"Deadly Secrets" (closed)

[ManInTheLoft]

"Deadly Secrets"

closed​

Marcus Hamilton had never liked funerals, so the two-fer burial of Thomas Daniels and his wife Sarah was definitely something he would have preferred to avoid. The couple who had died in a tragic and fiery car crash two weeks earlier had been well known and well liked, so the turn out at Rose Lawn Cemetery had reached just into the three digits.

Despite the turnout, though, only one person here on this rainy day held any interest for Marcus: the deceased couple's 19 year old daughter, Tabitha. (OOC: Changeable.) Waiting until the flow of mourners expressing their regrets to the young woman had ended, Marcus stepped up to Tabitha.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," he said with a sorrowful tone. "I don't know if you remember me. Marcus Hamilton. I was at the Christmas party your parents threw last year for their employees and regular clients."

Marcus gave Tabitha a moment to see if she recalled him. He would have totally understood if she hadn't: she'd only gotten a glimpse of him, and at the time Marcus had been engaged in a quiet, inconspicuous conversation in a back corner with Tabitha's mother.

To be honest, Marcus would have totally preferred that Tabitha didn't recognize him. In his line of business -- international espionage -- it was often better if people didn't recognize you, and the nature of his conversation that night with Sarah might have looked more like lovers planning a future rendezvous than two spies exchanging information about a current operation.

"I know this is neither the time nor place for it," Marcus continued, "but your father and I had some outstanding business we were going to discuss. I'm in the travel business myself, and while I'm sure that your father's office manager -- Chuck wasn't it? -- is handling things during this difficult time, I would very much like to sit down with you, perhaps over lunch, and talk about the future of the company."

Marcus handed Tabitha the business card, then took her hand for a gentle, comforting shake.

"Again, I'm so sorry for your loss," he said with a genuine smile of comfort. "If you ever need someone with whom you can talk, about anything, don't hesitate to call on me."

They made their farewells, and Marcus stepped aside for the next person wishing to express their sorrow. As he made his way across the cemetery's lawn, Marcus pressed a speed dial number on his phone.

"Is it done?" he asked when a man answered on the other end of the call. "The graveside is breaking up now. She'll be home soon."

"We have every room in the house wired for audio and picture," the man reported. "All but the bathrooms, I mean."

"Why not the bathrooms?" Marcus asked, lacking any concern about peeping on the location where some of Tabitha's most intimate moments were spent. When the man on the phone seemed hesitant, Marcus ordered, "Wire the bathrooms and get out of there. Send me the online access codes and get a recon' station set up in my hotel room."

"Already done," the man said before ending the call.

Marcus looked back toward the grave site to see Tabitha finally leaving. He studied her a bit, wondering whether or not he'd be able to pull this off. He'd never before recruited an unaware child of one of his operatives. It was new territory. The tragic nature of the death of Tabitha's parents was going to be an advantage though. Telling her that the accident had been anything but an accident was going to be a great opening to turning her into an operative of her own right.

You'll make this work, he told himself. She'll come around.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"I don't know if you remember me. Marcus Hamilton. I was at the Christmas party your parents threw last year for their employees and regular clients."

In truth it had taken Tabitha a bit to remember the man. Her mind fogged with grief, at the moment he was just another half-registered and vaguely familiar face in the seemingly endless line of people coming to express their condolences to her after her parent's funeral. At his mention of her parents' Christmas party however and as he continued to talk she was able to finally place where she had seen him before, instantly wishing that she hadn't recalled it at all.

This was the business associate of her father's that she'd accidentally noticed having a private moment with her mother at the Christmas party the year before! With the way the pair's conversation had looked, she remembered wondering at the time if her mother and the man might be having an affair. In short, it definitely was not a memory that she wanted to be reminded of on the day of her parents funeral.

She took the man's business card when he offered it, but had no intention of ever calling him. Whatever it was that he wished to discuss with her she would let Chuck deal with it. She shook his hand and politely thanked him for his condolences before he was replaced by the next person in line, grateful that the awkward exchange was over and hoping that it would be the last time she ever had to make conversation with the man again.

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

Three days later Tabitha decided to make a drive into town, having a few errands that she needed to run. She decided to start off at the post office. She'd finally gotten around to writing thank-you notes to everyone that had sent food or flowers to her after her parents passing and had run out of stamps in the process.

Pulling the car into the post office parking lot, she pulled into a vacant spot and parked before getting out and heading towards the entry way.

 

[ManInTheLoft]

Marcus had been disappointed yet not at all surprised by Tabitha's not calling him in the days following the funeral. After all, he was little more than a barely familiar mourner paying his respect, another of a hundred former business associates of Tabitha's parents. And what the young woman had known of Marcus wasn't something that would have endeared him to her, the possibility that he'd been parting her mother's knees behind her father's back.

That didn't mean that Marcus hadn't seen Tabitha, though. The 12 motion detector-enabled, audio-capable cameras hidden throughout the Daniels Family home had been recording the activity within, even since before Tabitha had left the cemetery. The coverage wasn't entirely complete; only about 70 percent of the house was within view of one of the cameras. But it was good enough, with the cameras very adequately covering the most important portions of the home: the kitchen table seating area; the couches and chairs in the living room; the exercise machines in the home gym; and best of all -- for a man with a bit of a voyeurism fetish -- the bed and its surrounding area in Tabitha's room, as well as the standing area between the tub and sink counter of the adjacent bathroom.

Some might have thought it a bit unprofessional for Marcus to take such an interest in the more intimate portions of the house, Tabitha's bedroom and bathroom. But if they had seen what Marcus had, they might have forgiven him or, at the least, understood him. Tabitha was a very beautiful young woman, and that first night when she stripped from her black mourning clothes down to a a sexy, revealing bra and panties set, Marcus knew that he'd be enjoying this part of his new mission.

When he wasn't dealing with other duties, Marcus found himself returning often to those moments of Tabitha in the home that now belonged to her. He had to remind himself often that the cameras weren't there for his viewing and masturbatory pleasures. Marcus's bosses had long term plans for Tabitha that went much farther than his own sexual fantasies. That didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the show, though.

Marcus kept an eye on Tabitha off and on following the funeral -- both on his laptop and out in the real world -- finally deciding to bump into her on the third day. He hadn't yet been able to clone her cell phone, but from Tabitha's half of her conversations that Ryan Cooper would be returning from overseas in the next day or two. Marcus was hoping to begin a personal relationship with Tabitha before her slightly older lover was back to provide her with a shoulder upon which she could cry.

***********​

"Tabitha?" Marcus waited for the young Miss Daniels to look to him and register his identity. He was dressed far more casually than he had been the day of the funeral when he'd been in a three piece suit. He stepped a bit closer and again offered his hand. He reminded her, "Marcus Hamilton."

With their greetings finished, Marcus reached into the satchel he was carrying in place of his more formal briefcase.

