Always and Forever

Mark had sensed in Diane a smoldering sensuality, but he had never believed he would ever see it until perhaps their wedding night. As though in a dream, he continued to sit, speechless, his arousal throbbing in anticipation as Diane continued to pose, moving appreciatively to his wandering eyes. Mark finally found the courage to stand.

This time it was Diane who did all the looking. Mark struggled out of the rest of his clothing until he stood before her as naked as she was. Bathed in the soft red glow of the tree, they embraced, kissing passionately. Reaching behind, Mark grabbed the large fluffy blanket they had often used to cuddle in. Tossing it down onto the floor along with three or four throw pillows, he watched Diane lie down, beckoning for him to join her there.

"Come here sexy," she cooed. "Come and play with your Christmas present."

Mark didn't know what to do exactly, or if there was any order one did things in. And like waking on Christmas morning, he wanted to sit and marvel at the magic of the moment. For a long, long time, he simply did that. Gazing at her from head to toe, familiarizing himself with every little bump, freckle, ending once again with a soft light kiss upon her tiny little heart before inching over to once again kiss her hard waiting nipple.

Seconds later, he rained kisses on her like snowflakes, beginning from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Light fluttering kisses that covered nearly every square inch of her body, even going so far as to turn her over where he lavished her with finger-tip caresses to join those of his lips as he traveled down the small of her back, lingering wantonly at her perfectly molded ass.

Her shivers of delight, desire had rapidly escalated until her breathing was as feverish as his. Still unsure of himself, or just how much he was being permitted to do here, Mark was prepared to repeat the entire adventure of her body when she sat up, pushing him down onto his back.

"My turn," she sighed with a wicked grin.

Initially Mark thought she meant to do to him what he'd just finished doing to her. But to his immediate surprise, he felt her hand softly encompass his prick, tenderly squeezing it as she knelt over him, her face only inches away from his straining shaft.

Mark had closed his eyes, laying back, reveling in the erotic touch of her hand.

"Oh my God! Dee-Dee!" he exclaimed. His eyes popped open, startled, shocked, he felt her lips surrounding him, he tried to sit up, felt her hand firmly press against his chest forcing him back as his penis disappeared fully into her mouth. "Oh my God, my God!" he moaned over and over again. Control was out of the question. In all the years Mark had spent pleasuring himself, he'd never felt anything as wonderful as this. About to warn her of the inevitable, she sensed his pending climax, removing her mouth simultaneously with the first orgasmic eruption. Her hand continued to milk him however, his pleasures descending on her breasts like thick wet snow. Amazingly, he saw his cream cover the small tiny heart near her breast, reaching it with his finger to lovingly caress it, massaging it into her skin, sealing as he did in that moment his everlasting love for her.

#

It was the night of the dance. Mark had never been quite this excited about attending most school functions. This night however was special, or at least he hoped it would be. Only two days before Christmas, and it had begun to snow. A light carpeting of white blanketed the ground. But it seemed a perfect fitting for the season, as well as the night that lay ahead of him.

Mark's best friends brother worked for a limousine service, which had afforded him the ability to rent a limo for the night at an exceptionally reduced cost. Diane had no idea of course, which Mark hoped would be an additional surprise to her, as she also had no clue where they were going for dinner afterwards.

Though the 'Light House' restaurant was nearly a forty-five minute drive away, it would be well worth it for the romantic ambiance of dining with the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below, and the shimmer of the waves as they rolled in upon the beaches.

Robert, or 'Bobby' as Mark's best friend's brother was called had arrived on time. Racing down the porch steps of his home, he met him at the side door where Bobby stood waiting for him. Giving him Diane's address, he then furrowed his brow speaking to him.

"Hey, you been drinking?" Mark asked. He could smell the faint odor of alcohol on Bobby's breath when he'd spoken to him.

"Had a beer before I left, don't worry, I'm certainly not drunk if that's what you're worried about," he shot back almost angrily.

Mark had to admit, Bobby certainly didn't act or appear drunk, confirmed by the short drive over to Diane's house. Bobby had handled the limousine expertly, obeying all the speed limits, once again arriving perfectly on time.

