My name is Marcus Veovin. When I turned thirty, I think I may have experienced something akin to a midlife crisis. I know that age is only a number, but when I looked back on everything I had accomplished and came to the realization that I had really done nothing with my life up to that point, I think I went into panic mode and knew I had to get myself in gear.

Okay, so maybe I’m being a little dramatic. I’m not trying to sound like I’m pitying myself and asking for attention or anything of the sort. Yes, I had done some noteworthy things in my three decades of existence and had shared some truly memorable times with loved ones. My family had always treated me well growing up, and the friends I had had throughout the years were top quality. I’ve even had pets – mostly cats – that meant more to me than most people because they had always been more loyal. But of everyone who made a permanent mark in my life, I would have to say that the women I have been with will always resonate with me as being the utmost best.

I love my family, I love my friends, and I love my faithful animal companions…but the love I have for the women I’ve met throughout my time goes beyond the passion I have for all others. I’ve been a truly lucky man when it comes to the females who have been a part of my life.

That probably sounds ironic since I’ve been a loner on the road for quite some time. I’m sure that the people who listen to me find me daft that there have been some truly special ladies I have chronicled memoirs in the back of my head of, yet I’m still alone and move from place to place by myself. Well, that love I have for those women is the reason I am alone…because I could never bring myself to place any of them in jeopardy.

I could go on in my own inimitable style for hours on end and talk about all the fascinating females who have played a role in my life. I could weave a tale about the first time I was ever touched in an “impure” manner, or about the time I lost my virginity to my sexy Creative Writing instructor during my final year in school. I could talk about all the women I’ve met in my adventures in between then and now, and I’m sure most people would be scratching their heads and wondering why I would bother to reminiscence instead of finding my way back to one of them so I could be married, have two or three kids, and live happily ever after. I’m sure anyone who bothers listening to me would question why I choose to ramble about them instead of finding joy with one of them. To the naysayers, my answer is simple:

I stay away from them because I do in fact love them.

My life isn’t one of simplicity. I don’t arise every morning to head off for a nine-to-five job like regular folks. I don’t wake up to the sound of an annoying alarm so I can sit up, get dressed, have breakfast, and head out the door. I don’t have that simple luxury.

I know most regular folks hate their jobs and would rather be doing anything other than their given occupation, and I can totally understand that. At one time in my life, I would’ve completely agreed with that assessment and probably would’ve stood proudly beside the other ninety-nine point nine percent who loathed traipsing off to their day jobs. Nobody wants to spend one-third of their lifetime doing something they hate…myself included.

However, after some events that befell me in my early twenties, I witnessed with my very eyes that the world isn’t all gumdrops and rainbows. Our parents, teachers, and other loved ones try to tell us that very thing while growing up in order to make us look forward to adulthood, but if I had to guess, I think they only do so to soften the blow. Nothing in life is ever truly easy, but after I went off with a mysterious trio I’d rather not talk about in order to learn more about myself for a couple of years…well, let’s just say that I didn’t necessarily enjoy what I beheld. For almost an entire year of my life afterward, I saw a psychiatrist who did her utmost best to help me push those prior two years out of my mind, and while it was successful for a time, recollections of all the twisted things I had seen and learned returned to me…and I found that the best way to be rid of them was to run from them. I did so by running into the arms of a wonderful woman named Eve.

For two years, I found true happiness with my beautiful angel. She was everything I could’ve ever asked for in a woman, and I was convinced that with her by my side, I would finally find my happy ending. I was ready to experience true bliss in her loving embrace.

And then the night terrors started.

My mind was bombarded on a nightly basis by the post-traumatic stress of the time spent with the enigmatic trio who had ironically been doing their best to help me, but instead revealed horrors to me that no person should ever have to deal with. I feel like a big baby when talking about it because everything they showed me was not only very real, but a fact of life that they dealt with on a daily basis. They were trying to prepare me for things to come that will one day ravage the entire world, but I chose to remain blind to the truth. I wanted to stay blissfully ignorant to the atrocities that await our world.

Wow. What an incorrigible way to begin a story. I’m sure most people would’ve stopped listening a long time ago, but in order to put a brighter spin on things, let me detail the last few years of my life leading up to my thirtieth birthday.

Eve was everything a guy could ask for in a woman, and when the nocturnal terrors started, I would wake up kicking and thrashing violently in the middle of the night. My biggest fear was of hurting Eve, so I packed my bags and left her. She had told me that we could work through my misgivings together, and had I remained with her, maybe we could’ve discovered a way. However, I was deathly afraid of bringing her bodily harm, and that wonderful woman didn’t deserve to deal with my baggage.

I climbed into my black pickup and drove until I ended up out in the middle of nowhere. A lot happened to me after my vehicle broke down near a small farmstead secluded in a large forest, but that’s certainly another story in its own right. It’s what happened afterward that I’d really like to focus on.

With nowhere to go and no home to call my own, I continued to drive around seeking out odd jobs here and there in order to pay for gas and food. I would sometimes splurge on lodging in old, ratty motels, but more often than not, I slept in my truck. My back learned to cope with the discomfort, and when the weather cooperated, I would sometimes pull off the highway and find a place to camp for a night…and by camp, I mean I would catch what Z’s I could on an old sleeping bag laid out on uneven ground.

