At The Bookstore

This is a work of fiction and does not relate to actual events. While some authentic geographical points may appear, any persons, buildings, events, companies or descriptions thereof are completely fictitious. The work incorporates issues such as proper birth control and STD prevention.

This story is partially based on a dream. I started with the idea of writing a 750-word story, but too many important details crowded their way in. The temptation is to add more details and detract from the key concept.

Retired.

Alone by preference.

Not lonely.

Thaddeus Swanson, 73, follows a flexible schedule to fill his days. After Hazel, his wife of 50 years died five years ago of cancer, he downsized from a three-bedroom house and land in the country to half of a duplex in a city on the West Coast.

College students often rent the other half. Because he doesn't need the money, he keeps the rent low. The problem isn't finding renters. It is weeding down the list. His daughter-in-law, Noreen, handles that because she runs a property management company.

The alarm rings at five. Since he rose at four most of his life, he often lies awake until it sounds.

The two warehouses and 31 delivery vehicles he owned needed to deliver freight early. That meant trucks must leave the dock by seven a. m. Old habits never die.

He is a fit, bulky man with a full head of salt and pepper hair and the body of a weightlifter. Ruggedly handsome, Hazel always said. Heavy work kept him fit and left him with a few aching joints and arthritis in his lower back.

He only loved one woman in his life. He married her when they were 18. Despite everyone's efforts, he resists dating.

Into his home office by five-thirty with a carafe of freshly brewed coffee. For the next hour or so, he peruses markets and his investments. Making changes as needed. He follows his session with a hearty breakfast.

He and Hazel couldn't afford college. All their three children and seven grandchildren received financial support based on their ability to work and contribute. Every Swanson Company employee's child who wants to attend college receives a scholarship between $1,000 and $10,000 each year.

Guaranteed. The amount is based only on need.

He reserves the mornings for exercise. Working in his garden and on some of the landscaping. The quarter-block property contains several large shade trees, and the edges slope. He uses a landscaping company to mow the lawn and take care of the trees.

Mondays through Saturdays he rides a bus to the YMCA. He pays for bus service as part of his taxes. Might as well use it rather than drive. If not the bus, he uses a senior bus or calls his son, and a company vehicle picks him up. He has an electric SUV which he uses for grocery shopping and for visiting his relatives.

On alternating days, he does light exercises or swims in the pool. Sometimes in a class with others or with a trainer. Depends on circumstances.

Afternoons are for socialization. He lunches with friends two or three times a week. He visits the senior center frequently for poker, pinochle or bingo. On Fridays, he and his son, Derrick, lunch and talk about company business.

Evenings are for reading and writing. Or working on his H-scale model railroad that fills half his basement. He writes fantasy, erotica, and history. He is working on the history of his company and his life.

Certainly not for watching TV unless it is sports. He never had time.

Sometimes he visits the library in the afternoon to read magazines. He frequently stops at a coffee shop that features sandwiches and bakery items. The shop is about half bookstore.

The owner set aside a section of the building as a music venue. Anyone who wants to perform pays a small deposit for the use of the sound equipment. The owner encourages customers to leave tips. If the music doesn't make people upset, no one cares what it sounds like.

It was on one of those odd mid-September days that Thad visited the coffee shop-bookstore. After an extremely hot Labor Day weekend, the temperatures dropped, rain fell, and people stayed indoors. The next weekend, temperatures moved into the mid-80s.

For planned concerts, the staff sets up extra chairs. On other days, a series of couches and oversized chairs house the few people who want to rest while they read or visit.

He arrived in time to hear the last parts of a string quartet playing classical music. He read until the staff removed the chairs before he felt the effects of the heat.

In the warm space, Thad dozed off on one of the couches. A nudge stirred him enough to open his eyes. Unless he turned his head, he could see no one.

Another nudge. He shifted to his left side and looked at the perpendicular sofa.

A blonde young woman with long legs sat with her yellow sundress tucked around her. On her left side, a red-haired, shorter woman sat. She wore red shorts and a white cut-off tee shirt that held her large breasts. He could see her nipples pushing hard against the cotton.

The blonde woman opened her legs slightly. Not far. More tease than exposure. Thad felt a twitch in his cock that he hadn't felt for a long time.

He smiled and turned again to his back. Not that he didn't appreciate the sight. He wasn't sure it was for him at his age.

Another nudge. Habit set in from having two daughters and four granddaughters. Wanting them to remain modest, he found a thin blanket on the back of his sofa and handed it to her over his head.

