For a while, I drifted into a half-sleep and dreamt of kissing her.

I was awakened by a door closing upstairs. Obviously, the girls were home. I headed up to see if they needed food. In the front hall, though, there was only Eloise.

My guest wore a pink dress, sleeveless with a dangerously short skirt. The dress was wet as was Eloise’s hair. My guest had clearly been caught in the rain.

“Where’s Cath?” I asked, getting Eloise’s attention.

She looked at me and smiled.

“They wished to go out again and I do not feel like partying tonight. Another evening in your company would be better,” she replied.

“You enjoy my company?”

“Very much, Vincent.”

I walked up to Eloise and embraced her.

“What do you want?” Eloise asked, putting her arms around my neck.

I met her gaze. My desire for the French beauty surged and any lingering reluctance melted away.

“To get you out of these wet clothes. You’ll catch a cold,” I responded, smiling at her. I found the zipper of the dress and pulled it down.

Giggling, Eloise slipped out of my grasp. She shrugged the dress off her shoulders and slipped out of it, letting the garment fall to the floor. Underneath, my guest wore a matching bra and panties; pink satin decorated with white lace trim. Excitement and desire stirred in me at the sight.

We hugged and kissed. My hands slid down Eloise’s back to fondle her ass.

“I think your underwear is a bit damp, too,” I commented.

“My panties, especially,” she responded with a sly, sexy wink.

I released Eloise. Hooking her thumbs into the waistband of her underpants, Eloise slid them down and dropped them to the floor. My eyes immediately fixated on her hairless mound.

Eloise noticed my shift in attention and asked, “Never seen a waxed pussy before?”

“No,” I answered, “Not live, anyhow.”

“Go ahead. I know you want to touch it,” she cooed, reaching behind her back to unfasten her bra.

I ran my fingers over her pubic region, marveling at the lack of even stubble.

Then Eloise’s bra hit the floor. My attention shifted to her exposed bosom. The young woman’s breasts were as beautiful as the rest of her. Full and perhaps a bit large for her frame, they were nonetheless quite firm and perky. Her nipples were large and already getting erect, surrounded by large, dark pink aureoles.

Seeing my gaze taking them in, Eloise held her tits up in her hands and said, “You like my breasts?”

“They are beautiful,” I said with a sigh.

I untied the drawstring of my trunks and shed them. My cock was already stiffening, aroused by the mere sight of the nude French beauty. Eloise caressed it with her fingers and we kissed again. I ran my fingers around one of her breasts, enjoying the feel of it.

“I think we should take this to the bedroom,” I said quietly, “Cathy could come home.”

“And it will be more comfortable,” Eloise added.

We picked up our clothing and retreated to my room. After I shut the door, we embraced and began kissing. My tongue met Eloise’s as my hands roamed over her smooth, soft skin. Pressed between us, my cock grew harder.

We paused. Eloise caressed my face and smiled.

“Lie down, Vincent. Relax and just enjoy this night,” she whispered before we kissed again.

We turned down the bed and I lay on my back and tried to relax. Eloise stood over me and ran her hands up her body to fondle her breasts.

“Ready?” she asked.

“I hope so,” I responded.

My new lover lay atop me, her body along mine. She kissed my mouth, neck, and shoulder. Then Eloise raised her body over mine, letting just the tips of her breasts touch me. Slowly, she crawled down my body, breasts lightly caressing me, until she reached my aroused cock.

Lowering her face, Eloise kissed my erection then ran her tongue down the shaft and back. Her lips closed around the head and she began gently sucking. I watched for a moment, then lay back and closed my eyes.

Slowly, Eloise took me in deeper. The gentle suction and light stroking of her tongue worked magic, driving me into an ever-rising state of arousal. Karen had never been enthusiastic about oral sex, but Eloise seemed to be a master of the art.

Finally, I felt her mouth leave my engorged cock. I opened my eyes to see my lover straddling my hips. She took my cock in her hand and guided the head to the luscious pink lips between her thighs. With the fingers of her other hand, she spread those lips.

“Protection?” I asked. I had condoms in a drawer from a planned night of passion that never happened.

Eloise smiled.

“I am on the Pill and I think I can trust you,” she replied, “Now relax.”

With that, she lowered herself on to my pole. Eloise was tight, but also slick with her natural lube.

“God, that feels nice,” I sighed.

My lover said nothing, just began moving slowly atop me. As she rode me, Eloise fondled her breasts and pinched her erect nipples. I put my hands on her thighs, then slid them up her body.

Eloise leaned forward, supporting herself on her arms. Her tits dangled over me, a beautiful, tempting vision. I kneaded them and rubbed her nipples roughly with my thumbs, then took one in my mouth. The taste of her slightly sweaty skin was intoxicating. All the while, Eloise moved slowly but steadily on my cock.

