Author's Notes:

'By My Side' is a sweet little story that was intended to be a stand-alone short story. I had no luck in keeping it short. Now I'm thinking of sequels... if time allows.

All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.

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Chapter 1

"Hurry up in there!" Gary barked through the bathroom door.

He was going to be late for school if he didn't get some time in the bathroom to wash off the sweat and grime from doing his morning chores.

As he leaned up against the wall outside the washroom he mentally went through the list of tasks he had to complete every morning for his dad. He'd gotten through them all so he breathed a sigh of relief. If he'd missed something his dad would be sure to get in his face about it. Lately they'd been... less than friendly.

Gary had no desire to be a farmer, following in his dad's footsteps, as the job was just an endless amount of work that gave him no satisfaction but did give him endless body aches.

He was only 18! He shouldn't feel this sore every morning, should he?

Frustrated, he turned back to the door. "I'm gonna be-"

The door opened and his younger brother Dale stormed out, giving him an angry glare.

Gary ignored him and went inside to have his shower.

Their farm house was large but old and the bathroom was on the smallish side for a family of six.

Naturally there was no more hot water by the time he got his turn in the bathroom. With his mother, two sisters, and his brother all getting in before him he always got a cold, and fast, shower.

He shampooed, soaped, and rinsed in record time. He quickly shaved and brushed his teeth as he really was going to be late. He rushed out of the bathroom with his towel wrapped around himself and bumped into his little sister Sarah.

"Ewww! Get your sticky skin away from me!" she squealed.

He scowled at the twelve year old and brushed past her to go into his room, closing the door behind him. He swore his siblings were getting weirder by the day. He glanced at the clock and swore quietly.

Pulling on his worn but clean jeans, fresh socks and his favorite short sleeve plaid shirt, he quickly checked himself out in the mirror on his door.

He wasn't a big man like his dad. While the head of the Truman family was 6', Gary was 5' 9" with a slimmer build thanks to his mom's side of the family. However, his muscles were hard and there was very little fat on his body so he was proud of that. The whole family had lean builds though his father was more heavily muscled. Dale was showing signs of inheriting his dad's build.

He rushed downstairs and grabbed a slice of bacon from Dale's plate, ignoring the sixteen year old's angry yell as he grabbed his truck keys and kissed his mom's cheek. She'd made him a lunch so he picked up the bag and thermos and headed for the front door.

"When are you going to be home? I need you to do the back ninety," his father asked him as the big man entered the house.

Gary groaned. "Why don't you get Dale to do it? He's fully capable of driving the big machine."

"I know he is but I'm asking you," the man frowned at him.

"I'm going to be late today. I have to stop at Mr. Fitzgerald's place on the way home," Gary explained.

"Maybe we need your help more than Wayland Fitzgerald," his father snapped back.

Gary's frustration surged. "But helping him will look better on a resume!"

His father's eyes narrowed in anger and he stormed past towards the kitchen. Gary shook his head and pulled his cowboy boots on. He picked up his backpack, glanced back and saw his mother standing in the hall watching him, making sure he was ok. They shared a small smile and he left.

His old pick-up truck was parked next to the barn so he rushed over to it cursing how late he was. He was about to get in when he spotted someone running down the old laneway between the farm fields. He had to pause and watch.

The sun was still low in the sky so Emma was backlit and Gary smiled. His neighbor and childhood friend always got a lift to and from school with him. This morning he was late so she was coming to meet him.

He had to admire how well she ran. She was a track and field champion at school and moved with the grace and power of a gazelle. She also had the lean muscles of an athlete and amazing long legs.

Gary looked away in embarrassment as he caught himself admiring his best friend's rockin' hard physique.

She trotted up to the truck with a smile on her face, her red pony tail swinging from side to side.

"Couldn't decide which panties to wear this morning?" she panted with a grin, her button nose wrinkling cutely as she watched for his response. She had the bluest eyes and a splash of freckles crossing her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

He smirked at her teasing comment and pointed to the passenger door as he opened his own. Chuckling to herself she made her way around the truck and got in.

Gary nursed the old engine back to life and they buckled in before he got them moving down the long driveway to the main road.

"Can you believe how close graduation is?" Emma gushed.

"Yeah, it feels weird that all those years have passed," he agreed.

He thought back about that and realized they'd been neighbors their whole life. As long as he could remember the Patricks family had lived in the farm house just a half mile down that back lane. He and she had walked that distance more times than he could count. They'd been best friends their whole lives as well. They played as kids in these very fields. Walked down the lane together and took the bus to school together every day as well. Went to mostly the same classes too.

Last year when he'd made enough to buy the old truck, and pay for his own insurance and gas at his dad's insistence, he'd started driving them both to school and to events with their friends. The old truck had expanded their social lives, letting them go to parties in town with their friends.

Not that they were dating or anything. That would be weird. They'd known each other far too long and they were both too comfortable with their friendship to jeopardize it.

He glanced over at her smiling face and grinned as well.

The truck also let him take a job in town doing something he was really good at and enjoyed. He did part time bookkeeping for a couple of businesses in the small community. Namely Monaghan's Flower Shop and the Fitzgerald Funeral Home. Which made him think of his new girlfriend, Marlene Fitzgerald, daughter of the owner, Wayland. She'd taken interest in him when he began working for her father.

Marlene was a knock out and one of the most popular ladies in school. Tall with long blond wavy hair she was a goddess with generous curves. Gary was stunned when she approached him at her father's business and asked him out on a date. After that first night he was smitten. She was a very good kisser.

"You're getting that dreamy look in your eye. You're thinking of Princess Boobs-O-Plenty again," Emma teased him.

"Hey! I haven't teased you about Tarzan Todd in days. I thought we had a cease fire!" he complained.

She held up her hands in surrender. "Mea culpa."

He glanced over at her in confusion and she grinned at him. "Such a country boy," she sighed.

"Well I'm dressed for the part!" he said and she grinned as it was true. All he needed was a straw cowboy hat and he'd be the poster boy for the cowboy culture.

"Now, what's it mean?" he asked.

She smiled as she knew he had a voracious hunger for new words and phrases. Which was why she'd had the habit of surprising him with new ones and had looked up this term just this morning. "It means 'through my fault' or more simply, I'm guilty."

He nodded and tried it out quietly a few times to get the feel of it. He was unaware of Emma's smile as she watched him.

"So, are you taking her to the Prom?" Emma asked.

He glanced over at her but the question was asked sincerely so he answered. "I- uh, haven't asked her yet but I plan to do it today."

"What is it about men putting these important things off to the last moment?" Emma huffed.

"Tar- I mean, Todd hasn't asked you yet either?" he said in surprise.

"No, he hasn't asked me yet! Typical male!" she griped.

"Hey! Don't lump him in with me! I swear he's a different species! Maybe a throwback to the Neanderthal era."

"Hey!" It was Emma's turn to complain.

"Mea culpa," he responded with a grin.

She pouted at his comeback but couldn't keep the grin off her face for long. He'd found a way to use his new phrase right away.

Truthfully, Gary wasn't pleased with Emma's choice of boyfriend. He understood how they'd met and their common interest in fitness and sports was a good compatibility indicator but Todd Gramby?!? He'd been held back a year- twice! He was twenty and all reports were that it would be a miracle for him to graduate this year. Emma was so smart. Todd... was not.

Todd was hot shit on the football team, not the quarterback but some other position Gary didn't know the name of. With his height, his large muscular body, and long blond hair he had a number of girls at school willing to date him. Why did it have to be Emma? He shook off the annoyance. She was free to choose her own boyfriend but he knew she could do so much better.

They rode on in silence, each contemplating the imminent end of their school careers. It wasn't long before they were pulling into the parking lot behind the high school. Gary backed his truck into a spot and just shut off the engine when Emma socked him on the arm and jumped out of the truck.
"That's for the Neanderthal comment!" she called out with a grin then sprinted off towards the door.

Gary just rubbed his arm and smiled as he shook his head. He locked up the truck and made his way inside. A number of his friends were still in the hall and he took the time to say hello as he made his way to his locker. He spotted Marlene with a group of her friends and in his mind he heard Emma's disappointment in Todd's lateness. Pulling his shoulders back he walked up to Marlene with a smile on his face. She spotted him coming and her expression wasn't as delighted as he'd hoped.

"Hi Marlene!"

"Gary."

He swallowed and did his best not to look nervous. "I was wondering if you would be my date for the prom?"

Her friends burst into giggles and he looked at them in surprise. Marlene looked at the girls around her and they silenced themselves.

"This really isn't a good time for me to talk about that, Gary. Could you come back during the lunch break? I'll be in the cafeteria." Marlene asked sweetly.

"Oh! Oh, ok sure. I'll... see you then," Gary said as he backed away.

"Thanks, Gary," Marlene said with a smile as she pushed her long hair back over one shoulder.

He remembered how incredibly soft that hair felt. He nodded and continued on his way to his locker listening to the fresh burst of giggles behind him as his face burned with embarrassment.

"This is why guys put off asking for so long!" Gary griped to himself.

Emma made her way to her locker and put her book bag inside. She was still smiling about how she'd tagged Gary this morning. His arm had been surprisingly hard when she punched it. He hadn't even flexed as her punch was completely unexpected. Working on the farm does a cowboy's body good! She grinned again.

Her first class was gym so she bent over and picked up her bag of gym clothes.

Hands grabbed her ass and she shrieked as she spun with her elbow cocked to strike the culprit.

"GARY!" she growled.

"OWWW! FUCK!" Todd howled as her elbow caught him right in the eye. Stunned, he fell back on his ass with a thump.

"Oh my god, Todd!" Emma gasped when she saw it was him.

"What the fuck did you do that for?!?" he yelled holding his hand over his injured eye.

Emma frowned. "You grabbed my butt while I was bending over getting stuff from my locker. Even had I known it was you, which I didn't, you don't get to do that!"

"I thought I was your boyfriend!" Todd complained.

"You are! That's just not something a boyfriend should do," she explained and he frowned. "I'm sorry I hurt you," Emma said to make it up to him as she helped him back up to his feet.

"I'm not so much hurt as surprised. I've been hit by guys bigger than you!" he boasted and she smiled. He suddenly frowned. "Wait a minute! Why did you yell Gary's name when you hit me? Does... does he touch you?" he growled protectively.

"No! No, he doesn't touch me!" She blinked in confusion as she recalled yelling his name. "I- I don't know why I thought it was him. He'd never do something like that. Maybe it was because I punched his arm this morning for something he said and thought he might be trying to get revenge?" She frowned again as that didn't sound like him either. She shook it off and looked at Todd who still looked like he wanted to punch Gary. Better defuse that.

"It was just a brain fart on my part," she grinned up at the big man who was developing quite a shiner. He chuckled when she said fart and smiled back at her. He dipped his head down for a kiss.

