Travel for my job had me on the road about half the time the last several months. Jenny, the woman I had been seeing for about a year, had grown increasingly upset about how little time we had together. I talked to my boss, but there was not much he could do until this project was completed. My efforts seemed to placate Jenny, especially when I told her if things didn’t get better with my next assignment, I would look for a new job.

Jenny seemed better about things for a while, but began complaining again with just a couple months left on the project. During a call on one of my trips, she admitted her ex-boyfriend had called her a few times lately and told her he wanted them to get back together. Jenny told me she thought about it a lot and realized she made a mistake in leaving him. She said she had already retrieved her things from my place and left the key next to the coffee maker. Wonderful.

My neighbor, Karen kept an eye on my place when I traveled. It was well after dark when I got home that Friday night. I noticed Karen looking out the window as I got my bags out of the truck and waved as I headed into the house. I watched TV for a while before turning in for what I expected to be a fitful night of sleep, if I slept.

Saturday morning I awoke at the time I normally get up for work. I decided to go ahead and get in a workout on my home gym in the basement. It helped burn off some steam and gave me something other than Jenny to think about for a while. As I finished and headed up for breakfast, the doorbell rang. Still in my workout clothes I opened the door to find Karen standing on the porch with a gift bag in her hand.

“Hi, Mike. Sorry to interrupt your work out,” she said. “There is a piece of your mail that was delivered to my house by mistake and some warm banana bread in here for you,” she explained as she handed me the bag.

“No problem, I had just finished the workout,” I said. She smiled as I sniffed the contents of the bag and added, “You are too good to me, Karen.”

Karen hesitated a bit, “Mike, Jenny was here and took a couple of boxes of things from the house while you were gone. I don’t mean to pry, but is everything okay?”

Her face showed genuine care and concern as I told Karen about my break up with Jenny. Having suffered loss, Karen was empathetic to people going through tough times. Her husband was killed in a car wreck a couple years before I moved into the neighborhood. Karen taught science at the middle school and kept busy, but she still seemed a bit lost without her husband. At 48, she was an attractive woman and while she dated some, there was still no steady man in her life.

In a soft voice, Karen said, “Mike, I’m sorry to hear that. I know you liked Jenny a lot.” 

“Thanks, Karen. I sort of saw this coming, but I guess I didn’t do enough to avoid it. Be careful on your trip,” I said and watched as she walked away.

Yard work and some overdue maintenance on the house dominated my schedule when I was home over the next few months. It helped take my mind off Jenny and I saved some money doing the work myself. Karen was working around her place too, so we helped each other out on bigger projects and the hedge row between our properties. Over pizza and beers on a couple of those nights, we talked more than we ever had before. We even took in a couple movies and had a casual dinner out a couple of nights when we needed a break. The time together revealed we had some similar tastes in music, books and other interests and we got to know each other a lot better. 

The neighborhood block party was on Labor Day weekend and I asked Karen to go with me, intending to suggest we go out for dinner later that evening. Karen looked fabulous in a casual summer dress and sandals. There were a few times that she touched my arm or I placed a hand on the small of her back as we talked and mingled. It felt comfortable and natural being with her, as if we were a couple. When the party wound down, Karen seemed a bit nervous as she turned to me.

“Mike, I have everything ready at my house to bake lasagna and toss a salad for dinner,” she said. After pausing to take a quick breath, she added, “I would really like it if you join me tonight.”

After eating sandwiches and chain restaurant food most of the week while I was away, one of Karen’s home cooked meals sounded wonderful on its own. If pressed to be honest though, it was Karen's company I most wanted that evening and I sensed she was felt the same way.

“That sounds wonderful, Karen,” I responded. “I’ll bring a bottle of wine, if that’s okay with you.”

Karen lit up as she replied, “Perfect! See you for cocktails at 6 o’clock and don’t be late,” she said. She surprised me when she took my hand and rose up on her toes to give me a quick peck on the cheek.

After I showered and laid out my clothes, I realized Karen had been on my mind more and more the last couple of months. She was 11 years older than me and, while that did not matter to me, it amazed me how much differently I saw her now than before. I was anxious to see what the evening brought, as an undeniable attraction to her had grown within me.

Karen greeted me and her hand caressed mine as I handed her the bottle of Italian Chianti. She was wearing a different dress now, one that accentuated her figure quite well. Her bare legs looked tan and toned in a pair of wedge heels. Her ash blond hair framed her face and seemed to reflect the sparkle in her eyes. She was more beautiful than I had ever seen her.

While the lasagna baked, we enjoyed a couple of mojitos and chatted about some early fall events in the area. We realized we wanted to do a couple of the same things and made some tentative plans. The conversation flowed well into and throughout dinner. Both of us occasionally touched the other’s arm or hand as we talked. By the time we had finished the wine, we were holding hands as we talked.

Karen made Irish coffees as I put dishes in the dishwasher. She brought out tiramisu that she admitted she had purchased from a local bakery. We stood leaning on the kitchen island as we talked and enjoyed the dessert, eating right from the disposable container. She fed me the last bite. As I finished it, my hand came to her cheek and tilted her head a bit as I leaned in for a soft and slow, first kiss on her full lips. 

She leaned into me and wrapped her arms around me as our second kiss began, a bit firmer and with a slight slip of our tongues against each other at the end. She sighed and buried her face in my chest. 

Karen softly asked, “Mike, how old are you?”

“I’m thirty seven, Karen,” I said cautiously.

I heard her groan a bit. 

