Write 'Em Cowboy

"Gosh, Betty — look at the time. I gotta go to lunch."

"Lunch? It's 4 pm!"

"Fine, dinner then! Gotta go!" I hung up before she could launch another sally.

===

HARRY

When I got back from the bar, Portia was vibrating visibly.

I handed her an ice-cold soda and said, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! In fact, it's great news! Betty wants to buy our book!"

"Who's Betty?"

"My publisher, doofus! She loved the draft I sent her and she wants to buy it!"

I sat down and stared at her. "Uhh... how much did she offer?"

Portia rattled off a figure that floored me. I said, "That much, for a few days' work?"

"Well, we have to finish the book. We're about twenty percent done with the first draft. We'll also have to do a few revisions before we send it to the editor, and then there will be more rewrites. We'll earn that money, trust me."

I was speechless. Portia leaned in, her eyes searching mine, and said, "Are you okay? Talk to me, sweetie!"

I rubbed my face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just amazed that anyone would pay money for my scribblings. But most of it should go to you."

She shook her head. "No way! We used your story idea, and most of the best dialogue was yours. I won't take a penny more than half."

"Wow. I would have done it just for the pleasure of working with you. But paid — wow! Hey, we need to celebrate tonight!"

"What did you have in mind?"

"I'm taking you dancing tonight!"

===

After dinner, we walked over to the dance floor.

Portia said, "I really don't know much about dancing."

I said, "No sweat. There's an old African proverb: 'If you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing.' It's absolutely true. I'll be happy to give you a few tips, if you don't mind."

"Wow, a cowboy philosopher," she grinned at me, and I grinned right back.

===

PORTIA

Once again, I let Harry talk me into something that was way outside my comfort zone. How can one guy be so good at so many things? I should hate him for that, but he was just so damn cute!

First, we got into ballroom dance position. Harry told me to push back toward both of his hands to create the 'frame'. Seemed counterintuitive, but I felt the result right away. As soon as I did that, we somehow changed from being two random people who were coincidentally standing next to each other and transformed into a single dance unit. It's hard for me to describe, but that's what I felt.

By now there were about thirty people on the dance floor. Howdy-I'm-Jessie had us line up, and she taught us a simple line dance. Then we danced that pattern to live music. Huh. That wasn't so bad. Then we did a different line dance. So far so good...

Then Jessie taught us how to waltz. She had seen how well Harry moved on the dance floor and chose him as her dance demonstration partner. Earlier, I had thought it was amusing to watch Harry get jealous of me and Wrangler Doug. It seems that karmic payback is no fun at all. I didn't like it when she put her hands on Harry and let them linger... waaaay too long. She's fucking flirting with him!

Harry, however, seemed oblivious to Jessie's ploys and smiled through the whole demonstration. Then she taught us the cowboy two-step — again, with Harry as her partner. She was oblivious to the laser blasts from my eyes. Find someone else to dance with, you hussy!

What really pissed me off was when Jessie asked Harry to demonstrate some swing steps. She not only had her hands all over Harry, but rubbed her perky little tits on him whenever possible. Shit, if she got any perkier, she was gonna put someone's eye out. What she was doing wasn't quite Dirty Dancing, but it really chapped my ass.

I was still fuming internally when she ended the demo and Harry walked back over to me.

However, Harry jollied me out of my funk in no time. He showed me the fundamental secret of swing dancing. You do the same simple, six-count set of steps over and over, ad infinitum: 'side step, side step, back step'. That's it! The person dancing the lead role leads the couple through all sorts of cool moves. However, your feet just kept on doing the same old SS SS BS. Crazy.

As the music started, Harry kept it simple for me until I got a feel for the moves. Then he ramped it up a bit and started adding variation after variation. Made me look pretty darned good, even though I was just doing SS SS BS.

When that tune ended, Harry showed me a few more snazzy moves, including several different dips. The music fired up again, and we did the new moves up to speed. Occasionally he would lower me into a dip and then pull me back up into a twirl. I felt like Ginger Fucking Rogers!

I happened to glance over at Jessie, and darned if she didn't look a tiny bit jealous of us. At the next break in the music, she came slithering over and in a sweet voice, said, "You two certainly move well together. Can I borrow Harry for the next dance?"

