The Pine Cove Spinster Incident

Dougie was clearly in a surly mood as he avoided us. Later, between sets, he walked by our table and sneered in an unnecessarily load tone, "Hey Marco! You only have a couple of weeks left to make good on the wager. If you are going to fuck the spinster, you better get on your horse and make it happen soon."

"Fuck you, Dougie...and fuck the horse you rode in on too." Unlike Dougie's comment, I kept my voice low enough that the surrounding tables couldn't hear it.

++++++

The vibe with Mary was noticeably different when I arrived at the cove on Monday morning. She seemed especially happy to see me.

"How is your shoulder?" Mary queried with genuine concern.

"It's fine, just a bruise. I'll be as good as new in a few days. Are you okay?"

"You saved me from any serious injury...thank you. Also, thanks for the emotional support. I'm okay most of the time...but I'll probably never be able to entirely avoid the triggers that bring back the pain of losing Patrick. Outside of the memory of his death, I would never want to forget all the good times."

The task for the week was to freshen up the interior of the cottage.

Mary and I clustered the furniture and covered it all with a tarp before wading in to paint the dingy walls.

By the end of the day, it looked like a new room..

Mary was so delighted with the transformation, she spontaneously hugged me as we admired our handy work.

As I prepared to leave at the end of the workday, Mary spoke. "I'm making a run to the grocery store and can give you a ride home, Marco."

"That would be great. I have to pick up a couple of things for my mom."

Ryan's Grocery Haven was bustling with shoppers picking up last minute items for their dinners.

I left Mary with a parting comment as I selected a hand basket. "See you bright and early tomorrow."

As Mary pushed a squeaky cart toward the Deli, Connie Ryan called to her from the express lane check out.

Connie was talking animatedly as I made my way to the Dairy section.

As Connie bagged my selections, the usually friendly storeowner was uncharacteristically cold. I left with no clue as to the reason for her frosty demenour.

My cel phone dinged with a text message before I got home. Mary's curt text surprised me.

'𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙.'

My reply, ''𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅. 𝑯𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅?'

There was no response until just before I went to bed when I received another text.

'𝑺𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒃𝒐𝒙 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘. 𝑫𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.'

I had a fitful sleep, wondering what had upset her, or if something had happened to her.

++++++

The next day when I went to Pine Cove to collect my final pay, the overhead door opened as I withdrew the envelope from the mailbox on the front of the garage.

Mary and I stood face to face and her surprised appearance made it clear it was an accidental confrontation.

"I'm so disappointed in you Marco." She turned and began to retreat.

"I'd like to know what happened." I called after her.

Mary was almost at the rear door when she stopped and turned. Her eyes were like glowing embers of rage as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Don't deny you made a wager to have sex with me before the end of summer. Connie Ryan heard you and your friends at the pub on Saturday night. She told me about it yesterday."

Well at least the mystery of Mary's hostile behavior was solved.

"Yes...it's true." I admitted hesitantly. "But that was before I got to know you...I know it's a lame excuse but it was just boys being boys."

"It is lame...and terribly insensitive."

"Would you consider giving me a second chance? I understand if you can't forgive me but I'm really sorry."

The rogue strand of hair had come free again and she pushed back into place.

"I have no doubt you are sorry...it's best if you leave now."

Later that night my cel dinged with a text message. '𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑩𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒕 8:00 am'

++++++

Mary was on the precarious wooden step ladder cleaning the eave troughs when I arrived.

Her voice had a cold edge when she spoke, barely looking at me. "Your job today is to demolish the rotting fence along the cliff. All the materials for replacing it are in the garage."

The weather threatened to be scorching again. Mary's choice of clothing included baggy shorts that reached her knees and a loose fitting maroon tee shirt. There would be no titillating shows today when she became drenched with perspiration. For some reason, I felt obligated to keep my shirt on.

The fence project took me most of the next three days to construct. Mary followed along behind me, staining the new construction. She made no attempt to converse as we worked in close proximity. She made lunches for me to eat in the gazebo, taking her meals inside.

