I work in the construction industry. . . not one of those who work the red iron members of an erection gang or a boltup gang but I used to be. I’d started out of high school, as an apprentice, worked myself up to Foreman, and now I was a superintendent building bridges and tall buildings. The work takes me all over the country for varying lengths of time and has left me with little social life. My friends are those I have through my work.

I drink only moderately; never to the point of drunkenness and never on the day before a workday. Over the years, I’ve learned that sex is available everywhere for a price and sometimes it’s good; sometimes it’s just relief from the built-up tensions.

So it was that I sat in the bar of the Tam-o-Shanter, restaurant on a Friday evening, nursing a G & T as I pursued some conversation with whoever might prove interesting. I’d been seated at the bar only a short while when a rather stunning brunette woman about my age came into the bar and walked to a bar stool one space from mine. There, she sat nervously. From the way that she kept looking at the entrance, it was apparent that she was waiting for someone.

As we sat for several minutes, I caught her attention and said, "Seems like a watched pot never boils."

To which she replied coldly, "I’m waiting for someone."

With her obviously not interested in passing the time with conversation, I turned my attention to others in the bar. Talked to a couple of young guys from the job who were on the prowl and to a hooker who didn’t interest me and sat silently again.

It was getting late and almost past the dinner hour as I prepared to leave the bar and seek food that the brunette woman seated near me caught my eye and said simply, "Looks like this pot’s not gonna’ boil."

We both laughed at her pun and a bond formed between us. . . nothing big, just a sort of friendly camaraderie and on a sudden urge, I suggested we dine together. She accepted and stepped off the bar stool as we went into the restaurant.

During the walk we introduced ourselves. Her name was Melinda Duncan, called Mel by her friends, and she had been stood up by her soon to be ex-boyfriend. Mel was quite distraught as we moved from the bar to the restaurant and it was quickly evident that she was angry.

Then, as we were seated, she seemed to relax and her anger abated slightly as she told of her boyfriend having failed to keep a date with no notice again. This had been the third time she’d been left waiting. . . and the last! She was getting him out of her life forever. Having started to tell her story, the words flowed freely and her thoughts were spoken candidly to me - a total stranger!

Somehow. I was honored to be taken into her confidence and felt a responsibility to protect her from her hurt. I did the only thing I could. listened!

After a time, the waitress came and took our order and Mel quit talking only long enough to allow for the order. Drinks and salads had been served and the waitress was approaching with the main course when a man pushed up to the table and called out, "Mel, What the hell are you doing here having dinner with someone else?" He was obviously upset.

Mel arose and said, "After an hour I thought you probably weren’t coming so I joined this man for dinner. You and I are through. I don’t ever want to see you again!" She was crying as she spoke. Then, as he grabbed her and attempted to pull her away, she said, "Leave me alone. Leave me..."

The man was obviously intending to do her harm.

I arose quickly from the seat at the table and said, "Leave her! She’s with me! She obviously doesn’t want your company."

In a split second the man’s right fist came at me in a haymaker and caught me a glancing blow to the shoulder. The surprise was complete until I moved quickly to defend myself as a second blow came my way. This time, my years of physical conditioning on the high iron had prepared me and a few seconds later, the man was prostrate on the floor with my foot on his neck.

Mell, standing behind me, said softly, "Don’t hurt him. He’s not worth going to jail over and if you hurt him, you’ll be in trouble." Then, she vanished and was gone.

Of course, there were repercussions. The police arrived and surmised that this was just another altercation over a woman and I was held to blame equally with the attacker. By midnight I was in my bed in the hotel, asleep, and wishing I’d never seen Mel or her boy-friend again. Of course, the chances of seeing her again seemed extremely slim since she had disappeared before the police had arrived leaving me to explain .

I slept soundly until the alarm went off the next morning. It was then that I realized that there was someone else in the room with me. "How the hell did they get in here?" I wondered as I prepared to accost the intruder.

Then, in the dim light of morning, I determined that the intruder was indeed Mel who slept on my lounge chair. Though she wore the same clothes, they were wrinkled and soiled. Her makeup had been smudged and looked rather hideous as her hair was a tangle.

I nudged her gently awake. . . "What’re you doing here?" I asked.

When her eyes opened and she looked up at me I saw fear in her eyes. The look was like that of a caged animal - intense fear! "Please help me!" she spoke as our eyes met.

