Finger Licking Good

Lee stood among the budding flowers in Dotty's garden and peeked into the kitchen window of the white cape code on Maplewood Drive. Amanda was seated at the table in the breakfast nook. A mass of cup cakes in front of her. Some of them were naked, while some of them were already covered in blue frosting, packed and ready to go to the school bake sale.

He knew they'd be delicious and he hope she'd bring him some. He licked his lips in anticipation and tapped on the window. She turned and smiled at him. Putting down her knife, her tongue snaked out to scoop up a bit of icing off her finger. She washed her hands, snagged two cup cakes and some napkins before coming out to join him in the yard.

End?

Friday, August 9, 2003

8:30 PM

"Jenna I don't want to hear it," Amanda said as she gathered up the
supper dishes and put them in the sink. "It doesn't matter what you
say because the answer is still no."

"But Mom-" Jenna said, a pleading tone in her voice.

"In the first place you're too young-" Amanda began.

"That's not true!" Jenna said. "All of my friends will be going."

"-and in the second place you're still grounded," Amanda said as she
filled the sink with warm water and suds. "For a week and that week
includes Saturday. And don't tell me again that all of your friends
are going because I spoke to Lisa's mother and I know for a fact that
she's not going either."

"Well we'll practically be the only ones," Jenna said. Amanda said
nothing in reply, just started scrubbing and rinsing the plates. Maybe
if she just ignored her Jenna would give it up, Amanda thought to
herself. That faint hope was dashed with her daughter's next words.

"Mom please-Moby's going to be there, The Blue Man Group, David Bowie,
even The Avalanches. Please?"

"I said no," Amanda said.

"I promise I'll do anything you want," Jenna said. "I'll vacuum the
house-I'll even dust. Ple-a-se?" The last `please' was drawn out into
three syllables. Amanda sighed, wishing that Lee was here with her
instead of out of town for the night.

"The answer is no," Amanda said. "Now one more argument and I'll
ground you for another week-is that clear?"

"Yes," Jenna said, looking down at her feet, "but it's still not fair."

"Jenna Stetson," Amanda said. "I want you to go upstairs, take a
shower and get into your pajamas. I'll make us some popcorn and when
you're ready you can come down and we can watch those movies we
rented. Okay?"

"I don't feel like watching movies," Jenna grumbled. "We rented silly
ones anyway."

"Fine," Amanda said. "Then I'll watch the movies and you can go
straight to bed. It's your choice."

The expression in Jenna's dark eyes was venomous. Without another word
she whirled around and stomped up the stairs.

"And don't slam the-" Amanda called out as the thud seemed to shake
the entire house.

"Door," she sighed.

SMK SMK SMK SMK

"Amanda it's not the first teenager you've raised," Dotty said. "They
all go through stages, you know that. Remember when Philip licked the
flagpole at school because one of the other boys triple-dog-dared him?
Middle of winter and we had to call the paramedics to get his tongue
unstuck. And he was 13 at the time."

"I know, Mother," Amanda sighed, holding the cordless to her ear as
she put away the last of the dishes. "It just seems different with
Jenna. I mean, I know the boys went through their stages but it wasn't
like this."

"Daughters are different," Dotty said. "I remember some times I went
through with you."

"Mother I was never like that!" Amanda said. "Was I?"

"Well I remember one time when your Grandmother stayed for a week,"
Dotty said, "And one night you wanted to watch The Rat Patrol but she
wanted to watch The Roger Miller Show and you-"

"I threatened to run away to Debbie Ann's forever," Amanda said,
wincing slightly at the recollection. "I remember now." She froze as
the sound of Jenna's piercing scream filled the house.

"Amanda what was that?" Dotty asked.

"I don't know," Amanda said. "Mother I have to go-I'll call you right
back." She pressed the cancel button on the phone, leaving it on the
coffee table. Her heart racing, Amanda dashed up the stairs, taking
two at a time. The scream came again-from the bathroom.

"Jenna?" Amanda called. There was no reply. Amanda opened the bathroom
door. Jenna was standing in the middle of the floor, her hair dripping
wet, naked except for a towel. Her face was pale and her eyes were
brimming with tears.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Amanda said. "Why did you scream?"