Matching sweet for sweet, I gave her my best fake as all fuck smile, and said, "No thank you, please — I think I'll keep him," and clutched Harry a little tighter. When the music started up again, I pulled him onto the floor and stayed with him for the rest of that evening. I liked having his arms around me and I especially liked dancing cheek to cheek. This dance thing was starting to grow on me. Consider my comfort zone expanded!

The music ended way too soon for me. I wouldn't have minded dancing with Harry for a few more hours.

As we left the floor after the last waltz, I realized that I wouldn't mind spending the rest of the evening in Harry's arms. Damn, I had it bad. Betty was right. Again. Bitch...

===

PORTIA

Harry and I walked back to our rooms afterward, holding hands. We didn't talk much - both of us were visibly nervous about what was on both of our minds. The sexual tension was palpable. I unlocked my room, and when he leaned over to kiss me goodnight, I grabbed him by his bolo tie and pulled him into my room.

I said, "Okay, cowboy. Cards on the table. I like you. I like you a lot." I kissed him. "Your turn."

He kissed me back. "I'm way past 'like', Porsh. I'm besotted with you."

"Ooh... great word. Can I change my pick to 'besotted'?".

His smile made my knees weak. "Of course. I also find you bedazzling and bewitching." We kissed again. Wow.

When we came up for air, I said, "So, what do we do now?"

Harry said, "As you said, cards on the table. Meeting you... falling in 'like'..." he grinned, "I'm depressed at having to leave you tomorrow. To answer your question properly, I need to get to know you better."

"How do you propose we do that? We're about to head back to towns that are hours apart."

"Well..." and he looked down, actually uncertain for maybe the first time since I'd met him. "What if... what if we lived closer? Like, a LOT closer? In the same town? We could take things slow and spend as much time as we needed."

I nodded. "Sure, I suppose we could research the problem for a while and pick out the right town."

He gave a small smile, and said, "However, the thought of waiting that long and being apart from you drives me crazy. I like you so much right now that I'm ready to jump off a cliff with you and see if we like each other on the way down."

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow — I know what you mean. But what if we really mess it up?"

He blew out a breath. "That could happen. But at the moment, I dread that a lot less than I dread the thought of not being around you."

Wow. I thought I was the writer. Harry had just said everything that I was thinking but didn't quite know how to express.

We looked into each other's eyes. Time to fling caution into the wind. Let yourself fly, Portia!

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "Ready to jump?"

His smile spread across his face. "Oh, hell yes!"

I began to unbutton my blouse.

===

HARRY

I think I stopped breathing when she reached for that top button. I watched, mesmerized, as the parting material revealed first the soft skin of her chest, then her stomach. I'd seen more of her in her bikini, but watching her undress now was possibly the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.

She slipped off the blouse, rolling her shoulders back, and the movement pushed her breasts forward. They were covered by a lacy peach-colored bra, and my eyes were glued to them. I heard her chuckle, and I glanced up. She just smirked, and I grinned ruefully, but moved toward her, my arms going around her and slowly I stroked up and down her back.

Her breasts were pressed against my chest, and suddenly, I couldn't get my shirt off fast enough. I had to feel her skin against mine! I took a step back, and in a single motion, ripped it off. Thank God for snaps, or there would have been buttons flying everywhere.

Locking her eyes with mine, she reached behind herself and gave a deft twist. She slowly let the bra slide off her breasts, catching for just an instant on a set of erect nipples.

"Perfect...." I breathed. "Absolutely perfect."

She flushed, her eyes hooded, and I stepped toward her again.

We dropped our jeans at the same time, and I sucked in my breath when her matching panties came into view. She giggled softly, and her eyes went to the tent in my boxers. At my unspoken question, she nodded, and we slowly lowered those last articles of clothing.

We stood there regarding one another in a moment of silent appreciation. We gravitated together and embraced, and her soft silken skin slid against mine. Her nipples were like diamonds against my chest, and my erection pressed against her stomach. I groaned at the contact, and I heard her hum her appreciation. Whatever body parts we had that could stand at attention were now on high alert, and ground against the opposing body parts in a most pleasant way. Oh my GOD!

