"Why can’t the phone ever ring when I’m sitting right beside it?" Jennifer Hart muttered to herself, as she juggled several packages and her handbag, while at the same time trying to get her key in the front door of the house. Normally, she wouldn’t have made such an effort to answer it, but Jonathan had told her he’d be calling that afternoon, to let her know whether or not he’d have to fly to Chicago to tie up some loose ends on a plastics company he had recently acquired.
The phone continued to ring as she struggled through the door and dropped the parcels inside the foyer. She made a dash for the phone. Of course, she was a split second too late. She sighed, and as she hung up the receiver noticed the line ringing wasn’t the private line Jonathan used to call the house. At least she knew it wasn’t him trying to call.
Jennifer retrieved the packages, and took them upstairs to their bedroom. She had just finished putting her purchases away, and was closing the closet door when the phone rang again. Determined not to miss this call, she hurriedly made her way to the phone beside the bed.
"Hello", she said, not even noticing which line was ringing.
There was a pause of about two seconds, and then whoever called her hung up, without speaking. Irritated, Jennifer noted it wasn’t the line Jonathan used, and she hung up the phone with a little more force than necessary. It rang again almost immediately.
With a sigh, Jennifer picked up the receiver again, and heard Jonathan’s voice. "Hi, Darling."
Hearing her husband’s rich voice made her aggravation of a few seconds ago melt away. "Hello, Darling," she responded.
They had been married five years, and Jonathan knew her very well. "Something wrong?"
"Not anymore," she said sweetly., not really wanting to go into detail. "What did you find out?"
He paused dramatically, then said, "It’s all taken care of. I don’t have to go to Chicago." She could almost hear him grin.
"Terrific!" she exclaimed. "I hate it when you’re away."
"So do I," came his reply. "I’ve got a few more details to take care of, then I’ll be home."
"You’re not going to Chicago, and you’ll be home early?" she mused incredulously. "What did I do to deserve that?"
"I can think of several things," came his light-hearted answer, "and you’re going to have to earn the rest of it this evening."
Jennifer had to laugh, even as she felt her body’s response to his unspoken promise. Any tension she had built up throughout the day, suddenly disappeared.
"I’ll do my best, sir," she said, and the ironic thing was he knew she meant it.
"I’ll take you up on that," he vowed. "I’ll see you in an hour or so."
"Bye, Darling."
"Bye." Hanging up the phone, Jennifer went to the kitchen to decide what to make for dinner. Max was on a trip to visit friends in San Bernadino, and wouldn’t be back until late the following day.
Jennifer didn’t give any more thought to her phone troubles, and true to his word, Jonathan was home an hour and a quarter later. Jennifer heard Freeway’s bark of greeting, and knew Jonathan was home. She had been in the kitchen, sitting at the table and scribbling some notes for her next article. Sometimes, flashes of inspiration hit her, and she had to write down the ideas while they were fresh in her mind.
"Hello, Darling," she smiled, emerging from the kitchen. Jonathan was bent over in the living room, petting the little bundle of fur that was their affectionate dog, Freeway.
"Hi, Darling," he responded, standing up straight. He took her in his arms for a brief hug and a kiss. He held her at arm’s length for a moment, gazing intently at her.
"What’s the matter?" she asked, feeling vaguely uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
"Just making sure you’re looking healthy and well-rested."
"What?" she asked, puzzled by his statement.
His eyes twinkled then. "You’re going to need all your strength tonight," he promised, with a wink.
Jennifer had decided on steak and baked potato for supper, and after they ate, Jonathan settled on the sofa to read the newspaper, while Jennifer sat at the desk and answered some mail, which always seemed to be piling up. They worked in a comfortable silence for a couple of hours, both contented to know the other was nearby. When the phone rang, it startled them both.
Grinning at Jonathan, Jennifer answered the phone. "Hello?" She was met by a silent pause, then a disconnected signal.
"Trouble?" Jonathan asked, taking in her puzzled expression.
"No, I don’t think so," she answered, straightening the envelopes she had just stamped. She stacked them on the corner of the desk, then stood up, stretching her back. Jonathan watched her the whole time, over the top of the sports section.
"Who was it?" he asked, still wondering about the phone call.
"I don’t know; they hung up," she dismissed the phone call with a wave of her hand. "I’m going to go ahead and get ready for bed. Will you be up soon?"