"There-" Jenna said, pointing towards the window with a shaking
finger. "I just got out of the shower and there was a –a sound outside
the window-I opened the shade to see what it was and there-there was-"

Amanda could see that Jenna was shivering now. Thinking fast she
grabbed Lee's white terrycloth robe that was hanging on a hook and
wrapped her daughter in it.

"Sweetheart it's okay," Amanda said, holding Jenna by the shoulders.
"You're safe. Just please tell me what you saw."

"A man," Jenna said "He was right outside the window-he smiled at me
and said `hey'. I screamed and he disappeared."

Amanda looked outside the window and into the night-she couldn't see
anything now, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone. What should
she do? Amanda's mind was racing.

"I wish dad was here," Jenna said.

"I know," Amanda pulled her still-trembling daughter into a tight hug.
"I know you're scared, Jenna, but you're safe."

"But what if it was Gary?" Jenna said.

"Sweetheart Gary Johnston is still in prison," Amanda said, giving a
inward shudder at the thought of that man and what he'd tried to do.
"He'll never hurt you again, I promise."

"He could've escaped." Jenna said. "What if he did?"

"Someone would've told us," Amanda said, putting a lot more confidence
than she actually felt into her voice. Her arm still around Jenna, she
led her back to her bedroom, making sure the shade on Jenna's window
was drawn.

Just then the doorbell rang.

Jenna's eyes widened in fear.

"Sweetheart, I'll just go answer the door," Amanda said.

"Mom you can't," Jenna said. "What if it's the man?"

"I don't think he'd ring the doorbell," Amanda said. "It's probably
one of the neighbors who saw something. Stay here, shut the door and
I'll be right back-I promise."

"Okay," Jenna whispered.

The doorbell rang again as Amanda came downstairs. "I'm coming!" she
called out. Amanda unlocked the front door and opened it, peering out
in the night. At first she couldn't see anyone.

A little late for neighborhood kids to be playing a prank, she thought.

"Pssstt!" The sound came from the bushes. Amanda went outside, coming
face to face with the dark haired man who was crouching behind them.

"Augie?" she said, noticing that that the informant's clothes were
caked with mud and that his face was scratched. "Just what do you
think you're doing?"

"Is Lee around?" Augie said. "I have some information for him."

Amanda shook her head. "He's out of town," she said, crossing her
arms. "Care to tell me why you were peeking through my bathroom window?"

Augie's tone became defensive. "Hey I wasn't trying to peek on
anyone!" He said. "I was just trying to find a way to tell Lee the
information you know, quietly-without causing a scene."

"Well you definitely failed there," Amanda said. "Do you know that my
daughter is up in her bedroom absolutely terrified?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Stetson," Augie said. "But I had the ladder up to
the window and was trying to push it open when all the sudden the
shade opens and there's a girl-I mean, your daughter. I tried to talk
but she started screaming at me-if the ground wouldn't have been muddy
I might've really hurt myself when that ladder fell, you know?"

Amanda shook her head in exasperation. "Never mind," she said. "What
did you want to tell Lee anyway?"

"It really needs to be told to Lee directly," Augie said. "Plus I
might need some help-I'm opening a new mud-wrestling bar so I'm a
little short of money at the moment. Unless you'd care to help out?"

Amanda shook her head. "No that's all right," she said. "I'll tell Lee
you want to see him. Goodnight, Augie."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Stetson," Augie said. "Oh and tell your daughter I'm
really sorry." Amanda stood and watched as the informant vanished
into the night, and then she went back inside.

"Jenna?" She called out as she went up the stairs. "Everything's okay
now-you can come out." Amanda knocked on the door of Jenna's
bedroom-when she didn't receive a reply she pushed the door open.
Jenna was lying curled up on the bed, still wearing Lee's robe but now
wearing the Garfield nightshirt underneath. In her arms she held her
Scarecrow doll.

"Hey," Amanda said, sitting on the bed beside her daughter, rubbing
her back the way she used to do when Jenna was a baby. "It really is
all right."

"What about the man at the window?" Jenna said.

"He was an - associate of your father's," Amanda said. An associate
that Lee would probably slaughter once he heard what Augie had done,
she added silently. "He just wanted to give him some information,
that's all. He didn't mean to scare you."

Jenna sat up slowly, putting the Scarecrow doll back on the bed and
wiping her eyes. "That's a pretty strange way to give information."
she said.

"Well he's a pretty strange man," Amanda said.