We didn't want to turn each other loose. We somehow inched our way over to her bed and collapsed into it. We made out a while longer, and things ramped up from there. Neither one of us were virgins, and we both had certain ideas of what we wanted to do next.

My eyes widened as she slowly slipped down my body, pausing to kiss and caress as she went. Reaching her target, she slowly stroked me as she murmured, "Let's get this first one out of the way, shall we?"

I nodded, but replied, "Only if I can return the favor!"

"I'm okay with that," she replied, with that new, sexy smile that I was learning to love.

We had a great time both giving and receiving, then took a brief respite, cuddled in each other's arms.

But being with such a sensuous and exciting woman, it wasn't long before Harry Jr. was raring to go again, and we moved on to the main course. I'm a big fan of adventurous positions, but really wanted our first time to be face-to-face. Apparently, Portia felt the same, and it was as amazing as I could have imagined. Even more so. After a very satisfying mutual conclusion, we took another break for fluid replacement and a quick cleanup, then we crawled under the sheets and snuggled some more. As we chatted about this and that, and idly caressed one another, it didn't take long before my tired cowpoke was rejuvenated and ready to hop back in the saddle.

Her eyes widened. "Again?"

"What can I say?" I shrugged. "He knows what he likes!"

Portia gave me a gleeful smirk and jumped out of bed, clearly looking for something. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her naked rummaging, until I heard a satisfied "Found it!"

Turning, she donned her Stetson on her way back to bed. She bent down, kissed me soundly, and with a satisfied sigh, mounted me cowgirl style, hissing in pleasure as she sank down onto me.

Her lovely body and smiling face took my breath away, and I lay there, watching her move, etching every detail into my memory. She frowned and said, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

I reached up and softly ran my hands down the sides of her chest to her hips. "Not a thing, dear heart. It's just that you are so magnificent — I had to stop and admire you."

She sniffled, and said, "That is so sweet." She bent down and kissed me soundly. "It's also such a waste of a good line."

"What?"

"Here we are, completely hooked up. Dude, you already sealed the deal."

I just gaped at her.

She said, "You want to save a line like that for some time when you're not already preaching to the saved. Why, if you used that line on me in Safeway, and gave me that look..." She let out a long, passionate sigh, "... I would drop my panties on the spot, bend over in the produce section, and let you rail me among the rutabagas."

That broke me up. In seconds we were both shaking with laughter. This shaking induced some delicious and unexpected friction between our conjoined genitals. A belly laugh while balling turned out to be whole new territory for us. In short order, the shaking evolved into other motions, culminating in urgent thrusting — leading to shared detonations.

Some time later, my brain rebooted. Portia and I lay gasping in a sweaty and intertwined tangle of body parts. After a moment, her eyes focused, and she whispered, "Wow..."

All I could emit was a feeble, "Yahoo..."

After another minute, I said, "Portia?"

"Yes?"

"As amazing as that just was..."

She frowned and raised one eyebrow. "Careful how you finish that sentence, bub..."

"As amazing as that was — it was just the exclamation point on a whole week of wonderful. The rafting, the dancing, and the singing were great, but the hours we spent plotting and writing together were one of the most profound and enjoyable things I've ever done with another person." I paused. "There, how was that finish?"

Her eyes were now wide and shining. She touched my face with her hand. "Oh, you sweet, sweet man. There you go using another great panty-parting line with a naked girl already in your arms! We've gotta work on your timing."

"I'm pretty slow. I might have to practice a lot."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Speaking of holding..." I pulled her closer into my arms. "We have to check out tomorrow, and I don't want to let you go."

She nodded, and said, "Barricading ourselves in this room is probably a non-starter."

"Yeah. I suppose so. Umm... when do you have to get back to Houston?"

"No special time. No pets to feed, no plants to water. With my laptop and enough clean underwear, I'm pretty flexible."

"In that case, how do you feel about a detour through Austin?"

"You intrigued me. Tell me more."

"Joe and Bill could drive back together in Bill's car. We could drive up to my place in your car."

"And then...?"

"It could be a long detour. Maybe long enough to finish that book together."