"Listen, I wanted to apologize for the funeral," he said, pulling out a thin folder. "I probably sounded like an ambulance chaser, pulling out my business card and talking about my association with your parents."

He was hoping that what he told Tabitha next would allay any thoughts she might have about his relationship with her now dead mother.

"Your mother and I had been preparing a surprise for your father," he continued. He offered out the folder before him. On it was the logo of a popular European travel company with which the Daniels did a lot of business. "A little cruise through the Greek Isles, into the Dardanelles. A couple of days in Istanbul, Varna in Bulgaria, Constanta in Romania. A drive through the countryside to Bucharest, then first class seats to Rome for a week of ruins and vineyards."

Marcus smiled and chuckled. "Personally, I don't think a week in Italy is nearly enough. A life time wouldn't be enough. But, that was what your mother asked for, so..."

He was hoping the fake explanation would be enough to relieve Tabitha of her suspicions, maybe even end up with them sitting together for a cup of coffee at the stand across the street. But, if she had no interest in that, he would politely trade farewells with her and go on his way.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Tabitha had reached out and took the folder as Marcus had handed it to her, quickly recognizing the logo on the cover as she looked it over in astonishment. All this time she'd been worried that her mom might have been having an affair with this man and it turns out the two of them had simply been planning a surprise trip for her mother to take her father on as a gift. She felt horrible for thinking the worst of her mother like that.

Her eyes suddenly began to grow teary and she wiped at them with the fingers of her free hand in embarrassment as she held the folder to her chest.

"I'm sorry," she told him apologetically as she brushed away a tear, "I didn't mean to get emotional on you."

She tried to manage a smile of gratitude.

"Thank you for letting me know. It means a lot. I'm sure Dad would have loved it. I'm sorry they never got to go..." she paused for a moment before looking up at him and adding, "I apologize for not calling you about that business you said you needed to discuss with me about the future of the company... Would you have time to discuss it now? There's a cafe just there across the street where we could go if you like."

 

[ManInTheLoft]

"It would please me a great deal," Marcus responded to Tabitha's offer.

They crossed the street to a corner coffee shop. As they waited for their drinks, Marcus engaged Tabitha in some casual conversation about University, about the travel business, about whether she had other family in the area, that kind of stuff.

"Your parents' deaths were a tragedy," he told her with a sincere tone after their drinks had arrived. "They will be greatly missed."

Marcus honestly meant what he said, and not just because the loss of Thomas and Sarah Daniels was a major setback to his operation. Thomas had been a great friend in addition to a great operative; and Sarah had been great friend, great operative, and great lay.

Yes, Marcus and Tabitha's mother had indeed enjoyed the pleasures of one another's bodies. But that had been long, long ago, before Sarah had been matched with Thomas and smuggled into the United States as a typical, loyal, patriotic American couple.

"I've known your parents since before you were born, did you know that, Tabitha?" he continued. "Your father and I grew up together, went to school together. I was the one who introduced Thomas to your mother, actually. Senior year of high school. Homecoming dance, she was my date, but I made the mistake of letting my best friend dance with her. One dance with your father and she plain ol' forgot about me. Love at first sight. Yeah, its exists. It happens."

Marcus laughed and sipped at his coffee as he studied Tabitha for a moment. He wondered what she would think if she knew that it had been Marcus who had taken her mother's virginity; that it had been Marcus who had trained her to be a sexual weapon; that it had been Marcus who had recommended her for "S Directorate"; that it had been Marcus who had preceded the Daniels to America, to create their cover life for them.

"You remind me of her ... your mother," he said with an appreciative smile. "You have her smile. Her eyes."

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Tabitha may have initially invited Marcus to join her for coffee due to a slight feeling of obligation after not following through with calling him before, and especially after her misjudgment of his and her mom's relationship together, but she was surprised to find herself rather enjoying the conversation with the former business associate of her father's. She found herself opening up to him easily, finding him very personable and easy to talk to.

Her expression grew somber at the mention of her parent's accident but then lightened slightly as he told her the story of how her mother and father had first met and fallen in love, and the role he had played in it all. A small but genuine smile spread across her lips.

"You remind me of her ... your mother," he said with an appreciative smile. "You have her smile. Her eyes."

She blushed slightly as her smile grew.

"You think so?"

She'd always thought her mother a very beautiful woman. It was nice to think that she resembled her, at least a little.

"I'd had no idea that you all were so close and had known one another for so long," she said, pausing to take a sip of her hot tea before adding, "Though I suppose they never really talked with me much about their past."

 

[ManInTheLoft]

If Marcus hadn't been professionally skilled at controlling his emotions and reactions in the face of surprise, he might have laughed at Tabitha's comment about her parents' pasts. If only you really knew.

He told her a few of his favorite stories about the Daniels, the ones not associated to their positions as Russian spies, of course. It didn't take long to get smiles of amazement and even bouts of laughter from their daughter.

"They were fun people, and amazingly resourceful when the need arose," Marcus told her after a tale concerning a camping trip and a Jeep that was missing a front tire. He told Tabitha yet another story about her parents' first trip to Yellowstone -- researching the National Park for a tour group they were serving -- when the couple found themselves treed by a Grizzly bear for nearly three days. "You father thought that if they fed the bear all of their food, it would go away. But of course, it just waited down there for more, sometimes wandering off to forage through the bushes, but always too close for your folks to feel safe enough to come down. The Rangers finally found them, shooing the bear away like it was some coyote ransacking the garbage cans behind their house."

Her cell phone chimed with a text alert, and Marcus could see that the Caller ID read Ryan. He knew he was about to lose her, but he also wanted to make sure he got to see her again in the very near future.

"Listen, Tabitha, I had a little chat with Charles-- Chuck, the Office Manager down at Daniels Travel," Marcus said as he pulled out a thick, folded wad of cash and ripped off a twenty to pay for their order. "We were just talking about the future of the business, and he suggested that you and I sit and discuss it together. I'd love to meet for dinner one night soon."

Marcus nodded his head toward the phone. "You could bring your friend. Ryan, isn't that what it said? Boyfriend maybe?"

He gave her a sly smile as if having just learned something knew about her. Of course, Marcus had known all about Ryan almost from the first day he and Tabitha had shared their first kiss. In fact, he probably knew more about the young man than his lover did.

****************​

The text Ryan Cooper sent read: Tabbi, flight lands at 5pm. Meet you at baggage claim. Or should I catch an Uber. Miss you and your bod'.

The 24 year old University senior had been in Costa Rica for the past 6 weeks on his second stint with the Study Abroad program. He'd hated being away from Tabitha for so long, particularly after having only become her lover three weeks before his departure. Dating her for nearly a year to finally find such delight between her thighs only to then fly off for a month and a half had been tragic.

"I'll save myself for you," he'd joked with her between playful, passionately wet kisses the day he left, swearing, "I won't even touch myself. Rosy Palm will just have to suffer through the abstinence with me."