"Mom, about earlier," Jenna said. "What I said about the concert and
everything and the way I acted-I'm really sorry. It was stupid to get
upset over something like that. If anything had happened tonight-"

"Sweetheart, I really do understand," Amanda said, pulling Jenna into
another hug. "And I want you to know that I love you."

"Even when I'm being impossible?" Jenna said.

"Especially when you're being impossible," Amanda said. Pulling out of
the embrace, she looked into her daughter's eyes. "I'll always love
you, Jenna-no matter what."

"I love you too," Jenna said. "Mom- do you still want to watch those
movies we rented?"

Amanda smiled and stood. "Come on then- I'll make the popcorn."

"And root beer floats?" Jenna said.

"Why not?" Amanda said. "After tonight I think we deserve a treat."

The End

Amanda stood drying the dishes after dinner as her young sons sat at
the table enjoying their after dinner snack.

"First one to finish gets to pick the movie for tomorrow night, right?"
Philip asked.

"Yes," Amanda replied.

"Neato!"

"I'm gonna finish first Mom," Jamie replied.

"We're ready Mom," Philip told her as both boys had now unwrapped their
blue popsicles and held them ready in their hands, their tongues
already out their mouths, ready to take that first lick.

Amanda had to fight back the laugh as she observed them.

"Well, if you're both ready?"

"Oh yeah!" both boys exclaimed.

"Ready, set, go!" Amanda told them.

She watched her sons dive into their snacks, hoping that Jamie won the
contest because he had already revealed his pick of movie for tomorrow
night and it was so much more appealing than the horror flick that
Philip wanted to watch.

The boys were nearly finished when Dotty suddenly burst in through the
back door.

"Amanda, Amanda," the older woman hollered.

"Mother, what is?"

"Oh, Amanda, darling, I've never seen anything so, so, so..."

"Mother, calm down and tell me what you saw," Amanda instructed her.

"That new neighbor, the one that moved in down the street?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when I was over at Lilly's, you know to return the extra cake
pans that we borrowed from her to make the cakes for the church bake
sale, well, that man, whatever his name is, he was sneaking around the
side of his house, and he was naked!"

"What?"

"Naked?" Philip repeated. "Cool!"

"Gross," Jamie shrieked.

"Cool? Philip how can you think it's cool, we've got a nudist in the
neighborhood. Next thing you know, we'll be seeing old Mr. Brinkley
jogging every morning in the nude."

"Gross," Philip said.

"Shoot!" Jamie suddenly cried out.

It took Amanda only one moment to comprehend why her youngest son
suddenly sounded annoyed.

They had gotten so caught up in the nude neighbor conversation that
they'd both lost interest in their popsicles and Jamies had melted
enough to slide of the stick and was now a melting blue puddle on the
floor.

"Neato! I won!"

"That's not fair!"

"Won what?" Dotty asked.

"Never mind Mother," Amanda told her. "The nude neighbor is gonna have
to wait. I've got a blue mess to clean up."

"Hmm.." Dotty murmured. "Did I mention that he had a nice backside?
I'd rate him a nine on a scale of one to ten."

The first edition of The Agency Manual contained a list of male
rituals which were appropriate to adhere to in any given situation.
An agent was trained to be tactful but stood ready to face anything he
encountered.

It was practical that an agent should find solitude within the four
walls of his office located under the guise of IFF.

One such agent stood from the leather couch he had lounged on deep in
contemplation. He slipped his feet past the tongue of his designer
loafers.

'Tomorrow I am going to start on the blue side of the Bomb Pop.'
Dr. Pfaff made the decision to stray from the predictability displayed
of the average agent. He took the last lick and threw the naked stick
into the trash can.

News by Candlelight


oooOOOooo


I was just putting the finishing touches to the bedroom when I heard Tony at the front door. I slipped out of the room and slowly made my way downstairs. Tony looked up when he heard me and met me half way. I laughed as I kissed him hello. “You’re a bit eager aren’t you?”

“I missed you today. How was your check-up?”

“Clean bill of health. No problems and all the forms are signed for another year.”

Tony slipped his arm around my waist and led me back down the stairs. “It’s just a precaution; the Agency needs those forms every year.”

We walked into the kitchen where I poured him glass of wine.

“You’re not joining me?”