"Mr. Gramby. Ms. Patricks. Just what do you think you are doing?" said a cold voice from the doorway behind him.

Emma and Todd sighed simultaneously and smiled at each other. Mrs. Kennedy, the Physics teacher, was watching them with narrowed eyes. She was such a prissy woman.

Emma looked at the woman around Todd's large body. "Nothing, Mrs. Kennedy. I was just apologizing to Todd for accidentally bumping his eye with my elbow. I have to get to class." She grabbed her gym bag, locked her locker and slipped away as Todd turned to face the woman.

"Don't you have a class to be in Mr. Gramby?" the teacher asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then get to it."

"Yes, ma'am," Todd said and walked away in the direction of the nurses office. He needed some pain killers as his eye was killing him. He spotted Gary ducking into a classroom and decided he'd have a few words with the twerp after school.

Gary leaned back against his truck waiting for Emma. He saw Marlene walking home with some of her girlfriends. He didn't bother waving as she was deep in conversation with them.

He'd found her at lunch and had to endure the ordeal of asking her once more in front of her giggling friends. This time she gave him an answer.

"Of course I'll go to the prom with you silly boy. You're my boyfriend, remember?" she teased but her words were mostly for the girls around her who burst into giggles.

"Great! Great, uh I'll pick you up at 7pm at your place?"

"Make it 8pm and we'll be out late so I hope you don't have a curfew," Marlene said with eyes full of promise and just a little amusement.

"No problem. 8pm it is and late is fine," he replied.

"Bye, Gary." Marlene said with her sweet smile and he realized he was being dismissed. He nodded to the group with a smile and quickly escaped. He did try to look casual as he left.

He was feeling a little out of sorts with the whole thing. His brain got all confused around Marlene. He was concerned that little head was doing the thinking when it came to her. He looked up when he heard footsteps and saw Todd approaching.

"Woah, Todd! Who gave you the shiner?" Gary asked with a smile.

Suddenly Todd shoved Gary back against his truck with a thump.

"Ow! What the hell, man?" Gary barked.

"What did you do to Emma this morning?" Todd accused.

Gary's eyebrows went up. "Emma? Nothing! Is she ok?"

His concern just made Todd angrier. "You stay away from my girlfriend!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gary asked in bewilderment.

"She told me you said something to her that made her punch you!" Todd blurted as his anger was running out of steam.

Gary's surprised reaction was... unfortunate.

A snort of suppressed laughter wasn't the best way to defuse Todd's anger.

Gary found himself on his back beside his truck with his head ringing and Todd standing over him.

"TODD! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

The big man turned to see Emma rushing towards them. He was still angry but looking at Emma's outraged expression he got the idea that he may have over-reacted.

"Why did you hit Gary?" Emma yelled as she knelt next to her friend.

"You- you said he- I heard you say he made you mad this morning," Todd said, stumbling over his words as he scowled down at Gary who was gingerly touching his cheek.

"So you decided to beat him up?" Emma gasped.

"No! It- it just happened that way. I told him to leave you alone. He laughed at me." Todd grumbled beginning to feel really uncomfortable. "I was trying to protect you!" he finally blurted.

Emma looked at the big man and realized he really thought he was, in his own way. She smiled and touched his arm. "Ok, I get that but Gary didn't do anything wrong and I don't want you beating people up... especially Gary, even to protect me."

Todd was feeling a little better now that she touched him but his annoyance flared again when she protected the little twerp. "I can protect you against men who make moves on you."

"Gary didn't do that! He has a girlfriend. Marlene Fitzgerald," Emma said in her most reasonable tone.

Todd huffed in a deep breath to calm himself. "Ok. I'll see you tomorrow." He leaned in and gave her a kiss but she pulled back almost as soon as he'd started. He looked at her and she gave him an awkward smile. He turned to glare at Gary who had gotten back to his feet and was leaning against the truck glaring back at him. He walked away and felt his anger start to bubble back to the surface. Gary just got under his skin as he acted so smart and calm all the time. Dating the school's hottest girl too. Then Gary had Emma, who was supposed to be his girlfriend, protecting him. Something had to be done.

Gary watched the jock storm off and touched his cheek once more. When Emma's soft fingers joined his he jerked back from her touch. He stared at Emma incredulously.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you trying to get me killed? He's going to see that and come back to stomp me!" Gary barked and moved to get behind the wheel of his truck. She rushed to get in the other side.

Once they were buckled in Gary got them heading home. He'd drop her off and head back into town to do his review of the books for the florist and the funeral home. His cheekbone throbbed causing him to touch it.

"Does it hurt?" Emma asked quietly.

He glanced over at her with a frown. "Yes. When a gorilla punches you in the face, it hurts."

"Todd isn't a gorilla! He's just... protective," she said defensively.

Gary snorted and shook his head.

Emma frowned at Gary and wondered once more why he was so critical of Todd. She'd picked up right from the start of her relationship with Todd that Gary disapproved. He kept his opinion to himself, mostly, but she could feel his criticism of her choice for a boyfriend. Seeing him shake his head at her now pushed her past her limit.

"Why do you hate Todd so much?" she blurted.

Gary gave her a wide eyed look then turned back to the road. "Hate him? I don't hate him, even after he just knocked me down. I wouldn't give him a moment of my time if he wasn't your boyfriend."

She heard his disapproval clearly and her anger flared. "At least he doesn't make me publicly grovel in front of his friends like I heard Marlene made you do at lunch!"

Gary's face flushed with humiliation as he bit back his response because... he didn't really have one.

He pulled off the highway into the Patrick's driveway and stopped the truck. Emma looked over at his stony expression. His jaw muscles were jumping and he wouldn't look at her so she got out of the truck. Once the door was closed she watched him back out of the drive and pull away.

Emma turned and walked down the lane towards her house. She was upset at herself for saying what she did but she was more upset at Gary for putting up with Marlene's abuse. He was better than that! He also didn't have to be so pigheaded about Todd!

She cast another look over her shoulder to see the tail lights of Gary's truck disappear in the distance before she went inside.

Chapter 2

Monaghan's was busy as the prom was only a day away and all hands were on duty preparing the corsages. Helen Monaghan, who ran the family business now, promised Gary that she'd prepared a special wrist corsage for his date. He was in her office reviewing the latest entries in her books.

Gary smiled at the woman who sat across the desk from him. "You've really got a handle on it now. I see no mistakes at all in this week's entries."

Helen was in her fifties, tall and slim with the healthy glow of someone who spent the majority of her time outdoors doing something she loved. The woman's gardens were second to none as she'd definitely inherited her mother's green thumb.

She'd also inherited her mother's aversion to accounting and when Gary had first approached her looking for work as a part-time bookkeeper she'd gratefully signed him on. It had taken three months to straighten out the mess her books had fallen into and eighteen months of reviewing and teaching her to get to this state. She still professed a dislike for the activity but she was in a place where he felt comfortable that she could handle it on her own.

"Gary, I owe it all to your infinite patience! You're such a good teacher as well as a wizard with numbers," she said with a grateful smile.

"Hey! You know what I always tell you!" he began.

"There's no magic involved in accounting!" they said in unison and grinned at each other.

"Seriously, you have this!" he said, handing the ledger back to her. She nodded to him and put the book aside.

"I can't believe I won't be seeing you across my desk once a week any more! It's so sad!" Helen said with a pout.

Gary smiled and shrugged. "Sometimes you have to move to a larger pot to be able to grow to your full potential."

She laughed with genuine joy and clapped for his clever response and he grinned happily in return.

"I'm truly going to miss this!" she said shaking her head as she smiled at him fondly. She opened the middle drawer and pulled an envelope out. "This is your last paycheck and a little extra to help you move to that larger pot."

"Thanks!" he said with a wide smile.

"Don't forget to take your corsage and carnation from the cooler when you leave. Your name is on the package and it's packed with ice so it will stay cool until you get it home tonight," she instructed as she stood and came around her desk.

Gary stood as well and accepted a hug from the woman. He'd really enjoyed working with her and she'd written him an excellent reference letter.

They walked out to the front and he collected his flowers on the way.

"Marlene's a lucky girl!" Helen said and Gary blushed as the staff putting the arrangements together were all looking at him. There were four girls working in the back and they all had knowing smiles on their faces likely meaning they'd heard about his ordeal in the lunchroom.

"Thanks, I'll let her know you said that," Gary said with a self-deprecating smile and the girls burst into giggles.

Helen just looked at them in question and they returned to their work with brief glances at Gary.

With a final wave to Helen he made his way out to his truck and drove a block to park in the back lot of the funeral home. He knocked on the back door and one of Mr. Fitzgerald's assistants opened the door for him.

"Good evening, Mr. Derry."

"Good evening, Mr. Truman."

"Is that Gary?" Wayland's anxious voice came from behind the assistant.

Gary looked around Mr. Derry and saw the short, plump Funeral director's flushed face. "What's wrong Mr. Fitzgerald?"

"Our audio system is on the fritz again and we have a viewing in ten minutes!" the man gasped.

Gary looked at him expectantly. He was there to review the books. He couldn't fix the audio system.

"Marlene told me you play the guitar very well and are studying classical pieces!" Wayland continued with increasing desperation.

Gary's eyes widened. "Yes, I do play but I've never-"

"Please Gary! I'll pay you for the two hours! Please! The Lopez family are a very important family in the community and they must have music at the viewing!" the man pleaded.

The name jarred Gary. "This is for Mateo?" he asked quietly.

"You knew him?"

Gary nodded. He'd never hung out with Mateo as he was a grade back but he'd gone through many years of school with him. His sudden death from a brain embolism had rocked the school community. There was going to be a tribute to him at the Prom as he'd never made it to his own.

"I'll... get my guitar," Gary said as he turned to head back outside to his truck.

He pulled his beat-up guitar case from the space behind the seat and went back inside where Mr. Fitzgerald was waiting anxiously.

Looking at the worn case the man's nervousness increased. "You do know classical pieces, right?" he asked.

"Yes, I'll keep it soft and serene," Gary said and Wayland smiled with a quick nod.

"I'm not dressed very well," Gary said looking down at his jeans.

"You'll be at the back of the room. I'll explain to the parents we thought it would be more personal to have a fellow student playing music." He turned to his assistant. "Please help Gary get set up in the Grand Suite." He rushed away as the family was arriving.

Mr. Derry led Gary to the room and set up the chair for him and showed him where to stow the case.

He quietly tuned his guitar and nodded to Mr. Derry who left to join Mr. Fitzgerald.

Gary took some deep breaths and closed his eyes. He decided to play Ave Maria as his first piece. The old guitar was comfortable and smooth to play but to his ear its sound was just a little muted. It was as good an instrument as he could afford. Still, as worn as it was he was able to pull some pure tones from it.

He opened his eyes as he reached the end of the piece and was surprised to see Mateo's parents standing before him with tears in their eyes and slight smiles on their lips. He stood and offered his condolences to them.