Of course, that hadn't happened. After three days of scantily clad locals and tourists alike in and around San Jose, Ryan was finding himself beating off in the shower at least twice a day, praying for the day he got back to his new lover. He wasn't the type to cheat, so when his Course Advisor offered him an additional four week stay to help build a school north of the Capital City, Ryan found himself making up all kinds of excuses about how he was needed back home by his family and friends.

And now here he was at half past five, emerging from Customs and the long passage from the arrivals gates to descend the escalator to baggage. Of course, it wasn't his travel bag and guitar case that he looked for initially: it was that shapely Tabitha Daniels around whom he wanted to wrap his arms.

Fuck, he thought as he searched the crowd for her. He shifted his stance a bit as he thought to himself, I'm already fucking hard as a rock!

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

"Boyfriend," Tabitha confirmed with a nod and a small, slightly shy smile in return.

"He's been out of the country for the past six weeks as part of a study abroad program which is why he wasn't able to make it to the funeral, but he'll be getting back later today," she explained as she checked her phone, smiling as she red Ryan's text, "I'm not sure if he'd be interested in coming to a business dinner, but thanks. I'll ask him."

She exchanged phone numbers with Marcus and made plans with him to meet at a later date for dinner so that they could discuss the future of Daniels Travel together as he had suggested. She knew that her parents had worked long and hard to make the company the success that it currently was. It was part of their legacy, and she wanted to make sure that she did right by it.

After she and Marcus had parted ways she texted Ryan back, letting him know that she would meet him at baggage claim, and then quickly headed back to the post office so that she could buy the stamps she needed and finish up the rest of the errands she needed to take care of that day. She hadn't planned on talking with Marcus for as long as they had, and she still wanted to stop by the house and freshen up a bit before she went to pick up Ryan from the airport, having been missing him and his "bod" just as much as he had hers during their six weeks apart.

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

She spotted him before he did her, spying him as he descended the escalator and waving to him from her spot in the crowd.

"Ryan, over here!" she called to him, smiling broadly when she could tell he had found her.

She rushed to greet him as he stepped off the escalator, practically throwing herself into his waiting arms.

"God, I've missed you!" she told him with a sigh of relief as she felt them wrap around her.

They hugged and kissed, Ryan sharing his condolences about her parents even though he had already done so when she had first given him the news over a tear filled Skype call back when the accident had occurred and she'd learned of their death. They then went and found his bags together before heading out to her car.

 

[ManInTheLoft]

"Ryan, over here!"

Catching sight of Tabitha, Ryan smiled and waved back. He spent the last ten seconds of so of the escalator ride admiring her figure, contained within and so wonderfully displayed by the jeans and tee shirt that fit her so tightly. Sometimes he couldn't believe he was banging that. Sometimes he couldn't believe that he'd been the first to bang that. Oh, it wasn't as though Ryan wasn't good looking himself; it wasn't as though girls other than Tabitha hadn't had the same banging thought about him. Sometimes Ryan simply couldn't believe that Tabitha had maintained her virginity long enough -- until long after her 18th birthday and graduation from high school -- to finally allow a guy, Ryan, to finally have the honor of deflowering her.

She rushed the escalator and threw herself into his arms. "God, I've missed you!"

Despite the very public setting, Ryan pressed his lips against Tabitha's in a passionate, wet kiss as his hands grasped her young, firm buttocks and lifted her clean off her feet up against his body. As her legs wrapped around his waist, Ryan could feel his firmly solid cock press into Tabitha's groin and belly.

"I've missed you, too," he told her between kisses. Smiling wickedly as he pushed his erection harder against her, Ryan asked, "Can you tell?"

*******************​

The ride back to the Daniels home was only 35 minutes, but for Ryan it seemed like an eternity. They talked about the death of her parents and the funeral with solemn tones; Ryan told some of the tales from his 6 weeks away from Tabitha, including the relief he had from completing the last course he needed for his Bachelors, as well as the fear he'd felt after his hiking group had run across of a major pot growing operation and had had to high tail it back down the mountain before they were discovered.

And all the way back to Tabitha's house, Ryan couldn't get his mind off how good his lover's jeans and tee were going to look laying on the floor next to her bed. They were barely inside the house when Ryan took Tabitha into his arm's again for a very erotic clutching and make out session. But he hesitated as he looked around the surroundings.

"I don't mean to be, I don't know, insensitive or ghoulish," he told her in a sincere tone. "But, I kinda feel like your parents are still here, watching over you. Watching out for you. I mean, like, we never did it here. You know ... sex. Not in their house."

Ryan wanted Tabitha so bad. But she'd gone through a tragedy of immense proportions, something through which he'd never suffered. Ryan's parents were alive and well just on the other side of town. His four grandparents were still alive; six of his eight great-grandparents were still kickin', too. The dog his parents had gotten him as a toddler was old and gray but still chasing balls at the park, though with less energy and enthusiasm. Hell, even his goldfish was still alive, and Tabitha had won it for Ryan almost a year ago at the county fair. What could Ryan possibly know about loss and grief?

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

At Ryan's words Tabitha paused, taking a moment to look around at the room they were in.

"Yeah... I get what you mean," she replied somberly.

It was strange having the place all to herself, and she still wasn't used to it either. It had only been a little over two weeks since her parents passing, so she hadn't made any major changes to the decor of the home and everything still looked as it had when they were alive. A part of her almost felt like at any moment they were going to walk through the front door and scold her for inviting Ryan over while they were away, like it had all just been a bad dream and they had really just been away on one of their trips or something.

She shook her head and blinked her eyes to keep the threatening tears at bay, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by beginning to cry.

"But they're not here, and it's not their house anymore... it's mine," she reminded him, and herself as well, as she turned her gaze to focus on him again, "And right now I just want to be with you."

 

[ManInTheLoft]

Ryan was delighted at his lover's response. He pulled her close to him again, kissing her softly, then more erotically.

“I just want to be with you, too, Tabbi,” he whispered, using the nickname she reserved for his use only. He kissed her once more as a one hand slid to a butt cheek and the other took hold of her tee shirt as if preparing to pull it upwards. He repeated with an obviously suggestive tone, “I want to be with you.”

He smiled and reached to pat his own back right butt cheek and the condoms he’d already removed from his carry-on and slipped into the pocket there. He and Tabitha had only lightly touched on the topic of her getting more convenient birth control before he left for Costa Rica; after her parents’ deaths, the topic had died, so Ryan had no idea whether or not she’d seen a doctor for The Pill or some other form of uh oh prevention. He whispered to her, “I remembered to unpack them. I mean … if that’s what we were going to do tonight.”

******​

Marcus was sitting in a sports bar, paying far more attention to his bosomy waitress in the cropped tee and hot pants than to the dozen and a half screens on which all the current season’s sporting events were playing. His cell dinged, and after he’d entered his code and pressed his thumb to the screen, the surveillance App opened to reveal Tabitha and her beau holding one another in the Daniel's home living room.

