Zip Lining

Fallon let out a blood-curdling scream then stepped off. Within seconds she was going faster than she thought possible. But being so high up, the ground wasn't whizzing by down below. And as she flew along, she felt free. Free as...a bird...as she screamed along the thick wire, the only thing between her and certain death below.

As they neared the end, Fallon let out another, not-so-loud scream that was more of a 'woo-hoo!' than anything else. She even unhooked herself, and before than could unclip his own O-ring, Fallon hugged him again.

This time, Than didn't hesitate, and he hugged her back. Fallon was so pumped she didn't notice until she tried pulling away. As she realized why she couldn't move, she suddenly didn't want to and put her arms back around him and just stood there holding this handsome, younger man who'd just helped her conquer her fears.

"Thank you," she said very quietly, her arms around his neck.

"My pleasure," Than told her.

"I can't remember the last time I had any real fun," she said without looking at him.

"Then I'm glad it was with me."

She pulled away just enough to look up into his eyes then said, "Me, too."

An intense longing brought on by years of sexual abstinence reached out and grabbed her as did his very attractive face. Unable to stop herself, Fallon pulled him close and kissed him for several seconds before recoiling in abject fear.

"Oh, my God! Than. I am SO sorry. I have no idea why I did that. I just got so caught up in the moment, and maybe I..."

He gently put a finger on her lips then said, "It's okay. Whatever the reason was, it's okay."

He smiled at her then said, "Very okay."

"Really?" Fallon asked, her heart now beating wildly from a different kind of excitement.

"Yes. Really," Than said before leaning down and kissing her again.

He unhooked himself with one hand as he held her with the other. The first kiss had been good, but this second one was nothing short of sensational as tongues flicked then intertwined in a hungry dance of wanton need.

Fallon knew she'd been living in a sexual desert for years, but even that didn't explain how this man's kiss had caused her body to react in a way it never had without stimulation of a certain, small part of her body that was now swollen and surrounded by wetness below it. Her body shuddered hard as she sucked his tongue as though it was a different part of his body.

He felt her tense up then shudder then tense again before settling back down to something approaching normal.

"Did you just..." he began.

Fallon rested her head on his shoulder and said, "Yes. I did."

"You're even more amazing than I thought."

"That's never happened to me before. Ever," she told him.

"Again, I'm glad it was with me," he told her tenderly as he stroked her hair she'd pulled into a ponytail before their first ride.

"I...I haven't been with anyone since before my husband left me," she confessed, not sure why she was saying it.

Than pulled away a little and waited for her to look at him.

"Wasn't that...a couple of years ago?"

"No. More than three," she told him, her voice very quiet.

"I...how...I mean, you're so beautiful, Fallon. How is that even possible?"

She shook her head slightly then said, "I'm not really sure. It...it just is."

Than wanted to say he could remedy that but knew it was the wrong thing to say, so he smiled and asked her if she wanted to go again.

"No. Not today," she told him. "I think I'd like to go back now."

She let go of him and turned away causing Than to wonder what was going on and more importantly, if he'd done something to cause this very unexpected reaction.

"Okay. Sure. We'll go put the gear away and head back to Jaco," he told her, not knowing what else to say.

After what Than thought was a fantastic time, they rode in silence for quite aways before he finally asked, "Did I do something to offend you?"

Fallon couldn't even look at him, but she did speak.

"What? No. Nothing."

"Then what is it? Why aren't you talking to me? I thought we were having a great time, and if it isn't obvious, I really like you, Fallon."

Finally, she kind of turned his way but she only glanced at him.

"I just...I just never act like that."

"What, like you're having a nice time?" Than asked as politely as he could.

"No. I...I was having a nice time. It's just that..."

"What? It's just that you what?"

"I'm really not sure, Than. But I think it was the adrenaline rush and the feeling of being happy, and..."

"So you're upset about being happy?" he asked, trying to understand what she meant.

"No. I really was happy. And I had the most fun I've had in ages."

"Then what is it? If I didn't do something to offend you, do you maybe just not find me attractive enough?"

Fallon finally looked over at him then said, "Oh, my goodness! Are you kidding? You're gorgeous!"

