The Mining Town

*****

They sat on the deck enjoying their wine. John had made a chicken curry that they put over rice. It was a simple, filling and flavorful meal he enjoyed making.

They didn't talk as much this evening, content to enjoy each other's company and the scenery. John had work in the morning so as it started to get dark, they agreed to clean up and head back inside.

Finished with the dishes and their wine, they headed up the stairs to the bedroom. Patricia turned into the spare room, which caught John short. Realizing this may happen, she turned to face him as he had stopped in the hallway.

"I put my toiletries in the bathroom in here. I'm just going to get ready and I'll join you shortly."

She stepped back into the doorway, gave him a quick kiss and turned around to head to the bathroom.

John's heart restarted and he headed to his bathroom to get ready for bed.

Nightly rituals complete, he paused for a moment at his bed and then took off his boxers. He normally slept in them, but Patricia had all but stated that the evening was not ending yet. He laid in bed, enjoying the anticipation.

A figure appeared in his doorway. She stood there, wearing a see-through teddy. Nothing on underneath it. John had seen her naked. He had explored every inch of the perfection that was her body. Somehow this was even more exciting. The hint of the beauty that lay beneath just adding to the anticipation.

John got back out of bed. This was a present. A present he wanted to unwrap. Slowly. Not hindered by sheets or the difficulty of trying to take it off while lying down.

John moved towards her. He gently kissed her while lightly moving his fingers down her arms, causing goosebumps to appear. He kissed her cheek, which caused her to giggle and then moved to her neck, which caused her to release a subtle gasp. He moved his kisses down, kissing just above where the fabric started, which was also just below where the swell of her breasts began.

He then kneeled and nuzzled his face into the sheer fabric over her belly. His hands ran up the back of her calves and thighs, under the fabric and squeezed her bare ass. He started to rise, raising his hands, and Patricia's lingerie with him. She raised her arms and allowed him to pull it over her head.

Patricia smiled at him.

"Sorry, you looked absolutely beautiful in this...but it was spoiling the view."

"I'm not complai....EEP!" John lifted her up and spun to place her on the bed, her ass at the edge. He kneeled and lifted her legs. Spreading them as he did so. He gently rubbed his face against her trimmed bush, then softly blew on her slick lips. Patricia let out a giggle at this. He assumed it must have tickled a bit, so when he went in with his tongue, he made sure to split her lips and not simple brush over them. This garnered an "ooooohhh" in response from Patricia.

John started slowly. Slipping his tongue between her lips and occasionally stopping to give her clit a gentle lap with his tongue. It didn't take long, between both of their juices, for her to be sopping wet. John used this opportunity to put a finger inside of her and eventually two. He felt she was starting to get close as she subtly gyrated her hips in time to his lapping and fingering.

As John moved his first two fingers inside of her, his ring finger brushed her anus and Patricia let out a noise somewhere between a growl and a moan. This was a quandary...John REALLY wanted to get a bit dirty with her. But if he misread things, it could spoil the mood. It took only a moment to make up his mind. He brushed her asshole again, on purpose this time and felt how wet it was. Their combined juices having run down to her pucker. Slowly he pushed his ring finger in, gently, slowly, until it was all the way in her ass. Patricia let out a deep moan. John pulled the two fingers in her slit and the one in her ass slowly out halfway and then pushed them back in. He felt Patricia start to tense up as her orgasm was building. He built speed slowly with both his fingers in her holes and his tongue on her clit. Within moments she was thrashing on the bed until finally she pushed herself away from him. Forcing him to remove his fingers and tongue from her.

Patricia rolled on her side and curled up partially, still panting heavily. John was still on his knees, enjoying the view of the lithe body on his bed. After a few moments she recovered enough to turn and look at him, eyes slightly glassy.

"I've never had an orgasm like that before."

That could have been taken in a few different ways, but John was fairly certain that she had enjoyed it. He smiled at her, started to stand, and responded, "I'm going to go clean up real quick and I'll be right back."

"Oh no you don't!"

Patricia sprung up and grabbed him by the neck, pulling him down on her and kissing him deeply, completely undeterred by the mixed juices that now coated his face. She started to roll over and John obliged, Patricia now straddling and still kissing him. Patricia pulled her face away and smiled at him. She hopped off and pulled his legs up so they were fully on the bed. She then attacked his cock, engulfing it in her mouth. She worked her way lower and lower until, eventually, she had taken it all in. She choked slightly and let it flop out of her mouth, grabbing it and stroking it with both hands. She alternated like this until she felt his legs start to tense and she knew he was getting close.

