Who's Taming Who? Read online

  Finally, Lanie tied on her wraparound skirt and both she and Frank put on their t-shirts. Even Cassie had some clean shorts and a t-shirt she’d brought along. They drove Cassie to her Girl Scout meeting at the troop leader’s house.

  As Cassie got out of the car she said, “Thanks Frank. I had a super day. I think you’d make a great daddy.” She hugged him quickly.

  Frank was clearly taken aback but he recovered quickly and said, “Thank you Cassie, I think that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

  “Will I see you again?” she asked earnestly.

  “Real soon, Sweetie, real soon.” He was clearly touched by Cassie’s complete acceptance.

  Cassie ran up the steps to the meeting with more energy that should be legal. Lanie trudged up the steps behind her and asked the troop leader if she could use her phone. She called Kate.

  “Kate? This is Lanie,” she said simply. “I need a favor.”

  “What can I do?” Kate’s reply was instant and without hesitation.

  “Could you pick Cassie up at her scout meeting and keep her with you and your kids until you get home?” Lanie asked. “Normally I’d ask Tina but she has the night shift tonight.”

  “No problem,” Kate said cheerfully, “we’ll enjoy it. Just give me the address and make sure the troop leader knows about it.”

  Lanie made the arrangements with the scout leader to have Kate pick up her daughter after the meeting and went back join to Frank in her car.

  As soon as she got back to the car Lanie muttered, “She’s a cute kid and I love her a whole lot, but I may have to strangle her real soon. How could she have embarrassed me that way? How could she have done that?”

  “Done what?” Frank grinned and raised his brows questioningly. “She was perfectly behaved all day.”

  “She practically proposed to you,” Lanie fumed, “telling you that you’d make a great Daddy.”

  “She’s right. I’m gonna make a great daddy.” Frank leaned over and kissed a shocked Lanie. “You just don’t know it yet. Maybe your daughter is smarter than you are. Did you ever think of that? Let’s go over to Kate and Bob’s where we can play some adult games in private.”

  “Smarter than me?” Lanie was very quiet then said, “Or just easier to win over? After all, my affections can’t be bought with a day at the beach or ice cream, I want more.”

  “Then I’ll have to see that you get what you want, too.” Frank leaned over and kissed her, his lips warm and lingering against her mouth. “For the rest of your life, if I can manage it.”

  “It’s hard to argue with that.” Lanie kissed him back.

  He started the car. After a quick stop at the nearest store, they went over to Kate’s house and found a note for them on the door. It read:

  I knew you’d wind up here so there’s a special treat for you in the refrigerator. For your information, our fences are high enough to allow you to swim in the nude, and the double wide inflatable mattress is perfect for making love on. We won’t be home until seven, I guarantee it.

  Have fun,

  Kate.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Frank and Lanie first entered Kate’s house they were greeted by a bouncing Boston Terrier. He jumped all over, wiggling the stump of his almost non-existent tail and licking any piece of human skin he could reach with his long, agile tongue.

  “Hiya Charger, how’s my friend?” Frank picked up and cuddled the excited little dog. The dog wiggled so hard Frank had trouble holding onto him as he licked Frank’s hands and face. “Hey! Knock it off, my face is clean! Lanie, meet Charger. He has a wife and two daughters around here somewhere.”

  “I saw him at the wedding with the Best Man.” Lanie stroked Charger’s sleek, round head. “I thought there were four puppies.”

  “Two have already gone to new homes,” Frank said.

  No sooner had the words left his mouth then a smaller version of Charger came wiggling up to them. She was a female puppy around two months old. Along with her was an older female Boston, obviously the puppy’s mother. Another puppy followed not too far behind. Frank scooped the first puppy up and handed her to Lanie.

  “This is Jojo. She’s the real power in this household. She rules the roost.” Jojo did her best to shower Lanie with affection. Frank put down Charger and picked up Oreo, hugging the squirming puppy. “And that’s Teddy, her mom, and this is Oreo, her sister. Kate’s keeping Jojo but Oreo needs a good home. I’m tempted to take her myself but I’m still thinking it over.” He bent over to pet Teddy who immediately rolled over onto her back, positively begging to have her tummy rubbed. “To bad you weren’t here a couple of weeks ago when Jojo and Oreo still had their sister and brother. It was a zoo with all four puppies running around.”