“Um... no. I’ll wait until later.” I leaned in to kiss him as I handed him the glass. “You know, dinner won’t be ready for at least another hour, I could give you a massage while we wait. A FULL body massage.”

I watched him lick a drop of wine from his lips and couldn’t get my mind off of all the places on him that I wanted to lick. He met my gaze, and without another word, he placed his glass down on the counter and grabbed my hand. We almost ran back up the stairs to our bedroom.

Tony opened the door and stopped on the threshold. I glanced at his face and knew I’d surprised him. The room was lit by dozens of candles, the flames flickering in the slight draft from the open bedroom door.

“Are you planning a seduction?”

I ran my finger along his jaw and moved away from him towards the bed. I looked back over my shoulder at him. “Do I need to seduce you?”

“You can try, but I’d be a very willing participant.”

He moved towards me with panther-like grace, molding my body to his as his lips caught mine in a searing kiss. I tasted the wine he’d just drunk, and was as if I’d drunk it myself. I made a little sound of annoyance when his lips left mine, but I soon forgot their loss as he kissed his way along my jaw and bit down on my earlobe making me wince from the slight pain. Tony then sucked on it gently to smooth away the tiny hurt.

I sighed as he made his way down my neck, kissing and licking the skin until he reached the neck of my blouse. I hadn’t realized it but while he’d been busy with my neck he’d been undoing the buttons on my shirt. He pulled the blouse off my shoulders and dropped it on the floor, and his lips continued their downward journey to my lace covered breasts.

My hands were making light work of the buttons on his shirt too, and I stroked his naked chest, the rippling of his muscles under my fingers exciting me further.

I could feel my nipples hardening as he ran his fingers over them with a feather-like touch, and then I felt his hands at the waistband of my pants. A flick of his fingers and the button was undone and the zipper opened. I shivered as I felt my pants slither down my legs to pool on the floor at my feet. Stepping aside, I kicked the offending garment out of the way.

I closed my eyes and gave myself up to the sensation of my husband’s touch as he stroked the skin at the edge of my blue lace thong. I felt myself being lifted in Tony’s muscular arms and laid on the bed, the bed dipping as he knelt between my legs.

No words were needed as he ran his tongue around the edges of my panties. I didn’t think I could make a coherent thought let alone say anything; his touch was making me writhe with anticipation. I knew I was wet and ready for him and I still had my underwear on, or perhaps that’s what made it all the more erotic.

I felt his weight settle on me momentarily, until he used his arms to hold himself up above me. I hadn’t noticed when he’d removed his pants, but he must have done because his hardness was pressing against me, pushing against the cloth of my thong. I looked up at his dear face and lifted an arm to pull him down for a kiss. My tongue stroked his and he pushed even harder against me.

He broke the kiss and pulled my bra strap down over my shoulder, bringing the cup with it, exposing my breast. I arched my back as he began to suckle on my nipple, the sensations starting a fresh rush of wetness between my legs. Holding himself up with just one arm he moved the other down to my panties. In what felt like a seamless movement he pulled aside the crotch of my thong and pushed himself into me.

My body was afire. His teeth at my breast and his cock buried deep inside me, I arched and bucked. Every sense was heightened to a degree I’d never experienced before. He’d hardly started moving within me before my inner walls clenched around him and my orgasm burst over me. The waves of pleasure seemed to go on forever, and then they strengthened yet again when I felt him thrust hard into me and climax.

Our breathing had hardly settled back down to normal before we were again kissing. This time it was gentle kisses. Kisses that spoke of love, trust and friendship.

Tony rolled off me and lay by my side. Remaining on my back, I turned my head to face him and brought a hand up to stroke his cheek. He caught my hand in his and brought it to his lips. Smiling I held on to his hand and brought it down to my abdomen. Pressing it flat against the skin below my navel, I smiled at him.

“Tony, I didn’t tell you everything about my medical check up.” I took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m in perfect health. Yes, all the Agency insurance forms were signed. However, I haven’t been passed for field duty. And I won’t be for about twelve months.” I watched as his eyes darted down to look at where our hands lay on my stomach and then back up to my face.

“You’re not..? We’re not..?”

I nodded, a slow smile spreading across my face.

“Oh God Franny. No wonder you wouldn’t drink the wine!” He kissed me with a hunger that I thought had been assuaged by our recent activities. Oh well, burnt dinner isn’t so bad, for a while I can live on love alone.