Marcus didn’t need the sound turned up to know what the young man just back from Central America wanted from the young woman in his arms. Marcus glanced about to ensure his screen wasn’t within someone else’s view, then watched to see where the pair of lovers took the evening.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Tabitha moved a hand around and slid it over the pocket that Ryan had indicated, feeling the outlines of the condoms that he'd placed there and taking a moment to feel and appreciate his butt cheek beneath them as well.

"How thoughtful of you," she told him with a small, playfully teasing smile, "But I'm afraid it was for nothing since we won't be needing them anymore..."

"I went to the doctor and got on The Pill while you were away," she explained as she pressed her body closer to his.

 

[ManInTheLoft]

Marcus double tapped his phone’s screen, then panned with a swiping fingertip to get a zoomed view of Ryan and Tabitha’s upper halves. It was obvious from their expressions and body language that they were destined for the bedroom.

As if reassuring the unseen man they couldn't know was peeping on them, Ryan suddenly ducked down and slung his lover over his shoulder and headed for the stairway, like some Neanderthal carrying a claimed mate off to his cave.

Marcus temporarily lost sight of the pair, but tapping his screen and selecting from the offered cameras, he found the right room just as Ryan playfully tossed Tabitha onto the bed and began undressing.

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Tabitha couldn't help but let out a surprised laugh as Ryan suddenly reached down and slung her over his shoulder, her laughter continuing as he headed with her up the stairs to her bedroom. Obviously he was pleased about the news she had given him about them no longer needing to use the condoms while enjoying one another and was eager to get to it.

She found herself just as eager as he, laughing lightly again as she landed on her bed covers and reaching down to pull upwards at the hem of her t-shirt and slide it up and over her head, revealing the bra that she had put on that day in preparation for his return home. She tossed the tee over the side of her bed before reaching down again and undoing the button and zipper of her jeans, pushing down at the fabric and wiggling it down past her hips to reveal the matching thong beneath.

 

[ManInTheLoft]

Ryan’s gaze was set upon Tabitha’s body as she began shedding her clothes. With his own shirt tossed aside, he waited for his lover to begin losing her pants before he himself began stripping away his. Ryan was eager to be naked against and deep inside Tabitha, but -- as had been routine with their relationship thus far -- he hesitated at each of the steps of advancement toward sex to ensure that Tabitha in fact wanted him to go farther.

Thus was the life of a responsible male in the age of MeToo and TimesUp hashtags. Ryan had the utmost respect for women and couldn't understand men who didn’t. He had grown up in what could only be called a unique situation of sexual awareness: his parents were two now-50-something women who had been emotionally, spiritually, sexually, and -- since the Supreme Court ruling -- legally married since their late teens. Ryan had been raised with a perspective on women and sex that most of his male friends at school couldn’t have grasped if they’d tried.

Ironically, this cautious approach toward sex had gotten him laid more than most of his more brutish friends. Oh, he wasn’t a hound dog or rutting buck: Ryan had only had 5 lovers since the night of his 18th birthday, when his mothers had given him the gift of an evening of exploration and enlightenment with their good friend Ally. But of those 5, Ryan could have counted hundreds of mornings, afternoons, and evenings of sex in one dorm or another.

But it wasn’t the number of times he or his lovers had found their joy together that mattered to Ryan. Instead, it was how joyous and content he and his lovers had been during and following those relationships that meant the world to Ryan. Each of his lovers and each of their unions had been different in one way or another, yet each of those relationships had had one thing: true respect, as was his current relationship with Tabitha.

“Oh, God, I’ve missed you,” Ryan almost purred as he looked down upon Tabitha’s body.

He kicked his shoes off and practically danced his legs and feet out of his jeans, laughing a bit. Now in just his socks and jockeys -- which barely contained his 8 inches of rock hard cock -- Ryan leaped onto the bed and moved quickly up in between Tabitha’s parted thighs. He kissed her passionately, pressing his flesh to hers and grinding their groins together.

“Make love to me, Tabbi,” Ryan whispered close to her ear before taking her ear lobe between his lips. “Make love to me.”

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

“Oh, God, I’ve missed you,” Ryan almost purred as he looked down upon Tabitha’s body.

Tabitha smiled, the tone of Ryan's voice and the way he looked at her only fanning her own flames higher in response. She finished shedding her jeans and shoes as he did and then eagerly parted her thighs so that he could slide up between them an join her on the bed. She wrapped her arms around him as they kissed, a soft and muffled moan of need escaping her as she felt him grind against her.

“Make love to me, Tabbi”

A shiver ran down her spine as she felt his hot breath, then his lips, brushing against her ear. Normally she hated being called by a nickname, always having felt like people weren't taking her seriously or were talking down to her when they called her by one, but Ryan never made her feel that way. Somehow she loved it when it came from him. She eagerly nodded her head in reply to his request.

"Yes," she told him as she reached behind her back to unfasten the clasp of her bra, "Yes, please Ryan, lets make love."

 

[ManInTheLoft]

Marcus again checked his surroundings in the coffee shop. It would have been embarrassing enough to be caught watching porn in such a very public place, but to be found out watching lovers engaging with one another live on an illegally hidden camera...? Yeah, that wouldn't have been good.

When it was safe, he lowered his attention to his phone again, wishing suddenly that he was in his hotel room down the street, watching the unfolding scene on the larger screen of his laptop.

He watched Ryan rise up away from his lover, his weight on his knees, his haunches on the backs of his calves between Tabitha's parted thighs. She loosed her bra from her back, pulled it from her shoulders, and casted it aside.

Checking around him once more first, Marcus used the double tap and swipe to zoom in closer upon the teen's bosom. Despite having had a viewing portal into Tabitha's bedroom and bathroom for three days now, Marcus was yet to see the young woman's breasts exposed as they were now. He'd found himself laughing often as Tabitha's movements or lofting of clothes or carrying of other items had repeatedly obscured his view of her chest when she was without any coverings above her waist.

Now, however, he got a good view of her young firm bosom, the zoom unfortunately stealing away a bit of the quality from the high definition camera and cell phone. She was a beautiful woman, and Marcus found himself stiffening further than he already had been just at believing that sex was imminent.

On the small screen, Marcus watched Ryan leaned forward to kiss his lover's chest, then take a pert nipple into his mouth for a moment before moving to the other swollen nub. Marcus's attention shifted to Tabitha's face, watching her reaction to the pleasure her boyfriend was causing her. Her lips parted, presumably speaking. Marcus wished he could hear the Daniels girl's words. He smiled, remembering that the scene was being saved to the Dark Web's cloud, making it possible to hear Tabitha's words later, as many times as he wished ... as well as watch what happened between the two lovers as many times as he wished.