The sounds of her unfolding the blanket and arranging it over her legs came to his ears.

Another nudge. He turned onto his side and glanced at her.

She smiled wickedly and licked her lips. Under the blanket, she spread her legs wide. Raised it slightly to give him a peek of her wet, white panties.

After glancing around and seeing no one looking, not even her friend, Thad shifted positions and slid his hand under the blanket. Ankle and calf first.

She smiled wider and licked her lips frequently. Moved her head up and down three times.

He couldn't reach her knees. Transferred to a silky-smooth inner thigh. After nearly 50 years of making love to Hazel, muscle memory controlled his arms and hands.

The woman opened her mouth. Her breathing grew faster, louder and shorter the closer he got to her core. She bit her lower lip the first time he ran a finger along the gusset of her panties. He felt her wetness that saturated the cotton gusset. His keen ears heard the squish.

The red-haired woman must have caught on. She bit her lip, found another small blanket and draped it over her lap.

"I'll watch for people," she mouthed silently to him. He nodded in agreement.

Blondie closed her legs slightly. He stroked the inner thigh of her other leg. She bit her lower lip. A soft moan escaped from her lips.

She half-opened her eyes as her body quivered. Another moan slipped from her mouth.

When he reached the edge of her panties this time, she stuffed a corner of the blanket into her mouth. Her eyes glazed over. One of her hands moved under the blanket, high enough that it looked like she was playing with her boobs.

He watched her bite down hard on the blanket as a finger slipped under the gusset and along one slippery labium. He knew right where to touch, moving in micro increments up the inside of her labium, circling her opening, down the other labium and detouring to her clit occasionally.

Varying his motion in long increments. Around. Back and forth. Figure eights. Pushing.

She chewed the blanket as his two fingers entered her opening and found the puffy area at the top. One quick glance at the red-haired woman showed she felt the sexual tension capture her.

Her eyes had glazed over. The sofa moved as she stroked up and down under her blanket. He noticed ripples in the blanket as she stroked and pinched her nipples.

Despite her efforts, a moan escaped the blonde woman's mouth. She shook as she tried to conceal her climax. Her legs clamped together while her eyes rolled back in her head.

Thad stroked softly over her hips and her outer thighs until she calmed. The red-haired woman soon followed. Her moan sounded louder. No one cared.

He removed his hand and put his fingers in his mouth. Licked them while he smiled. They grinned lopsidedly back. Their eyes twinkled with lust.

The two girls moved the blankets to one side, stood and walked to Thaddeus. "Thank you," the blonde woman said. She kissed him on the forehead. The red-haired girl did the same.

They left the shop after they had folded the blankets and stacked them on a sofa. Thad had a hard-on he hadn't had in years. He grabbed one of the blankets, found the scented area, sniffed it and spread it over his lap until he calmed down.

That night, he dreamed of the two women. He woke to find his bed saturated. The first wet dream in years that he remembered.

Over the next two weeks, the memory drifted in and out of his mind. He doubted he'd ever seen them again.

Classes at the local University don't start until the last Monday of September. Noreen sent him the names of three women who rented the duplex. The names meant nothing to him.

On that Friday and Saturday, several people moved in while he was gone. It was his youngest grandchild's birthday. He drove 120 miles to their house for her 18th birthday celebration.

Tiffany was born to Sasha and Melanie. Sasha and her twin sister, Sarah, were 52. Sarah runs the second company warehouse about 70 miles away near three large cities. Sasha went to law school and waited until she was 34 before giving birth.

On Sunday, Thad removed the last of his produce from his garden. The last three tomatoes had ripened enough to pick. A few carrots and turnips remained to dig. He found a few stray potatoes, too.

He wore only boots, board shorts and a thin white tank top. His muscles rippled as he worked.

He heard a familiar voice that said, "Hello."

He turned to greet them.

It was three women. Two were the blonde-haired and red-haired women from the coffee shop. The other was Black and taller than Blondie. The two white faces turned pink.

All three wore spandex shorts in multiple colors, loose tops with no sleeves and sports bras underneath. He could see the sheen of perspiration glisten on their skin. Some had pooled in their collarbones.

"I'm Hannah," the blonde woman said.

"I'm Anna," the red-haired woman said.

"This is Sharise," Hannah said. "She is from Nigeria."

"We're all graduate students at the U of O," Anna added. "We're your new neighbors."

Thad felt the familiar twitch in his cock. The girls licked their lips and bit down on the lower one.

"I think we'll get along fine this year," Thad said. "It is like fate brought us together."