End

Well, they'd done it!

Not the actual deed, oh no, not yet but they were getting there.

What they had done was actually get to this point and that in itself
seemed like a small miracle, given the multiple obstacle courses that
they'd run along the way to reach this point.

But, now, here they were with another case in the bag with minimal
body damage, their vows spoken and corresponding paperwork signed,
sealed, and delivered. Gleaming matching bands of gold were now on
their fingers and the pesky maid had finally, thank heaven, left them
alone in their room for the night.

Lee Stetson almost wanted to jump and down in a childish fit of
happiness.

He would have too, except for the fact that he was afraid his new
wife might choose that particular moment to come out of the bathroom
and catch him in the act.

Speaking of which, he really wanted her to come out of the bathroom.
Now that they'd completed the insane journey that had brought them to
this point, and how he had been graced with a woman patient enough to
endure it he'd never know, but now the moment had arrived and he was
finding himself getting a little impatient.

Actually, he was a lot impatient.

All week he'd been tempted by her. The knowledge that they were soon
to be husband and wife had proven to be a powerful aphrodisiac.
Sitting with her in the car, inhaling the light floral fragrance that
she wore had been murder on his libido control. Pretending to be
husband and wife, knowing that soon they really would be, had only
served to whet his sexual appetite to a degree he'd never experienced.

He wanted Amanda and, thankfully, the wait was almost over.

Knowing that she was on the other side of the door, knowing that they
could now give in to their passion and surrender to that carnal need
in a way that only husband and wife could experience heated his
blood, increased his heart rate and had his penis feeling as though
it would explode at just the sight of her.

He was ready, willing, and very able at this point and if Amanda
didn't come out of the bathroom soon he might just be tempted to
barge in and take her right then and there.

In a desperate attempt to calm his raging hormones he began pacing
the floor of the bedroom suite that was theirs for the night. He
tried to fight off the urge to grab himself in an effort to relieve
some of the tension.

Lord, he almost couldn't stand it.

And then, thank heaven, Amanda emerged from the bathroom.

Now, over the years he'd come to the realization that his partner was
more than just a mother of two. It had finally dawned on him that
she had more attributes to appreciate than just her unorthodox way of
solving a case by finding trouble first. She was more than just the
possessor of a black belt in confusion, more than just a whiz at
managing that pesky gray box of computerized techno that he could
barely manage to stumble through.

Somewhere along the way he'd come to realize exactly what it was that
drew men to her and why he'd never wanted them near her in the first
place.

His Amanda was truly a beautiful woman.

And if he hadn't known it before, he certainly knew it now.

She was standing there before him, clad in a silky light blue
nightgown that revealed far more to his hungry eyes than he'd ever
seen before. Thin spaghetti straps that caressed the soft skin of
her shoulders, a dipping front of embroidered lace and beading that
molded around her breasts while leaving the upper swell of them for
his eyes to feast upon.

From the sweet curve of her waist fell a sheer, floor length skirt
that provided just a shadow of her long legs to entice him before the
fabric barely touched the floor at her feet.

Lee swallowed hard.

She smiled at him, somewhat nervously.

Lee felt a slight pang of regret, knowing that in short time the
beautiful negligee that she wore would be discarded to leave her
naked before his eyes. He chose to drink in the image, wanting to
forever catch this moment in time and treasure it.

Then he moved to stand before her, smiling as he wrapped one arm
around her slender waist and pulled her in to him.

"You look beautiful," he told her in voice that hardly seemed his own.

"Thank you," she replied. "You look handsome too."

Lee chuckled.

"Oh, this? Just something I pulled out of the closet."

She laughed softly, then tilted her head to gaze up into his eyes.

"I love you."

Her voice was a soft whisper of honesty and a musical relief to his
ears. How could he ever admit to her that he'd had brief glimpses of
Amanda suddenly telling him that she had had a change of heart and
wanted to call the whole thing off? Could he tell her that he'd had
visions of her suddenly fleeing from the ceremony or from their room
at the last moment?

But no, she wasn't going to flee. She was his wife and he'd heard it
in her voice. He could see the same depths of passion and love
mirrored in her own dark eyes as they looked at one another.