Given my stature, deep voice and a few gray hairs at my temples, most people guessed my age a bit older than I was. I could tell the number surprised her a bit.

“One of the people at the party today told me you were still under 40, but did not know by how much,” she explained. “I almost didn’t ask you over for dinner over it.” 

“The age difference doesn’t matter to me,” I said. “I’ve grown very fond of you Karen. It took a long time for us to act on it, but you have become more than a friend to me.”

I asked Karen softly, “Does my age really bother you?”

She nodded no in response and rose up to kiss me again. As she pulled back, Karen said, “I’m sure some people will talk, but I don’t care after tonight.”

With that she took my hand and took a couple of steps backward, her eyes encouraging me to follow her. As I started to move, she walked toward the hallway that I knew led to her bedroom. The sway of her hips was mesmerizing as she walked in front and to the left of me, still holding onto my hand. She paused at the door and turned to me again.

Karen softly said, “It has been a while for me and only two other men have been in this room since my husband died. I just want you to know, I’ve never moved this quickly before and I’m a bit nervous.”

Hoping to reassure her, I said, “Karen, I know the kind of woman you are. If you aren’t ready for this, we can wait.”

Karen placed a finger against my lips and stepped backward into the bedroom, drawing me to her. My mouth found hers again and we kissed deeply this time, the longing in her came through in the passion of the kiss this time. Our hands explored each other and we soon started to undress. Our movements were slow and deliberate, we took our time so as not to rush the experience. When I removed her bra, Karen moved in close to me and pressed her breasts against my bare chest.

Karen turned, led me to the bed and she laid down upon it. Her skin was flawless and her body perfectly proportioned. She had full C cup breasts that were still firm and supple. Her hips had enough curve and span to them to be sexy, yet she was trim and fit. I moved along side her, caressing her breasts as we kissed again. 

My hands grew bolder and Karen responded passionately. Rolling and tugging her nipples between my finger and drew a moan from her. Karen caught her breath a bit as my hand slipped over her panty clad mound, massaging the area of her clit. She spread her legs a bit as my hand eased inside her panties and I drew two fingers up along the length of her pussy. She was already wet and my fingers slipped inside her easily. More soft moans escaped her as her hips moved in sync with my hand. 

Karen guided my head to her breasts as I stroked in and out of her with my fingers. She responded strongly as I kissed and licked her areolas and nipples. Karen cried out in pleasure as I let the weight of her breast pull each nipple through my gently clenched teeth. She watched as I trailed kisses and licks down her abdomen, moving lower.

Thumbs hooked into the waist band of her panties, I began to slide them down her hips. Karen raised her bottom briefly to help me and smiled at me as I slipped them down her legs and tossed them aside. My tongue and lips trailed licks and kisses along the curve of her hips, then from the knees up her thighs. I took my time before making the first contact with her pussy. She moaned as my tongue dipped into her wetness, then followed the labia higher. I repeated this a few times before I moved to her clitoris.

Her scent and taste were light and sweet as I breathed it in. Karen’s hands reached for my head and she worked her fingers into my hair. As I licked and teased her clit, her hips began to gyrate. Karen moaned loudly as she ground her pussy against my mouth and my tongue swirled more firmly around her clit. Eventually her body stiffened and she succumbed to a strong orgasm.

My body moved up between her legs and I lowered the waist band of my boxer briefs as I placed the head of my erection against her wet opening. Karen wrapped her legs around me and pulled my mouth to hers as I began to press into her. Her breath caught as the head speared into her and my slow plunge spread her pussy around my girth. My hips rocked back and forth until I was fully sheathed inside her warm, wet folds. Her body moved in rhythm with mine as we made love this way for several minutes.

Karen’s hips gyrated as I moved in and out of her more forcefully. Her movements grew stronger and more erratic as another orgasm built within her. When I held deep inside her and rubbed the base of my cock against her pearl, Karen cried out as the first wave hit her. I alternated thrusting and grinding, driving myself to climax soon after her. My cum shot in thick jets inside her as the final throes of her orgasm took hold. Karen muscles and pulsating pussy clamped down on my cock as I unleashed the last of my load deep into her.

We talked and stroked each other for a while as I recovered. When I started to harden again, Karen leaned over and placed her mouth on me. She kissed and licked along the length of my shaft before she took the head into her mouth. As Karen worked her mouth up and down on my manhood, I fingered her and played with her breasts. We were both soon ready for more and I pulled Karen up on top of me. She settled on top of my penis and, with it pressed against my abdomen, rubbed her wet pussy along the underside of my manhood.

Karen soon raised up and guided the head to her opening. I pressed my hips up and entered her slowly. She arched her back and let her weight force her down onto me until I was fully buried inside her. With her hands on my chest, Karen rocked and gyrated her hips, slowly at first. As our pace and force increased, I reached up and massaged her breasts, cupping their weight in my hands. Karen leaned down, so that her breasts fell to my face and I bit and sucked on one nipple at a time as I fondled her other breast. 

Her moans became louder as our movements grew wilder. My arms encircled Karen and I pulled her torso to mine as I pumped into her and she ground against the base of my cock. As her body shook and shuddered through another orgasm, I plowed my rock hard member into her even harder. My cock finally exploded inside her and Karen collapsed against me as my cum filled her again.

After, we lay wrapped in each other’s arms and talked of the feelings that had grown between us the last few months. Karen asked me to stay the night and to hold her as we slept. There was nothing in the world I wanted more at that moment.