Trying to be funny, he said, "I uh, I'd prefer dashingly handsome, but okay. Gorgeous works."

Fallon managed a weak smile then said, "I'm not. No...we're...not right for each other."

"We're not?"

"Than. Please. Be real, okay?"

"I am. And I was. I was real...ly happy just being with you."

"You can't possibly not know I'm not just a few years older than you. You're much too intelligent for that to be true."

"I do know you're older than me. And the truth is it doesn't mean a thing. At least not to me."

Fallon put a hand on his arm which was on the gearshift then said, "I have a daughter in college, Than."

"Uh-huh. And?"

Fallon laughed then said, "And? You can't be serious."

"And yet I am," he replied—seriously.

She stopped laughing then sat there and not only looked at him, she stared. Than sensed it and asked her what she was doing.

"I'm employing my woman's intuition."

"Is it working?"

"Maybe," Fallon told him.

"What's it telling you?"

"That you're telling me the truth."

"I am."

"So if the age difference doesn't bother you, what exactly are you trying to tell me?" she asked, never taking her eyes off of him.

"I'm not one to believe in fate, but sometimes significant coincidences happen."

Fallon smiled then said, "How romantic."

Than laughed then told her he had romantic feelings for her.

"I not only like you, Fallon, I want to have a relationship with you."

"And yet you live half way across the country, so after Costa Rica, what could there be?"

"I travel a lot, and as my sister said, I don't actually work for a living. The upside of that is that I can do everything I need to do from my laptop or phone. And that means I can spend my time anywhere I like."

He looked over at her then smiled before saying, "Like Chicago."

"Yes. The icebox of the midwest."

"I didn't say I want to live there. I only said I could spend as much time there as I like."

While her 'sexual desperation' was screaming at her, she still wasn't going to just jump in the sack with him, and yet, after explaining how he felt about her, she could find no good reason not to ask him to join her in her room. And more specifically in her bed.

"So did you maybe want to, you know, come back to my place?" she asked, her heart beating wildly yet again.

"Very much so, but only if you're sure."

She reached for his hand then said, "I'm not sure about much these days, but yes, I am sure about that."

Fallon Daniels's 'wandering in the desert' ended less than an hour later. In fact, it not only ended, but there was a repeat performance as Than, a very skilled lover, brought her back to the same place she'd been when they were French kissing. In the space of two hours, she'd been taken there more times than in the past five years.

Spent, she lay in her new lover's arms making little circles around his muscular chest.

"You have no chest hair," she remarked as she traced his name with her finger.

"I don't wax if that's what you're wondering," Than said with a little laugh.

Fallon looked up and smiled back then said, "Your legs aren't much hairier."

"What can I say?" he replied.

She ran her hand through his thick, brown hair then said with a smile, "This more than makes up for it."

"Yeah? You like my hair?"

"Uh-huh. And I like every other part of you," she said coyly before reaching for a part she particularly liked.

"Oh. I see!" Than said as she began charming the snake, first with her hand and then with her mouth, which obeyed its master without hesitation.

"You're really, really good at that," Than groaned.

Fallon stopped, laughed, then told him, "That's surprising because that's not something I've ever enjoyed doing."

She saw the look on his face then laughed again.

"Until now. With you," she said before lowering her soft lips back where they needed to be.

"Oh...Lord!" Than groaned as she went back to work.

For someone without much practice, Fallon did things Than had only experienced a time or two, and after doing them slowly and wonderfully for several minutes, he erupted again in another massive explosion which his beautiful new girlfriend captured in full.

She looked up then ceremoniously swallowed all of it.

"You..are...incredible!" Than told her.

Fallon laughed happily then said, "You're pretty amazing yourself—big boy!" due to the fact that he was.

"Come here," Than said as he pulled her back up on his chest. "Just lay here with me, okay?"

Within seconds, she fell asleep, and when she woke up, Fallon was so out of it she had no idea where she was, and for a moment or two, had forgotten she wasn't alone.

"Hi, there," she heard a male voice say.

"Than. Hi," she said, a smile on her pretty face when she realized who was talking.

"I've been watching you sleep."

Fallon smiled then said, "You need to get a life."

"I have one. And with any luck, you'll be a part of it from now on."