And then he felt her moist lips on his, initiating the sweetest of
kisses that he had ever known. He felt the curves of her body mold
against his, felt her arms wrap around him and her fingers move to
play along the edges of his hair against his neck.

He felt her tongue move to trace his lower lip and he opened his
mouth, needy for the feeling of their bodies to begin merging as one.

Heaven help him, he thought as her felt her tongue moving inside his
mouth. He was nearly ready to explode and they were the both of
them, still fully dressed.

How they ended up on the bed, he wasn't sure.

But they were there now; a tangled mess of limbs and hands, exploring
and caressing one another with an urgency that seemed to defy every
known law of science. How on earth he'd ever gotten the idea that
Amanda was going to be somewhat passive on their first night together
as husband and wife he would never know.

She was like a passionate tigress, running her hands over him,
pushing aside his pajama top, her mouth covering his nipples, hot
breath scorching his now naked chest. Her tongue swirled, he felt
her lick each nipple while she raked her nails gently upon his heated
flesh.

Her hand moved downward, to stroke his cock through the black satin
of his bottom. He felt her tracing the edge of the fabric, teasing
him as she moved back and forth, working him like a musician would
work a finely tuned instrument. She sent him into waves of thrumming
with passionate need like no woman had ever done before.

She was claiming him, thoroughly and possessively; proving that all
along she had been hiding a wickedly sensual side beneath that proper
suburban mother facade.

As they kissed and touched, caressed and explored, the clothes slowly
slipped away to regions somewhere on the floor beside the bed.

As their mouths hungrily kissed and the bed beneath them became a
tangled mess of linens, their passion now became vocalized with soft
moans and sighs.

It was now Lee's turn to be the aggressor in this erotic dance and
took wise advantage of the situation as he knelt on the bed to gently
spread his wife's legs apart. She had proven to be a master of the
art of sensual kissing with her mouth and tongue, now he wanted to
prove his skill with another variation.

His inched his way up her inner thigh, using his tongue to sweep
against her soft skin, blowing soft puffs of hot air against her
flesh where he had just used his tongue to lick her warm skin. He
felt her shiver in response and he could only imagine how much more
intense it would be once he reached his objective.

Upward and slowly, he took his time. Even though his need for her
had grown excruciatingly intense over the course of the week, he
wanted to make the most of every second of this night. They would
only ever have one first time and he wanted it to be gloriously
special.

Once there, he was rewarded with her soft cry as his tongue began to
swirl and lick her outer folds. He was further rewarded by her moans
and squirming when his tongue moved inward and began mimicking the
motions of their soon to be lovemaking.

Lee thrilled as he felt her body responding to his actions, delighted
in knowing that Amanda was now as hot and wet and ready as he was.
And when he knew she was just barely seconds away from coming beneath
him, he retreated and moved so that he could cover her with his body.

He quickly covered her groan of protest at his retreat with his
mouth, kissing her deep and with longing while moving his hardened
staff to her entrance. He slid into her wet heat with ease, both so
ready for this moment.

The world around them, everything and every thought faded into
oblivion as they melted into this bliss that was their love and
passion. Each wonderful stroke, every little moan and every sweet
cry blended into a perfect harmony of erotic and beautiful lovemaking
between the two of them.

Higher and higher they flew, sensations soaring them towards a
culmination of pure sensual ecstasy unlike anything either of them
had experienced. Hotter and hotter the flame burned, the molding of
their bodies, the tingling friction as they moved together, until the
fiery dance between them culminated in a tremendous blazing explosion
of orgasmic fireworks.

And when it was over, as they lay still tangled together and trying
to catch their breath, Lee Stetson sighed in absolute pleasure.

It might have been a long wait but it was absolutely worth every
moment.

Just before he closed his eyes and gave in to sleep; Lee brushed
Amanda's lips tenderly with his own.

"I love you, Mrs. Stetson."

She heard the familiar tap, tap, tap on the kitchen window and
turned to see the smiling face of her Lee. Returning his smile, she
put down the knife she used to ice cup cakes for Jamie's class bake
sale.

A blob of blue icing clung to her finger and she licked it off. She
placed the sticky knife in the sink and washed her hands before
scooping up a couple of the confections. Tucking some napkins under
her arm she joined Lee in the back yard.

"Hi, beautiful." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hi, yourself." She pecked him on the lips.

"Will you take these, please?" Handing him the treats, she opened
the napkin, using it as a placemat to cover the naked picnic table.