While traveling to nowhere in particular, I ended up near my hometown…and realized I was in an area I hadn’t been near in almost a decade. I had gone to school with a lovely girl named Cassandra, and as fate would have it, I was practically at her family’s doorstep.

Cassie’s house sat on the outskirts of town and was a fun place to hang out at when I was younger. I could go into quite a few fond memories I had of her family’s estate, but once again, that’s a story for another time. Suffice it to say, I ended up taking a chance and decided to make a stop at her place…and found that she was still living there and owned it after the passing of her parents.

Even though her folks had been gone for a few years, I showed my respects and decided to settle down with my old friend for a few months. After the initial shock of her parents’ passing, I was able to make myself comfortable as the two of us became reacquainted with one another. We shared some memories and did some catching up, and after a month of making up for lost time, the two of us made love for the first time. It was truly miraculous.

Cassie was a doll and I would’ve loved nothing more than to stay there with her until the end of time, but a letter arrived one day addressed to me…and it was from someone I didn’t want to hear from. As with Eve, my time with Cassandra was cut short and wasn’t allowed to blossom into what could have been. Once again, I found myself on the road and fleeing from something I desperately wanted and needed in order to save someone I loved from a fate worse than death.

I was constantly running in fear. My past was catching up with me, and instead of confronting it head-on, I continuously remained on the move. Before labeling me weak, I should point out that encountering this faceless phantom one-on-one was an impossibility, and all I could truly hope to do was keep my distance from my loved ones so they weren’t hurt because of me.

Fear is funny like that: Oftentimes, we can’t see it, we can’t hear it, we can’t encounter it, and we certainly can’t understand it…but we still know it’s there. We’re usually nothing more than hapless victims to the sickening hold its featureless tendrils have on us, and the vestiges left in its wake are never enough to prove that anything untoward even took place. That overwhelming enmity projected by my past had a way of keeping me from what I wanted most in life.

My days were spent journeying all across the continent with thoughts of Eve, Cassie, and the other loves of my life dancing through my gray matter. My eyes remained fixated on the highways and gravel roads before me, and I don’t feel like less of a man for admitting that there were times I literally broke down and cried while thinking about my past loves. I missed all of those women dearly, and I don’t care if it sounds weird, but I loved all of them so very much. If there was a god in the heavens above listening to me, I wished he could grant me a miracle in the form of seeing my lovely ladies again without having to fear for their safety. I wished the troubles of the world could somehow mystically dissipate so I wouldn’t have to fear being near them again. I wished I could go back to that time before I turned twenty-two when things were still somewhat normal…

Wow again. What a downward spiral. I promised to be more upbeat, and everything just went downhill again. As always, fear clouded my judgment. Time to start over.

So I had just turned thirty and spent the morning of my third decade on the planet in some fleabag motel just outside of one of the largest cities on the continent. I couldn’t help but laugh since I realized that I wouldn’t know good luck if it came up and kissed me right on the mouth. I couldn’t think of a single person I knew who spent his or her thirtieth birthday alone in a filthy, rented room out in the middle of nowhere.

I walked into the bathroom that had a cracked mirror and took a long, hard look at myself. I looked like a deflated balloon with a slow leak, but I reminded myself it was hard to be lucrative when I was repeatedly being hounded by forces beyond my ken. They were bigger, stronger, and faster than I could ever hope to be, but my desperation kept me ahead of them…and more importantly, alive.

Since it was in fact my birthday, I decided I was going to treat myself for a change. I oftentimes avoided larger cities not just because there were eyes and ears everywhere, but also because I honestly didn’t really care for them. I may have grown up in a fairly sizable community, but I had always preferred to be away from society. I enjoyed nature and felt far more comfortable being surrounded by trees instead of people. That’s just the way I was.

So anyway, I took a chance and journeyed into the city to do something I hadn’t done in ages: I was going to see a play.

I had always been fond of the arts and had even written a few screenplays back when I was more focused on writing. I had a few friends during my academic days who had landed some lead roles in school plays, and I always enjoyed going to watch and support them. It blew my mind how they could remember all those lines and actions without mucking up once. What they did took talent. Personally, I would’ve been too scared to stand on a stage, but they took it in stride.

Anyway, I somehow managed to luck out and found a seat in the loge that I had all to myself. Maybe it wasn’t busy due to it being midday in the middle of the week, but I sat there and felt a smile form on my face for the first time since I had been with Cassie again. I think it was about halfway through the production when my eyes started to grow heavy, and I knew it wasn’t because the play was boring, but because the chair I was sitting on was one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture I had been on in ages. I thought I was going to be able to fight through the weariness, but that apparently wasn’t in the cards.

“Sir?”

My eyes opened and reality quickly set in as I abruptly realized I had dozed off. I hastily lifted myself into a normal sitting position since I had started to slouch. I’m sure I had been out for no more than an hour or two, but due to the fact that I was actually comfortable for a change, it felt like I had achieved a full night’s sleep. The second I snapped awake, I instantly started mumbling apologies since I knew the theatre workers would want me out. I’m sure they had plenty of homeless bums trying to catch a little shut-eye in the darkened corners of their establishment.

A congenial laugh filled the small loge I had occupied by myself as the accompanying voice pleasantly told me, “You have nothing to apologize for, sir! If nothing else, you’ve let me know that our performance needs a little work since it put you to sleep!”