"Play something Mateo loved," the mother pleaded.

Gary smiled as he recalled a moment when he saw Mateo and his friends rocking out in the school parking lot to a familiar tune. He nodded. He sat back down and began to play a softer version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. He saw the woman's expression soften as she recalled her son singing to this tune at home. She took a chair and her husband sat next to her as Gary played for them.

When the tune reached its conclusion, the woman stood and stepped to face Gary and took his hand. She held it to her cheek and smiled at him.

"Thank you!" she whispered.

He smiled in return and nodded to her.

Her husband also nodded then guided his wife up to the front of the room to say goodbye to their youngest.

Gary closed his eyes and played Chopin's Nocturne Opus 9. No. 2 with his heart aching for the mother's loss.

Mateo's older brothers and sisters, the cousins and the rest of the family arrived and each looked back to see where the music was coming from.

While the guests arrived and paid their respects he did his best to keep his music soft and serene, to not draw attention to himself or the music but to just be a calming influence. He kept to the classics except for when a group of Mateo's friends arrived. Then he played a sweet rendition of Kansas' Dust in the Wind as they'd played that tune in the school band. Mateo played trumpet he recalled. He got some smiles from the group before they left.

Gary took a couple of breaks to let his fingers rest and Mr. Fitzgerald was at his side each time praising his playing... and confirming he would continue.

Finally, the viewing ended and the last of the guests made their way out. Mateo's family left after speaking with the funeral home director. They smiled back at Gary as he packed away his guitar.

His fingers were raw from playing for longer than he'd ever done before. He'd have to soak them in ice water when he got home.

He felt someone watching him so he looked up and saw pale green eyes looking back at him from the other side of the room.

Marlene. She was looking at him like he was a piece of chocolate and she was starving. He felt that look start a tingle in a happy place.

Then he recalled those same eyes holding an amused look earlier in the day at his expense. That memory cooled his excitement somewhat. She noted this with surprise and walked over to see what was wrong.

"You play beautifully Gary. How long have you played the guitar?" she asked as she stood before him, her arms crossed under her heavy tits pushing them up and forward slightly.

He was distracted by the depth of the cleavage on display and took a moment to find his voice. "I've been playing since I was six."

She tilted her head slightly exposing her long neck. "You've had lessons."

He swallowed as he watched her lush lips moving and struggled to concentrate. "Uh, when I was seven. Since then nothing official. Nothing I paid for. Mostly self taught."

She looked impressed in spite of herself. Then she addressed his stiff body language. "Is something wrong Gary?"

He came back to himself for a moment as the words she spoke with such an innocent tone made him recall the embarrassment of the morning.

"It's gotten around the school how you humiliated me at lunch. It was an uncomfortable moment for me," he said.

"Gary, I was only teasing you. After all, you made me wait until almost the last minute to ask me while all of my friends had been invited earlier than me." She leaned closer to him so her tits were just barely touching his chest. "Don't you think I deserved to have a little fun making you wait as well. Fair's fair."

He was having trouble concentrating on what she was saying and found himself nodding.

"Gary! Are you going to look at the books tonight?" Wayland called out.

He blinked as Marlene pulled back slightly to remove the pressure of her tits on him. She smiled when he unconsciously moved forward.

"Uh, yes Mr. Fitzgerald. I'll be right there," he said quickly.

"Don't you have homework, dear?" the man asked his daughter.

"No Papa. It's all done," she said with a weary tone.

"Well don't distract the young man. He's already worked hard and still has to review our books before he can head home. Tomorrow's a school day so maybe you should be preparing for the day."

"Yes, Papa," she replied.

She gave Gary a sultry look then moved off to head upstairs to her bedroom, or Nirvana as Gary thought of it. Not that he'd ever been there.

Gary took a few deep breaths to clear the fog of lust and walked to the offices at the back of the building. Wayland had prepared his ledger and receipts and was waiting for him with a smile on his face.

"The Lopez family were very touched and impressed with your performance. Thank you very much for coming to our rescue! I have the technicians coming in tomorrow to repair the audio system," the man gushed.

"Glad I could help," Gary returned.

"This is your last visit?" Wayland asked wistfully.

"Yes, the last one. Your books are in good shape as you've been following my instructions well. You should still have someone come in periodically to review them but I think you'll be fine," Gary assured him.

He sat down behind the big desk and got to work. Wayland nodded and left the room. He knew Gary would make notes of anything he'd missed or done wrong and they'd review once he was finished.

Fifteen minutes later Gary heard a noise and looked up to see Marlene standing with her back against the closed door. He froze as she was wearing a gossamer thin dressing gown over an even sexier négligée. He swallowed. "What- what are you doing here dressed like... that?"

She looked down at herself as she ran her hands over the silky fabric. "You don't like it?" she pouted.

"No- I mean Yes! It's beautiful- you're beautiful! It's just... here? Now? Your father is due to come back any minute!" he gasped.

She prowled over to the desk and came around to Gary's side. She put her hand on his chest and pushed him back, the chair rolling away from the desk until she was able to step between his legs.

"I had no idea just how good a musician you were Gary. Why are you keeping this a secret?" she purred and he swallowed.

"I'm not. It's just a hobby... I do for fun," he mumbled.

As she knelt between his legs Gary's eyes widened as he could see an expanse of soft cleavage. "What... what are you doing?"

"You're good enough to be a professional musician. Start a band. Go on the road. Become a big star." As she talked she ran her hands up and down his thighs and his cock was getting so hard he had to shift to make room for it in his pants. She smiled mischievously and licked her lips making him stiffen further. "I want you to think about how amazing it would be to be a famous musician."

Then he heard approaching footsteps. Gary's eyes flew wide and he gave Marlene a panicked look. She grinned and quickly squeezed herself back under the desk pulling his legs to roll him back up to the desk.

The door opened and Wayland's smiling face looked in at him. The smile faded as he took in Gary's expression. "Is there a problem, Gary? Did I make another mistake?"

"No! No, I was... just thinking about the Lopez family," Gary stuttered.

Wayland leaned against the door jamb and looked sad. "I know. So tragic! Did you know Mateo well?"

Marlene was misbehaving in her confinement under the desk. Her hands were playing with the zipper on his pants and Gary couldn't move his hands from the ledger without it looking suspicious.

With his legs forced open wide and Marlene filling the space between them Gary was helpless to stop her naughty exploration. He felt the zipper drop and clever fingers slip inside.

"Gary?"

His attention went back to the Funeral Director. "Sorry, no I didn't know him that well. We'd nod to each other in the hall occasionally. He was a grade behind me. Nice guy though. Always SMI- smiling." Gary bit his lip as fingers tugged his cock free of his pants.

Wayland gave Gary a sympathetic look thinking the young man was overcome with emotion. "Well, I don't want to keep you much later. You've had a long night." He moved in to take the ledger back and stopped when Gary raised his hand to stop him.

"No, I'm fine. I want to finish this. If you could give me another ten... fifteen minutes I'll be duh-done." Gary struggled to remain calm as soft fingers stroked his shaft so incredibly well.

"I understand if this is too difficult at this time," Wayland insisted.

"No, please. Let me do this. Fifteen minutes," Gary pleaded.

Wayland smiled at the young man and nodded. "Door closed?"

"YES- Yes please." Gary said as he gritted his teeth together.

When the door closed and footsteps could be heard heading away, Marlene pushed Gary back from the desk but she never released her grip on his cock. She smiled up at him impishly as she bit her lip. Her right hand moved skillfully up, down and around his shaft as she gently dragged the nails of her left hand over his balls.

"Geezus, Marlene! You're gonna make me cum!" he gasped and squirmed. He felt his release racing up on him and in the very back of his mind a tiny voice asked him how she'd gotten so incredibly good at this. He ignored that voice as the pleasure he was feeling overrode everything else.

"Cum for me Gary! Let it shoot out! Cum!" Marlene panted excitedly as she watched his expression of bliss.

It was too much for him and he desperately looked for a tissue or a napkin but it was too late. A thick rope of cum shot upwards and Marlene squealed excitedly. Gary looked to the door but he heard nothing.

Then he was on his way to heaven as Marlene took his cock deep into her mouth. She sucked and slurped and swallowed and Gary felt his brain melting out of his ears. The surges of bliss went on and on as she clung to his legs, her face pressed to his groin.

Finally, she'd drained him and he slumped in the chair. She crawled up his body to press her soft, hot lips to his and thrust her tongue deep into his mouth. He kissed her in return and suddenly realized he was tasting his cum on her tongue and jolted. She had a tight grip on the back of his neck and kept their mouths locked together as her tongue tangled with his. He had to give in and let her finish her kiss. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief when she pulled back to smile at him.

"That was really good Gary!" she purred.

She looked over her shoulder at the wall clock and climbed to her feet. "I'll see you at school tomorrow. You should put that away now," she said with a smile as she pointed to his softening cock.

He tucked himself back into his underwear and zipped up as she slipped back to the door. He couldn't take his eyes from her. She listened at the door then looked back and soaked in his worshipping gaze. Then she was out the door and he was left with his mind spinning.

He gave his head a shake and forced his mind back on track. He went through the last few entries on the ledger and it was good. There had only been one small potential mistake to bring to Wayland's attention.

He heard footsteps approach and the man peered around the door.

"Everything ok?" Wayland asked gently.

"Yes, Mr. Fitzgerald. I'm done here. Only one small thing to review with you. Was this transaction supposed to be a credit?"

"Oh! Yes, yes it was," Wayland nodded.

"Then it's good. No mistakes," Gary said with a smile.

Wayland smiled and put the ledger away. Gary got up and walked around to the front of the desk while the Funeral Director pulled an envelope out of one of the drawers and handed it to Gary.

"Your final paycheck, payment for tonight's music, and a little bit extra for your excellent service. Again, thank you so much for playing your guitar for the Lopez family," Wayland said.

Gary accepted the envelope and shook the man's hand. The man's smile wobbled a bit.

"You might want to brush your teeth when you get home. Your breath is a little stale."

Gary blushed. "Sorry." He picked up his guitar case and made his way out the back door to his waiting truck. He looked back and up to see Marlene standing by her window watching him. He waved but she turned away and the light went out. Once more he felt off balance with their relationship.

Considering how she'd treated him in the cafeteria he'd been ready to call it off but she'd... distracted him somehow and he'd lost his way.

She'd taken him to paradise tonight then forced him to experience something he wasn't prepared for. She told him she'd see him tomorrow with a voice full of promise but now she... snubs him?

And why was she pushing him to be a musician?

He really was worried that 'little head' was calling all the shots when it came to his relationship with Marlene. It's voice was especially loud tonight.

Chapter 3

The drive to school the following morning was especially quiet. Gary was all mixed up in his head about Marlene and desperately wanted to ask for advice but knew he couldn't talk to Emma about her.