He sat on the bench and placed his burden on the napkin. His hands
now free, he tugged her onto his lap and kissed her properly.
Her tongue traced his lips and he opened for her. She slipped inside
and traced every nook and cranny of his warm, wet mouth. She could
still taste the remnants of the wine he had with supper.

His tongue dueled with hers, chasing it back into her mouth,
following behind to caress her cheeks. He stroked in and out of her
mouth, mimicking the most intimate dance two people in love could
share.

She was oh, so ready to go there with this man, but her mother and
sons would be home any moment. Reluctantly, she untangled herself
from his arms. "Eat your cupcakes. I'll go get you some milk."

"That's not what I want to be eating." He winked and she groaned.

She pictured him lifting her onto the picnic table, stripping off
her clothes and eating her. Then, while she was still coming down
from her euphoric high, Lee would bury himself deep inside her.

"I'll see what I can do, later." She winked back and went inside for
a nice, tall, glass of cold milk. While she was at it, maybe she'd
just climb in the freezer and cool down for a bit.

End

Lee was READY....he had made up his mind. He was
finally going to attempt take his relationship with
Amanda to the next level, and he was pretty sure she
would welcome the change.

Hell, the last few weeks, months even, he had been
practically talking to himself until he was BLUE in the face trying to
get his nerve up to approach her about it.

As they climbed the stairs to the Q-Bureau, Lee thought, "She's
finally going to find out the NAKED truth...ummm plain truth. Damn
it, why did I have to think about that word right now? That is
definitely not where my mind needs to be at this critical time."

As they reached the top of the stairs, Lee could only hope
he wouldn't get TONGUE-tied to the point where Amanda
would think he didn't have a LICK of sense!

Duty


The young boy sat on the edge of a wooden chair in the hallway, his
hands resting on the seat. His little legs could not reach the floor,
so his legs swung back and forth. He was facing the office door that
had a frosted window with painted black letters on it. He could hear
the conversation going on behind the closed door.

"I just wish I knew what to do with the boy," he heard the man with a
deep voice say. "When it comes to raising children, I have to admit
I'm as naked as a babe in the woods. Why can't they come with
instruction manuals?"

"Major Clayton, you are the last living relative Lee has, but if you
feel you can not raise him, he can become a ward of the State," he
heard the sweet alto-voiced woman, that Lee had met this morning say.

"No, Major Robert Clayton always does his duty. There has not been a
challenge I have not be able to lick and I will meet this one head
on," he said. "After all he is my half-brother's son. And like you
said, I am the only one left."

"Would you like to meet Lee?" she asked. "He really is a sweet
child," she added. "I don't think you have any problems with him at
all."

"I'm ready."

The social worker opened the door and walked out into the hallway.
Taking Lee's hand she smiled and led him into the Major's office. Lee
looked around the office, noticing the photographs of jet airplanes
and maps on the walls and model planes on the desk and file cabinets.
Standing behind the desk, looking out the window was his uncle,
clothed in his dress blues.

"Lee, this is your uncle, Robert Clayton. Major Robert Clayton, your
nephew, Lee." She gave Lee a reassuring squeeze of his hand. Lee
looked up at the social worker and she smiled at him again. "It's
okay," she said, before leaving the room and closing the door. The
window shook as the door latched.

His uncle turned around looking at the boy, startled for a
moment. "Boy, you sure look like your father," he admitted, slowly
shaking his head. "What you say I take you down to the mess hall,
until I'm finished here and then I'll show you where we bunk."

"No."

"No what?" The Major asked, taken aback.

"No." Lee said again defiantly.

"Lee, the correct term is `no, sir,'" his uncle said, punctuating
each word, just inches from his face. "Do I make myself clear?"

Lee stared at his uncle for a moment before conceding defeat. There
would be other arguments he would win, but not today. He swallowed
hard, before answering in barely a whisper, "Yes, sir."

"I can't hear you. What do you say?"

"Yes, sir," Lee said, much louder, glaring at his uncle.

"Good. Now let's go find Barney and see if he has any work for you to
do, to keep you out of my hair," he said, leaving his office. Lee
stood behind his uncle and stuck out his tongue, before following him
out to the hallway.