I instantly became defensive and replied, “Oh, no! It wasn’t the performance at all! The show was spectacular! It’s just that I…” I immediately shut my mouth when my eyes came in contact with the theatre employee who had awakened me.

She was a fucking fox.

I have always appreciated the female of the species since before I was able to walk. Women have always been the focal point of everything that’s beautiful in this world to me, and I feel that whatever gods may be ruling over the cosmos, their greatest achievement came in the form of the human female. Kudos to any deity taking the time to listen to me.

As much as I adore the ladies, though, I will admit that what I say next will probably sound somewhat ironic. While I appreciate any woman walking the face of this planet, I am somewhat picky when it comes to those I would ever envision myself with. While I admire and enjoy females of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, looks, ages, and races, I also value intelligence, a sense of humor, and just plain kindness as well. Very few women tick every box I have even though I treasure all ladies in general, but I’m not the kind of guy who would put his dick in just anything.

I would’ve definitely put my dick in the woman standing before me on that theatre balcony, though.

“Sir, are you all right?”

I shook my head not because I wasn’t all right, but because I was doing my best to expel the dirty thoughts from my mind since I didn’t even know the brunette standing before me. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m…sorry about falling asleep up here. It’s been a long day and I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

The stunning brunette warmly smiled at me.

This woman was downright unbelievable. She was probably about five feet in height, and she had long, wavy hair that was the color of deep autumn. She had eyes that were as blue as the furthest stretches of the ocean, and her lips were as red as the sweetest cherries. Her complexion was quite tan and practically matched the color of the elegant dress clothes she wore, and even though most of her flesh was covered by her dignified attire, I could tell that she was actually quite toned.

And not even a blind man would’ve missed how large her breasts were.

I’m sure some people would find me uncouth for saying it, but there was no way anyone could possibly miss the two boulders situated on this beautiful brunette’s chest. She had to be muscled to carry around those massive mammaries every time she climbed to her feet, and of all the women I had been with in the past, I had never witnessed knockers that large. I had lost my virginity to my marvelous Creative Writing teacher way back when I was nineteen, and she had had some enormous jugs…but even their size paled in comparison when it came to what this beauteous brunette was lugging around.

And did I mention that this woman was one of the hottest cougars I had ever laid eyes on? She didn’t appear old by any stretch, but her face had a mature look to it, and she had a single strand of gray running though her lovely locks. I think it goes without saying that hot, older women are a fucking turn-on.

As I tried to comprehend the sheer exquisiteness of the fantastic female standing only a few feet away from me, I think my long stretch of silence may have been making her a tad uncomfortable. I scratched the back of my head and tried to find the right words to say as I started to mumble, “I’m truly sorry for nodding off in your establishment, ma’am. I’ve been on the road for quite some time, and although I probably should’ve just found a hotel to spend the day sleeping in, I thought it would be a nice birthday gift to myself to see a show since I haven’t been to one in…”

“Today’s your birthday?” The buxom brunette cut me off with her beaming smile still forcing me to stare at her.

I nodded since I had accidentally let the information slip. I didn’t normally like talking about my birthdays since they only served to remind me that I was getting older.

“How old are you today?”

“Thirty.”

“Really? You don’t look it!”

I chuckled since the compliment actually meant quite a bit to me. “I appreciate that more than you could know!”

“You also have the voice of a cowboy. I find that to be pretty captivating.”

Doing my best to make the brunette smile, I leaned forward while pretending to tip a hat that wasn’t there as I responded, “Much obliged, ma’am.”

The action scored the proper response as the alluring woman queried, “What’s your name?”

For the last few years of my life, I always gave an alias no matter where I went. Whether I was checking in to a hotel, or if I was caught in regular conversation, I always gave a false name since I had trust issues due to everything I had been through. I don’t know why, but this woman instantly put me at ease. Maybe it was her way of talking, or perhaps it was due to the mature way she dressed and her overall appearance, but I immediately felt that I could trust the brown-haired beauty with my life. I know that makes no sense coming from a guarded individual such as myself, but I came right out with it and responded, “Marcus. Marcus Veovin.”

That alluring smile never left the beautiful brunette’s face as she held out a hand and replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Marcus. My name’s Dinah Addyson. I’m in charge of the theatre here.”

I graciously accepted the hand and found that not only did the dazzling woman have incredibly soft skin, but she also had a bit of a grip. There weren’t many women I had met in my time who I could say that about. “The pleasure is all mine, I assure you.”

“You’re a charming man, Marcus Veovin,” Dinah shot back in a tone drowned in feminine appeal. She didn’t release my hand as she informed me, “I wouldn’t normally come right out and say this, but I can’t remember meeting a man ten years my junior who came off as such a gentleman and was able to maintain eye contact with me the way you have!”

I think the look on my face must’ve become quizzical since I wasn’t exactly sure where Dinah was going with her words.

The buxom brunette leaned a little closer to me and lowered her voice even though we were alone as she went on, “Usually, the little buggers can’t take their eyes off my breasts long enough to realize my eyes are up here!” As she made her statement, she pointed to her sparkling, blue orbs.

I hoped my hand wasn’t beginning to become clammy under her grip as I tried to think of a funny reply. The best I could come up with was, “It would certainly be difficult to not notice your chest, Dinah, but if you don’t mind my saying so, your eyes are truly two of the most fascinating things I’ve seen in a long time!” I wasn’t lying, and in all honesty, I wasn’t even trying to be a flirt. Those spheres truly were brilliant. Her previous statement then finally registered in my head as I added, “And I don’t believe for a minute that you’re forty!”