When he shifted his gaze back to Ryan, Marcus found the man pulling Tabitha's panties off her hips and down her bent legs. Marcus began to feel a bit of guilt for peeping in on the young lovers' most intimate moments. He lowered his phone to look about the café again, just in time to find the bosomy waitress coming his way with a flirty smile.

"Can I do anything more for you before I end my shift?" she asked, a sly smirk on her lips. Her gaze wandered up and down Marcus before she added suggestively, "Or ... after I end my shift?"

Marcus looked her up and down as he pocketed his phone, thinking, Well, why should I not be getting some tonight, too?

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Tabitha had gasped in pleasure as Ryan's lips had wrapped around first one swollen nipple and then the other, soft words of encouragement and how good he was making her feel breathlessly spilling from her lips as her eyes drifted shut to savor the sensation of his mouth upon her.

"God that feels good," she breathed.

He pulled back and she opened her eyes again, watching as he moved to pull down her panties. She bent her legs and then lifted her bottom off the bed slightly to help him, but then parted them again for him as he bent his head lower, kissing his way down to her mound.

"Have I mentioned yet how much I missed you?" she joked, her voice husky and velvety soft with arousal.

Then his mouth found her core and words suddenly escaped her, replaced instead by gasps and moans of ecstasy and delight. They were soft at first, but then quickly grew in volume as the pleasure within her built, her body writhing on the bed beneath him in response. It didn't take very long before he had her at the edge, her body tensing up and arching off the bed before she finally tipped over, her orgasm claiming her.

"Ryan!," she cried out with a moan, "Oh God, baby!"

 

[ManInTheLoft]

Jesus, I love this!

Ryan loved eating pussy. He'd fallen in love with it the first time he'd done it, to Ally, for what it had done to her and would do to each of his lovers in the future. Ally hadn't just taken Ryan's virginity that long weekend of his 18th birthday. She'd taught him; she'd taken great care to instruct him on how to use his fingers, his lips, his tongue upon a woman's soft, wet folds and that ever sensitive nub. She'd taught him that performing oral on a woman wasn't simply foreplay, a necessary step that would lead most women to allowing him to shove his cock inside her for his own release ... and conquest. Oral was truly and solely about pleasing his partner.

What he had done to Ally that weekend and to the three women who would follow over the next 4 years and most recently to Tabitha was almost as joyous as what his lovers did to, with, and for him. And if there were to be more lovers after Tabitha, Ryan would treat them -- treat their pussies -- with the same respect and dedication ... because Mom, Mom, and Ally had taught their boy right.

And while he knew that they were still young and at an age where most individuals are still looking for themselves -- for what they want to be when they grow up -- as well as for whom they want to spend their lives, Ryan had already decided that he already knew who he was and who he wanted to spend his life with: Tabitha Daniels.

The dark haired beauty had been so much more than a sexual conquest for Ryan, particularly since he'd been raised never to use those two words -- sexual and conquest -- together to describe another human being. Their love affair had taken longer to arrive at sex than it took most of his mates to burn through a relationship and begin another one: several weeks of simply knowing one another and going out with friends and finally only one another; followed by weeks of making out and copping a feel at a more intensifying degree; followed by weeks of partial and finally full clothing removal, with Ryan probing at Tabitha and Tabitha gripping at him, still without the probed and gripped body parts ever making contact with one another.

Hell, the two of them had been a committed couple for almost 9 months before Ryan asked Tabitha if she wanted him to perform oral sex on her. And he'd put it just that way: Tabbi, would you like me to perform oral sex on you? If you don't, we can wait. I'm in no hurry.

After finally getting his face between his lover's thighs, most guys would have expected to get their cocks into a hole moments later. And yet, the pair still didn't become lovers until after Tabitha's third evening of orgasm at the workings of Ryan's skilled mouth. He'd told her at the time that it wasn't about his pleasure or about finally claiming her virginity, and he'd attempted to prove it to her by refusing to have intercourse until at least the third time they'd enjoyed this other delight.

(They'd talked about Tabitha's state of purity often, as well as about how they'd both know when it was the time for her to honor him by giving it over to him. Ryan went home each night yearning for more from his love, of course. But that was the price of proving one's love.)

But then, no more delay. They'd picked their night, found a room at a beach hotel, spent a full two days simply being alone together, and then finally become one another's lovers. It had been magical for Ryan; it had been painful for Tabitha. But with the months of loving effort to reach this point, it had also been euphoric for her. Ryan had been both happy and relieved to see, hear, and feel Tabitha orgasm as she sat upon his groin, making love to him as opposed to simply letting her fuck her. He'd fallen in love with her, then fallen in love with making love to her.

She had always been a joy to watch ... as she was now.

"Ryan!," she cried out with a moan, "Oh God, baby!"

The 23 year old peeked up over the well groomed mound of dark curls to watch Tabitha as ecstasy swept through her. It may have been six weeks since last he'd done this to her, but Ryan hadn't forgotten exactly what it took to drive Tabitha wild. A couple of weeks into their intercourse phase, he'd discovered through probing a super-sensitive place on the inner front of her vaginal canal, and now as his left-right manipulation of her clitoris pushed her rapidly toward explosion, he slipped a finger inside her and found what he presumed was what some called a G-Spot and other just called a nice place to touch a woman.

Ryan watched, felt, and heard his lover's eruption, continuing with his work until she finally begged him off with a hand to the top of his head. When his face lifted from between her thighs, his face from his nose downward was wet with Tabitha's natural lubricant.

And Ryan wore a smile of delight. He loved doing this to Tabitha. He'd liked doing it to the four women who had proceeded her, but he'd never loved doing it to them like he loved doing it to her. The reason for that was simple: he loved Tabitha as he never had her predecessors. Ryan had no yearnings to do this to anyone else ever again for so long as he lived.

Shifting his weight to one elbow to free up a hand to keep her trembling pussy company with a soft touch, Ryan simply studied Tabitha for a long moment as she recovered from what he'd done to her. When she looked to him, he smiled wider, then asked with laughter, "So, you did miss me then, yes?"

He slipped his jockeys and socks off and then slipped up into between her thighs until his wiped-off mouth found her own. They kissed for the longest time, whispering sweet nothings as Ryan gently slipped the length of his cock up and down atop the sopping wet folds of Tabitha's pussy.

"No condom, then," he asked quietly, knowing how big a step this was for them. A lack of a raincoat wasn't about disease prevention for them, of course: Ryan had been tested not just once but twice during his time with Tabitha; and she, of course, had never been with anyone. It had always been about birth control and the untimely prevention of a baby who -- while it would be so loved if it came -- was not something either of them needed right now. After Tabitha confirmed with him that a prophylactic was unnecessary, he gave her a soft but erotic kiss and said, "It's been a while, so..."

