Penny

"Thank you Les. I don't make a lot of money at the center so items like this are usually a luxury. I'll make you the best, most tender roast beef you've ever eaten. I love to cook, and so does Penny, we just don't always have the right ingredients on hand, and then there's the budget. The house is paid for, but between the utilities, Penny's tuition and uniforms, things get tight at times. But we manage don't we honey?" Penny nodded.

Over the following weeks I would meet penny at least three days a week at the bus stop, we would shop one of those days, it became something I looked forward to. Little by little she began to open up and talk about life from her perspective. She was a good kid that had gone through a traumatic experience at a very young age. June was happy to see Penny begin to open up, she remarked to me one evening when Penny was in her room that she hadn't seen her as calm as she was in a very long time.

"You're having a good effect on her Les, don't go letting her fall in love with you and break her heart. I know people see her as a young woman, but she's still my little girl."

I shook my head adamantly, "Not gonna happen June. I want to be her friend and an adult voice other than her mothers, but nothing more. I'll still be in school after she graduates, maybe she'll let me help her choose a college. There are lots of loose girls on campus, I'm not going to take your babies virtue."

June looked relieved and concerned at the same time, "Thank you. I know she looks up to you. Who knows what will happen after she's 18, I'll have to cross that bridge when the time comes I guess?"

"Something else June. As you know I do morning exercises, then on weekends I walk and jog. If I can get Penny to start doing little things with me on weekends to help her with weight loss and self-esteem, would you mind?"

June put her head back looking up at the ceiling, tilting her head down looking in my direction she spoke softly.

"That would be okay as long as it's her idea, you don't push her too hard, and if I ever suspect you of shaming her weight I'll find a way to hurt you badly. She won't exercise with me, maybe she will with you."

Thus began our weekly walk on Saturday morning. I convinced her we'd go early when nobody else was in the park, the first Saturday she was out of breath and sitting on a bench in less than fifteen minutes. After a ten-minute rest we walked another fifteen minutes before taking another rest and then going home. Though she was losing inches visible weight loss seemed to evade her, however, in the three months we'd been walking together her stamina had increased dramatically. Our walks were now lasting an hour or more by the time we returned to the house.

There was another phenomenon happening that I was and wasn't aware of. June and I found ourselves becoming closer and if we happened to be talking our conversations were becoming more intimate. Not sexually intimate, close and less guarded is a better way to put it. We talked about her late husband, how after his death she struggled to even put food on the table. It was the hardest for her to talk about when Penny began gaining weight and crawling into her self-induced prison of sorts. She asked about Afghan, I always gave her the short uncomplicated version whenever we talked about it.

We'd gotten through the holidays and were well on the way to spring. Things were comfortable enough that I would take them to the cinema once in a while, or I'd treat them to a meal out, we went bowling every third or fourth weekend, I even managed to get them on the roller rink a few times. Penny was a natural on skates, June and me, not so much, but it was time together, something we all needed. It was in March that life took another turn. Getting off the bus Penny tossed me her backpack, something she'd never done before. As we walked I enquired as to why she was so happy go lucky.

"I'm so excited Les. I've been invited to a slumber party at Alice Schultz, she's bigger, like me. I've never been invited to anything. Do you think mom will let me go?"

"I don't know why not. You're only a few months away from 18, I think she trusts you enough to do that."

She was bubbly by the time we reached the house, stopping in the entryway she looked at me with earnest, "Will you talk with mom for me Les? I'm afraid I won't say it right and she'll tell me no."

I countered, "How about this, I'll talk to her WITH you, but not FOR you. Deal?"

She nodded and scurried away. When we talked after supper something happened that surprised me, June motioned for me to sit next to her with Penny across from us in a chair. Our bodies weren't touching or anything like that, it was more like what parents might do while talking to their teenage daughter.

June started, "Okay, you wanted to talk with me. What's up?"

Penny looked at me and I nodded, "You probably won't let me, but Les said I won't know unless I ask."

Before she could go on June interrupted, "If you know I'm going to say no then why ask. Let's play a game or something."

I could see defeat in Penny's eyes. I did something I had never done before, as June was beginning to stand I took hold of her wrist and gently tugged her back into a sitting position. Not letting go I spoke.