  “I’ll bet.” Lanie laughed as she got a puppy kiss. “They sure were a hit at the wedding, and they were great for the kids to play with. I’m surprised they weren’t already sold.”

  “Kate thought she had Oreo sold, but the woman who was getting her decided to wait for Teddy’s next litter because she decided a new puppy and a new baby were too much to handle all at once.” Frank cuddled the wiggling puppy. “Her baby was born almost exactly two weeks before the puppies were ready to go to their new homes.”

  “That would be a lot to handle all at once,” Lanie smiled at the thought of having a baby and a puppy, “but it would be a joy, too.”

  Leaving the dogs, who trailed behind them, he took Lanie’s hand and led her into the kitchen. They found a note on the refrigerator door telling them to look inside. They found their treats on a tray inside the refrigerator. The tray had two bowls of chocolate mousse on it, both topped with a touch of whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and a cherry. There was also a bottle of champagne with their names on a note around the bottle’s neck and a bowl of luscious, perfect strawberries, along with a can of whipped cream, and a couple of bottles of cola.

  Seeing the can of whipped cream, Lanie blushed remembering her uninhibited and slightly risqué actions the last time she’d had her hands on the delightful topping. Whatever had possessed her to do such a thing? She had never acted like that before. It had been exquisite and decadent fun. Was it really just that morning?

  Leaving the champagne, whipped cream, and strawberries, Lanie carried the rest of the treasures out onto the poolside deck. They sat side by side in the afternoon sun and ate their chocolate mousse and sipped their colas from tall glasses full of ice. The dogs watched them intensely as they ate but otherwise were well mannered. Finally the silent stares from big brown eyes got to Frank and he gave each dog a small taste of his mousse.

  When they finished the desserts, Lanie carried them into the house and rinsed the dishes. She refilled the glasses with ice water and went out to join Frank on a chaise lounge.

  “Leave it to Kate to have lounge chairs big enough for two,” Frank noted, cuddling her in his arms.

  “A woman after my own heart,” Lanie agreed.

  They lay there side by side, sipping their water and talking. Soon they added cuddling and exchanging gentle kisses. They stayed that way for a while but it was still hot and the pool looked so refreshing.

  “Let’s go for a swim,” Lanie suggested, pulling off her skirt and grabbing her glass of water.

  She opened the gate that completely surrounded the pool area and carefully shut it again leaving the dogs out. She sat her water down beside the pool and jumped into the warm pool. She floated and splashed around for a while before swimming a few fast laps with a strong, efficient stroke.

  Frank watched for a while before he pulled off his T-shirt and joined her in the pool. He swam for a while before catching Lanie by her heels and pulling her over to him. He kissed her long and passionately until they both started to sink. Floating to the surface, Lanie breathed in a gulp of air and then grabbed Frank and returned the kiss, her hands sliding around his waist. Without warning, she pulled his swimming trunks down and let them float away.


  “I wish you’d stop being so shy about letting me know what you want. Just come on and let me know,” Frank quipped, treading water. “So you want to play dirty, little girl?”

  “That’s exactly what I want.” Treading water, she reached behind her neck and unfastened the knot at the neck of her bikini top. “I knew you’d figure it out.”

  Frank swam around behind her and untied the thin strings that ran across her back. Her top drifted away. From behind her, he stroked and fondled her breasts before he slowly reached down and pealed off her bikini bottom. He nibbled her neck and spread tender kisses on down her back to her round, firm rump.

  Suddenly he dove under the water’s surface and swam under her, turning over and sliding his body slowly up to the surface between her legs. Surfacing, he met her mouth in a frenzied kiss, his hands pulling her legs up to wrap around his waist, his tongue plunging deeply into her mouth as he entered her in a smooth strong thrust.