Emma was still upset about Gary's attitude towards Todd as he hadn't apologized this morning and seemed to be still stewing about it. The moment the truck stopped in the parking lot she was out the door and across the lot.

Gary watched her run and frowned to himself. He didn't like not being friendly with Emma. He'd try to work this out with her tonight on the way home.

He locked up the truck and made his way inside. He smiled and nodded to some of his friends and noticed there were a lot of friendly smiles being directed his way as he walked down the hallway this morning. He stopped at his locker to drop off his books. As he closed the door he was surprised to see Principal Wayans standing there with a wide smile on his face.

"Good morning, Principal Wayans."

"Good morning, Mr. Truman. I heard a lovely story about you this morning," the man said through his smile.

"Oh?" Gary asked cautiously.

"You played guitar at the visitation for our recently departed Mateo Lopez?"

"Oh! Yes, I happened to be working at the Funeral Home last night and... the opportunity presented itself." Gary didn't want to embarrass Mr. Fitzgerald about the technical malfunction.

"That was a deeply touching gesture and when I heard about it I was truly moved by your willingness to ease their pain with your music," the principal said.

Gary smiled and nodded wanting to get to class but he saw the principal wasn't finished.

"I was wondering if you would be willing to play a song for the school at this afternoon's assembly. We're going to do a little tribute to Mateo," the man asked.

Gary froze. "In front of all the students and teachers?"

"Just think of it as if you were playing for one person... one special person," Principal Wayans said with a knowing smile.

"One song?"

The man nodded. "Something sweet to remember our lost friend. Did you bring your guitar?"

"Yes, it's in my truck. I- I suppose I could do one song," Gary said hesitantly.

"Great! Two o'clock in the gym. Bring your guitar and I'll introduce you," the principal exclaimed and patted him on the shoulder as he moved off down the hall.

Gary watched him go then turned to walk to his own first class. He stopped when he saw Marlene leaning up against the wall watching him with a sly smile.

"You told him?" Gary gasped.

"Talent like yours is something to be shared, exposed, and profited from Gary! Not hidden and hoarded. You have the potential to be a star!" she said with a smile and before he could argue she gave him a quick kiss and slipped away on her way to class.

Gary watched her hips sway and struggled to maintain his annoyance at her interference. He headed off to his class unaware Todd had been listening in from the adjoining hallway.

With a smile Todd headed the other way.

He'd been in the parking lot when Gary and Emma arrived and watched his girlfriend head inside. She still didn't look happy with Gary so Todd wondered if the twerp was still bugging her. He'd followed Gary inside and was trying to think of how to deal with him when he spotted the principal approaching. He took the side corridor and pretended to look at his cell phone while he listened in.

Todd was pissed to hear that Gary was going to get the spotlight at the assembly. When he saw Marlene shaking that sweet ass of hers for him down the hallway after kissing the jerk, Todd got a really good idea.

First, he'd take the spotlight from Gary.

Then he'd take Marlene. And he knew just how to do it.

Classes at the end of the year were largely just a social activity. Exams were done, lessons were over, and for the senior class it was a time to say goodbye. The assembly was the school's little farewell before the graduation ceremony.

Gary was standing by the stage at one end of the gym with his guitar case in hand nervously watching the kids filling the bleachers on both sides. He could see Marlene sitting in the center seat of the front row on the left side of the gym. Sitting opposite her was Emma... and Todd. The big goof was holding Emma's hand- no, he wasn't going to criticize her choice for a boyfriend. If she was happy he would be happy for her.

He looked back at Marlene. She was smiling in his direction and he tried to smile back but he really didn't want to do this.

Principal Wayans walked out into the center of the gym and welcomed the student body and the graduating class. Then he spoke about Mateo and the room was quiet as everyone was thinking about him.

"As a tribute to Mateo our very own Gary Truman will play a song in his memory. Gary?" the principal said holding his arm out for him. As he walked out to join the principal the kids clapped for him and he had to admit that felt nice. He shook the principal's hand then set the case down and opened it.

And his heart leapt into his throat.

The guitar's neck was broken, almost completely separated from the body. He stared down at his prized possession in shock.

"What happened?" Principal Wayans asked in concern.

Gary looked at the man as he lifted the broken instrument from the case. There were gasps of dismay and disappointment from the bleachers as everyone got a look at the guitar's condition.

"I don't know. It was fine last night but... I'd never played that long before? It was an old guitar," Gary mumbled, still in shock.

The principal gestured for Mr. Thompson, the music teacher to come out. Turning off the mic he asked the man something. The teacher smiled and nodded before rushing away and out of the gym. Turning the mic on again the principal addressed the students.

"Ok, we're going to have to make alternate plans. Gary will be back shortly." He nodded to Gary who put his guitar back in the case and went back to his spot against the wall.

Gary had no idea what Wayans was talking about. He had no alternate. This was his only guitar. He might have enough money to get another cheap guitar with the extra money he received but that money should be going to his upcoming expenses.

He watched the assembly proceed without truly paying attention as his mind was a million miles away.

Gary came back to the present when he heard his name being called. He walked back out to the center of the gym where Principal Wayans, Mr. Thompson and Julia Lopez, Mateo's sister were standing. She smiled at him and he returned it. Then he noticed Mr. Thompson was holding his electric guitar connected to its amp.

The principal turned off the mic once more and leaned towards the young girl. "Julia, can you tell Gary some songs Mateo liked? Gary if you know how to play one let me know."

Julia nodded shyly and mentioned a few songs. Gary smiled when he heard one he liked and knew. He nodded to the group and accepted the guitar from the teacher. They moved back leaving him standing out in the middle of the room all by himself. He adjusted the tuning just a little and practiced a riff as he'd never played an electric guitar before. He heard the excited chatter as the students realized he knew how to play.

He closed his eyes and thought of Marlene as the principal suggested but all he could see was her kneeling between his legs last night. That did nothing to calm him. He pushed that thought from his mind and tried to capture a happy moment.

The morning sun was low in the sky and backlit Emma's swinging ponytail as she ran down the lane to meet him by his truck. Gary was surprised by the image that slipped into his mind but realized it did the trick. He felt himself calming. He was ready.

He played the opening notes of Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits.

The kids went nuts and he just let their cheering wash over him as he stayed in his cocoon of calm and peace. He felt warm and happy as he let the music flow through him with a small smile on his lips.

Emma was grinning from ear to ear as she watched Gary play. She knew how good he was and also knew how little he wanted to be out there. Typically, his music wasn't for anyone but him and his closest friends. She saw his eyes were closed and knew he was in his happy place.

She glanced over at Todd and saw his mouth was open in shock. She grinned at him and squeezed his hand. When he glanced at her she caught some emotion flash over his face but he smiled at her.

"He's full of surprises," he said and she nodded, turning her face back to Gary.

Emma was so proud of Gary and she was going to tell him so on the way home.

Todd was furious. He'd thought breaking into Gary's truck to snap the neck of the guitar would have been sufficient to kill Gary's little moment as the center of attention but the damn principal had a backup plan. Now Gary was even more popular.

He looked across the floor to see Marlene. She had a smug, self-satisfied smile on her face. She was probably thinking of fucking Gary tonight as a reward. Fuck, he hated that twerp so much right now! He kept the smile on his face for Emma's sake. Watching her smiling face as she watched Gary, he decided tonight she was going to put out or they were through. Fuck this holding hands and kissing shit. He wanted to fuck! She'd been teasing him with her tight little body from the start.

She owed him some pussy.

Marlene watched Gary slip into a trance as he held the electric guitar in his hands. The first riff told everyone this was someone to watch and she felt a thrill run down her spine. She felt very proud of herself for forcing his hand to get this exposure.

She looked at Gary critically. He was handsome enough but would look so much better if he just spent some money on better clothes. He had a nice hard body and his cock, while not the largest she'd taken in her mouth, was sufficient for her needs.

Her only real complaint was his pitiful lack of ambition! He wanted to be an accountant when he was obviously destined for stardom! He just needed a guiding hand to steer him in the proper direction. She was going to be that guiding hand and she'd make sure he rose to stardom so he could give her the lifestyle she deserved. She wasn't going to be trapped in this stinking town for long.

Gary was her ticket out.

Gary got back to his truck to find Emma sitting in the passenger seat with a big smile on her face. He looked at her in confusion and her smile dimmed. He walked up to the driver's door and she leaned across and pulled the door lock open.

"How did you get in?" he blurted.

Emma looked at him in surprise. "The door was unlocked."

"I locked both doors when I left the truck this morning," Gary answered.

"My door was open when I got here," Emma said.

Gary frowned and tucked his guitar case in the space behind his seat.

"Maybe you left it unlocked when you came out to get the guitar for the assembly?" Emma suggested.

"No. I got the guitar case from my side as the key doesn't work on your door," Gary said curtly as he was beginning to suspect the guitar hadn't broken because of fatigue after all.

He started up the truck and got them underway. He looked over at Emma and she was scowling at him.

"You think it was Todd, don't you," she asserted.

"I have no proof he broke into my truck to break my guitar but he is number one on my list of people who recently punched me for no reason." He left it at that.

"You're wrong about him!" Emma barked.

Gary sighed. "I'm sorry. I told myself I wouldn't give you a hard time about Todd. I- I don't think he and I will ever be friends but I'll do my best to hold my tongue about him for you. I don't want us to not be friends."

Emma was quiet as well for a bit. "You were really good this afternoon in the assembly. What made you decide to play in front of everyone?"

Gary grimaced as he recalled that uncomfortable situation. "Principal Wayans asked me to play."

Emma's eyebrows went up in surprise. "How did he know you could play?"

Gary glanced over at Emma and knew this wasn't going to end well. "I played for the Lopez family at the viewing last night at the funeral home. Mr. Fitzgerald asked me to when his audio equipment failed. Marlene heard me play and told the principal about it this morning."

Emma felt her temper flare and turned her head to look out the side window. She should have known it was her. Manipulative bitch! Still, she held her tongue for Gary's sake.

They rode on in silence, each trying to spare the other's feelings.

When Gary pulled into her driveway he looked over at her. "I'll pick you up to drive you to the prom at 7:30pm. Todd's meeting you there, right?"

"Yes, thanks! See you then," she said with a smile as she slipped out of the truck.

He waited for her to clear the truck then backed out and headed home.

When he went inside his mom came up to him to give him a hug.

"Prom night!" she said and he heard a wistful sadness in her voice. She knew his childhood was over and he'd be moving on.

Gary pulled his Mom into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Mom!"

"Come have some supper. I finished the alterations on your grandpa's suit. It's ready for the dance," she said with a smile.

He followed her into the kitchen.

Chapter 4

Gary ran his finger between his collar and his neck once more. He wasn't used to wearing a suit and his grandpa's tuxedo was the fanciest outfit he'd ever worn. It was a vintage black suit with an old timey classic look with tails and a black bow tie on the crisp white shirt. His mom had made a few adjustments to it so it fit his slimmer body dimensions. He thought he looked pretty good.