"You need to let her ask June. She'll legally be an adult in a few months, you've raised her well, let her ask."

Penny had regained her composure and spoke, "Alice Schultz asked me to come to a slumber party at her house, she's big like me so nobody will make fun. I've never been asked to anything before, can I go mom, please?"

I had a mental vision of the gears turning in June's head. She had pulled her arm away from my grasp a minute before, but as her soft fingers touched and held my hand she let out a long sigh while looking at me. The expression on her face seemed to be asking, "is this alright, can I let my baby grow up?"

I nodded along with a gentle smile. With her hand still on mine she asked when it was.

"It's in three weeks, her 18^th birthday. Please mom, please."

June looked at me, back at Penny, let go of my hand and stood, "Under one condition. I call Alice's mother and make sure an adult will be there ... and no boys. If it's all kosher you can go, but Les or I will take and pick you up. Agreed?"

Penny crossed the four feet of space between us in a single leap into her mother's arms. Thanking her again and again, with a kiss on her cheek she turned toward her bedroom full of excitement and glee. I was going to head upstairs, June was going into the kitchen when I heard her say.

"Wait there a minute, let me get a glass of water. You want anything?" I shook my head.

Pointing at the couch where we'd been she stated, "Sit, please." She began. "Are you sure Penny going to a party is a good idea? What if something happens? I couldn't live with myself."

I pondered her questions and then gave my answer, "Is there anything we can truly be sure of other than death?" She smiled and whispered, "Taxes."

I continued, "Well, yes, that to. How long are you planning to hold onto her before you let her face the real world? Neither you nor I can guarantee anything, but at some point you'll have to set her free to make her way in the world. Call Alice's mom, get the details, assure yourself she'll be safe and then let her go. I think about the fact that when I was but a few years older than her I was in Afghanistan for the first time. Be thankful she doesn't have to face that shit."

Taking my hand she looked at me, "You're a good man Les, I appreciate all you do. And thank you for being a friend to Penny, she's lost some weight walking with you, your helping with groceries allows us to buy better quality food as well as a greater variety. She's beginning to want healthier food, and I shouldn't say anything, but her clothes have dropped almost two sizes. It's good to have a man in this house again. Thank you."

The moment was awkward, we both knew we wanted to do more than say thanks, but that's as far as it went. I excused myself, by the time I was on the stairs I noticed she was turning lights off as she headed toward the bedroom across from Penny's. June contacted Jennifer Schultz, there would be no men in the home whatsoever during the sleepover. Her husband and the boys would be away camping, absolutely no booze, it was going to be pizza, snacks, soft drinks, lots of laughter and chick flicks until they all crashed.

Following the talk the three of us had that night, along with the one on one between June and I, the household seemed to change almost overnight. Things were looser, there was more joking and laughter. I noticed June was friendlier, there was the occasional touch of the arm, or our bodies brushing together quickly even though there was plenty of space to not have touched. As the day for Penny's overnighter approached I noticed June was more animated in how she behaved with me, there were soft looks, tender smiles, more touches when we were close.

I was no longer seeing her as the mother of a teen age daughter, she was beginning to look like a woman to be desired. I hadn't been with a woman since I'd moved in and it wasn't a problem, but the more I contemplated the thought of living in the same house as this desirous woman the more difficult it became. On Wednesday before the Friday night event I had a knock on my apartment door, opening it I was surprised to see June.

"Hi June, what's up?"

"Since Penny will be gone Friday, why don't we go out to a nice restaurant or something?"

"How about this." I replied. "Why don't I pick up a couple of nice steaks and I'll do them on the grill just the way you like. We can have a salad with our steak and stay at home. Less expensive and as a bonus we can eat in our comfies instead of getting dressed up."

She smiled, "I like that idea. Will you have time to get the steaks?" I nodded and she bid me goodnight.

I was going to take Penny on Friday, June thought it might be a better idea for her to go for two reasons, she could meet Mrs. Schultz and I could have supper nearly ready by the time she got back. Made sense to me. When she got back she was in a fluster and calm at the same time.

"Whoa, what happened?" I asked.