It was the theatre manager’s turn to laugh in a deeply captivating fashion as she lifted her free hand to her chest and chortled, “Forty-one, actually! But I certainly appreciate your kind words!”

Due to a combination of her obvious intelligence, her magnetic sex appeal, and the fact that she was still clasping my right hand, I felt something begin stirring down below. I knew it wasn’t the time for such a sensation, so I inwardly cursed my body for appreciating the work of human art before me. At the same time, I couldn’t exactly criticize my penis for showing its respect when it saw something it liked.

“So, I take it you’re not from around here, Marcus?”

I did my best to remain focused while trying to fight back my arousal. I figured it might help since Dinah had finally released my hand, and as I crossed my left leg over my right, I answered her question by saying, “No. I don’t venture into the city very often, and my hometown isn’t nearly as big as this place.” I figured a follow-up question of where I was from would be quick to pursue, but before she could inquire, I quickly queried, “Do you happen to have the time? I hope I haven’t kept you too late…”

“Our show finished about thirty minutes ago,” the beautiful brunette kindly answered with that glorious smile warming my heart yet again. “I noticed you knock out during the third act, and while the others started cleaning up in back, I decided to come up and check on you.”

I couldn’t believe that the gorgeous woman had noticed me sleeping from the stage area. As I thought about it for a minute, I realized that I hadn’t seen her performing at all before I had dozed off. “Were you on stage…”

“I saw you when I was peeking out from the curtains a few times,” Dinah quickly answered. “I don’t act in the plays…I just direct them from the back. This particular premiere was more of an audition for everyone, so since there weren’t too many people in the audience, I was a little nervous that you weren’t enjoying yourself since you were fast asleep!”

“Not at all,” I did my best to reassure the kindhearted woman. “I’ve just been traveling so much lately…”

“Do you have a hotel all picked out for the evening?”

I shook my head and queried, “Any suggestions of any nice places? The last place I stayed in was quite the flophouse.”

“Everything around here is usually booked well ahead of time during this time of year,” Dinah gave me the bad news. “Not to mention, they’re usually quite expensive. You’re better off saving your money and just crashing with a friend.”

I lowered my gaze as I chortled, “Too bad I don’t have any friends in the area.”

“What? Don’t I qualify?”

I slowly raised my eyes until they were back on Dinah’s. Had I heard the smiling cougar correctly? Was she truly inviting a perfect stranger to crash in her home…? “Wait. What…?”

The beautiful brunette placed her hands on her hips as she told me, “I can’t in good conscience let such a kind gentleman visiting the city – on his birthday, no less – sleep out on the street! Besides, my apartment has a guest room that never actually sees guests, so why don’t you come over to my place and get a good night’s rest? I can certainly guarantee that the bed in that room is even more comfortable than the chairs here!”

If I had to guess, I’m sure my face probably lit up as if I had just learned the meaning of life. I had been living off jerky and candy bars for longer than I cared to remember, and I couldn’t rightly recall the last time someone had shown me such a kindness…let alone smiled in my direction. The fact that Dinah was willing to help someone who was so down on his luck was astounding. “Are…are you sure? I mean, you don’t even know me, Dinah!”

“Are you a serial killer?”

My eyes became wide as I answered the nonchalant female by saying, “Of course not!”

“Do you plan on hurting me in any way?”

“Certainly not!”

“Are you going to take advantage of me when I least expect it?”

“Hell no!”

“Bummer on that last one,” Dinah jested after ending her line of questioning with a laugh. I honestly couldn’t tell if she was joking or not with her last comment. “Well, you certainly seem like a genuine enough guy to me, Marcus, and the fact that some of my neighbors could see me coming home with a younger man…well, let’s just say that you’d be doing me a favor!”

The stunning theatre manager certainly had the kind of attitude I admired in a woman. As previously mentioned, I could just tell that she was intelligent, and she had those playful qualities that most females lacked. I simply adored her frolicsome behavior, and it certainly went without saying that she was one of the most sympathetic people I had ever had the honor of meeting. To help a stranger she had just met…

Dinah continued to eye me as she waited for an answer.

“I…I can’t believe how benevolent you are, Dinah! I don’t think anyone I’ve met has ever been this compassionate…”

“The fact that you use words such as ‘benevolent’ just makes me trust you all the more!” The buxom brunette cut me off with a laugh. Her chest bounced with her mirth as she placed a hand over her mouth and went on, “Maybe I am being a little too trusting, but I feel that any respectable-looking man with a vocabulary like yours can’t be half bad!”

I chuckled along with the wonderful woman as I informed her, “Well, I was a writer for a while, so…”

“Really?” Dinah energetically interrupted as she took a seat next to me. “What kind of stuff do you write?”

I should’ve realized that such information would excite the beauteous brunette since she worked in arts and literature. I corrected her as I told her, “Well, I haven’t picked up a pencil to write anything in years, but when I did, I absolutely adored the fantasy genre. I used to come up with some pretty wild stories…”

“That’s incredible! Why’d you give it up?”

I looked away from the dazzling, blue eyes and gazed down at the empty seats and stage below us. I probably sounded like most of the joy had left my voice as I sighed, “Life kind of got in the way.”