===

FRIDAY

===

PORTIA

We had breakfast the next morning with Bill, Joe, and the Fleeglemans. Somehow, none of them were at all surprised that Harry and I were driving back to Austin together. Even 'Howdy-I'm-Jessie' gave me a knowing wink as we checked out. And maybe a regretful sigh toward Harry.

===

We took the backroads on the drive up to Austin. I loved driving through the rolling Hill Country around Fredericksburg. Harry had me stop for gas at the Dixie Quick Stop in Johnson City, which has a little Mexican bakery tucked away inside the old Valero station. That's where Harry introduced me to the delights of pan dulce. My God! How have I lived in Texas this long without ever having this? It was all delicious, but my absolute favorite was the little gingerbread pigs they sold there.

===

If I weren't already falling for Harry, his house would have sealed the deal. I've dated a few bachelors over the years and had never been very impressed with their pads. Harry's house was on a quiet street in the East Oak Hills neighborhood of Austin. His backyard backed up onto a greenbelt along the cliffs overlooking Barton Creek. When he pointed out the shady writing nook facing out over the creek, I wanted to spend the rest of the day there.

Harry offered me my own room, but I would have none of that. I talked him into a foot of space in his closet and my own drawer in his dresser. That was enough to start.

===

THE NEXT WEEK

===

PORTIA

Bill got married to Marjorie a week later. Joe was the best man and Harry was a groomsman. I went as Harry's plus one. It was a lovely ceremony, followed by great food and dancing to a local live band. I danced some with Bill and Joe, but mostly with Harry.

I only spoke with Marjorie for a few moments, mostly congratulations, but we did share a laugh over Bill's golf obsession. She made me promise not to tell, but said that Bill was really happy that Harry was able to share his bachelor week. She turned out to be very nice. I really didn't have a lot of girlfriends, but I thought maybe she and I could be friends. It was a pleasant surprise.

Harry came over about then, kissed Marjorie on the cheek, and held out his hand to me.

"Dance with the one that brung you?"

I smiled and took his hand.

He and I were pleasantly sweaty when we got back home, and jumped into the shower together, which led to some sexy shenanigans. Afterward, we resumed our dancing — in the sheets.

===

THE NEXT FEW MONTHS

===

PORTIA

It only took a few weeks before 'home' to me meant Harry's house, and never my apartment back in Houston. After I'd been there a month, we had The Talk about living together. Then we rented a van, drove it over to Houston, and came back with all of my gear. I've never looked back.

Harry noticed how much I loved his outdoor writing nook. He did a little work and expanded it to accommodate two. He also added a few tweaks that made it comfy for about 9 months out of the year. Austin has a mild winter and a lazy overhead fan sufficed to keep us comfortable there during the summer.

Our writing collaboration continued to be the core of our relationship. Even when he was off at work, I would occasionally notice a few paragraphs popping up in our shared documents. We spent a lot of our time at home together writing.

The sex continued to be great. And sometimes, it was transcendent. Harry was a generous and caring lover. We had fun working our way through the Kama Sutra, but our favorite positions continued to be the ones where we could gaze into each other's eyes.

Making love with him was sublime and splendiferous (hey, it's a word), but we found ways to keep things playful too. Like, every once in a while, in the middle of collaborating, I'd see a really steamy paragraph start to appear on my screen, and there was nothing for it but to drag him into the bedroom for some hot monkey sex.

Harry and I continued to jerk each other's chains, and occasionally pissed each other off, but it was never anything serious. Once, I was showing him a scene that he'd written, and pointed out that it was never followed up on. I explained the narrative principle of 'Chekhov's Gun' in which the famous playwright states that if the writer introduces a gun into the story, then the gun must be used at some later point.

He thought about that, then he got a toothy grin on his face. "So, like back when you asked me if "Python_Wrangler_96" was a dick joke, and I said I could do better than that... but I haven't yet, would that be like... Chekhov's Dick Joke?"

My dumb ass was just taking a sip of wine when he laid that one on me, and I wound up shooting a rather nice Cab Franc out of my nose. Asshole.

I made sure that he took his antihistamines faithfully, and our time in bed together was only rarely interrupted by The Sawmill from Hell. A thorough pummeling with my pillow, followed by threats of sticking his nasal spray up his ass usually fixed the problem.