The two of them had come to read one another's facial expressions and body language well over their three weeks as lovers. Ryan watched Tabitha's face as he pulled his groin back to position his cock at her wet lips. He entered her with the greatest of care; he literally took minutes before he was balls deep inside her. It was simply magical. Tabitha was as tight now as she had been the first time he'd intruded upon her virginal hole. They'd kissed as he entered her, slipping into her well lubed canal; they kissed more as he simply lay there atop her, supporting his weight upon bent elbows as he looked into her eyes with a deep love.

"I love making love to you, Tabbi," Ryan said in a soft whisper. "I love you, Tabitha."

After she'd responded, he began slowly stroking his length to and fro. The pleasure was unbelievable and -- maybe due to its six week absence -- striking, and try as he might, Ryan knew that he wouldn't last long this first go'round. He braced himself as his heavy breathing rose quickly to moans and then to a final grunt as his cock began leaping within Tabitha, for the first time filling her depths rather than a sleeve of latex with his seed. His entire body trembled, as had hers before him. He relaxed downward a bit, pressing his forehead into the crook of Tabitha's neck as his chest swelled repeated with euphoric gasps.

"My God, Tabbi," Ryan murmured. He kissed her neck, her cheek, her lips. Then he laughed, embarrassed. With humor, he declared, "Well, that was kinda quick, wasn't it?"

He grasped her body with a hand slipped under her and rolled, taking her with him. Now on his back, Ryan looked up into Tabitha's face, kissing her again, grasping her young, firm butt cheeks with strong hands. He could feel the combination of their juices flowing down the flesh of his thigh and balls; oh, he'd felt Tabbi's juices do the same before, but this was the first time his own seed had been part of the mix, and somehow it made him feel as though they had taken an enormous leap forward in their relationship.

"Make love to me, Tabbi," he told her, urging her to rise up above him. "I want to watch you. I love to watch you."

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Even though she had never had any other lovers before him, Tabitha knew that she would be hard pressed to find another one out there as thoughtful and loving as Ryan always was towards her. She didn't own any toys with which to pleasure herself, so the largest thing that had been inserted inside of her in the past six weeks was just one of her own slender fingers when she'd occasionally pleasured herself at night alone in bed while thinking of him during the long weeks apart from one another. That paired with the fact that they had only been having sex with one another for three weeks to begin with when he'd left meant that she was very tight as he entered her.

Even with all of this though, she felt no pain as he slowly filled her. The moment she would begin to feel even the slightest bit of discomfort his watchful eyes would see it in her face, or he would feel it in the tensing of her muscles as they kissed and he would instantly still himself and give her time to adjust. At long last though he was finally completely inside of her, and already she was loving the sensation of being with him without a condom so much more than with one, liking the feel of his warm skin against hers instead of smooth, rubbery latex. It made her feel closer to him in a way, more intimate.

He broke their kiss to look down at her and whisper his soft confession of love and she'd whispered hers back, gasping softly as he'd slowly began to move within her. The pleasure of being with him again was intense, but sadly rather short lived as before she'd been able to reach her second orgasm she heard Ryan's moans reach that familiar pitch and knew that his release was imminent. He came and she held onto him as he trembled against her, her hands softly smoothing across his back and sides as she listened with a smile to the sound of his gasps, pleased that she was the cause of them.

He laughed at himself and made a self-depreciating remark, but before she could even open her mouth to reassure him that it was fine, he was rolling with her so that she now lay on top of him. She smiled against his lips as he kissed her, moaning softly as she felt his hands gripping her and the feel of their combined juices trickling out of her and sliding down their still joined bodies.

"Make love to me, Tabbi," he told her, urging her to rise up above him. "I want to watch you. I love to watch you."

"I love you, Ryan," she whispered to him again, leaning forward to kiss him for a brief but erotic moment before leaning back and rising up above him so that she could begin to move herself upon his length slowly.

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

It was some time later when the couple finally lay on the bed together tired and spent, Ryan having more than made up for the shortness of their first joining to Tabitha later on. She kept her body close to his, seeking his warmth as her own began to gradually cool. She closed her eyes for a moment and it was then that the silence of the empty house around them creeped in on her thoughts and reminded her that as blissful as this evening with him had been it had only been possible because her parents were no longer there, no longer watching out for her as he had put it. She opened her eyes again, her gaze meeting his as she reached up and smoothed a hand lovingly over his cheek as she kissed him lightly.

"Stay with me tonight?" she asked him softly.

 

[ManInTheLoft]

"Absolutely," Ryan responded without hesitation to Tabitha's invitation to spend the night. He smiled, delighted, and pulled her closer, kissing her once more before settling them both together for the night. He murmured, "I wouldn't miss staying with you."

Being asked to stay the night was the frosting on top of an incredible cake. First, he'd once again fucked Tabitha. Then, it had been without the formerly-obligatory condom. And now, after a pair of orgasms, he was going to sleep with his lover for the first time. Oh, they'd slept together, as people called sex. But they'd never actually slept through the night with one another.

Ryan lived in a dorm with a roomie; Tabitha, obviously, had lived with her parents who -- while seeming to like Ryan well enough -- had likely been hoping that she hadn't yet opened her thighs to him, which only would have been confirmed by his joining them the next morning for coffee and leading their daughter to cry out in ecstasy the night before. Oh, they could have gotten a motel room someplace, with Tabitha telling her mother she was spending the night with a girl friend. But motels weren't Ryan's thing, and what with him already having concluded that Tabitha was his one true love, a Motel 6 or La Quinta just wasn't going to work.

****************​

Marcus's evening, though, turned out to be a very different situation. He and his new waitress friend unwrapped and discarded four condoms by the time they called an end to their own evening of ecstasy. He'd driven the 30-something redhead to at least half a dozen orgasms all about his motel room: on the dresser, on the bed, against the wall, over the bathroom counter, and even in the shower after they'd decided they were done ... and only found out they weren't.

There was no discussion about or hint at whether or not she was going to stay over. They were grown ups; they knew how this worked. She blew Marcus a kiss as she headed for the door, telling him he was great; Marcus responded with a happy smile and a vow that they'd see each other again soon ... if she wished.

And the romance was over.

Marcus opened a beer and his tablet, tapping to search through the camera views for Tabitha. He found her in the infrared image provided by the bedroom camera, sleeping next to Ryan Cooper, as expected. Marcus knew that the two had become lovers before he left for Costa Rica; he presumed that with the house now devoid of parents, the pair would spend the night together as well.

Although he contemplated rewinding the recording and watching the young lovers pleasuring one another, Marcus instead tossed the tablet aside and finished his final preparations for bed. As his already well-deployed cock twitched a bit at the thought of watching the young beauty fuck, Marcus had to remind himself that just because he could peep on Tabitha's sex life, that didn't mean that he should. The camera's had a very specific purpose: keep tabs on the woman he wanted to become his replacement operative for the now absent Daniels couple.