Mark bounded up to the door of Diane's house, noticing when he did that the snow had begun to fall a little more briskly. He rang the bell, waited only a moment or two before Diane's father opened it, ushering him inside.

"She'll be down in just a minute," Diane's father told him as he stood in the foyer waiting for her to come downstairs.

Mark had also purchased her a rare black orchid to wear on her wrist. Mark had spoken with Diane's mother several days ago, asking her advise as to what type of flower he should get that would better match her dress. Diane's mother had given him the suggestion, intimating that what she had purchased, and planned on wearing for the evening would go very well with that particular choice.

When Diane finally appeared at the top of the stairs, Mark realized just how much of an understatement that really was.

Her floor-length evening gown was the deepest blue imaginable. As she walked, it seemed to shimmer as a thousand tiny sparkles caught the lighting from the over hanging chandelier above. She had chosen to wear her long hair down, which she knew Mark preferred, but it was full-bodied, wonderfully soft looking, and he could hardly wait to run his fingers through it later.

Gracefully, Diane descended the steps until reaching his side. She'd also purposely worn lower heels than most women might have, standing only another inch or so taller than he, though he realized it could have been much worse. But it was the deep, provocative décolletage of her gown that surprised him the most. Though spectacular, the rounded swell of her breasts were more revealed now than in anything she had ever worn out in public before. Nervously, Mark made a point of averting his eyes, especially with Diane's father standing nearby watching all this.

Diane's mother soon came to the rescue however, draping a beautiful hand-made lace shawl over her daughter's shoulders.

"Don't forget your coat either," she reminded her. "It's really starting to snow."

Though she'd accepted the coat, she'd refused to put it on. Racing down the steps towards the limousine, Mark was pleased to see Bobby standing beside the open door waiting for them. Diane was the first to enter, quickly slipping inside. But as she did, Mark noticed the unwelcome leer in Bobby's eyes as she situated herself.

"Is there some sort of privacy panel I can bring up?" Mark asked.

Once again the expression on Bobby's face changed to one of annoyance. "There's a panel near the door with a button on it. There's also an intercom in the event you need to speak to me about anything," he stated, once again leering at him.

"Thanks," Mark said climbing inside as Bobby closed the door behind him.

Almost immediately Mark located the panel, bringing up the privacy barrier shutting he and Diane off from Bobby's prying eyes. A moment after that, they felt the car pull away from the curb heading towards the dance. At last, Mark felt like he could breathe.

"God Diane, you really are beautiful!" he told her.

She leaned towards him expecting a kiss, which he gave her, but not before peering down the front of her dress. It was clearly evident she wasn't wearing a bra.

"You like?" she asked teasingly.

"I like it a lot!" he said nodding his head enthusiastically.

"Not only that," she began, crossing her legs, revealing that her gown was slit all the way from the floor well up to her thigh. A fancy bit of lace was revealed when she did. "I'm not wearing any panties either!"

Mark looked, a confused expression on his face. Not sure what that bit of information was really telling him.

"Mother loaned me a pair of her garters and stockings," she finished, winking at him.

Mark blushed profusely.

"Something special for later," she then added, causing his cheeks to redden even deeper.

By the time they arrived at the high school, the snow was really coming down. Bobby assured them he'd be waiting for them out in the parking lot for whenever they were ready to head off to the restaurant for dinner.

On the way over, Mark and Diane had both agreed they wouldn't stay any longer than a couple of hours so as to ensure they'd have plenty of time to make their dinner reservations at nine. The night was magical for them both. Most of the time Mark had preferred the faster dances whenever they'd gone before. This night however, he hoped for a majority of them to be slower, much, much slower.

Holding Diane in his arms, occasionally catching the admiring looks from many of their friends, Mark felt that this night couldn't be any more perfect, though the likelihood of that was still yet ahead.

With the storm gradually intensifying, many of their friends had already begun to make arrangements for leaving. Realizing this, the Disc Jockey who had been playing a wide variety of holiday music all evening long, decided it was time to play a specific song, and one in which had been the theme of the dance.