  Frank soon realized that treading water and making love were not necessarily two activities that worked well together, so he worked his way to the shallow end. Bracing his legs, he slid slowly, languidly in and out of Lanie’s tight, warm body. He reveled in the soft whimpering sounds she made in her throat. He used his hands, gripping Lanie’s firm rounded buttocks to guide the action. As he raced towards a hard, fast climax he blocked out the outside world and all of its distractions. Lanie moaned and whimpered with the approach of her climax, finally screaming out in release.

  Breathing heavily, Frank backed up to the side of the pool before he made his way to the steps, still holding Lanie in his arms. He sat down with Lanie in his lap, stroking her hair and placing little kisses all over her face.

  They sat there on the pool steps for a long time before he got out and grabbed the big air mattress. He threw it into the pool and jumped in after it. He pushed it over to Lanie and held it steady while she got on. In turn, she used the side of the pool to hold it steady while he joined her on the large mattress. They floated and held each other. Gentle kisses were exchanged, lips meeting lips with more affection than passion.

  Scooping at the water to maneuver the float over to the side of the pool, Lanie grabbed her water and took a long swallow. She offered some to Frank but he preferred to drink the coldness off her luscious lips. She barely managed to set the water glass down before he caught her mouth in a kiss that quickly moved from affection to full blown passion.

  With a soft moan she opened to him fully, her mouth as his tongue sought hers, and her legs as he nestled between her strong, velvet thighs. Even her emotions and feelings opened to him fully. He shared all that he was with her and she took it, giving him her essence, her passion in return. They were lucky not to sink the mattress.

  Afterwards, it took a long time for either to recover enough to breathe evenly, much less speak coherently. Eventually they began to talk softly and stroke each other. They were gentle strokes and touches not born of desire, but stemming from tender devotion.

  “Lanie, when will you marry me?” The question was out before he had even thought about it. He kissed her deeply. “Cassie’s already given me her approval.”

  Lanie gazed up at him, shocked and speechless. A fierce joy filled her. Subconsciously she realized she had expected his proposal eventually, but this seemed so sudden, so quick, and she admitted to herself, so right.

  “Lanie love, are you all right?” Frank asked finally.

  “I’m shocked, stunned, and speechless,” she stopped and smiled, “and full of alliteration, it seems.”

  “Well, I proposed.” Frank sounded almost stern. “What do you have to say about it?”

  “You call that a proposal?” Lanie was stalling for time to sort out her feelings. “Whatever happened to a romantic setting? Passionate words of love? Getting down on one knee?”

  “Going down on one knee? Lanie love, we’re in the swimming pool, I’d drown!” Frank laughed then he sobered and said, “I’ll admit it was a spur of the moment proposal and not the passionate and loving declaration that you deserve, but the meaning is the same: I do love you. You are the one I want to build my life with, to fight with and make love with, even just to sit beside when I watch old movies on television. Are you going to make us both happy and agree to marry me or follow your stubborn instincts and go down fighting?” he prodded.

  “I think I’ll give in now, make us both happy, and save my stubborn fighting instincts for later.” She smiled at him, watching for his reaction. “I’m sure I’ll need them sooner or later.”

  It was Frank’s turn to be shocked and filled with sudden delight. He sat quietly for a minute before he gave a loud shout of pure joy and hugged her until she squealed and rolled them both off the mattress and into the water. They lay on the deck in the late afternoon sun and kissed and cuddled for a few minutes before Frank went in and brought out the champagne and strawberries.

  “Kate really must be psychic.” Frank grinned. “Knowing her, she already has an engagement ring picked out.”

  “She’s not totally psychic,” Lanie reminded him, “she didn’t even know about her own wedding.”

  “That’s true, but maybe her powers don’t work on herself,” Frank suggested. “Who cares? We have better things to do.”

  He picked up the full bottle and poured some of the cold champagne on her warm, still moist navel. He lowered his mouth to her and began drinking the liquid from her body before his lips and tongue went lower still. Soon, they had celebrated their engagement with the champagne and strawberries, and tender but passionate lovemaking.