Instantly awake, she sat up, pulled the sheet up over her breasts, and sat there looking at him.

"That sounded serious," she told him—seriously.

"It was."

"Oh."

"Does that scare you?" he asked.

"I...I don't think so. No. No, it doesn't," she told him truthfully. "Not at all."

Fallon hadn't checked her phone is many hours and when she looked, there were a dozen text messages and two voicemails. After making sure Lisa was okay, she listened to the voicemail from Joe and told Than she needed to go.

"Duty calls?" he asked, correctly assuming it was her boss.

"Yes. And based on the tone of the texts and his voicemail, I'll be lucky to have a job."

"Will you be able to get away for our grand opening this afternoon?"

"Oh. Gosh, I...completely forgot," she told him as she pulled on her clothes. "I really want to be there, Than. But Joe sounded pretty upset."

Than moved closer then waited for Fallon to look at him.

"There are other options," he said, causing her to look at him.

"I mean, you're not tied to Joe and his business. Unless you want to be," he explained, which didn't explain much.

"I have a daughter in college, and her room and board aren't free," Fallon said as nicely as she could.

"I know," Than replied just as politely. "I guess I'm just trying to tell you I'm here for you."

She finished buttoning her blouse then said, "I like the sound of that."

"Call me and let me know what's going on, okay?" Than said after kissing her softly.

"Call or text?" Fallon teased.

"Okay. You got me. Just let me know, please."

"I will," she assured him as she went to brush her teeth and go pee.

"How long until you have to leave?" she called out as she attended to both needs at once.

"I'll be here until noon," he called back.

He heard the toilet flush, the sound of her rinsing and then washing up.

"I'll try," she said as she kissed him on her way out.

Joe wasn't angry. He was hurt. She didn't know that until they talked for a minute or so, and then Joe apologized.

"I'm really sorry about the yacht and, you know, the water," he told her. "And I apologize for sounding like such an ass on the phone."

Surprised and relieved, Fallon smiled and told him it was fine.

"So what do you need me to do?" she asked as pleasantly as she could.

"Have dinner with me? I promise there won't be any water," Joe said as he moved toward her.

"Is this with..."

She couldn't remember the other man's name, and Joe didn't provide it.

"No. The deal's done. And for the record, this deal is huge."

He was now less than a foot away, and even though she was very uncomfortable, she didn't move.

"I've wanted to say this for a long time, Fallon," he began.

Joe looked at her then glanced down before looking at her again.

"If it's not obvious, let me make it be. I...I really like you, Fallon. I think I've had a kind of schoolboy crush on you since we first met. But I haven't said anything before for a number of reasons. And the last few months it's been the stress of worrying about losing the business. But with this infusion of new capital, that's all behind me."

He reached out and touched her forearm then said, "Us. It's behind us. I...I consider you to be more like a partner than an executive assistant."

She managed not to flinch or move, but her level of discomfort was now very high.

"What I'm trying to say is...I...I'd like us to be more than just...employer and employee," he told her.

Her heart actually went out to him as she realized he was a very nice guy and a very good boss. But...

"Joe, I...I'm not sure..."

"You uh, you don't have to decide right now, Fallon. I just needed you to know how I felt. Take your time. Please. I know there's no one else in your life, so it's not like I'm competing with anyone. Just...just let me know, okay? "

Fallon came very close to telling her boss that wasn't true. And she might have done that if she knew Than even a little better. So far, he'd scratched a vicious itch that had been festering for many long months, and he was as nice a guy as she'd ever met. But no matter how much she liked him, the fact was he was very young.

"I...I kind of have a...commitment...later today. Unless you have something work-related you need me to. Then I'm all yours for as long as you need," Fallon told him.

"You have no idea how much I'd like that to be true," Joe replied. "But something tells me that's never going to be the case."

Fallon couldn't help but wonder if he somehow knew. She was sure he had no idea about Than, but perhaps he had some kind of sixth sense that let him know she would never be 'all his' in any way outside of work.

Without responding to his comment, Fallon only smiled then asked if there was anything at all she could do for him.

Joe smiled again, but this time it was a different smile. It had a sense of resignation in it, and that wasn't lost on Fallon.

"No. I don't think so," he said very quietly as he moved away.