Dinah reached over and gave me a pat on the back as that radiant smile managed to cheer me up a bit. “Understood. I won’t bug you about it anymore, but if you ever want to tell me, I’ll certainly be around to listen.”

I don’t think that wonderful woman could’ve ever realized how much those words meant to me at that time. I honestly could’ve let a few tears flow in that moment, but I did my best to fight them back as I simply nodded and thanked her for her uncanny kindness.

Still beaming, the beautiful brunette gave me a pat on the left knee before placing her hands on her thighs and pushing herself back to her feet. “Tell you what: Why don’t you come down and I’ll introduce you to the cast and crew. You can help us clean up a bit, and then we can stop at one of my favorite restaurants for a quick bite on the way back to my place. What do you say?”

I smiled in return as I told the marvelous female, “Dinah, I’m not lying when I say that that’s the best offer I’ve had in the last year.”

                    *

I walked into Dinah’s tenth-floor apartment and couldn’t believe how incredible the place was. She lived in a fancy building in a high-end, central part of town. I had no idea that a manager of what I had believed to be a small-time theatre could be bringing in so much money.

Upon entering her home, Dinah set her purse down on a counter to her right. She then walked to her left and made her way into her kitchen and toward her refrigerator. She opened it up to fetch a carton of orange juice and offered me some before pouring herself a glass.

I kindly declined the offer and gazed around the spacious apartment. I hadn’t seen any place nearly as fancy as her home in quite some time.

The beautiful brunette took a swig of her beverage and swallowed before setting it down and telling me, “I’d be more than happy to give you the grand tour…although the place is nothing special!”

“Are you kidding me, Dinah?” I asked in a faraway voice as I took my shoes off before walking down two steps and setting foot on the polished, wooden floor of the living area. I glanced to my left and stared out a window that was practically the entire wall. I could see the colossal skyscrapers of the city beyond as I tried to take everything in. “This place is incredible!”

The main chamber of the apartment I had just entered was one large, open room. Upon setting foot in the dwelling, I had stood on a raised level that stretched to both the right and left, and directly down the middle were two steps that led into a larger space. Backing up, the space to the left when first entering was like a long hallway that consisted of the kitchen area, and the space to the right was almost comparable to a storage area. It looked as if the counter space that stretched along the way was being used for the storage of papers and other important documents, and near the end of that hall, there was a coatrack and a few boxes. Running along the raised level of the open “hall” space was a white, wooden railing to prevent anyone from falling to the lower level even though it was only a couple of steps down.

Where I stood in the main area was quite impressive. To my right was a huge living room with a seventy-five-inch flat-screen TV in one corner, along with two couches and two recliners that looked quite cozy. A large, blue and white handwoven rug lay stretched out across the middle of the room, and a huge coffee table sat atop it. There were also various potted plants sitting throughout the area, and there were even a few dangling from the ceiling that was a good fifteen or twenty feet above me.

To my left, the room once again moved upward with two steps; but this time, they ran the entire distance of the chamber on that side and led up to the dining area. It was beyond the expensive table and chairs where the gigantic window overlooking the city was, and there was a sliding glass door that led out to a balcony. The regular walls and ceiling were painted in a tortilla-brown color, and a massive ceiling fan hung directly above me.

Seeing how amazed I was by her place, Dinah continued to smile as she walked down the steps and then directed me down the hallway that sat in front of me so she could show me the rest of the place. There were four doorways branching off it, and as we made our way down the corridor, she pointed to the first one on our right and informed me that the bathroom was in there. The portal across from it on the left was a closet, and the final two further down were the bedrooms. Her room was on the left, and the guest room was on the right. It goes without saying that not only was every room spacious and well-kept, but like the living area, they all exuded a consolation I hadn’t felt since staying with Cassie.

As we stood in the hallway looking into the guest room, Dinah apologized for it not having windows due to the layout of the building. I certainly wasn’t complaining since I would be using the room for sleeping, so not having any light invading my slumber would only serve to aid me in acquiring proper rest. I also couldn’t complain since she was putting a roof over my head.

“If you need any extra blankets, we can dig some out of the hall closet,” my gracious hostess informed me. “I also have towels in there if you want to shower, and if you get hungry in the middle of the night…” Dinah’s voice trailed off since she had reached out to squeeze my left bicep while talking to me…and she must’ve become distracted when doing so since she not only became silent, but she also glanced down and checked me out before commenting, “My goodness, Marcus! You must work out!”

I think the charismatic cougar may have been flirting with me, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions as I chuckled, “I’ve lifted a few weights and run a few laps in my time!”

“Well, I certainly think you should keep at it!” After giving her opinion on the matter, Dinah pointed to her room and informed me, “If you need anything at all during the night, feel free to wake me. The place isn’t that big, so I’m sure that you can find things on your own, but don’t hesitate if you need me. I promise I won’t be upset if something comes up and you need a hand!”

I couldn’t help but shake my head as I told the kindhearted woman, “How can I ever repay you, Dinah? This is so nice of you, and I can’t believe…”

It was the beauteous brunette’s turn to shake her head as she lifted a hand to wave my words off. “Think nothing of it, Marcus!” She then reached into a pocket and brought her cellular device out. She started hitting a few buttons on the phone while looking down at it and mentioned, “I suppose while we’re at it, I should give you my cell number…just so you have it!”

“That would be great,” I responded. “Do you have a pen and paper so I can write it down?”