As the lights came down, a gentle strobe began. When it did, the sound of Bing Crosby's voice singing 'White Christmas' could be heard. Almost immediately thousands of tiny sparkling bits of paper began floating down from the ceiling. As the strobe continued to pierce the darkness, the effect of it actually snowing inside the gym was remarkable. Mark and Diane danced their last dance of the night together, holding one another close as the warm snow continued to fall, covering the two of them completely. They both laughed, brushing the bits of paper from their hair and clothing just as the song ended, and the lights came back up.

"Well? Shall we?" Mark asked, seeing Diane smile in agreement as they gathered their coats and headed outside.

Mark wasn't too surprised when Bobby didn't emerge from the driver's side door to let them inside. The weather had worsened considerably, and for the first time he nervously wondered if it was such a good idea to make the long drive towards the restaurant. Quickly climbing inside the limousine, Mark was about to press the intercom and speak with Bobby when he felt the car backing out of the lot. Deciding against doing so, he settled back into the seat already warm from the heat of the car comfortably suiting them both.

"How long before we arrive?" Diane questioned, clueless as to where it was they were going for dinner.

"Probably an hour, maybe even longer with the storm and all," he answered. Mark glanced outside, but it was nearly a whiteout as the snow was falling, coming down in a near blizzard condition. He heard Diane's giggle, turning away from the window.

"I've always wanted to ride inside a limo," she told him.

"Yeah, me too," he admitted feeling a little better as he sat there looking at her.

"You know what else I've imagined doing?" she asked, her voice taking on that same sultry tone he'd heard her use the first night he had seen her naked.

"No, what?"

"I've always wanted to make love inside of one," she admitted shyly to him.

All thoughts of the storm outside evaporated. "You're kidding me! You want to make love? Here?" he questioned her seriously.

"Yes Mark, I do...right here," she said already beginning to slip out of her evening gown. "After all, we do have an hour," she suggested lustily, "Don't we?"

Minutes later she was sitting in nothing more than the sexy pair of white garters and stockings her mother had loaned her. And, as she had told him about earlier, she was indeed wearing nothing else. Mark quickly slipped out of his own clothing, tossing them onto the seat well behind them. Diane reached out her arms towards him, bidding him to come to her, simultaneously revealing herself even more fully to him than she had on their first intimate night together. As she widened the position of her legs, Mark knelt down on the luxuriously carpeted floor. He smiled at the surprised expression on her face. She'd expected him to come to her another way, but his intentions at that moment where to pleasure her as she had once pleasured him.

"Mark?"

"There's plenty of time yet," he whispered. "And besides, this is just one of your Christmas presents," he told her.

"Ohh...just one?" she sighed as his tongue touched the furrow of her sex for the first time.

Mark was too busy to speak further however, and Diane suddenly found it unnecessary for him to answer her either.

The feel of Mark's tongue as it teasingly caressed her clitoris was heavenly. Diane moaned with each passing moment, each fluttering flick of his tongue as it danced inside her, exploring her entirely. Reaching up with his hands, he had captured her full breasts, kneading her pliant flesh and gently thumbing her erect nipples.

Perfectly choreographed, Mark continued to strum her pleasure nubbin with his tongue, his fingers fine tuning the nerve endings of each breast until Diane was moaning uncontrollably. The perfume of her scent was intoxicating, driving him mad with desire for her, but wanting her to experience the penultimate of pleasures before they consummated the evening as they both now knew that they would.

He could sense by her breathing that she was getting closer to her ecstasy. Her quim had grown even more liquid, alerting him to the arrival of her climax just seconds away now. Mark felt her tense, felt her shiver as she began to come, heard her only half-muted scream of pure unadulterated pleasure as he continued to devour her in a way that threatened to rob them both of their sanity.

Mark felt as though he were floating, still hearing Diane's cry of pleasure as it echoed inside his head.

Then he realized he was floating, and the sound of Diane's cry, no longer pleasure, but a screaming cry of fear and alarm.

#

"Well? What'd they say?"

Diane's father finished hanging up the phone, turning towards his wife, his face was etched with deep lines of worry and concern. They had been up all night.

"The manger confirmed they had reservations for nine, but they never showed."

Just then the phone rang. Diane's father quickly grabbed the receiver.

"Yes? Hello?" he added anxiously.