  “I should have brought out the whipped cream,” Frank quipped, “since this morning you didn’t let me have any at all.”

  The idyllic afternoon finally came to an end. They picked up everything around the pool and washed the dessert dishes quickly in Kate’s immaculate kitchen, which gave the champagne time to wear off before Frank took Lanie home.

  They made a stop on the way home to pick up some groceries, steaks and potatoes for dinner. Before dinner was ready Lanie got a call from Kate asking if Cassie could stay with them overnight. She told Lanie that Cassie had already eaten her dinner.

  “Don’t worry about coming over to get her in the morning, either,” Kate said, “I’ll bring her over or call Tina to come get her. That way you can sleep in.”

  “Thanks, Kate.” Lanie hung up.

  “I’m a bad Mom,” Lanie said with a grin, “I’m glad she won’t be home until tomorrow if it gives me tonight with you.”

  “Oh?” Frank teased, “What do you want to do? There’s a football game on TV.”

  “You’re watching football tonight over my dead body.” Lanie’s eyes narrowed.

  “Well, that’s one way to watch football,” Frank pondered, “but not my first choice.”

  “Let’s fix dinner,” Lanie said enigmatically, “then perhaps I can show you some other options.”

  “I like the way you think.” Frank went outside and started the barbecue grill while Lanie fixed salads and put the potatoes into the microwave.

  He threw on the steaks while she heated some sourdough bread rolls and also made iced tea. They sat down together at the kitchen table, ate their dinner, and talked about the future they planned to have.

  “Do you think Cassie will really be happy if we get married?” Frank asked for the third time.

  “I’m sure she will,” Lanie said patiently, “she really likes you.”

  “It takes more than liking someone to think they’d make a good father,” Frank pointed out, sipping his iced tea. “Some kids resent a stepfather.”

  “But those kids usually had a real father who they loved and didn’t want to let go of. They sometimes feel that if they give the stepfather a chance, they’re being disloyal to their real father. Also, sometimes the stepfather suffers in comparison to the real father,” Lanie explained gently. “Cassie has no real father to be loyal to or to compare you with. She likes you already; in fact I think she already lov
es you.”

  “I sure love her,” Frank admitted. “She stole my heart the second I met her.”

  “If she doesn’t love you already, she will,” Lanie teased, “after all, I was the one who was hard to convince.”

  They finished their dinner, washed dishes, and sat in front of the TV like a respectable married couple. Until bedtime, that is, when they went upstairs and tore the sheets up in their frenzied way.

  The next morning reality set in as Cassie came home before they got out of bed.

  “Oh my goodness!” Lanie woke up as soon as she heard the front door. She jumped out of bed and threw on her robe, something she almost never wore, and ran down the stairs to intercept her daughter and sister.

  “I’m so glad you’re home!” she told them brightly. “I’m just relaxing this morning, after all, it’s Saturday. Tina, your car is blocking the driveway so you’ll be the one who goes.”

  “Goes where?” Tina asked puzzled. “And why?”

  “I want donuts,” Lanie explained, trying to give Tina a meaningful look, “I just woke up this morning wanting donuts and you know what that means--I won’t rest until I have some.” She got out her wallet and handed Tina some money. “I’ll even pay for them. Cassie, go with your Aunt Tina so that you can pick out the ones you like best.”

  “Aunt Tina knows what my favorites are,” Cassie said, sounding faintly defiant. “I want to watch TV, the cartoons are on.”

  Tina caught on quickly and said, “Come on Cassie, you won’t miss much and I really can use your help.” She held out her hand to the girl. She heard a noise, faint but distinct from upstairs and cocked her head, a wide grin on her face. “I think you’ve got squirrels in the roof.”

  “Thanks, Tina,” Lanie ignored the squirrel remark and put her wallet back in her purse, “I really appreciate this.”

  “I don’t suppose you know what kind of donuts Frank likes?”

  Tina wondered. “I’m sure he’ll be here by the time I get back.”

  “Just get out and get an assortment of donuts.” Lanie pushed her sister out the door.