My gracious hostess gave me an incredulous look and thought I was joking as she asked, “Why wouldn’t you just enter it in your phone?”

I scratched the back of my head before finally meeting her eyes and telling her, “I, um…I don’t have one.”

The look on Dinah’s face was one of disbelief.

“I don’t exactly trust them.”

I was more than a little surprised when the top-heavy brunette responded by simply smiling and nodding once. “I totally understand.”

Really? I thought. In this day and age, most people would find me crazy for not carrying one with me…especially since I’m on the road so much! Deep down, though, I was glad that the wonderful woman didn’t press me on why I didn’t own one.

Dinah then made her way back down the hallway and toward the closet so she could open it to fetch a towel and washcloth. She then walked them back to me and told me that if I wanted to freshen up, I certainly could. As she did so, she made sure to point out that she was making the offer since she thought I’d enjoy a nice, warm shower…not because I stunk or anything of the sort.

The idea of stepping foot in her clean shower and washing the grime from my body sounded like one of the best things in the world at that moment. I bathed regularly and took pride in being clean, but the showers I typically used were in ratty motels or rundown boardinghouses. I usually felt cleaner from standing out in the middle of a rainstorm.

I accepted the fresh linens and walked beside the wonderful woman until reaching the doorway to her lavatory. We both stood there as I opened it up and looked at the fancy washroom that had walls lined with black tiles. It looked like a room that belonged in the house of a millionaire, and I couldn’t believe that my new friend was allowing me to use it.

“I’ll be in the living room unwinding with some television,” Dinah informed me as I examined her lavish bathroom. “I’m not sure if you’re still tired, but since it’s still relatively early, I would absolutely love to sit down and chat with you for a while when you’re done. I’d really like to get to know you, Marcus!”

“I’d like that too,” I told my gracious hostess…and I meant it. I honestly couldn’t wait to crash on the luxurious bed she was allowing me to use, but what I desired more than anything was to fight exhaustion so I could talk with her a little more. After getting to know her cast and crew back at the theatre, we had in fact gone out for dinner and sat in a fashionable restaurant talking for nearly three hours. I had felt quite out of place in the sophisticated establishment, but the buxom brunette somehow put me at ease. We had discussed quite a few things once I was feeling comfortable enough to do so, but there was so much more I wanted to know about her.

After Dinah smiled and disappeared around the corner, I entered the posh bathroom and closed the door behind me. I found myself almost wishing that the blue-eyed brunette would suddenly break the door down and join me for a soak, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, I flicked the switch for the bathroom fan on and noticed a bar near the shower to drape my towel over. I also noticed that instead of a curtain, Dinah had one of those fancy, sliding doors…but it wasn’t the kind that obscured a person from seeing into the actual shower. This was just straight up glass, so it would be easy to see what a person was doing on the other side if someone actually looked.

I disrobed and somewhat folded my clothes so I could set them on top of the closed toilet that was also near the shower. I then slid the door open and stepped in to see that the space was not only quite large, but there was even seating built into the wall. I couldn’t believe how sophisticated the setup was.

Under the shower nozzle was a single handle to control the temperature of the water. I cranked it all the way over and was expecting to be blasted by some cold water until it heated up, but it instantly came out feeling hot. This woman had every modern convenience a person could ask for.

After locating a blue bar of soap, I used it and lathered up as I began running my hands over my body and closed my eyes. I let the warm water cascade down across my skin as I realized I hadn’t felt so clean and fresh in a good year. Again, I did my best to bathe regularly considering I lived on the road and was on the move constantly, but being in the comfort of a beautiful woman’s home and being surrounded by cleanliness…

I glanced down and took one look at my penis. I realized after being around Dinah for the last several hours, the little guy actually wasn’t so little. He had grown rather rigid when I had first met her up in the theatre’s balcony area, and he had remained semihard throughout the day. I considered taking him in my right hand and jerking off a few of my dirty thoughts about the marvelous brunette who was quite literally just on the other side of the wall before me, but at the same time, I had scruples for some reason.

This may sound idiotic, but when I had been younger, I had thought it was wrong to masturbate to thoughts of a girl I knew without having her express permission…and who in their right mind was going to go up to a classmate and say something like, “Freya, I think you’re pretty damn hot and I was wondering if you would be okay with me thinking about you tonight when I pleasure myself?” Yeah, never going to happen…so I used to feel bad when rubbing one out to thoughts of said girl for whatever reason.

As I’ve grown and matured, I’ve come to the realization that most women not only don’t mind if you think about them when cranking the old meat staff, but they also get off on it a little bit themselves. Sure, there will always be some that if they knew, they would get upset and point an accusing finger while name-calling and saying things like, “How dare you whack off to thoughts of me, pervert!” Nine times out of ten, though, the older a woman gets, the more of a compliment said action is to her. I’m not just saying this because Dinah had a decade on me, but I truly believed she’d be the type of woman to find it hot that I was jacking off in her shower while picturing her sunbathing topless on her balcony. I could only imagine those bountiful bosoms soaking up all those warm rays…and I couldn’t help but grin when I realized the sun might not be large enough to support those titanic titties of hers.

Whatever my reasons, I opted not to pull on my pud in that moment. I wasn’t big on masturbating in showers anyway. Instead, I pampered myself and let that warm water rain down upon my skin, and after fifteen minutes of steaming up the bathroom, I finally exited the shower and dried off. I felt bad for steaming up the mirrors, but I reminded myself that the walls were tiled, so it wasn’t like the steam I had created would cause any paint to peel.