Late Friday afternoon when she handed me my paycheck, I wasn't sure if was my final one until she asked, "See you on Monday?"

"I'm going to have to leave earlier than I had planned but I'm available this weekend if you want me to work."

'No 'boy stuff' this weekend at the Bridge?" Mary asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I've had enough of Dougie. We had arranged to share a dorm room for first year at the uni, but now I'm looking for some alternate accommodation."

'Let's make it a nine o'clock start tomorrow."

++++++

Saturday's mission was scraping cracked and peeling paint off the balusters, pickets and railing of the gazebo perched near the cliff's edge.

By late afternoon, the heavy band of dark clouds that lingered over the ocean for most of the day, had advanced to the shoreline.

The air had an eerie stillness to it, a portend to an imminent summer storm. Even the relentless crashing of the waves on the rocky beach below the precipice abated. We took shelter in the gazebo as first heavy drops of rain plopped into the parched sand.

Mary sat on the padded mattress of a chaise lounge and patted the spot beside her, inviting me to share the only place to sit in the summer pavilion.

We stayed silent, listening to the staccato beating of lazy raindrops on the pavilion's cedar shake roof.

Mary was first to speak. "I'm curious, was I going to be your first?"

"No, not my first." I stammered. "In fact If I had won the wager, I would be travelling with Crimson Dawn and not be here at all."

"You mean I was the consolation prize?" Mary asked. I shrugged and her eyes widened as she gasped. "Oh my god, I was the booby prize! You boys sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"I wouldn't call you a booby prize...actually, I'm glad that I didn't win, otherwise it would have been Dougie working for you and...you know? You are way to good for that asshole."

"Wow, you make bedding me sound like a foregone conclusion...as if I would just give it up to whoever won...I mean whoever lost."

"I don't think that about you...I get nervous talking to beautiful women...I mean..."

The skin around Mary's eyes crinkled almost imperceptibly as the first trace of a smile formed on her face since I had been busted.

"You are doing fine. You only got another chance because I appreciated how you consoled me when I found Patrick's climbing helmet. It showed just the right amount of compassion...without needless words. The way you dealt with that situation reminded me of Patrick. He always knew how to get me through the rough patches and feel better."

"Were you with him...you know...when it happened?"

Mary's emerald eyes glazed over and I immediately regretted asking my insensitive question.

The rogue strand of hair slipped from it's resting place behind her ear. This time she left it as an aura of determination appeared.

"It was always Patrick's dream to climb El Capitan. He was such an exceptional climber...we first met on a rock face a year before, you know. Anyway, I shared his passion for the sport and we decided to climb the Reticent Wall together. He surprised me with an engagement ring at the summit."

"The Salathé Wall was the real challenge that Patrick wanted to conquer. It was beyond my ability so he partnered with a climber we met the first day."

"Patrick's partner had misrepresented his experience and ability. He froze partway through the climb and panicked when Patrick moved in to help him. Both perished. It was the last time I ever climbed."

Mary bit into her lower lip and laid her her head against my shoulder as a teardrop ran down her cheek. Mary's grip on my arm intensified when a low rumble of distant thunder sounded and the sky over the ocean lit up as sheet lightning danced through the clouds.

I gradually became aware of the subtle scent of her hair conditioner and the warmth of her body as we sat silently. The softness of her breast pressed into my side caused a stirring in my loins and soon my penis was straining against the confines of my cargo shorts. My severe discomfort soon had me fighting the urge to squirm, fearing the close encounter with Mary would end.

I hoped her eyes were closed as the position of her head against my chest would surely give her a clear view of my rising excitement.

I knew I had been made when Mary lifted her head and looked into my eyes.

"So...a question for you about your wager. What was your plan for seducing me?"

Mary's query surprised me and I couldn't find any words. A moment later, I only managed a shrug.

"Were you going to charm me into bed...or perhaps tear my clothes off and take me on the kitchen table?"