For long moments he sat listening on the other end. By the look on his face his fears became even greater. Diane's mother stood, her hand already reaching up towards her mouth.

"I see, thank you," he said. He turned, "That was the Limousine service, Bobby never came back to the shop with the car."

#

Diane opened her eyes. She felt stiff, sore, but even more importantly, confused. As her eyes cleared coming back into focus, she could see the outline of someone sitting next to her in a chair. She took a moment longer for her eyes to adjust, when they did, she could see her father sitting next to her, sleeping.

"Daddy?"

"Oh my God! Diane! Baby! You're awake!" he said bounding up from his chair in surprise. Racing towards her bed, he gathered her into his arms and began weeping uncontrollably. When he did, Diane realized something was horribly, horribly wrong. She had never in all her years seen her father cry.

"Daddy? What's happened, what's wrong? Why am I here?" she asked finally, realizing she was lying inside a hospital bed.

"You've been in a coma for nearly two weeks now," he told her. "But everything is going to be alright now honey, you're going to be just fine."

Diane's father stood beside her bed, stroking her hair.

"When the doctor's informed us that you could be waking up any day now, your mother and I took turns camping out here beside your bed so that one of us would at least be here when you woke."

Realization slowly settled in, though all Diane could even vaguely remember was the echoing cry of her own scream.

"Where's Mark?" she asked suddenly alert.

Her father stopped stroking her head briefly, staring into her eyes.

"He didn't make it," he said simply, not knowing how else to put it.

"Well call him then, tell him I'm awake!" Diane said trying to sit up.

For a moment, her father stood there looking at her with a dumbfounded expression on his face until he realized his daughter had misunderstood him.

"I didn't say he couldn't make it," her father began. "I said he didn't make it. I'm sorry honey... Mark didn't survive the crash."

#

Mike Jenkins arrived home from work, and like every day for the past two month's, he immediately asked his mother if anything had arrived for him in the mail.

At twenty-two, he was still living with his parents. Considered something of a 'wonder boy', Mike had already excelled through college, well on his way towards becoming what he'd always dreamed of being. A marine biologist. He'd applied at several research centers where he hoped to complete his internship. Having already received acceptance at three, each along the east coast, Mike continued to hope expectantly for acceptance on the west coast. For as far back as he could remember, Mike had dreamed of living, working and establishing a life out west.

"Any mail?" he'd asked, expecting the same answer he'd been getting of late. This time however, his mother stepped out of the hallway into the living room. She was holding a letter in her hand.

Mike refused to get too excited. It could very well end up being a fourth acceptance on the east coast. He looked into his mothers eyes however, never able to be one to hide much of a secret, and smiled.

"Is it? Really?" he asked her.

Katie Jenkins smiled, holding out the envelope to him. "I don't know why you're so insistent on moving clear across the country," she began.

They had had this argument before. Both of his parents had expressed their own reasons for him interning closer to home. He on the other hand had always said that one day, he'd move out west, no matter how long it took him to find a way there.

Mike quickly tore into the envelope, reading the letter inside. A second later, he threw it up into the air with a wild hoop and a holler.

"Yahoo! I'm moving to San Diego!" he shouted happily.

It was less than a week before Thanksgiving. The letter had told him that he wasn't expected to even arrive until after the holidays. And much to his parents chagrin, he told them that very evening of his intentions to fly out the following Monday.

Mike had managed to salt a considerable amount of savings away. So it was that he found himself standing outside the employee entrance at Sea World, San Diego, late Monday afternoon.

He'd been standing there a good ten minutes before anyone else arrived.

"Can I help you?"

Mike smiled at the petite, good looking blonde that approached him. "Yes thank you. I'm here to see..." Mike fumbled briefly with the letter he'd brought with him. "A Professor Davenport."

"Oh, you mean Dee-Dee!" The blonde said smiling at him. "I'm pretty sure she's down near the shark exhibitions. We just got an injured Great White, Dee-Dee's overseeing her recovery, so I'm pretty sure you will find her there."

The blonde gave Mike directions to the area of the complex, then left him to find his way. After searching for only a few minutes he came upon a woman who was standing in front of a large underground observation area, intently studying what must have been the shark they had recently procured.