"I'm sure not whether to be shocked or elated. When we pulled up a lady was taking a girl to the car, when we got to the steps Mrs. Schultz asked Penny if she had any drugs or booze. When Penny told her no, she asked if I minded her looking in her overnight bag. I nodded. Apparently, she'd been checking every girl's bag and found pot in the bag of the girl being sent home. I guess I should be elated that someone other than me has the balls to do something like that."

She blushed and apologized. I held up my hand, "No worries, I've heard worse, even from pretty ladies like you."

There it was, my first unabashed flirt, somehow it didn't seem to bother her as she smiled at me. We went about our business, she was setting the table and making up the salads as I pulled the steaks off the grill. We were quiet throughout the meal, after cleaning the kitchen she asked if I'd like to stay for dessert, she had ice cream. That sounded good to me. Sitting on the couch she turned sideways.

"You never talk about Afghanistan. What was it like?"

"Nothing to talk about, one shitty day after the next. No more to say about it."

She slumped back, "You sound like Matt. He wouldn't talk about it either. He said the same thing you did, nothing to talk about."

We were making small talk as we mentally circled each other, we both felt the connection and neither was willing to commit. She looked at me and said, "This is ridiculous. I hope I haven't read this wrong."

I raised my eyebrows, "Read what wrong?"

"This."

The distance between us disappeared quickly as her hand went behind my neck drawing my lips to hers. The kiss was soft and passionate, we pulled apart for a second, only to be embraced in a second more meaningful kiss, one in which we both participated. With her hand on my chest we broke the kiss, she sighed and spoke.

"We've both been wanting to do that for weeks, don't deny it, you've wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss you. We're grown adults, I'm lonely, you're lonely, I want you and I hope you want me." I nodded. "Then let's do something about it, the house is ours for the next 18 hours, make love to me Les."

I wasted no time fulfilling her desire. Pushing her back into the couch I reached for her breast, as my hand covered it she pushed against me, a small shiver going through her body. She wasn't big like her daughter, but she was firm, they were what guys used to call high and tight. I manipulated both and then went to open the blouse. While I unbuttoned the top she was busy trying to open my belt. With the blouse open I tugged it from the waistband and slid it off her body. She wasn't wearing anything fancy or even what one might call sexy, the bra was a simple cotton number with little flower designs throughout. She reached behind and unfastened it, then held the cups in place over her breasts.

"Les, we can't let Penny know. She likes you, I think it would break her heart if she knew I was about to screw you stupid."

She tugged the bra off and threw it over her head. I wasted no time caressing and playing with those beauties before I dipped and took a nipple into my mouth. June had her hand on my neck holding me to her breast, I had moved my hand to the flat of her tummy, when I did I heard her gasp. As I moved it toward the waistline she sucked in her tummy allowing my hand to slide inside her panties and into a soft silky tangle of curls. I cupped her tightly and slid a finger downward, her legs opened slightly before she pushed me back.

"Not here Les, I want you in my bed."

When she stood she quickly shed the pants and panties leaving her completely naked. I loved looking at her, breasts standing firm, nipples pointed at me, a lovely brown bush that covered the mons and looked as though it ended just above her clit. She'd tried opening my belt earlier without succeeding, now she had it open and my pants unzipped in what seemed like record speed. Grabbing the waist of my jeans and underwear she pulled them to my ankles in one swift move. My cock was standing proud, hard and throbbing, moving side to side ever so slightly with each breath. Taking hold of the shaft she grinned.

"Mm, I'm gonna like this. I haven't been in bed with a man since Matt died, I need you to make love to me tonight Les. Make me feel like a woman again. Step out of those pants, I'll be on the bed waiting."

I noticed her scooting forward on the mattress as I entered, her arms were outstretched inviting me into her lair, a lust filled look was in her eyes. I knelt on the bed with my face aimed for her pussy when she bent forward and grabbed me by the hair pulling me upward.

"Not now, I need you in me. I'm plenty wet, please Les, put it inside me."

I held myself above her, arms outstretched, peering into her eyes, "I want you to put it in June, show me how much you want it."

Her hand shot between us, she grabbed my cock roughly, yanking me to her warm slippery entrance as she growled, "Bastard, stop fooling around and fuck me."