He stood at Emma's front door and knocked.

Emma's parents both came to the door and her mom squealed with delight when they saw his tuxedo. He grinned and shook her dad's hand who was smiling back at him.

"Looking pretty smart, young man!" he said to Gary.

"Thank you, sir."

"Is that Gary?" Emma called from upstairs.

"Yes, dear! Are you ready?" her mom called out.

"Be right down!"

Gary stood there blushing as Emma's mom beamed a wide smile at him.

The old wooden staircase squeaked and they all looked up to see Emma descending.

She paused halfway down as she spotted Gary in the tuxedo. A brilliant smile flashed onto her face and she rushed the rest of the way down.

Gary was in a state of shock.

Gone was the tomboy he'd grown up with from childhood. She'd been replaced by a stunning beauty.

The ever present pony tail had been replaced with an intricate teased up hairstyle with a few red ringlets allowed to artfully swing free.

Glittering and dangling gold earrings swung beside her long smooth neck. The gold strapless dress cupped her modest breasts while clinging to her torso like a second skin down to her narrow waist. With the shimmering sequins, the intricate glass beadwork, lace, and gauzy nude fabric his eyes were dazzled, thrilled, and enticed. From her waist to mid-thigh her dress became layers of shimmering dark gold gauze which flowed and swirled, hinting at the wonders beneath. Her long slim legs went a long way down to strappy gold pumps. Her nails were painted with a shiny black polish which surprised Gary for its boldness.

The flash of a camera brought Gary back to himself and he realized he'd been staring, slack jawed at Emma while she waited for him to say something. Her face- oh my god! She was wearing eyeshadow, and lipstick! Her cheeks were very red but he saw that was just a blush.

"Well?" she asked again, nervously.

"Sorry! You... look breathtaking," Gary sighed as he tried to get his equilibrium.

Emma's smile was like the sun rising. She absolutely blossomed with his praise. She looked him up and down as well and her eyes were twinkling. "That's the nicest I've ever seen you dress as well!" she said.

"My grandfather's tuxedo. Mom altered it for me."

"Are those white gloves?" Emma gasped, seeing them peeking out of his pocket.

"Uh, yeah. Apparently people wore gloves with this kind of suit," he said a little self-consciously.

"Put them on!" she squealed.

Feeling a little silly he tugged them from the pocket and pulled them on.

"Oh my god! That perfectly finishes the look! You look amazing!" Emma gushed with a big grin.

Gary felt himself grinning stupidly in return and struggled to control it.

"How about a picture of the two of you together?" Emma's dad asked and Emma nodded excitedly. She slipped her arm through his and they smiled for the camera.

Gary noticed the time and realized they had to get moving if he was going to pick up Marlene on time. "We should go," he said, very conscious of how nice Emma felt against his side. He moved towards the door and Emma kissed her parents before following him out.

He'd left his truck unlocked as he no longer kept anything of value in it so he was able to open her door for her and she stepped up into the truck. He made sure her dress was clear before closing the door. Then he went around to his side. As he got in he realized that was the first time he'd ever done that. He glanced over and saw her smiling at him.

"It's the gloves! They make me all gentlemanly!" he teased and Emma laughed happily. Once more her beauty made him catch his breath.

He got them on their way and pushed a little to make up the time. As he pulled in front of the school in the queue of cars dropping off students, he saw people gathered on the steps and there was Todd. The first thing Gary noticed was he wasn't carrying a corsage for Emma. A flash of anger went through him. He took some deep breaths and put the anger away as he smiled over at Emma. She looked so sweet and excited to be going to prom. He moved the truck forward again.

"Could you pop the glove box?" Gary asked.

She smiled at him and reached forward to open the door and gasped when she saw the lovely corsage in the clear plastic container. There were three delicate red roses woven into a knot with small white flowers surrounding them, all tied together with a fine gold ribbon.

"Oh, that's lovely!" Emma sighed.

"I want you to have it," Gary said. "It will look amazing with your dress and your hair!"

"GARY! This is for Marlene!" she gasped.

"She's wearing a white dress which has no gold in it. It'll look much nicer on you. Please put it on," he said quietly.

Emma looked at him with her mouth open then looked at the box. She popped it open and pulled the corsage out.

"Ooo! It's cold!" she gasped as she slipped the elasticised ribbon over her hand up to her wrist.

Gary grinned. "Sorry, it's been in the fridge all day."

Emma looked down at the beautiful flowers and smiled happily at Gary as he finally moved beside the steps.

"Take the other one and pin it to Todd. Try not to draw blood," he said with a grin and she gave him a surprised look then touched his arm.

"Thank you Gary. See you soon?"

"Yup, as soon as I pick up Marlene at her place."

She slipped out of the truck and closed the door. She watched him pull away then turned to climb the stairs. Before she got to the top she saw Todd waiting for her. He had an odd look on his face. He looked like he was leering at her.

"Hi," she said, noting the looseness of his wrinkled rental suit.

"Mmmm! You look good enough to eat!" he said just a little too loudly. Heads turned to look at them.

She blushed and took his arm to move them inside. As she walked beside him she picked up the scent of booze. She gave him a concerned look but he was just smiling as he walked with his arm around her. He was holding her a little tight.

They headed for the gym where music could be heard playing.

Gary pulled up in front of the Funeral Home and parked the truck. He walked up to the door and rang the bell.

Wayland opened it moments later and grinned widely when he saw Gary's tuxedo. He clapped with joy.

"Gary! You look marvelous! Such a lovely vintage tuxedo!" the man gushed.

"Thank you, sir."

"I believe Marlene will be down momentarily. Please have a seat."

Gary nodded and sat on the bench after flicking the jacket's tails back as his mother instructed.

He glanced at the wall clock and saw he was five minutes late. He hoped she wasn't upset with him.

Twenty minutes later Marlene descended the stairs and Gary's eyes were immediately drawn to the cleavage she was putting on display with her ice blue dress. It had a plunging neckline and squeezed her full tits and curvy ass almost indecently tight in the sparkling fabric. He didn't know what happened to the white dress but Gary was even more thankful the corsage went to Emma. Still he couldn't keep his eyes off the skin on show.

"Marlene! Where's the rest of your dress?!?" Wayland exclaimed in dismay.

"Oh Daddy, don't be such a fussy old man! This is what prom dresses are supposed to look like these days," Marlene scolded her father. She looked at Gary and her smile dropped just a little. "Why are you dressed as a butler?"

"It's my grandpa's tuxedo," Gary said a little defensively.

"At least take off those silly gloves," she sighed.

He tugged them off and tucked them back into the pocket as he was shown to do.

"That's a little better. Let's get going. Don't wait up daddy." Marlene said and took Gary's arm to get them out the door.

"Goodnight sir," Gary said and Wayland felt a little better seeing his daughter on the arm of a gentleman.

"Be careful out there," the father called out and Marlene flicked a wave at him over her shoulder.

She sighed again as they approached the old pickup truck.

"Humble beginnings," she said to herself.

"What?" he asked as he helped her in, dazed by her ass in the shimmering dress. He rushed around to the other side of the truck and got in.

Marlene gestured around the interior of the truck. "Take a look around and remember this as your past. Soon you'll be sitting in the back of stretched limousines being driven to stadiums filled with screaming fans."

Gary got them on their way and glanced over at her in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Your music Gary! Keep up with me! You have enormous talent! The world is just waiting for you to take it!" she gushed, already imagining the luxury condos they'd stay in on their world tour with the rock and roll lifestyle they'd have, including the drugs she'd have access to. She licked her lips sensually.

He was more than a little distracted by her tongue and turned to face the road as he throbbed in his pants. Geezus, Marlene looked like sex personified and he was getting caught up in her excitement. The difference was, that wasn't his dream. It was the opposite of it.

"Marlene, who said I wanted to be a musician? I'm going to be an accountant," he explained.

"Gary, why are you setting your sights so low! You're destined for greatness!" she gasped.

He frowned at her briefly. "There are loads of musicians out there who are better than me and they'll never reach the heights you're talking about. The music industry is controlled by the big studios, the star makers who decide who they are going to promote. It has less to do with talent and more to do with marketability and chasing the fickle desires of the fans. There's no financial security in that!"

It was Marlene's turn to frown. "You're underestimating your skills! You just need a business manager to ensure you are presented properly to these star makers to make them understand how much of a money maker you could be!"

Gary blinked. He understood now. "A business manager such as yourself."

Marlene smiled broadly. "Now you're up to speed!"

He pulled the truck into the school parking lot and shut off the engine.

He sighed and turned to look at her. "Could we just enjoy ourselves tonight?"

She smiled and leaned over to kiss him. Her mouth was so soft and inviting it made his head spin.

"I don't understand your reluctance to accept your destiny," she sighed as she pulled back from the kiss.

"Because it's not my dream. It seems to be yours," Gary replied as he struggled to get his thinking back to his big head. He got out of the truck, went around to open Marlene's door and helped her out.

She pressed her body against his and sighed. "My dreams are big enough for the both of us and they are wonderful!"

Gary saw arguing with her was just going to turn the evening sour so he walked them to the door and they went inside.

Marlene spotted Mr. Devon, one of the younger teachers. She'd scored some weed from him a few months back. He was leaning against the hallway wall by himself looking at his phone. Likely making a buy. She'd had to blow him for a joint but he'd proven to have a short dick and a shorter fuse so it had been minimal effort for a really good high. She wondered if he had any more on him tonight.

"Gary, I'll meet you inside in a minute ok? I need to speak to Mr. Devon about the grade on my last assignment."

He looked at her curiously then nodded as he was distracted by a friend calling out to him.

She watched him move to the entrance of the gym to shake some dweeb's hand before she turned her attention to her target.

She walked up to him and noticed his eyes darting nervously at her then down the hall towards a group of teachers.

"Good evening, Mr. Devon!"

"G-good evening to you Ms. Fitzgerald. You look... lovely tonight," he said, his eyes never leaving her tits.

"I was wondering if you had any of that lovely African Black."

"Geezus! Keep your voice down!" he hissed as his eyes scanned the empty hallway.

She noted his paranoia was in full swing. She waited with her hands on her hips.

He finally settled down and looked back at her nervously. "You've caused me quite enough grief. My wife left me when she saw your lip gloss on my dick. She shacked up with my best source who refuses to do business with me. There aren't a lot of... options in this town as you know. I'm still trying to find another one. Discretely."

"So you're saying..."

He looked at her in exasperation. "No. I'm saying no. I have nothing." He looked up and saw the principal approaching. He gave Marlene a big fake smile. "Enjoy the prom!" he said loudly as he walked away, past Wayans and nodding to him.

Marlene put a fake smile on her own face and nodded to the principal as she made her way into the gym. Her mood was seriously turning foul.