I retrieved my clothes and instantly chided myself for not grabbing clean ones from my pickup when pulling into Dinah’s parking garage below the building. In hindsight, I didn’t know the warmhearted woman was even going to allow me to use her shower, but I should’ve seen it coming and snagged fresh clothes regardless…especially something to sleep in. Oh well. I could always go back down and retrieve them later if I had to.

After getting dressed, I joined my gracious hostess out in the living room. She had apparently changed into something a little more comfortable and had on a t-shirt and pajama pants. She was sitting on one of the couches and had the TV going, but the minute I walked into the room, she muted it while smiling at me. She patted the spot next to her and told me to come have a seat. I was ecstatic that of all the spots I could’ve sat at in her living quarters, she was inviting me to come sit next to her.

The couch was a dark-brown leather and felt amazing to the touch. It was cool just like I was expecting it to be, and that felt fantastic on such a warm, summer’s day. After being seated, I glanced over at the beautiful brunette and simply smiled since I didn’t know what was supposed to happen next.

Even though I had convinced myself that nothing sexual was going to occur with such a gorgeous and mature woman like Dinah, I couldn’t help but think about how long it had been since I had last been with anybody. My time spent with Cassie had been well over a year earlier. Throughout my travels, I had received offers from hookers and other streetwalkers, but there was no way I was going to tarnish what I had with the good women in my life by sticking my dick in a prostitute. Nothing against those hardworking ladies of the night, but they weren’t even close to the level of what I had been with.

“So,” Dinah finally spoke up since she could see that I was deep in thought. She started the conversation by asking, “You mentioned you’ve been living on the road for the last few years.”

I nodded to confirm her statement. “Yeah. It wasn’t something I would’ve ever envisioned for myself years ago, but I just kind of fell into it.”

Unsure of how to ask her next question, the kindhearted brunette queried, “Are you having…money troubles?”

“Absolutely not,” I answered as I shook my head. “I find work here and there. Hell, I even have enough stashed away to probably find a nice apartment.” I paused momentarily before gazing across her vast living quarters and telling her, “Nothing as lavish as this, mind you, but I think I would be able to find something accommodating!”

The look on Dinah’s face became serious as she abruptly asked, “So why don’t you?”

My eyes went to the floor. “I…can’t.”

The buxom brunette was obviously worried about me and reached over to place a hand on my right knee. Her voice was kind and soothing as she pressed, “Are you in some kind of trouble with the law, Marcus?”

I sat up straight and instantly shook my head. “Of course not! And even if I were, I would never be here with you right now because I wouldn’t want to get you involved!”

“There’s obviously something going on,” the intelligent woman surmised as she looked deep into my soul with those amazingly blue eyes she possessed. “Are you maybe running from a relationship gone awry?”

Again, I shook my head as I admitted, “I’ve loved and been loved by some of the greatest women who ever lived, Dinah. I would wager every last coin to my name that there’s not a guy walking this planet who can say he’s met a better class of women than I have in my lifetime. Hell, I’d give any guy ten lifetimes to come up with a better list and I’d bet my very soul instead of my life savings!”

Dinah’s expression became one of fascination as she persistently asked, “About how many women have there been in your life, Marcus? How many have played a role in shaping the man known as Marcus Veovin?”

I wasn’t sure if I was being tested with the question, but I had always been an honest man. “Eleven,” I answered without missing a beat.

Again, Dinah looked somewhat impressed as she raised an eyebrow. “And if you don’t mind my asking, have you slept with all eleven of these women?”

I shook my head. Deep down, I knew it was none of her business since I had just met her, but I felt comfortable with the mature brunette. I felt like she wasn’t going to judge me, and I was totally fine with answering such queries. “No, ma’am. I’ve slept with nine of them, but the two I haven’t slept with are no less important to me. I love all eleven of them just the same.”

“A man who respects his exes and the girls who didn’t give it up,” Dinah spoke up in an almost regal tone of voice. “That’s something that can be respected.” She never once took her eyes off me as she pressed, “You’re averaging almost one a year since becoming of age. Is that a thing?”

“No, I think the math’s just coincidental. I lost my virginity at nineteen to a wonderful woman who was actually my Creative Writing instructor in school.”

Again, the sultry cougar looked beyond impressed. “Did this happen while you were still her student?”

I nodded once to confirm her suspicion.

The buxom brunette leaned forward and slapped my right bicep. “Look at you go!”

I laughed the words off and told her, “Unfortunately, we only had a week together to enjoy each other. One of the other teachers found out about us and basically blackmailed Tessa, so she up and left because she didn’t want to drag my name through the mud with hers.”

“Very noble of her. Have you seen her since the incident?”

I let out a long sigh as I shook my head. “No, ma’am. I wish I could say that I have, and I even tried searching for her at one point, but I was never able to find her.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“Nope. The only clue I was ever given was that she went out east, but that was over a decade ago. She could be anywhere by now.”

Dinah looked like she truly cared as she went on, “Tell me about some of these others.”

It was almost like a wheel with all the faces of the wonderful women I worshipped started to spin in my head and randomly landed on a one of them as I answered, “Rosalind was a truly stunning woman. I met her during my days in school, and then I met up with her again in college. She was always the shy type, and even though she was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful girls I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, she was always extremely hard on herself.”