My breathing became rapid as an intense sensation built in my loins. I could tell this was going to be an explosion. Apparently, Eloise sensed what was coming. She shifted back to an upright position and began sliding up and down on my pole.

“I’m going to come,” I moaned.

“Then do,” my lover encouraged, “Just let it happen, Vincent. Relax and let it…”

She was drowned out by my guttural groan as I came. Eloise kept moving, kept taking me along as wave after wave of pleasure rolled over me. Then she took me all the way in and moved against me until her velvet walls pulsed around me. With a loud cry, my lover collapsed atop me. We kissed, then Eloise rested her head against my shoulder.

“That is good,” she whispered, “I love sex so much.”

I stroked her hair and back with my fingers.

“I do, too. Especially right now,” I answered.

We said nothing more for a long time, just savoured the intimacy of our merged bodies. Finally, Eloise rolled off of me and got up. She stretched and yawned.

“I’ll be back,” she said, collecting her clothing.

“I’ll be waiting.”

As I lay there, I realized that Eloise had taken me to a place where no woman, save Karen, had taken me before. My lover reappeared, carrying a pink satin nightshirt and white cotton panties. She tossed them on the chair in the corner and closed the bedroom door.

“To wear in the morning,” she explained, “I closed my door so Cathy will think I am in my room.”

I grinned. It felt weird, but exciting, to be sneaking around on my daughter.

“Clever young lady. Now get over here. I’m getting cold.”

Giggling, Eloise climbed into bed and we pulled my comforter over us. We lay together for a while, talking softly while exploring each other’s bodies with our fingers. It was the kind of quiet comfort I needed after the intensity of our first time.

Finally, I rolled Eloise on to her back. Without a word, I took a nipple between my lips. I stroked it with the tip of my tongue, then sucked it. As I did so, my hand crept down between the French beauty’s legs. I massaged her bare mound, then went lower, caressing her soft, moist lips and teasing her clit.

“You know your way around a woman’s body, Vincent,” Eloise said quietly, her fingers toying with my hair.

“Karen was a good teacher,” I answered, moving up to kiss her.

“And she had a good student, I think.”

We kissed again, then I returned my attention to her breasts. I licked and kissed each nipple, then ran my tongue down her belly and over her waxed pubis until I was down between her legs. Eloise opened her thighs to give me access to what I really wanted. I kissed, then licked, her sex. She smelled and tasted of our first fuck together, a heady mingling of male and female.

“Ah, Vincent, that is so nice,” Eloise moaned.

She put her legs over my shoulders with her feet on my back. That effectively trapped me between my lover’s thighs. I didn’t care, totally focused on exploring her pussy with my tongue. Eloise’s body began moving gently, a rippling, writhing motion that intensified with her swelling arousal.

“Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!” the French beauty howled, lapsing into her native tongue as she climaxed.

A fresh gush of juices ran out for me to taste. I eagerly lapped it up, then freed myself and got up on my knees. My cock stood at full attention between my legs.

Smiling, Eloise spread her legs and parted her wet pussy lips with her fingers. With her other hand, she beckoned to me. I didn’t really need the invitation. Getting between my lover’s legs and supporting myself on my arms, I slid my cock into her warm, wet interior. Slowly, I moved back and forth, enjoying the feel of her tight pussy around me. Eloise reached up and caressed me.

“It feels good, no?”

“Very good,” I agreed.

“I am yours to enjoy now.”

Grinning, I began sliding back and forth faster. My cock made little wet noises as it moved inside Eloise, punctuated by the sound of bodies colliding.

“Let’s change position,” I said, pulling free, “On your side.”

Eloise clearly knew what I wanted. She rolled on to her left side and raised her leg. I lay behind her and slipped back in. Spooning was a favorite position of mine. Reaching around her body, I played with one of her breasts as I slowly fucked her.

“Tres bien,” she whispered, “C’est tres bien.”

My fingers gently pinched and pulled her nipple, while I kissed and nibbled her neck and ear. With my earlier explosion out of the way, I knew I would last a while and took the time to enjoy my lover’s body.

Eloise took my hand from her breast and guided it down between her thighs. Smiling, I took the hint and began massaging her clitoris with a finger as my cock slid by.

“Oh Vincent!” she gasped, her body tensing and relaxing as her vagina squeezed my cock.

The sensation of my lover climaxing around me started my own ascent. We changed position again. Eloise was on all fours with me kneeling behind. That let me take her hard and fast, pounding her dripping pussy. Our cries and gasps filled the room. Eloise came again just as my own climax erupted, our voices joining in a howl of orgasmic joy. After that, we collapsed on to the bed gasping for breath.