****************​

Marcus rose early the next morning, peeked at the tablet to find the couple still in bed though in a new position, and then got up and around for the start of his day. When he checked the surveillance again from his booth at a local breakfast café, he found Ryan and Tabitha in her kitchen having breakfast. Marcus felt that twitch in his groin again as he wondered whether or not the pair had indulged in a little wakey wakey or whether one of them had surprised the other with the morning smells of coffee and frying sausage.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, and looking to the Caller ID, Marcus's joy faded quickly. He answered the call with, "Are you going to ruin my day?"

"The meetings been moved up," the man at the other end of the communication said. "Night of the 22nd. That's just 16 days. We need ears in that room."

"What happened to the tech?" Marcus asked, already knowing the answer.

"They swept for bugs again last night," the caller said. "That's three times. We have to assume that they will sweep again just before the meet. We can't risk electronics. How's your girl comin' along?"

Marcus hesitated, just shaking his head to himself. He hadn't even breached with Tabitha the subject of her parents' involvement in something anything more exciting than selling tours and tickets, let alone attempted to recruit her to replace the deceased Daniels couple in an act of international espionage. Yet he answered, "Fine. She'll be ready."

"In 16 days?" the man asked, his doubt obvious in his tone.

"In 16 days," Marcus repeated. He paused while the waitress delivered his breakfast plate, then asked, "Have I ever failed you?"

"San Paulo," the man answered quickly, reminding Marcus of the major fuckup that had cost them the success of an operation, as well as the life of an operative. Before Marcus could respond, the other man quickly added, "Yeah, yeah, I know. It wasn't your fault and you were cleared. 16 days."

And with that, the call ended.

Marcus finished his breakfast, returned to his motel room, and looked in on Tabitha and her lover again. He caught the tail end of a conversation.

"I can't do it Thursday night," Ryan was saying about some unknown plan he and Tabitha must have been discussing. "I told my folks I was actually getting back from Costa Rica tomorrow. I wanted to have a couple of days with you before I saw them. So, no doubt, Thursday night they'll want to take me to the cabin in Green Oak for dinner with the grandparents. And we'll end up staying the night. What about we go see a movie Friday? Maybe some dinner, then back here?"

Marcus couldn't see Tabitha's reaction to Ryan's suggestion of another night of sex, but Ryan's reaction to her looked hopeful. Marcus waited for the pair to part for the morning, then wrote a text for Tabitha:

Hi, it's Marcus Hamilton.
Wondered if you were available
for that dinner on Thursday night.
Bring your friend Ryan.
Parker's on 14th street. 8pm.
Text if that doesn't work for you.
​

He sent the message, then contemplated what to expect. Everyone knew about Parker's; it was an elegant restaurant popular with the type of people who didn't look for menu prices before ordering; and it had a strict though slightly dated dress code of ties and jackets for the gentlemen and dresses for the ladies.

****************​

Marcus wanted to ensure that Tabitha didn't reject his offer for want of something appropriate to wear. At just a bit past 3pm, the door bell at the Daniels home rang, and when the now-sole resident opened the door, a peppy woman who reminded Marcus of that big haired lady from The Hunger Games smiled broadly to Tabitha and practically pushed her way past.

"Come, come, come with me, we have so little time!" she said as she hurried into the house with the energy of a toddler who'd sucked down a four shot espresso. She grasped Tabitha's wrist to pull her into the house. Behind her, a second woman was carrying a dozen or more dresses wrapped in Dry Cleaner style plastic wrap while dragging a large wheeled suitcase with the other hand. The first woman continued without hesitation, "We have wardrobe and hair and, oh God, girl, when was the last time you moisturized that face of yours? Daily! Daily! Every day! Such a beautiful complexion, and those eyes. Gorgeous! I'd do you right here and now if I didn't have a five o'clock who just can't comprehend why a woman her age and size can't wear yoga shorts in public. Cam-el toe-e-e!"

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

What about we go see a movie Friday? Maybe some dinner, then back here?"

Tabitha had been disappointed at first when Ryan had said that he wouldn't be free Thursday. After making love to one another again upon waking and then sharing a shower together, the pair was currently down in the kitchen trying to figure out when they could next see one another as they ate their breakfast together. After such a wonderful night and morning together Tabitha was eager to see him again again, though she understood that his family needed time with him too. At his suggestion for Friday she smiled.

"I'm picking the movie," she told him with a smirk.

Later that morning after Ryan had already left she heard her cellphone ding, indicating that she'd received a text message, and she looked down at the screen.

Hi, it's Marcus Hamilton.
Wondered if you were available
for that dinner on Thursday night.
Bring your friend Ryan.
Parker's on 14th street. 8pm.
Text if that doesn't work for you.

Tabitha frowned slightly. She herself had never been to Parker's, but she was familiar with how formal of a dining establishment it was. She hadn't been expecting him to want to go somewhere so fancy for their business dinner together. She would have to check and see if she had something appropriate to wear. If not she supposed she could always text him back and ask that they just have the meeting at the office instead.

After perusing through her closet later and coming up short, she'd been about to do just that when she suddenly heard the doorbell. Heading downstairs to the front door and spying through the peep hole to see a woman standing there, she went ahead and opened the door, thinking maybe it was another late delivery of flowers from one of her parent's associates or something like that. Instead she was surprised to find herself pushed out of the way as the woman and a second woman whom Tabitha had not noticed at first and who appeared to be the first woman's assistant barged their way into her home, the first woman prattling on about clothes and grooming and other nonsense at such a fast pace that it took a moment before Tabitha was able to get a word in.

"I... I'm sorry, but... I believe you must have the wrong home," she explained, finally finding her voice, "My name is Tabitha Daniels, and I haven't made an appointment with a... stylist?"

 

[ManInTheLoft]

"Miss Tabitha Daniels, yes, yes, precisely who you should be, darling," the woman rattled on as she searched the foyer, then the living room for the best light. She was prepared to do all that needed to be done right here in the living room, despite the large windows looking out upon the busy street. She turned and studied Tabitha from head to toe, then toe to head, then head to toe once again before blurting out to her assistant, who was spreading dresses and accessories all about the furniture, "Lordy, Paula. She's gorgeous! Our work was almost done before we came through the door."

"Dinner with Mister Hamilton at Parkers," the other woman said as the first began unwrapping dresses and matching them to shoes, belts, shawls, and more. "My name is Paula. That's Miss Marla."

Paula didn't explain further who Marla was; she assumed Tabitha knew her from her cable fashion show. Paula headed for the windows to pull closed the semi-sheer curtains, leaving enough natural light for the three to work while hiding the fitting from the nosy neighbors.

"Do you prefer something loose and airy or tight to the skin?" Paula asked. But Marla was already holding a selected dress up before the still shocked looking resident. Paula laughed, telling Tabitha, "You might as well just surrender now."