“Why’s that?”

I didn’t think Dinah would mind as I used her as an example and responded, “Rosa kind of had the opposite of you going on.”

The brown-haired beauty cocked her head and looked at me in such a way that told me she needed a better explanation.

I scratched the back of my head as I clarified, “While you have quite possibly the largest chest I’ve ever seen, she had the complete opposite…and it made her self-deprecating.”

Dinah nodded her understanding. “I saw that happen a lot back when I was in school. Mind you, that was over two decades ago, but I attended classes with a few girls who didn’t ‘blossom’ right away. The boys could be unnecessarily cruel to them, but on the opposite end, there were girls such as myself who ‘bloomed’ far too soon and far too much. I’m not trying to downplay what your friend went through, but having massive breasts isn’t always a good thing. Do you have any idea how many times I get hit on during the day…and never once do the guys doing it look me in the eyes? Hell, I don’t even think half of them would be able to recognize my face if I actually took them up on their sleazy offers! The only way they’d be able to locate me if we met at a restaurant would be to detect me by finding my tits!”

I prayed to everything I held holy that the blue-eyed beauty wouldn’t misinterpret my response as I said, “There’s no doubt that you have a marvelous chest, Dinah, but if you don’t mind my saying so, I think it’s your face that really does it for me…especially those eyes! Please tell me you’re not wearing contacts!”

“I am.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat.

“I’m kidding!” The beautiful brunette started to laugh since she could see the dread that had overtaken my face. She went on for a good twenty seconds as my breathing returned to normal. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!”

“That was just plain cruel!” I tried to be a good sport and joke around with her in turn. “I would’ve felt like a damn fool had you not been joshing me!” As I listened to the marvelous female continue to laugh, I decided to add, “Honestly, though, I think you have one of those faces and an amazing shade of hair that would make any eye color look fantastic, but blue just suits you!”

“I dye my hair, by the way.”

I stared directly at the mischievous cougar and knew that she was pulling my leg on this go-around. That streak of gray was a dead giveaway. “Nice try,” I said with a witty edge in my tone.

Dinah laughed some more before convincing me to tell her about one of my other women. The wheel spun again and I answered, “Well, I’m not sure how much detail you actually want, but when I was still a virgin, I was studying with a group of female friends for a history test one time. One of the girls was this knockout named Kaede, and she had suggested we take our study session to a different level.”

The intrigued cougar actually slid a little closer to me on the couch.

“Kaede thought it would be fun if we made a game out of studying and had this crazy idea that I should read questions to her, Cassie, and Rosa from our history text.”

“Is this the same Rosa you already mentioned?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. These girls really followed you around, huh?”

I didn’t know how to respond, so I simply went on, “Kaede’s suggestion was that for each question one of them missed, the girl who missed said question would have to take off a piece of clothing. However, if they answered correctly, I would have to shed a piece of clothing.”

“How’d that work out for you?” Dinah asked with a devious smile on her face.

“I ended up butt-ass naked in front of three dazzling women for the first time in my life.” My response made the top-heavy brunette bust out laughing. I couldn’t help but chuckle too as I reminisced, “I doubt I have to tell you that those first few seconds standing there in front of them in my altogether were a few of the longest seconds of my life!”

“I’m sure they liked what they saw!”

I wasn’t sure if Dinah was flirting with me or not, so I brushed her comment aside as I went on, “Well, Kaede wound up shedding her clothes as well and ended up giving me my first blowjob on that very spot.” At first, I wondered if I had said too much.

The sultry cougar again leaned forward to slap my arm. “Wow! Marcus Veovin getting his dick sucked in front of an audience! That had to be quite thrilling!”

I won’t lie and say that Dinah’s response didn’t excite me at least a little bit…because it truly did. Having the mature woman praise a sexual accomplishment from my past was actually quite the boost to my ego, and I was stoked that I could be so open with her. I dearly enjoyed being able to talk about the girls from my old life because my memories were pretty much all I had left of them.

As she leaned back on the couch and studied me for a minute, Dinah lowered her voice a bit and pointed out, “You really do love all of these women to this day, don’t you, Marcus?”

I nodded since there was no doubt in my mind that I did. Had circumstances been different, maybe I would’ve ended up living a happy life with one of them. “I do.”

“And how exactly does a girl go about making this prestigious list?”

Frankly, Dinah’s query caught me off guard since I couldn’t exactly tell if she was joking or not. I had become much better about reading women over the last decade, but something about the brunette’s maturity made it harder for me to piece things together. If I was being totally honest, it wouldn’t have been hard for my gracious hostess to make said list. Not only had she shown me such kindness and taken me in, but she was a perfect ten with an intellect to match. No, she wasn’t a perfect ten; she was an immaculate eleven. If I thought she was being the least bit serious, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to make that esteemed list.

With a heartwarming laugh, Dinah slapped me on the right knee and pushed herself off the couch. She then informed me, “I’ll quit putting you on the spot long enough to go take a quick shower! You make yourself comfortable by grabbing a snack, watching some TV, or going to lie down. If you do the latter, though, please yell a goodnight to me, okay?”

I nodded as the marvelous woman made her way past me and disappeared into the hallway. I watched her walk away as I told myself that I wanted to learn as much about the playful cougar as I possibly could.

END OF PART ONE OF TEN