"No Mary...I would never do that!"

"Which one, take me forcibly or charm me?"

"I didn't actually have a plan. I'm not sure I ever believed it would happen."

"You said I wasn't going to be your first. How did you do it the other times?"

"It was only once...it was spontaneous and not really planned. There was a lot of kissing...and touching...kind of frantic...not the way I thought it would be. It was over really quickly for me."

Mary's eyes were still locked on mine. "What did you think it would be?"

"Definitely more romantic, but still I can't wait to do it again. What was it like for you the first time?"

The intense eye contact continued and I feared I had overstepped, being too personal again. A faint smile appeared as Mary pushed the stray strand of hair back behind her ear. "Patrick made it amazing for me. He was an exceptional lover."

The tender moment ended abruptly when a jagged bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree at the cliff's edge. It exploded and as smoldering shards arched thru the air, a subtle but distinct odour of ozone became evident. The simultaneous crackling boom of thunder pushed Mary to near panic. Instinctively, I embraced her.

"You don't seemed frightened by lightning." Mary said as she trembled in my arms.

"I love summer storms. It may sound fatalistic, but I have always thought that if lightning is meant to find me, it would,"

"That sounds like something Patrick would say. He always made me feel safe...will you keep holding me?"

Two more sharp reports of thunder boomed in rapid succession and Mary pressed herself even closer. Lately, my cock was always in some state of arousal whenever I was around Mary. Now as it surged to full hardness and pressed into her belly,

Mary tilted her head and our eyes met. The kiss was awkward-- our noses bumping, timing off--but somehow, it was perfect. Mary's expression turned to a mysterious warmth that I had not seen in her before. Sensing no objection or attempt to withdraw, I was emboldened to kiss her again she returned the kiss with contact as gentle as a fluttery butterfly. It caused my breathing to almost stop as my heart to pounded with such intensity that she must surly be able to feel it beating against her breast.

Mary moaned softly when my hand slipped under her tee shirt. I pulled her closer. The gentle gyrations of our bodies rubbing together threatened to cause my penis to erupt.

Mary seemed to sense my urgency and undid my shorts, pushing them down.

The feeling of her warm hand on my throbbing member was the best thing I had felt in my 19 years of life.

"Ohhh, that's so much precum Marco." she cooed in my ear as her finger touched my slit and smeared it around the tip.

"Just let it happen." Mary whispered.

By the third long slow stroke, I started to sense the helpless feeling a train engineer might experience at the controls of a runaway freight train, headed for a washed out trestle bridge.

Our eyes had been locked in a fixed gaze, but now in my rising excitement, I lowered my head to Mary's shoulder and tasted of the saltiness of dried perspiration as I nuzzled the nape of her neck.

Pulsing contractions caused three powerful eruptions of my vital essence to coat the soft skin of Mary's belly. A series of smaller bursts followed.

The sudden weakness in my knees would have probably caused me to collapse to the gazebo floor if I had not been supported by Mary in that moment.

Mary did not resist when I lifted the hem of her sweaty tee shirt, raising her arms so that I could pull it over her head. Suddenly, her beautiful breasts were exposed to me, causing me to gasp at their splendor.

When I leaned forward to capture her erect nipple between my lips, she wrapped her arm around my head and drew me closer. She moaned softly when my hands caressed her ass. It got even better when she undid her shorts and pushed them down, leaving her clad only in silky white panties.

When my hand caressed her pussy, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a substantial wet spot.

Mary grasped my hand and took a step back to sit on the chaise, I knelt between her open thighs as she pulled her panties aside, revealing her dark bush. It was like she read my mind when she moaned. "Please kiss my pussy Marco, it's been so long."

I had some apprehension about my first taste of a woman's pussy as I leaned forward encountering the unique aroma of her nether region. And then Mary's hand was on the back of my head, pulling me into her as she thrust her hips forward. Her urgent need seemed contrary to everything I had read about going down on a woman. Regardless, at the first taste, I was addicted to cunnilingus.