First Gary was proving to be tedious and resistant to the wonderful life plan she was laying out for him.

Now that little creep Mr. Devon turned out to be a dead end when she was aching for a fix of something!

She looked around and spotted Gary dancing with Gwennie, one of her crew. She'd have to take the girl down a peg for cutting in without asking permission first.

Marlene walked over to the punch table hoping someone had spiked it but it was just punch. She saw Todd Gramby having words with a hot redhead- damn! That was Emma Patricks! Shit, she cleaned up nicely! She couldn't hear the words but the expressions were just as good so she settle back against the table to watch.

"You do not get to paw my ass on the dancefloor in front of my friends while grinding against me!" Emma barked at the big man.

"Dammit Emma! It was just a little squeeze! What's the big deal? You're my girlfriend aren't you? Shouldn't you start acting like it?" he growled back.

Her mouth dropped open. "What are you talking about? I am acting like your girlfriend! I hold your hand, we kiss, I defend you when you do stupid things like beat people up for mistaken impressions."

He scowled when she said he was stupid. He leaned closer. "What about going beyond the teasing and letting me get a little action?"

She blinked in surprise and leaned back from the smell of alcohol on his breath. He was drinking and she hadn't seen him do it. "Action?"

"You know what I mean! You've been touching my body all night and rubbing me with your ass getting me all stiff and excited. Now you act like you have no idea how much of a cock tease you are!"

Emma's face clouded over with barely suppressed rage. "You take that back! I am not... one of those!"

He smirked at her. "Yes, you are darlin'. Nothing but a cock tease! Look how big you've made me!" He opened his jacket to show her the bulge in his pants. "The least you could do is suck me off! Your pretty mouth would look amazing full of my cock!"

Her rage was breaking free and she was suddenly frightened of the violence she wanted to do to him. Instead she spun and rushed off to leave the gym.

"Bitch. Fuck her," Todd grumbled sourly.

He looked at his cup and saw it was empty. He needed to put more punch into it so the gin he was adding wasn't so obvious.

He made his way to the refreshment table and spotted Marlene standing there watching him. He smiled as he approached.

"Good evening Marlene. You look gorgeous, as usual," Todd said with his smoothest voice.

She smirked at him. "Good evening Todd. It looks like your girlfriend just dumped you," she said bluntly.

He shrugged it off. "Not much of a girlfriend. Too... innocent."

"Really." The smirk was back in full force.

Todd reined in his annoyance at her smug look. He darted his eyes around and saw the coast was clear. He poured himself half a cup of punch and deliberately topped it up from his pocket flask. He noted definite interest in her eyes then. "Oh, would you like some? The punch is awful without it."

This got a real smile from her at last and Todd allowed himself to feel optimistic. He poured a second cup of spiked punch and tucked his flask away nonchalantly before handing her the cup.

"Where's guitar boy?" he asked calmly.

Sipping from her cup she gestured to the dancefloor where Gary could be seen dancing with another of Marlene's posse.

"You loaned him out to your girls?" Todd asked in surprise.

This drew a frown from Marlene and Todd tried to think of a way to get back into her good graces. Luckily he had just the thing. He took a sip and sighed.

"Spiked punch is fine and all but I'm feeling the need to expand my mind a little more... dramatically," he said and saw her eyes swing back to him with definite interest. Yes, he could see his night improving.

He looked at Gary in his ridiculous suit then scanned the gym counting the number of teachers present. "This is no place to do it though. I think I'll find someplace... private to pop the X."

"You have X?" Marlene blurted in surprise. She hadn't tried Ecstasy yet and was very curious about it. Her night was looking up.

"You want some too?" he asked.

"You have enough for two?" she returned.

He nodded with a smile.

"Lead the way," she said returning his smile.

With a nod and a final contemptuous look at Gary, Todd made his way out of the gym with Marlene following at his heel.

Emma gripped the edge of the sink while she tried to calm herself. She was so disappointed in Todd. She was also disappointed in herself. Gary had been right about him after all. Thank god he wasn't the type to rub her nose in her mistakes. She felt better thinking about him then her mood turned as she recalled he was with Marlene. She wasn't wrong about Marlene as Gary hadn't been wrong about Todd but she couldn't tell him that.

She sighed. There was nothing to benefit from hiding in the bathroom. She had to get out there and enjoy the rest of the night. While avoiding Todd.

She walked back to the gym and listened to the music. That made her feel a little better.

Her friend Francis rushed over to her squealing in delight at her outfit.

"Emma! You look amazing!" Francis gushed.

"So do you!" Emma smiled.

"Come on! Let's get out there and dance!" her friend cheered and pulled her out onto the dancefloor.

Emma danced with her friend and other members of her gang, mostly the track team, joined them until it was very crowded. She gave herself over to the music and just let it make her happy.

After a while she started looking around to see if she could spot Gary. White gloved hands stood out in the crowd and she gasped in laughter at his moves which were comically exaggerated. She was surprised to see he wasn't dancing with Marlene. It was Jenny, another one of the princess' friends.

She danced her way over and Gary grinned at her smiling face. Jenny turned to dance with someone else. He turned and danced with Emma making her grin widely.

"Where's Marlene?" she yelled above the noise.

Gary looked around and an annoyed look crossed his face. He looked back and shrugged.

"Where's Todd?" he called back.

She shook her head with a sad look and his expression immediately became sympathetic. He gestured towards the exit and they left the dancefloor and the gym. In the hall it was easier to talk.

"What happened?" Gary asked gently.

Emma cast her eyes downwards. "Todd is drinking and acting up. He said some very vulgar things to me. You were right about him." She saw the anger on Gary's face but he throttled it down and took a deep breath.

"How has your night been?" Emma asked with a small smile.

"Well, I'm doing a lot of dancing but I seem to have lost my girlfriend somewhere in there," he said gesturing towards the gym with his thumb.

"She's not in there."

Gary and Emma looked towards the voice and saw Gwen Richardson walking back from the girls room to the gym entrance. She was part of Marlene's group.

"Where is she?" Gary asked.

Gwen paused and looked at the two of them. She seemed to come to a decision. "She followed Todd upstairs." She gave Gary a sympathetic look then walked back to the gym.

He watched her leave then immediately headed for the stairs. Emma rushed after him. When they reached the base of the stairs a voice called out.

"Stop! That floor is off limits," Principal Wayans called out. Mrs. Kennedy was standing next to him with a stern look and her arms crossed.

"Sorry Principal Wayans. We were told our dates were last seen heading upstairs. We just want to find out where they went," Gary said.

The man gave Gary an assessing look then nodded. "We'll go with you and split into two groups to cover more ground. Emma, you're with me."

They climbed the stairs and listened. They could hear noises from both directions and shared a look. The principal and Emma turned right and headed off down the hall.

Gary went left with Mrs. Kennedy at his elbow. The lights were dimmed upstairs and they checked the classroom doors on the way down the hallway, each taking a side. The doors were all locked. They reached the end of the corridor and turned right at the corner. There were only a few more doors before the corridor turned right again and headed back to close the square.

While Mrs. Kennedy was checking the doors on the outside wall, Gary was checking the doors to the supply rooms and stopped before the janitor's room. He heard grunting inside. He opened the door and froze.

Marlene was on her hands and knees, her big tits swinging freely as Todd fucked her from behind, slapping her ass with his pelvis roughly. Her eyes were closed in bliss and drool dripped from her lips as she grunted and forced herself back on his cock. Gary's eyes went to Todd's and saw he was grinning victoriously at him. He started to drive his cock into Marlene faster and harder and she moaned loudly.

"Gary, you fucking loser! I took your fucking bitch from you and she's a wild one! She has such a hot, tight little pussy!" Todd growled.

Marlene moaned and pushed back harder when she heard his vulgar words.

That proved to be too much for Todd. He closed his eyes and made a weird braying noise as he pulled her hips back against his legs. "I'm cumming! Take it bitch! Take it all!"

Marlene's eyes flew open when she felt the heat pouring into her body. She saw Gary standing in the doorway and grinned at him. "Whassa matter Gary? Sad you couldn't be the one doing this? Take out your cock and I'll suck it for you as a consolation prize," she said and burst into giggles as Todd howled with laughter.

Then she saw Mrs. Kennedy watching from behind Gary and she froze.

The door was pulled open further and Emma looked inside with a shocked expression.

Todd's eyes opened and locked onto Emma's who was looking at him in shock. He barked a drunken laugh and thrust a few more times into Marlene's dripping pussy. "This could have been you, you stupid bitch!"

Mrs. Kennedy and Principal Wayans grabbed Gary's shoulders to keep him from lunging inside the small room.

With the Principal now visible in the doorway as well, the situation was finally sinking into Marlene's drugged mind and she saw only one outlet.

"RAPE! He raped me! Drugged and raped me!" she wailed as she struggled to pull free of Todd's grip. He refused to let go of her hips and her struggling became frantic.

The principal physically moved Gary and Emma away from the door and looked them both in the eye. "You two need to leave. We'll take it from here. I'm very sorry you had to see this."

Gary nodded and turned to walk away. He looked back and saw Emma seemed lost. He gently took her hand and led her down the hallway.

When they got back down to the ground floor they heard the school's social committee up on stage making announcements. Emma suddenly couldn't bear the thought of facing anyone. She stopped and Gary looked back at her in concern.

"Gary, would you mind terribly just taking me home?" she said looking at him hopefully.

He saw her nervous glance towards the party and immediately led her to the front door and out to his truck.

Once more he opened her door for her and helped her inside. He gave her a gentle smile as he closed her door.

As they pulled away from the parking lot a police car and an ambulance were arriving. Emma turned to look back with a worried expression but Gary didn't spare them a second glance.

They drove in silence, once more lost in their thoughts.

Gary pulled up to Emma's house and shut the engine. He looked over at his best friend and was once more dazzled by how beautiful she looked tonight. She smiled at him.

He got out and went around the front of the truck to open her door and helped her down. As they walked up to her front door she slipped her arm through his offered elbow and she couldn't stop the smile from blossoming on her face at his genteel manners.

"You are the consummate gentleman, Mr. Truman!" she said as they stood before her door.

"You deserve nothing less, Ms. Patricks," he returned with a smile then it faltered a little. "I'm so sorry the night ended up like this, Emma. You look absolutely radiant tonight and you deserved a fabulous prom night."

"I'm radiant?" she asked quietly in surprise.

He nodded with a serious expression. "You were the most beautiful woman at the prom tonight!"

Emma was blushing strongly as she smiled at Gary.

He suddenly began worrying he'd put his foot in his mouth and embarrassed her..

"Well, I should get home. I- I had a really good time dancing earlier! See you tomorrow?" he said and she just nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

He caught himself leaning towards her then grinned self-consciously as her eyes widened in surprise. He walked back to his truck and waved to her as he backed up and headed off.