********************​

Marcus was an hour early to Parkers, finding a stool at the bar that would allow him to casually look about for suspicious people without looking like he was. He nursed a single drink over the next forty minutes, then headed to his reserved table to again begin scanning the faces of other diners.

He was barely half through his second drink when he caught sight of the hostess heading his way with Tabitha. Being the gentleman that he was, Marcus stood to greet his dinner guest. Being the man he was, his eyes widened and his gaze descended to take in Tabitha's sexy form in the the dress Miss Marla had told her she had to wear.

"You look amazing," Marcus told her, not for a moment trying to hide his ogle of her delicious form. He felt his cock twitch a bit as he found himself wishing he had watched the recording of the teen fucking her long absent boyfriend. He gestured her into the booth and asked the hostess to bring his pre-ordered champagne. Marcus glanced back toward the entrance and, before sitting down, feigned concern with, "Your friend, will he be joining us in a bit?"

 

[BlondeAmbition4RP]

Tabitha enjoyed shopping and looking nice just as much as most girls her age, but she wasn't exactly the fashionista type, so it wasn't until Paula addressed the stylist as "Miss Marla" that Tabitha realized that the woman that had barged her way into her home was the Miss Marla from a popular local cable show on women's fashion. She'd also caught that it was apparently Marcus Hamilton that had sent the woman to her in order to help her prepare for their dinner at Parkers. This all seemed like rather much to her for a business meeting, but she could tell that there was no use trying to argue that with Miss Marla, so she simply went along with Paula's advice and allowed the woman to have her way with her, so to speak.

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

As Tabitha walked in to Parkers even she had to admit that Miss Marla was certainly good at her work. Not only had the woman chosen a beautiful dress and accessories for Tabitha to wear that evening, but she and her assistant had also shown her how to do her hair and makeup for the occasion, and had even chosen the appropriate hosery and underthings for her. After giving her name she followed the hostess to where Marcus was already seated and waiting on her, blushing a bit in response to his complement and the appreciative glance that she caught him giving her.

"Thank you," she told him as she took her seat in the booth, then at his question about Ryan added, "Ryan won't be able to join us, he's visiting family tonight."

She paused a moment before adding, "You really shouldn't have gone through so much trouble on my behalf Mr. Hamilton: dinner at Parkers, sending a personal stylist to my home, champagne..."

She dropped her voice down to a whisper and leaned forward.

"I'm not even supposed to be drinking it yet... I'm not old enough."

 

[ManInTheLoft]

Marcus feigned disappointment at not getting the chance, as he put it, To meet the young man good enough to land Tabitha Daniels.

About the trouble he'd gone to, he simply told her it was none whatsoever. And concerning her not being old enough to drink, Marcus leaned in as well, telling her, "I won't tell if you won't."

As if she had the hearing of an owl, the waitress -- with whom the Hostess had sent the bottle of champagne -- gave Tabitha a scrutinizing glare when she arrived. Marcus was ready for her, though: he lightly tapped a finger on the table before him, right next to a folded bit of currency sticking out from under his whiskey tumbler just enough to reveal the $50 symbol.

"I'm done with this," he told her, pushing both the tumbler and bill toward the edge of the table. "Perhaps you could just leave the champagne and two flutes. I'll pour myself."

The waitress hesitated, likely calculating the odds of getting caught and chastised against what she could do with fifty extra bucks come grocery shopping day. In the end, she picked up both the bill and glass together, inconspicuously pocketing the former as she said with a smile, "I'll return in a moment to take your orders ... unless, of course, you are ready now."

"Later," Marcus said, giving the waitress a thankful wink. As she left, he turned his attention back to Tabitha, asking, "So, what did you think about Miss Marple ... or is it Marla? I always forget."

He listened to Tabitha's response, then explained that he'd done some travel planning work for the cable company, a job which had given him a favor to cash in some day in the future. "The future arrived today."

They chatted for several minutes, with Marcus asking about Ryan, about his family, about his trip, and about his relationship with Tabitha. Before she could respond to the last, Marcus chuckled, telling her, "I'm not prying. You don't have to tell me anything with which you don't feel comfortable discussing. You barely know me, after all."

Marcus was trying his best to keep the conversation casual while at the same time edging toward the personal a bit. If he felt at any moment that he was getting too close for comfort, he knew he could always turn the conversation back to the travel business, which of course was why they were here, as far as Tabitha knew.

The waitress took their order, and the conversation did finally shift toward business. Marcus rambled on and on about how the business was changing, about how the internet travel sites were affecting brick and mortar operations like Daniels Travel, and about how he himself was working with a number of agencies to try to keep businesses like the one that Tabitha now owned open and profitable.

"I know, I know, it's kind of dry and boring," he told her after he'd realized he was droning on. Wanting to know a little more about her past involvement and future interest in the family business, Marcus asked just as their meal arrived, "So, did you work with your folks at all growing up? And, are you planning on taking a primary role now that they are no longer with us?"

Marcus had assumed that Tabitha would sell the business or perhaps leave Chuck in charge as Manager, but he couldn't know. The topic had never come up between him and her parents because none of them had expected the latter to lose their lives in a fatal car accident.

They were pretty much done with their dinners when the conversation began to run dry. The waitress cleared the plates, asking Marcus, "Would you like to see the dessert menu? The special tonight is--"

"No, that's fine, thank you," Marcus said, setting his American Express card out on the table. As she told him she'd be back with the receipt in a moment, he quickly told her, "You'll find us in the bar."

She confirmed his announcement with a nod, scrutinizing the all too young Tabitha again before leaving. Marcus stood, tossed another fifty on the table as the cash tip -- he hated putting gratuities on his card, knowing that Management often took a cut -- and offered a hand out to his dinner guest.

"It's okay, don't worry about it Tabitha," he said, knowing that she would be hesitant to go into the restaurant's bar. "I know the bartender. He's a friend."

In the bar, Marcus helped Tabitha into a quiet, private booth in a back corner. The bartender arrived and scrutinized Tabitha as had the waitress.

"Can you start us a tab, Pete?" Marcus asked, setting yet another fifty atop his credit card. The bartender took the fifty, card, and their orders, then departed. Marcus smiled, then chuckled. "I promise, I'm not trying to get you drunk. I just needed a place to talk to you that was a little more private than the restaurant."

Their drinks arrived, and after he'd taken a couple of sips of his and watched his guest test her own drink, Marcus said with a serious tone, "Tabitha, I didn't invite you to dinner tonight because I wanted to talk about trains, planes, and automobiles."

He took another sip of his drink, looked casually about for potential eavesdroppers and found no one even near them, the looked to Tabitha to tell her, "I wanted to talk to you about your parents. More specifically, about their deaths."

He hesitated, hoping he wasn't going to shock her so badly that she fled in horror. "Tabitha ... your parents' car accident. It ... it wasn't an accident. Their car didn't leave the road because of icy conditions, like the police report claimed. They were run off the road. Tabitha ... your parents ... they were killed."