Having just experienced problems from being near her, I was inclined to tell her to take a hike. Her kind of trouble I didn’t need. "Sorry Mel! I’ve got to get to work and I’ve no time to waste on your problems," I replied.

Tears formed in her eyes as she heard my words and she said nothing. "Damn!" I thought, anything but the tears I could have resisted.

"I need a place to hide. My ex-boyfriend has his gang out to do me harm. . . you too! We embarrassed him last night and he wants revenge. They’ll kill us if they get a chance."

"Why me? I don’t even know hm."

"You hurt his pride when you two scuffled and he lost. He’s lost face with his gang."

"He doesn’t even know my name or where I live or work. . . He can’t do much anyway."

"He’ll kill me," Mel said.

At that point, I was involved. I couldn’t let her get killed by her ex-boyfriend! I thought for a moment before saying, "Mel! Stay here in this room and open the door to bo one except me! Understand?" And she nodded her assent.

"When I leave, go take a shower, apply lotion liberally to your arms and face and leave your shoes, skirt and blouse off. I will return about seven with clothes and equipment for your disguise."

So it was that at 0710 hours, Mel walked to the company pickup truck in an orange flagman’s coveralls, orange hard hat, boots and with a dust mask at her throat ready for use.

After a stop for breakfast, Mel started work as a flagman in training at an equipment crossing. With the dust mask for protection from the construction dust, her disguise was complete.

That night, she was taken to the Cosy Nook motel where many of the workers from the project were housed and checked into a small but modest room. Though the motel had nearly fifty rooms, it was mostly filled with construction workers who were bonded together by their common working conditions. Locals tended to give the Cosy Nook a wide berth to avoid any altercations that could occur between them and the workers. Mel would be safe here.

I returned to business as usual.

A week passed and rumors of the new flag person found their way to me. Seems the first few days, she’d been pretty sore and tired after a day at work but by the end of the second week, her foreman was singing her praises asone of his best flagmen.

It was at the end of the second week that I happened to pick up a news paper where I saw Mel’s ex-boyfriend’s picture. He’d been in a high speed chase, with the police in pursuit, when the car he was driving struck a bridge abutment and his two passengers killed in the impact. Her old ‘ex’ lay paralyzed in the hospital and under arrest.

On seeing this, I sent the newspaper article out to her on the job. "Kinda’ hated to see her go, she had developed into one of my best laborers but she no longer needed to hide there was no need for her to stay. Besides, the work was tiring and difficult.

It was a couple of nights later that I entered the bar at the Tam-O-Shanter for a drink and some conversation and found Mel sitting at the bar. "Hi! I’ve been waiting for you. A gin and tonic isn’t it?" she called as she motioned for me to sit next to her.

I sat on the stool next to her amid the stares of a dozen envious eyes from the men in the bar. Suddenly, I felt proud. Mel was with me!

As I sat, Mel spoke, "I was hoping we might take up where we were interrupted the last time we were here. We seemed to get along so well that night."

As if by some common assent, the two of us picked up our drinks and moved to one of the tables near the back. Then, as we moved to the table and were re-seated, I surveyed Mel’s beauty for the first time. Oh! I’d seen her nice physical features and her healthy condition often before but there was much more.

There in the Tam I adored her for the first time. Then, seated, facing me, we looked into each other’s eyes and I saw a fire in hers that burned with a passion that fueled and inspired my own. We drank our drinks and our small talk turned more serious.

Then, I felt my own excitement rise and lusty passions develop. "You’re really quite beautiful you know. You’re easily the most desirable woman I’ve ever met."

"How can you say that? You’ve never even kissed me."

"I don’t have to kiss you or even touch you to know that. The best part of you can’t be felt or seen or touched anyway. It’s that aura of a woman that surrounds you that I’m referring to."

Mel, who’d been rather light hearted about the whole matter suddenly became serious as she said, "Are you trying to seduce me? If so, that’s a very good line."

"Let’s just see where this all leads us, shall we?"

"You know, you’re a rather impressive man yourself. You save my life and give my life some direction at the same time. With two college degrees and some abysmal failures, I’ve found what I want to do with my life. I owe you much."

"You owe me nothing. Your foreman says you’re his best worker. Now, let’s go to dinner."

Dinner was exquisite and the wine superb at the Tam although I hardly noticed as I lusted after Mel.