Emma watched his tail lights moving away and trembled slightly at the realization that he'd almost kissed her.

More surprising to her was that she wanted him to.

Chapter 5

When Gary and Emma walked into the school the following day they were immediately grabbed by their friends who begged them for details on what happened the night before. They discovered they'd been named the Prom King and Queen but no one had been able to find them. Then the police and ambulance crews had arrived. High drama, indeed!

The little news their friends had discovered of what happened next was stunning.

Marlene had filed rape charges against Todd and while no one really believed it wasn't consensual, she did test positive for drugs and the rape kit proved he'd had sex with her as did the witness statements from the principal and teacher. Her father was furious with the school for letting this happen and wanted her rapist prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Todd was in jail as his parents refused to bail him out. With this charge on his record it was highly likely that his football career was over before it truly began. Nor would there be any football based scholarship offers.

Being the last day of school, the day was more of a social get-together for the senior classes to say their goodbyes, sign year books, and make promises for the future. This passed quickly and the graduation ceremony that followed flashed by as well. Only Gary's mom came to celebrate with him though the whole Patrick's brood were there to cheer for Emma.

After the ceremony there was an unofficial party for the graduating class down at the old rock quarry / swimming hole. Barbeques were set up and there would be food and drinks. Attendees were expected to swim so they changed into their swimsuits at the school before heading over.

Gary and Emma parked in the lot and waved to a few friends who passed the truck. They glanced at each other with nervous smiles as they stripped off their jeans and shirts to reveal their swimwear. For the first time they both felt overly conscious of each other's bodies. Emma giggled a little when Gary's eyes widened at the sight of her small bikini and her eyes were drawn to his tight stomach muscles and his nicely developed arms. They both jumped and laughed when a friend thumped on the hood of Gary's truck as he passed by with a grin.

They slipped from the truck and carried their towels down to the party, greeting their friends with wide smiles.

The party was pretty tame as they knew the police would be dropping by a few times to ensure it was. That didn't stop the group from enjoying themselves.

The burgers were delicious, the weather was perfect for swimming though the spring fed water was a little cool.

Afterwards the remaining group sat around the bonfire, watching the flames and talking about their future plans. Most would be leaving the small town, venturing to the big city to continue their educations or to get jobs.

The night air was cool and Gary noticed Emma was shivering a little so he opened his towel to offer it to her. Instead she moved closer to lean against him. He froze for a second then wrapped the towel, and his arm, around her to share his warmth. She looked up at him with a happy smile as she was feeling much better, if a little nervous.

"What about you Gary? Are you going to be a big rock star now?" one of his friends called out.

Smiles appeared on faces around the circle as they recalled his playing in the gym. They were also thrilled to see Gary and Emma finally accepting the possibility of being more than friends.

His attention brought back to the gathering, he collected his scattered thoughts. He was so incredibly aware of how soft Emma's skin felt and how toned her body was. She appeared to be still shivering so he squeezed her against his side a little tighter.

"No, I'm still planning on being an accountant," he said with a grin.

Boos and hisses were heard from the group and he took them in the good spirit they'd been given.

"That mean you're sticking around?" another called out.

Gary's eyes dipped down to see Emma's looking up at him before he answered. "If I stay my Dad will expect me to work on the farm so I'm leaving for the city in a few days. I've rented a small apartment and I'm enrolled in an accounting course in the city college. My first year's tuition was a graduating present from my Mom. To pay for the apartment, living expenses, and the remaining years of my course I have a part time job I start next week."

He caught the sad look in Emma's eyes. "What's your escape plan?" he asked, trying to lighten her mood.

She smiled weakly but shook her head. "My plan fell apart when the job I had lined up in the city fell through. Then Sandy switched colleges and can't share an apartment with me. Looks like I'll be stuck here for a while."

The thought of moving to the city and not seeing Emma every day was suddenly more than Gary could endure. "I think you should go to the city and get one of those trainer jobs at a fitness club! You're so fit and you're so amazing with people! You could definitely lead those classes! They'd love you! Your grades are really good and you have so many track and field awards. Maybe you do this as a stepping stone to bigger and better things?" Gary's enthusiasm was building as he thought about it.

Emma looked at him like he was losing his mind. "And while I'm working at this job will I sleep on the street?"

Gary's face flushed with heat, hidden by the firelight. "You could stay with me. I have an apartment. You- you could help me with the rent," he said nervously.

Emma's eyes flew wide as she heard Gary asking her to live with him. Then her huge smile threatened to split her face as her excitement caught up to his enthusiasm. When he smiled back she squealed and turned to hug him. Gary turned to face her and her lips, aimed at his cheek, landed on his lips.

It was Gary's turn to go wide eyed but he didn't let her pull back. His arms held her gently and his mouth fit hers perfectly as she melted into the kiss.

"It's about fucking time!" someone called out and the others laughed and hooted.

Gary and Emma reluctantly pulled back from the kiss with grins on their faces as they continued to hold each other close. They faced their friends and took the good-natured ribbing.

He looked into her eyes and saw her joy there. "So... you'll come with me to the city?"

"Yes!" she gasped and his heart did little flips as she trembled with happiness in his arms.

The party began to wind down as couples left for more private locations to continue their own celebrations. Emma and Gary said their goodbyes as well and went back to his truck. They slipped on their jeans and shirts and Gary got them back on the road. On the way home they discussed when they would leave and Emma said she would be ready when Gary had to go. He pulled into her lane and drove up to the house.

Gary shut the engine and looked over at the beauty sitting on the seat next to him. "I'm so glad you're coming with me. I didn't... I didn't realize until tonight just how empty my life would be without you."

Emma's heart felt like it might burst from her chest it was beating so hard. Her cheeks hurt from smiling. She leaned forward as Gary leaned towards her. The kiss was gentle and perfect.

They rested their foreheads together once they pulled back from the kiss and found themselves panting. This brought grins to their faces.

"I was so worried about ruining what we had but this is so much better," Emma sighed.

Gary could only nod.

He walked her to her door and they kissed once more, slow and sweet, before they said their goodnights.

Gary floated home on a cloud and Emma glided up the stairs to her bedroom.

It was a perfect night.

Chapter 6

Gary held Emma's hand as they rode the train from the bus terminal to the neighborhood where they'd be living. They were tired from the long bus ride and from carrying their duffle bags with all their worldly possessions.

Leaving his Mom had been hard but he'd promised to keep in touch with email.

Dale had driven him and Emma to the bus station in town as he was being given the old truck. Gary had shaken his hand but Dale hadn't looked back as he drove away.

The trip to the city was long but they were here and the train was approaching their stop. Gary stood and Emma followed him out onto the platform and down to street level. They only had to walk one block through the old neighborhood to get to their apartment building. Their place would be on the third floor of the first five story apartment building on a street lined with them. They saw a lot of people out for a walk that evening. Couples, some with carriages and some with kids. Emma gave him a wide smile as the neighborhood looked pretty lively.

They found the building and Gary buzzed the Super.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Gary Truman."

"Ah! I'll be right there." The intercom went dead.

Emma trembled with excitement and Gary smiled at her. They saw an older grey haired man open the inner door and open the door for them.

"Come in! I'm Hector. You must be Gary? And who's this?" the old man asked, raising his bushy eyebrows.

"This is Emma. My... girlfriend," Gary said for the first time. Emma's smile showed her delight.

"Nice to meet you both! Come on, I'll show you the place," Hector said and led them up the stairs. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the deadbolt on a door at the end of the hall. They went in and he flipped on a light switch.

They looked around at the small apartment.

Hector stood in the 'living room' and gestured around himself. "It's furnished with the basics and has cookware and dinnerware. The last tenant was an older gentleman. He told me his doctor gave him only a year to live so he went on a trip around the world and he never returned. He left all this stuff so it's yours though it's nothing fancy. I don't want any of it so you can keep it." He shrugged. "Kitchen there. Bathroom through that door. Bedroom through that door. It faces the green space so it's as quiet as it's going to get this close to the train."

Gary did a quick tour of the bedroom and bathroom and glanced in the kitchen while Emma followed.

"What do you think?" he asked.

She smiled. "It's small but it's really nice. I really like the neighborhood too."

Gary smiled and nodded. He had a good feeling about the place too.

"Ready to sign the rental agreement?" Hector said. They nodded to him with smiles. "Great! Follow me down to the office and I'll make it official."

Twenty minutes later Gary let them back into their first home in the city. Emma did a more thorough inspection since Hector wasn't watching and she nodded appreciatively.

"The previous owner was very tidy. While it's a little dusty it's clean," she said.

Gary looked at the recliner in front of the old TV set and shook his head. "There is no way I'm sitting in that old chair. It's so worn out it would probably swallow me whole! It's gotta go."

They poked in the drawers and hall closet and found some cleaning products, a broom, dustpan, and a mop and bucket. They'd be able to clean the place... tomorrow.

They went into the bedroom and the large window did face a large tree. The greenery was nice to see considering how they now lived in such a huge city. Emma checked out the closet while Gary looked under the bed. He saw some old shoe boxes and a larger shape in the dark space. He pulled the boxes out and discovered they were filled with old cassette tapes. He reached under to pull the other item out and felt a handle on the side of what felt like leather. He tugged on it but it was stuck.

"Emma, can you lift the edge of the bed a little? There's a suitcase or something under here," he asked. As she lifted he carefully pulled on the handle and whatever it was pulled three more shoe boxes out before he managed to get it free. It was an old guitar case. Emma squealed a little as she saw what he'd found. He looked at her in surprise then opened the latches and flipped open the case.

Inside was an acoustic guitar. It had no strings but it looked to be in good shape. Gary lifted it from the case reverently and Emma looked at him curiously. She thought it was a nice looking guitar but nothing special. It was a deep mahogany brown with a black pick guard. She wasn't sure why Gary was handling it so gently. Maybe it was damaged?

He glanced at her as he held the guitar in his arms. "It's an old Gibson!"

"Is that good?" she asked.

"It's much better than the guitar I used to have," he said quietly.

"Where are the strings?" she asked.

He looked in the case but it was empty. "That's ok. I brought the strings from my old guitar. I'll string it later." He turned the guitar over in his hands. There were a few nicks and scratches showing it had been lovingly used but otherwise it was in good shape. He smiled at Emma.

"What a lovely way to start our first night in our new home!" she said.

He gently put the guitar back in the case and leaned it up against the wall in the corner of the room before turning back to take Emma's hands in his.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else or with anyone else. I can't believe how lucky I am at this moment!" Gary said looking into Emma's loving eyes.

He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers and she gasped a little then she was pressing her mouth to his.

His arms went around her and he held her close as he tasted her mouth. She was making little needful sounds as she chased his tongue with hers.

When they parted her eyes were telling him she wanted more. She tugged on the bottom of his shirt and pulled it from his pants and up his chest. He grinned at her urgency as his shirt went up and over his head.