She was looking between us as she positioned me and grabbed my ass pulling me inside. As I entered she let out a short breath followed by a gasp. With her hands now on my hips she stopped me.

"Wait." She whispered. "Give me a minute. Damn you're big."

I countered, "I'm average."

She averted her eyes to mine, "There hasn't been anything in there for almost 20 years, it sure as hell feels big to me. It feels better now, just go slow until I can take all of it."

She began to slowly pull my hips forward, first an inch, then two on the next stroke, a few strokes later I was halfway in. As she let go of my hips I continued in that manner, a little more depth every few strokes. When I bottomed out she grabbed my ass and held me in place, wiggling her hips seemed to take me in a fraction of an inch further. It felt good to be ensconced within her warm, wet cavern. I could feel the walls of her vagina hugging tightly, holding onto my shaft as she adjusted. With a final wiggle she let go of my ass and whispered.

"I'm ready, take me. Give me everything you've got. I wanna feel you cum inside me."

We moved slow and deliberately to begin with, as she became more comfortable I could feel her hips begin to push into me. Soft and slow at first, then with gusto and desire.

She whispered, "Now, fuck me now."

I obliged, ramming as much meat into her as I could, our bodies slapping together, our nether regions seeming to collide in unison. When her breathing changed and her body became more animated I sensed she was on the brink of an orgasm. Her right hand was firmly clasp to my wrist while her left hand was squeezing and pulling at her breast. With a shout her body arched into me and began to pulse.

I slowed until she was back on earth with me, smiling she raked her fingers down my arms and began pushing into me with all her energy. I could feel the vaginal walls hugging, it felt like a velvety elastic sleeve tightly holding me in place. I could feel a climax beginning from deep within, she apparently sensed it and began to throw her hips into my downstroke.

"Fuck me hard Les. Cum in me." She growled.

As my balls began to explode she let out a soft moan whispering, "Yes, yes, yes", as another climax overtook her body. I'd been with screamers, I'd been with silent types, her reaction seemed almost perfect. My body was pressed tight to hers as I unloaded, it felt so good it almost hurt. When I softened, I rolled next to her, after we'd recovered she turned on her side looking at me and spoke.

"This was good, I want it to continue, and we can be together until Penny gets home. After that we'll have to sneak around and be together where we can. I don't want Penny to know about us."

Later that night I dined at the Y for the first time, she then drained my balls with her mouth to say thanks. Over the next twelve hours we screwed three more times. I was worn out and empty, she was sore, swollen and walking gingerly. Penny was being dropped of by friends which afforded us enough time for our last fuck, her bent over the kitchen table grasping the edges as she pushed her pussy back for more. We'd only been out of the shower a half hour when Penny came bounding through the door.

Over the next few months June and I would find a way to be together at least twice a week. There were a few times when we'd been able to knock off a quickie as well making it three times a week. June's countenance changed for the better, she also decided she wanted to wear more alluring underwear. I didn't mind at all, as a man I'm a visual creature, June knew that and made every effort to entice me with her partially clothed body. Seeing her in skimpy panties and bras was as much a turn on as seeing her naked.

It was approximately three months later that June told me as we sat on the couch that she had been invited to speak and teach at a conference. She looked pained as she told me she might turn it down because it was for two weeks and she couldn't take Penny along. June's participation at the conference would be six days, split into two sessions, three days of basics the first week, three days of advanced the second week. I sat sideways when I spoke.

"You should go, I'm sure you have much wisdom to impart. Penny and I will be okay. She's 18 now and legally an adult, she doesn't need supervision anymore. I don't mind, I'm home early enough every day to be here when she gets home, and I've proven I can cook. We won't starve."

"Are you absolutely sure. Being responsible for a child is a huge deal."

After much discussion between us and with Penny a decision was made, June would attend the conference and fulfill the teaching request. The three of us hugged and bid our goodbyes at the airport on a gloomy Friday afternoon. On the way home Penny asked if she could go out for a few hours with some friends that night. I knew she didn't have many friends and was suspicious but told her I had no problem as long as I knew where she would be and that she be home by ten. At 5:45 Penny was sitting in a chair looking out the window waiting for her ride. She was dressed modestly and not too much make up. She looked wholesome and innocent.