I wanted her; all of her! For the first time in my life, I wanted the total woman. I wanted to hold her and possess every aspect of her. I was hotter than I’d ever been.

Each time our eyes met, I saw a passion so intense as I’d never seen before and I wanted her. This should have been my clue that we were destined to be together but it wasn’t. Somehow, I was afraid of her rejection.

It was as we finished dessert that Mel said, "My place is not far from here. Perhaps we should go there and talk!"

So it was that we drove our cars, me following her, to her apartment and met at her front door. As she handed me the key, I felt a surge of lust, need, and passion; I opened the door, handed her the key, and she entered first.

As I entered and turned from shutting and bolting the door I found myself facing Mel and our eyes met. In them I saw passion raging at intensities beyond anything I might have anticipated. We embraced and kissed!

That first kiss was unlike any other. There was no soft, tenderness or sensual exploring or getting acquainted as our lips met. She was hot and I was hot and our eyes had told us we were ready.

Her lips had parted almost instantly and our tongues played together to evoke sensual pleasure and my man-meat was as hard as it’d ever been. Mel was pressing her belly against my tool as we embraced and I reveled in the feeling even through several layers of clothing.

I tried to recall, from past experience, what was expected of me in these matters but none of my past experiences had been this intense and I was lost in new experiences.

When we finally broke to catch our breaths, I moved closer and kissed her on the neck and under her ear. There, the scent of shampoo and body lotion combined with the scent of the woman and brought new sensual pleasures. "Umm! You smell good," I said.

On hearing this, I felt her soften against me as she kicked off her heels and hug me tighter. In a moment she spoke, "Take off your shoes and stay awhile. . . let’s get comfortable." After removing my shoes, she took my hand and led me to her bedroom. Nothing more was spoken. . . nothing else needed to be.

"I want you," I spoke as we sat down on the edge of the bed together.

As our eyes met again she said, " And you shall have me if you play your cards right." We kissed again as we began to undress each other. Strangely, I felt no shyness or reserve as we seduced each other - it was as if I’d known her all my life!

When her blouse fell from her shoulders and on to the floor, I stepped back to admire her bared shoulders and cleavage. "Let me look. please!" I said.

Hearing that and assuming I was referring to her beasts said, "They’re too small!" Mel showed no reluctance to show me as she reached behind her and unclasp her bra to expose her breasts. They may have been small, I’m no great judge of size, but they seemed about right for her general build. I told her so.

Besides, when I reached out to touch them, I got an immediate reaction. I felt the sensation like a bolt of lightning as the sensations from my finger on her tit registered with me. It was her nipples that stuck out like the end of my little finger that seemed most sensitive..

Even as I was affected by the sensation, I heard Mel cry out in delight. "Oh yes! Do that some more! I love what you’re doing!"

These were heightened sensations such as I’d never known now and I felt that heightened sense of urgency that was urging me to seek more. I fought he feeling as I wanted to enjoy all the aspects of what this woman was providing me; move slowly and capture her essence!

When Mel said, "Stand up!" I did so reluctantly and my trousers fell to the floor even as her skirt and pantyhose joined them on the floor. Then, having finally understood her request, I removed my boxers and stepped back to admire her now totally bared body.

As my eyes adored her splendid body, I kept saying, "Beautiful. . . you are perfection! Turn around and let me see all of you." Standing there, Mel, posed for my adoring eyes and turned slowly before coming to me and pressing her body to me.

"You liked what you saw?" she asked.

"It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen," I said truthfully.

"They’re too small," she said.

"On you, they’re just right. Let me kiss them?"

"I thought you’d never ask!" sh said as she lay back down on the bed and presented her breasts for my mouth.

First came the light caresses with my fingers to prepare her. Then my lips gently suckling her nipple as my free hand caressed the other one. As Mel lay quietly accepting my ministrations, she began to mutter little mewlings of satisfaction and encouragement for me.

Soon, I moved to the other breast with my lips as my free hand now caressed her just suckled nipple. After a time I began to lick and suckle her entire breast - something that I’d never done so extensively before! It was her encouragement that kept me there. Again, I realized that I’d never been in so intense a relationship before. It was good and to be fully enjoyed!

When the various ministrations to her breasts began to lose their savor, I moved slowly, kissing and licking as I worked my way across her belly and down her thigh to her ankle. Then, still licking and suckling, I moved upwards on to her inner thigh where I slowed and kissed those soft inner thighs.