Lee finally made it home. He had to work late tonight. For a change,
Auggie's information was dead on and he and Billy worked out a
detailed plan to get together the agents needed for the dangerous
project that just fell into there laps.

But that was tomorrow. Now, he had a sexy wife and an empty house
waiting for him. He scooped up the bouquet of spring flowers from the
passenger seat and let himself inside his front door.

The house was dark except for the flickering light coming from the
two tapers Amanda had placed on the dining room table.

She entered from the kitchen carrying a bottle of wine and two
glasses. Without saying a word, she walked over to him, kissed him
and then sashayed up the steps.

Just like sheep following Little Bo Peep, he blindly followed behind
her. She placed the wine in a bucket beside the bed, and then turned
down the covers on their bed.

He dropped his jacket on the chair and loosened his tie. She walked
over to him and wasted no time in getting him naked. He returned the
favor, slipping her out of the blue lace nightie she wore.

They slid onto the bed and he drew her into his arms. He kissed her
passionately, snaking his tongue into her mouth. He heard her moan
and knew she was as ready as he was for tonight.

She whimpered when he broke their embrace. He scampered across the
room and reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the blue box of
condoms he'd purchased earlier this evening.

He crawled back over his wife dropping the box on her chest. "I
thought we'd have fun with these."

Amanda licked her lips and held the box up for closer
inspection. "Um, Lee, do you really want to use this?"

"Well, I thought it would be fun. But, if you don't want to . . ."

She placed her fingers over his lips, halting his words. "I want to.
I always want to. But these are blueberry flavored condoms. I'm
allergic to blueberries, did you forget?"

"I guess I didn't read the box carefully."

"No problem. Besides I'd rather taste only you." She winked.

"Be my guest." He groaned, tossed the box onto the floor, and pulled
her back into his arms.

End

Amanda finished clearing the table whilst Jamie went to get the
Encyclopedia volume they needed READY.

A simple courier assignment to a foreign country was so exciting.
Even if her overseas trips for the Agency in the past hadn't always
been so easy, Lee could be right about this one.

She closed her eyes as she recalled Lee's words earlier that day in
their office, "Think of it Amanda, a few days work then we get to
spend the rest of the assignment playing in the tropical sun, on the
Agency's dime. Australia, warm weather, who knows what we could end
up doing?"

She was snapped out of her visions of a nearly NAKED Lee in a small
bathing suit as Jamie sat down at the table and started flicking
through the pages.

"This place in Australia sounds great Mom", he exclaimed as he pushed
his glasses back up to his nose. "Wow, look at all the neat reptiles
the park has!"

"Reptiles?"

"Yeah, the place your going to in Queensland, ah", he paused an
consulted the book, "Beerwah in Queensland, handles the country's
biggest reptile park."

He turned the pages and stopped to study a picture of a short stumpy
looking animal.

"Look at this one Mom", he began reading the text underneath the
picture, "The Australian BLUE TONGUE Lizard, one of the largest
members of the skink family."

Amanda checked the various travel guides on Australia she'd been able
to pick up during her rushed lunch break. She had grabbed a few when
Lee had told her it was a themed tourist park in Queensland. There
they were in brilliant colour, Water World, Movie Word, full of
pictures of happy looking sun kissed people playing and laughing
their way through rides and smiling from restaurant tables in the
complex. A picture of a little boy with freckles on his nose about
to LICK and enormous ice cream seemed to look back at her. Lee had
forgotten to tell her which park they'd be posing as workers in for
the duration of the assignment.

She suddenly remembered the way Lee had ran out of the office shortly
after telling her about the assignment.

*Urgent errand my foot* she thought as all the pieces suddenly
clicked together.

She'd be in the tropical weather alright, working at a reptile park.
She had been offered the job of reptile lady for a scout group once
and even then she'd shuddered at the thought and been glad it had
been the woman who she was posing as who had really gotten the offer.
Jamie left the table to go call his friends and tell them all about
his Mom's cool new documentary location shoot.

*I wonder when he was planning to tell me?*

Visions of herself complaining to Lee aboard the ship were they had
posed as a honeymooning couple so long ago came to mind.

*You could have told me the truth at the Agency, on the plane ride
over -*

"He was probably going to tell me on the plane when I couldn't get
away", she grumbled loudly as she slammed the encyclopedia volume
closed.

*Wait til I see him* she thought *just wait til I see him!*

The End