He pulled her shirt up and her eyes flashed to his as he smiled. She raised her arms and the shirt was off.

Emma's eyes roamed over his hard muscles and he sucked in a breath when he saw her lovely breasts in a pink lacy bra. He slid his fingers around her back on the strap but there was no clasp!

She grinned at him and released the bra from the clasp hidden under the small crystal between the cups and pulled it back slowly.

"My god! You're so beautiful!" he sighed as she pulled the bra away from her body. While her breasts were small he thought her stiff pink nipples were perfect!

She leaned forward to kiss him again and thrilled to feel his strong chest muscles pressing against her bare breasts. She sighed into the kiss when his hands moved over the skin of her back.

Gary felt hands on his belt, tugging at it awkwardly. He pulled back to look into Emma's eyes. She looked back at him curiously.

"How- how much further were you thinking of going with this?" he asked cautiously.

"As far as it takes us," she grinned.

He couldn't help but smile in return. "No seriously, I wasn't expecting this so I didn't... purchase any protection."

"It's a good thing you have a girlfriend who thinks ahead then," she said with a bold look.

Eyebrows went up. "You brought one?"

"Pffft! One?" she teased. He chuckled and pulled her in close for another kiss. She moaned and kissed him deeply.

When they pulled back her brow furrowed with frustration as she struggled with his buckle. "Are you wearing a chastity belt? What's with this freaking thing?"

He laughed and tugged the end of his belt back to release it.

She purred as she popped the button, dropped the zipper and slid her hands in over his hips. She ran them down the sides of his legs, sliding his pants and briefs down at the same time.

Emma was squatting down before Gary facing his growing cock. "Oh! Hello!" she said in surprise. She'd never seen one in real life and her eyes widened at the thought of having this one inside her. It seemed too big to fit! She looked up at him and smiled nervously.

Gary thought Emma looked so sweet. He lifted her back up to her feet as he kicked off his socks, pants and underwear.

Emma bit her lip as she looked down at his erection. "I- I've never done it. Not with Todd or anyone," she confessed quietly.

He tilted her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. "I haven't either."

She looked surprised. "I heard- Gwen said you and Marlene fooled around."

Gary blinked. "What? We didn't- oh!" He wanted to be completely honest with Emma. "My last night at Fitzhenry's while I was finishing up his books she snuck into the office, hid under the desk and..." He squirmed in embarrassment. "...she used her mouth on me. I'm sorry-"

"No Gary! You don't have to apologize. We weren't a couple then and you thought she was the one-"

"No. She wasn't. I wanted her to be but I think I knew she wouldn't be. I was letting 'little head' do the thinking," he said, ashamed.

"This is little head?" Emma asked taking his cock in her hand and he jolted from the sudden sensation. She was looking a little wide eyed at her own boldness. She'd never held one before and it was far softer than she expected. While it was very firm, the skin was so smooth! And hot! She could feel his pulse beating so strongly. She bit her lip again as a rush of tingles ran through her.

"God, Emma!" Gary said and gave her a hot look. He suddenly undid her jeans and slid them and her panties down her legs as she'd done for him. He knelt before her admiring her small patch of red hair. On impulse he leaned forward and pressed his lips to it.

"AAAHHHH!!!! Gary! Oh my god!" she cried as her body shook in response.

They both paused to look at the bed.

Gary stood. "Pull the sheets off. Mom made me pack a set." He went to his duffle and rooted around inside to find the sheets and pillow cases while Emma stripped the old bed. The mattress looked relatively new and it was as clean as the rest of the apartment at least. She helped Gary make the bed as they grinned at each other.

They slipped in under the top sheet and held each other as they kissed.

"Oh, wait!" Emma yelped as she slipped from the bed to dig into her duffle bag. She pulled out a box of condoms and rushed back to bed, Gary's eyes on her the entire way.

"A box of 30?" he snorted.

"I don't know! Aren't guys always horny?" Emma blushed.

"Aren't girls?" Gary teased back and she smiled wickedly and nodded. They laughed together and kissed once more.

The kiss slowed down and deepened as they felt their hearts begin to race. They paused to rest their foreheads together.

"I don't know if I'm more excited or nervous," Gary admitted.

"What are you nervous about?" Emma asked.

"About messing up and losing you," he said quietly.

She took his face in her hands and gently kissed him. "I just got you! I'm not letting you go! Besides, don't worry! I'll tell you when you begin to mess up," she teased.

He growled playfully and rolled her over onto her back as she squealed. That turned into a moan as she felt him resting his hot cock across her mound.

He began kissing down her long neck as she gasped and squirmed. She gasped louder when his mouth arrived at her tits and worshipped her nipples for a time. When his kisses continued downwards her eyes went wide with surprise. His lips caressed her hip bones and tingles shot through her pussy.

Then he was kissing her trimmed hairs down below and she grabbed at his head, fingers tangled in his hair. He began to nibble and lick her most sensitive flesh with his lips and tongue and Emma was lost in a world of bliss!

"FFFFFFAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! OOOOOHHHHH GGARRRYYY! YYYYEEEESSSSS!!!!" she cried as his active tongue brought her higher and higher until her world exploded into stars and cascading pleasure. Her mouth was open but there was no sound as her body quaked through a massive release.

When she next became aware of her surroundings, Gary was resting beside her, leaning on his elbow, watching her face with a look of happiness on his.

"What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Just admiring your beauty," he sighed.

Her eyes flared with hunger and she pounced on him, pinning him to the mattress. It was her turn to kiss her way down his body. Her eyes looked up at him mischievously as she kissed his nipples and soon she was facing his cock once more. It was gently bobbing with his heartbeat as he watched her with wide eyes. He smiled at her then threw his head back, eyes closing in bliss as Emma pressed her lips to the head of his cock.

"Mmmm, it's so smooth and hot!" she purred.

He opened his eyes and watched her feverishly as she teased the shaft with her tongue. "Emma..." he sighed.

His sighs turned into gasps as she moved her lips over the head and took it inside her mouth. Her tongue stroked over his flesh as she slowly took more and more of it inside.

"Oh! Oh my god! Emma!" he said, sucking in a breath as the sensations blasted through his mind. He watched her intense concentration and the image burned itself into his mind for all time. Marlene may have had a more practiced technique but this... to have Emma doing this for him was truly world shaking! It felt better than anything he'd ever experienced!

Finally, the head bumped into the back of her throat and she looked up at him as she hadn't taken it all yet. She winked and pushed a little harder and he gasped as her face was suddenly pressed against his lap.

"FUCK! Ahhhh! Oh my god!" Gary cried out as his body twitched with the intensity. She was swallowing or doing something with her throat that was driving him insane with pleasure!

Emma pulled him slowly from her throat and mouth and looked up at him with a very pleased smile. "So, that was good?"

"Incredible!" was all he managed.

Her smile widened as she moved to the end table. She slipped back to his cock and was soon rolling a condom down the length of his throbbing erection as he sucked in another breath.

She climbed onto his body and rubbed herself up and down his shaft as she cooed with pleasure. "Oh Gary, you feel so good!"

"I'm glad you bought more than one of these," he teased and she giggled as she nodded.

When she was good and wet and Gary was hard enough to drive nails into concrete, she reached down and positioned him against her. Her eyes were wide as she was nervous but she saw Gary had the same expression as he held her eyes with his. She slowly eased herself down onto his cock and her mouth dropped open as it felt so good. Strange and intensely intimate but oh so good and... right. Gary was the one who she was supposed to be with.

She'd only begun to take him inside when she felt a brief sharp pain and went still.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yes... give me a moment," she said as she rode out the pain. It wasn't too bad. Her friend Francis had confessed that her first time had been very painful for her. Emma had been psyching herself up for far worse than this.

She eased herself further down and only winced a little. She watched Gary's face and she could tell it felt really good for him but he was doing his best to let her set the pace. Her heart warmed seeing that.

"Gary, you're filling me up so good!" she cooed as she managed to drop down a few more inches.

"Oh Emma! This feels amazing!" Gary managed before dropping his head back against the bed.

When her ass settled down on his pelvis she knew she'd taken all of him and she felt his heat deep within her. She leaned forward to rest on his chest and brought her mouth over his for a kiss. He caressed her lips with his and their tongues chased each other, firing their passions.

Emma's hips began to roll and grind against Gary's and she moaned into their kiss as the pleasure began to build.

Gary's hands found her ass and he squeezed her firm muscles as his own hips joined the motion to stroke his cock in and out of her tight pussy.

"Oh! Oh my god, yes! Oh Gary! God I love your hands on my body!" she moaned as she pulled back from the kiss. She ground her clit against his body as her hips began to pick up the pace.

"And I love touching you so we're a good match!" Gary said with a smile.

She took his mouth with hers as her movements began to accelerate.

Gary was stroking in and out of Emma's hot, wet pussy as her hips gyrated against him. He was getting close, very close and from the look in her eyes so was she.

Emma was looking into Gary's eyes and saw the love in them. That was the magic ingredient she'd missed in her previous relationship with Todd. He'd never looked at her like Gary did. Her body suddenly rushed up on a truly monumental explosion of pleasure as she threw her head back and closed her eyes.

Gary could feel her clamping down on his cock in ripples and this sent him over the top as well. "Fuck! I'm cumming!" he growled as he pulled Emma's body tight against his, his hands stroking and squeezing her ass cheeks. She continued to rock against him but was slowing down into a gentle, languid roll of her hips to prolong the blissful sensations.

They caught their breath as Emma rested her head on Gary's shoulder.

"I should have picked up a larger box of condoms," she sighed.

Gary burst into laughter and Emma chuckled and gasped as the movement sent sparks through her body.

"Stop! Ooo! Stop stop stop!" she giggled as she bounced on his chest. She finally rolled off onto the mattress. She gave him a false scowl and he laughed harder. She loved hearing the happy sound so she just tucked herself against his side and hugged him.

"Oh Emma! I love you!" Gary finally managed once his laughing settled down.

She gasped and pushed herself up on her elbow to look into his eyes.

Gary smiled at her. "I really do. You make me happier than I thought possible. I can't imagine my life without you."

"I love you too, Gary!" Emma blurted and moved in to kissed him tenderly.

"And your lips fit mine perfectly," he said with a smile as she moved back to rest her cheek against his arm. She sighed happily.

They lay in bed just holding each other and enjoying the intimacy.

"I can't believe we're here," Emma said. "Is it really happening?"

Gary kissed the top of her head and hugged her a little tighter. "Yes, it's real. We're starting the next phase of our life. When I was first planning my escape from the farm I couldn't see past the moment of my arriving here. The very thought of facing that future alone terrified me. Now, with you by my side, as you've been my entire life, I can't wait to see what's next!"

The two young lovers contemplated a future made so much richer by a friendship that stretched back to their childhood. They'd face whatever came at them, together.