Mel’s mewling seemed to indicate that I was doing something right.

Again, I’d set out on a totally new quest. I’d never performed cunnilingus before. Never was inclined to before but I wanted to please Mel! I moved up, over her groin slowly, kissing and tonging as I moved. As I approached her hairy area, I placed my hands on either side of her labia and with my thumbs, exposed her inner flesh to my sight. It was a rather beautiful sight and I said so as I kissed her soft inner flesh.

Her response was immediate and violent! As her ass came off he bed to meet my tongue, I kissed and tongued, gauging my moves by her reactions and again I felt my own passions at a new level. Suddenly, as I relaxed, the sense of urgency gone, and I proceeded to experiment with my oral ministrations. Minutes passed.

It was just as Mel seemed about ready to approach her peak, she turned on the bed and over me into a 69 where she proceeded to engage my cock with her lips. It was another first for me, a woman’s lips on my cock!

Again, minutes passed as we experimented and played and my sense of urgency returned. I wanted to be in her, to fuck her! To possess her - body, mind and soul!

As if she’d read my mind, Mel moved. She moved quickly onto her back with her knees widely splayed and inviting me to mount her. I did, as fast as humanly possible, and was over her kissing her as I felt my cock slip into her vagina.

Coming together into our coital union, I realized that this was a new level of feeling far more intense than any past experience. I wanted to share my entire being with her, to have her heart and mind . . . something I’d never done before. This time, I wanted it all!

Then, as we were fully joined, we relaxed and Mel said, "I’d never done that before - suck a man’s cock. . . that is! Was I good?"

I replied, "You were really quite sensational It was my first time to do a woman orally too."

"You were very good!" she said and our eyes met. There was no mistaking the adoration in her eyes. "I’m not very good at this," Mel said, "tell me if I can do anything for you. I want to please you."

Then, it was time for the main event, the time for which we had both worked and struggled to reach. I began the slow, reciprocating motion that we both wanted. As we began, our eyes communicated our feelings and I suddenly knew that we’d be doing this again - we were bonded.

So the final moves began and we were as one together. We kissed and we fucked and we caressed and we played as we built towards the final crescendo of feelings that would signal our release.

We worked well together, possibly too well, as our passions grew quickly in response to our perfect coordination. Possible a minute, maybe two or three at most, I heard Mel say, "I’m gonna’ cum," and I felt my own juices start to flow in response.

Too late, I tried to back out and spill my seed on her belly but Mel held me into her. "Please! Stay in me!" she said as she was filled with my semen.

But it wasn’t over! We lay together, enjoying the peace and serenity of our afterglow. This feeling that enveloped us was entirely new to me and I reveled in it. We lay joined by my now soft cock still in her vagina, our bodies touching and reveling in our closeness.

As we enjoyed the closeness and the cosy envelope of peace that surrounded us, for the first time, I thought of the future. Melinda Duncan would be here, in her town, when the project was over. Much as I wanted her with me, I couldn’t ask her to give up hope for a family and a future to travel with me, a bridge builder, a construction bum!

Soon Mel slept peacefully beside me as I lay awake concerned.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thirty one years have passed since hat night when I first had Mel - thirty one good years. Mel sleeps beside me peacefully as I lie thinking.

I’m thinking how fortunate I am and how good life has treated me. Our two boys, both engineers, have families of their own now. The three girls are grown, responsible and already successful. Mel had retained her body as fit and trim as it was thirty years ago - hips a little broader maybe! Her face and arms show wrinkles and the effects of the sun but she’s otherwise healthy.

It’s been many years since she held a flagman’s paddle and directed traffic although she could if the need arose. She’d given up that work when our first son was born.

Mel still sleeps beside me every night in her long night gown - unlike when we were young when we slept with nothing between us. Now, those ‘special’ times are reserved for nights when there are no kids or grand kids in the house.

I enjoy excellent health and my biggest regret is that age and life has taken a toll on my sexual prowess. I’m lacking the stamina to provide her with the sex she’s used to and deserves. I’ve told her that I’d understand if she found a young stud to service her properly but she’s adamant that she isn’t I

Of course, I am retired now. I’ve been well rewarded for my years working in construction and there’s plenty of money in my accounts to keep Mel and I for the rest of our lives.