He grinned at her. "I’ll be up before you’re finished," he promised. Jennifer blew him a kiss before she left the room.
She fully expected to be interrupted during her shower, but it didn’t happen. She dressed herself in the tops of one of his pair of pajamas, leaving the bottoms lying by his sink in the bathroom. She slipped into a robe, then padded off in the direction of the bedroom. She immediately knew why Jonathan hadn’t appeared earlier. He had showered when he got home from work, and had changed into a different pair of pajama bottoms, apparently while she was in the shower. He sat, leaning against the headboard, his long legs stretched out across the bed, and he had switched from the paper to the latest book he was reading. On Jennifer’s pillow beside him, lay a small neatly wrapped present.
"What’s this?" Jennifer asked, totally failing at suppressing the grin on her face.
"What’s what?" Jonathan asked, his face a total mask of innocence.
"Oh, no you don’t," Jennifer replied, giving him a playful growl, as she picked up the gift and crawled into bed beside him.
Jonathan closed the book and laid it on the bedside table. Then he turned on his side to face Jennifer. "It’s a ‘just because’ gift", he said, his eyes dancing.
"A ‘just because’ gift?" Jennifer echoed. Jonathan wasn’t the type to hid a guilty conscience by buying her presents.
"Yeah," he replied. "It’s a ‘just because I love you’ surprise."
It wasn’t the first time in their five years of marriage that he had done something like that. He often brought home flowers, a special dessert, or some other offering, just because he knew it would please Jennifer.
"Thank you, Darling," Jennifer said, convinced there were no strings attached to the gift.
"You’re welcome, Darling," he replied soberly. "But why don’t you open it and see if you like it first?"
Jennifer giggled, knowing that was a ludicrous statement. He could bring home a three day-old banana peel and she would love it.
"Okay," she said, playing the game, and she ripped through the ribbon and the paper. A little red velvet box spilled out into her hand. It had two intertwining hearts embossed in the bottom right hand corner, a design they often used in their gifts for one another.
Jennifer opened the box, and her breath caught in her throat. It was a ring, an elegant gold-banded ring, with the same double heart design as what had been on the box. In the center, where the hearts overlapped, was an unusually shaped ruby. It was obviously a ring he had custom made for her.
"Oh, Darling," she said, when she found her voice, "It’s exquisite."
"Yes, you are," he whispered, and when she could finally tear her eyes away from the beautiful ring, she saw the tender, yet hungry expression on his face. She would never be able to figure out what she had done to justify the incredible love and devotion he held for her. She felt the same way toward him, of course, but that was easy to figure out. She had never known a man with the gentleness, charm, self-assuredness, intelligence, humor, and a thousand other near perfect qualities that he had. She didn’t realize that he adored her for the exact same qualities.
"Thank you, Darling," she said, wrapping her arms around him. Her lips pressed against his out of gratitude, and as the kiss deepened, it was something else. They came up for air, the intensity startling both of them. All of the flirting they had done throughout the evening was catching up with them.
Jennifer slid the ring on the fourth finger of her right hand. "It looks perfect," Jonathan said, admiring the delicate and unique creation.
"Yes, it does," Jennifer said, her eyes following his a few seconds. Then, her eyes turned toward his with the expression he would never tire of…the expression of love and passion she reserved just for him.
They melted into one another’s arms, Jennifer’s hands moving to his shoulders while he tangled his fingers in her abundant hair. Their mouths worked together for a moment, as they expressed their mutual love, then, their lips parted and their tongues slipped out to tease and tantalize the other’s. One of Jonathan’s hands gradually slipped from her hair and moved between them, making its way to her left breast. He massaged it through the thin material of the pajamas tops. He could feel her nipple tighten and grow erect beneath his palm.
Jennifer, for her own part, had pulled back for a second to catch her breath, then began to press kisses along the ridge of his collarbone. Knowing she wanted to thank him properly, Jonathan loosened his grip on her, giving her some room to move. He pushed his head forward to bury his face in her hair, letting the soft fragrance work its magic on him.
Her kisses were gradually trailing lower, paying homage to the hardened buds of his nipples, even as her hands stroked his stomach. She felt the sharp intake of his breath as her hand stealthily crept lower, until she was caressing the bulge at his crotch, much as he was tormenting her breast.
He withdrew his head from her shoulder, suddenly, startling her by the quickness of his movement, but he was ready to move the situation along further, and was unfastening the buttons of her pajamas. He loved it when she wore the top of his pajamas.