"Well, if you're sure."

"Yes. I'm sure. You go on. Enjoy your day."

He hesitated then asked, "You're uh, you're not going to be back for dinner, are you?"

It was more a statement than a question, and once again, Fallon couldn't help but feel bad.

"No. I don't expect I will," she told him.

What Joe said next surprised her more than anything he'd said up to that point.

"He's a lucky guy."

"He is?" she replied, totally caught off guard.

"I thought something was different when I first saw you, but I was so...jazzed up...from this deal and wanting to tell you how I feel that I think I let myself pretend you weren't..."

Fallon knew the word 'glowing' was next, but Joe never actually said it. Instead, he chose the words 'the same'.

"I uh, I think I should be going now," she told him.

"Right. Sure thing," he quietly replied.

And with that, Fallon was again relieved and surprised. She'd long felt Joe had romantic feelings for her, but she was almost certain he was angry. Now that she knew he did and he wasn't, she felt almost guilty. But when she got back to her room and realized she was free to attend the grand opening, and with any luck, go zip lining again herself, she felt a sense of pure relief.

"Hey there! Guess what?" she began her text to Than. "I have the day off. AND I still have a job!"

She got a reply immediately, and after reading it, she laughed happily out loud.

"Well, you also have a boyfriend—if you want one," he wrote with a couple of hearts to go along with it.

"Hmmm. Would he be very handsome? And...very young?" she wrote back.

Than also laughed and texted his reply immediately.

"As I see it, words like 'young' and 'old' are relative, so...relatively speaking...I suppose he's very young. Now, as far as how you see things...is that a problem?"

Fallon was still smiling ear to ear as she replied.

"It's becoming less of an issue with each passing hour," she wrote.

Than's reply made her almost giggle with happiness.

"Ah, yes. That's because with each passing hour, I become older and more sophisticated."

"I'd like to um...see you again...before we leave," Fallon typed.

Less than two minutes later there was a knock at her door.

"You rang?" Than asked when she opened it.

Moments later their bodies were entwined on the bed as they made love again with more passion and abandonment than they had the night before.

Than had been to every grand opening of every zip line and bungee jump his company had opened, so this was no big deal. But watching the way Fallon took it all in was better than his first.

She stood beside him as he made the opening announcements in both English and Spanish, and Than saw how thrilled she was when he asked her to cut the ceremonial ribbon with a pair of oversized scissors. But most of all he loved being near her. Whether they were flying along a zip line together or walking hand in hand or shaking hands with local government officials and park employees, nothing had ever felt more right than doing it with Fallon Daniels.

What Than didn't know was that she was not only watching him as he played his part, but she also had the same feelings whenever she was by his side. He hadn't gotten any older, but she now saw him very differently. He wasn't just charming and handsome, Than was also a smart businessman who cared deeply about the people who worked for him even more than the bottom line. And Fallon could tell that he also genuinely loved watching local residents and tourists zipping along on metal wires while happily screaming as they 'flew'.

By the time they got ready to leave just as the sun was setting, Fallon wondered if what she thought she might be feeling could even be possible. She'd only known this incredible, younger man for a few short days. And yet...

"You were amazing today," she heard him say, interrupting her thoughts.

"Me? Hardly. No, that was you. You...you are a force to be reckoned with, Than Thompson."

He was so taken with her words that he stopped and turned to face her. Than took her hands in his then said, "You better be careful. I think I just might be falling for you."

"I can think of worse things," Fallon said very sweetly, feeling again like she was back in high school talking to her first crush.

"Come on. Let's get going," he told her but not before kissing her once, softly and slowly, causing her to moan just loudly enough for him to hear.

Joe sent Fallon a text later that evening in which he told her he was heading back to Chicago. He also apologized for being 'too forward' even though he'd been a perfect gentleman in the way he shared his feelings for her. He also told her there was no need for her to return to the Windy City until the next Monday morning and that she'd still be paid for her time.

His kindness created a brief pang of guilt just before she responded.

"Joe. Thank you for your kindness, and you have to nothing to apologize for. I know this sounds cliché, but you're a really great guy. I'm just not the right woman for you. I haven't earned my keep on this trip, so I'd feel better if we called these vacation days.