Moments later, the shower across the hall suddenly started up. Eloise looked at me with a shocked look on her face, then smiled. We broke out laughing. Surely Cathy had heard our shared orgasm. Once our laughter and embarrassment subsided, we pulled the comforter over our naked bodies. I turned off the light and dozed off in Eloise’s arms.

I awoke late the next morning. Eloise was still sleeping. I lay still for a while, just enjoying the sight of the French beauty. Finally, realizing that it was a work day and that the girls had to head home soon, I slipped from the bed. I put on boxers and a robe then went to the kitchen for a coffee and breakfast.

As I waited for the coffee maker, I called the office and told them I was ill and wouldn’t be in. I was so far behind on getting out the door that I would be late anyhow. Staying home meant that I could see the girls off and, maybe, debrief with Eloise about our activities the previous night. Not to mention deal with Cathy’s reaction to what she had likely overheard.

After eating, I took my coffee and went out on the deck for some fresh air. It was a nice day, cooler than the weekend with little evidence of the storms from the previous evening. My mind was busily reviewing the events of the night. I was always a bit horny in the morning and the memory of my night with Eloise was getting me aroused rather quickly.

Suddenly a stray memory popped into my head. It had been a chance conversation at the end of a meeting a couple weeks before. I mulled it over, wondering if I had found the answer to the conundrum facing me and my new lover.

I nearly jumped when an arm slipped around my waist. Looking to my side, I found myself looking at Eloise’s smiling face. I bent and kissed her, then put my arms around my lover and held her close.

“You’ll be going soon,” I said quietly.

“I know,” Eloise answered, sadness in her voice, “It is hard after last night. That was truly beautiful, Vincent. You are a wonderful lover.”

“You, too. I’ve been trying to figure out how we can keep this going. There may be an answer, at least for the short term.”

Eloise’s eyes lit up.

“What? How?” she asked, a gleeful sound in her voice.

“My employer needs a project manager to work fulltime with a new client in Toronto for a couple months. I know they are having problems finding someone to go. I have the qualifications but wasn’t interested back when I heard about it. If they are still looking, I can offer to take it on. I don’t really have anything keeping me here so I would just live there for the duration of the contract. The company will pay for a residence of some kind there. I think it’s a small apartment.”

“Our love nest,” Eloise said, clearly getting where I was going with the idea.

“Our love nest,” I confirmed, “I don’t know that they’d be happy about you actually living with me, but you can come for overnight visits. Maybe even stay with me on weekends.”

“Please do it, Vincent,” Eloise pleaded, giving me a tight hug, “I want you close to me, at least for a while.”

I kissed her forehead and told her, “I’ll let you know as soon as I can. For all I know, they found someone but I haven’t heard anything so probably not.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a light go on in the bathroom.

“Cathy’s up,” I pointed out, “Guess we have to face the music, eh?”

Eloise giggled.

“If she does not say anything, Vincent, then neither do we. I think she will understand,” she said.

“To be honest, so do I,” I agreed.

Over breakfast, the three of us danced around the events of the previous night. Finally, my daughter and I got a moment alone when Eloise went to pack.

“Dad, what I heard from your room last night…,” my daughter began.

“Was exactly what you think you heard, hon,” I finished, “And I don’t think it’s over.”

“Does Eloise make you happy, Dad?” Cathy asked, taking my hand.

“I’m very happy, Cath. She’s perfect for me right now. Just what the doctor ordered,” I answered.

“Then I’m happy, too,” Cathy said with a smile, “How will you keep it up, though? You’re here and she’s in Toronto.”

“I might be coming to Toronto for a month or two. She knows. It’s for work stuff but it will let me live near you guys,” I explained, steeling myself for her reaction to the plan, “I’ll stay out of your hair, I promise. This is really so I can be with Eloise.”

Cathy gave me a big hug.

“Then I’ll stay out of your hair, too,” she promised back, “What happens between you and Eloise stays between you and her. I’ve got enough personal stuff of my own.”

“Thank you, honey. Your support makes me feel all the better about this,” I told her.

We hugged again, then my daughter went to pack.

Kelly picked the girls up an hour later. As I watched the car disappear around the turn at the end of the street, I sighed and smiled. In the course of one summer weekend, my life had done a surprise turnaround.

That afternoon I visited Karen’s grave again. I had already confirmed that the position in Toronto was still open and that my boss was interested in having me take it.

“Goodbye, Karen. I’ll always love you. But there’s a time to move on,” I whispered after laying flowers and lingering a while. I laid a light kiss on the headstone.

As I walked away, I felt like I had really, finally, said goodbye.