His fingers fumbled a little in his excitement, but eventually, he had her shirt totally unfastened and he pulled it off her shoulders. She released him only long enough to be divested of her clothing, and then returned immediately to his groin. This time however, her hand moved under the waistband of his pajama bottoms, stroking his bare flesh. His erection felt hot against her hand, as she aroused him, hardening him even more.
Jonathan plunged his face into her cleavage, then began to use his tongue and teeth to nibble and tease its way to her breast, before drawing her nipple into his mouth. He heard a gasp escape her as the heat of his mouth encompassed her tingling flesh.
"You’re over-dressed", he heard her whisper, even as her hands were gripping the top of his pajama pants and pulling downward. He obligingly wiggled his lower half to aid her, and in a few seconds, they were both naked. Their lips sought out each other’s again, even as their hands were continuing to explore each other’s bodies. Jennifer’s hand immediately regained its position on his manhood, and she began to move it up and down in the rhythm that she knew drove him crazy. He sought retaliation by pressing his mouth to her other breast, and letting his hand tickle its’ way down over her flat stomach to her thigh. It only took a few strokes of his hand to coax her legs apart, and his fingers slipped easily into her wetness.
Jennifer wanted very much to continue her ministrations, but his expert probing was quickly causing all conscious thoughts to leave her mind. She continued to hold his manhood, not willing to let go, even as her head flailed back against her pillow. Jonathan’s mouth met hers in a searing kiss, his tongue matching the staccato of his maddening fingers, and it was only a few seconds before her thighs tightened around his hand, and her body galvanized in a climax. A long throaty hum escaped her throat, as her mind soared.
His fingers ceased their movement for a few seconds, letting her regain her senses, and when he would have continued, she began moving. She shifted her body downward, until she was at eye-level with his midriff. His erection was scant inches away from her head, and when he felt her kiss the crown of it, a shiver wracked his body. Her hands gently urged him to roll over on his back, and he obliged. The warm wetness of her mouth engulfed him as she took him in.
"Ah, Darling," she heard him groan, as his hands came up to stroke her head. She bobbed her head up and down, and her siphoning movements were quickly causing any reasonable thoughts to leave his brain. His hips moved up to meet the downstroke of her head while she pleasured him.
He could only let her continue a couple of minutes of this sweet torture, and then his hands were gripping her shoulders, urging her to move back up. He didn’t want to orgasm too quickly, and that was the path she was leading him up. Jennifer was beginning to feel her hunger for him growing again, and was more than willing to let him guide her. Their lips met and their tongues tangoed as they caught their breath, then Jonathan’s hands were on her hips, gently pressuring her to straddle him. She did so, folding her knees under her, and Jonathan held his manhood as she eased herself down on him.
Neither of them moved for a second, as a myriad of sensations cascaded over them both. Jonathan’s eyes had been closed, but now he opened them to gaze at his lovely wife. Her eyes were shut, a soft smile playing across her features, and then she was leaning the upper half of her body to meet his lips with her own. His arms came up to embrace her, pulling her tightly against him. She began to slide her body against him, up and down, until she took both of their breaths away. Her own hands stole around to the back of his shoulders, and she clung tightly to him as her movements excited them both. She occasionally added a circular motion to her efforts, and Jonathan was soon struggling to hold back the pulsating pleasure of his rapidly approaching climax.
He slipped his hands between her thighs, and found the slippery little nub that was the center of her pleasure. A gentle tweak was enough to send her over the edge again, and gradually her movements stopped as her body reached a most satisfying peak. She settled her head into the cradle of his shoulder, willing to let him do whatever he wanted to find his release. Perfectly contented with the position they were both in, he bent his legs slightly, and used them for leverage as he thrust upward into her. His strokes were deep and even at first, but it wasn’t long before they became shorter and less smooth, as his body flew over the heights Jennifer had already surpassed. His heartfelt groan reached Jennifer’s ears, and she lifted her head to smile at him. He returned it.
"That was wonderful," she whispered, as her lips hovered over his for a kiss. The kiss lingered for a few seconds, then their heads separated as Jennifer slid off him. Her body felt very heavy to her, and she could feel sleep rapidly overtake her. She laid her head in the curve of his shoulder, and by the time he had pulled the covers up over both of them, she was asleep. He cradled his arm around her, and in a very short time, joined her in slumber.