A moment later, the sounds she was making made me wonder if it was pleasure or pain she was experiencing. My answer came when she clutched my hair and forcefully pulled my head into her again as I slipped a finger into her in search of her G spot.

My tongue slid along her crevice and touched her hard nubbin. "Yessss Marco...right there...flick it," she moaned as she draped her legs over my shoulders. Mary's gasping breaths matched the increasing tempo of her rocking hips as she gave in to a long intense climax.

As her gasping breaths subsided, a big smile formed on her flushed face. "Thank you Marco...that was very special."

Still kneeling before her, I took in her beauty, noting a long scar on her knee.

"What's this?"

"Dirt bike accident when I was 16...ACL reconstruction to repair a torn ligament."

"And this?" I whispered, as I moved to sit beside her on the chaise, touching her shoulder.

"Separated shoulder at 17. Equestrian."

"This?" My finger traced a faint scar along the hairline on her forehead.

Mary stayed silent for a moment and when the reply came, it was no more than a whisper. "Rock climbing.,,it was the day I met Patrick. He helped me down and stayed with me while I got medical attention. We were together from that time onward."

"Sorry... I always seem to ask the wrong questions."

Mary's lip trembled as she molded her body against mine. She sobbed softly as the distant rumble of thunder continued.

A few minutes later, she regained her composure and noticed my penis which was fully engorged again.

"That looks painful. Let's see what we can do to give you some relief."

Rising, she gently pushed me to my back and straddled me, reaching down and guiding my cock toward her pussy. The sensation was electric when the tip touched her outer lips. Mary continued to slide it back and forth, coating it in her abundant vaginal fluids and teasingly allowing some penetration before withdrawing it again as I tried to thrust forward. Each time she slid my cock along her slit, she took me a little deeper into her, exhibiting a teasing smile.

Adding to my arousal, her dark eyes locked onto mine as I alternated between returning her gaze and enjoying her swaying breasts, mesmerizing me with their gentle motion as Mary made love to me. It was clear her intent was to make the experience intense but unhurried.

Soon she relented as she understood my silent plea to be inside her and my penis found the pleasure it desired as she began a motion of slow long strokes.

The pleasure sensations were beyond anything I could have ever imagined as I felt the stirring start deep within my loins.

"So close now Mary." I moaned as she writhed above me, her eyes still boring into mine as she began strumming her clit rapidly.

Our orgasms started almost simultaneously with Mary's continuing after I gushed a massive cream pie deep inside her. Mary slumped to the mattress beside me and buried her head into my shoulder as we came down from our climaxes.

Distracted by our lovemaking, we had failed to notice that the rain had stopped. Breathing the pure fresh air, Mary and I lay silently as golden beams of sunlight pierced the openings in the gray veil of clouds over the ocean.

Mary broke the silence. "You told me that your first time was disappointing...how did the 'booby prize' compare?"

"It was even better than I imagined it would be. From now on, I'll choose think of this as my first time."

"Will you be bragging about your conquest to your friends?"

"They will never hear about this from me."

"I wonder...would you stay for a few more days if there was a solution to your housing problem?"

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"There is still a lot to be done here and I could use your help for as long as you can stay. After that, I will remain here until the cottage is listed. My condo in the city will be available to you while you look for new accommodations. It has good public transit access to the university."

+++++

I accepted Mary's offer. The decision to stay another week and be close to her was a no brainer, particularly because we found an opportunity to make love each day.

As I prepared to depart on my last day, Mary handed me settlement of my final pay. "The key to my condo is in the envelope along with the address. Until I return in the next couple of weeks, feel free to stay there."

"What about the possibility of a more permanent arrangement...do you have an extra room that I can rent?" I asked hopefully.

"No...that won't work...it's only a one bedroom apartment." A crinkly smile appeared as she tucked the chronic loose strand of dark hair behind her ear. "....but it does have a king sized bed."