Patricia turned her body around and swung a leg over his head. She sat down on his face. Her pussy and ass smothering him for a moment. She pulled up slightly allowing him to breathe and he started lapping at her clit while she went back to working his cock with her hands and mouth. John grabbed the globes of her ass and spread them while he licked her. He looked at her pucker, now right in his face. This time he didn't hesitate, licking it while rubbing her clit with his thumb. This brought a guttural moan from Patricia, who currently had his cock firmly lodged in the back of her throat. He then used his tongue to work his way inside her pucker.

Patricia pulled her mouth off his cock, "Oh, you dirty bastard!"

Before he could even comprehend what she had said, she attacked his cock with even more vigor. All the while, grinding her hips against his face. It didn't take John long until he emptied his semen into her mouth. She choked at first, his cock partway in her mouth when he came, but she recovered and took every drop. Finally swallowing when she was confident he had finished emptying into her mouth. She did not stop grinding, however. The excitement of John's orgasm pushing her close to her own climax. When she finally came, she ground her pussy hard against his face to the point that John couldn't breathe. The thought of suffocating on Patricia's pussy entered his mind, and he could not think of a better way to go. As her shaking subsided, she lifted up slightly, allowing him to gasp a breath.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I got carried away there!"

"You have nothing to apologize for, that was amazing!" Coming down from his high, he now felt a little sheepish about the liberties he took with her. "Umm, I hope I didn't cross any lines, I..."

"Absolutely not!" She thought for a moment before continuing. "If I feel completely comfortable with someone, I like to get a little dirty in the bedroom, it's just never happened this quickly with someone before." It was now Patricia's turn to feel a little embarrassed until John spoke, "Well, I'm happy that you feel comfortable with me. I feel the same way about you, otherwise I would never have tried those things."

They lay entangled for a moment before deciding they should clean up again for bed. After they finished in the bathrooms, they spooned in bed, John gently caressing her with one hand while she held onto the other one. John then softly spoke in her ear, "I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow."

It was an opening Patricia had been hoping for, but now that it arrived there was a bit of worry on her part. She did not want to push John and make him feel they were moving too fast.

"Umm, I don't actually have to leave tomorrow."

This peaked John's curiosity, "What do you mean, I thought you had to go back to work?"

"I took the rest of the week off."

"Is this because of the meeting with that creep and what you suspect of your boss? You wanted some time away?"

It was an easy out. She could have just said yes, but it would have been a lie, and if this new relationship was going to develop into what she thought it could be, then she had to be honest.

"No, it's not 'cause of that."

She rolled over to face him.

"I took the week off, because I was hoping to spend it with you."

Any worry she may have had completely dissipated with the broad smile that adorned John's face.

"I would really like that!" With that John kissed her, smothering any remaining fear she may have had.

Patricia

The rest of the week was just as wonderful for Patricia. John still had to work, so she spent her time exploring. She took photos of all the interesting structures she came across. The abandoned ones particularly fascinated her, as she felt like they had a story to tell but no one left to tell it. She stopped at the town museum a couple of times during the week to show her photos and ask what they knew about the histories of the structures. The stories fascinated her.

She also hiked more sections of the trails and visited more of the waterfalls, although the first she visited was still her favorite.

Patricia took time every day to get a sandwich and a snack for John and they would eat lunch together at the counter in his waiting room.

They spent the first part of Saturday driving around the area, John showing her the sites he found interesting, or just sharing tidbits of history on the different places they passed. They stopped at the market to pick up some items to make dinner that evening, as well as more wine.

The whole week, there had a been a little itch in the back of Patricia's mind. For the first few days she had refused to scratch it. Instead pushing it back so she could enjoy the time she had with John. By Saturday the itch was starting to burn and she could no longer push it away. She would have to leave tomorrow to head home. She would have to go back to reality on Monday, the thought of which made her feel like she would be heading to her execution.

Her job was secure; that was not her worry. The issue of course, was how could she go back to that life? She had a taste of life here, and having had it, she did not want to give it up.

The souring of her mood was starting to show. She wanted to hide it from John, to not make it his problem, but it kept eating at her. They were cutting up vegetables to prep for dinner. Patricia was deep in thought and not paying attention. She actually hadn't been paying much attention since they got back to the house.

John put down his knife and walked to where she was standing at the island. He gently reached out and guided her hand to put the knife down that she was using. She just stared at it. Wanting to hide her feelings, but knowing she couldn't. John gently turned her to face him.

"Patricia, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him and then looked down. "It's nothing."

He lifted her head by her chin. "If it's nothing, then why are you starting to cry?"

She was, she couldn't help it. The tears started to run down her face. She started to sob slightly, trying to hold in so she didn't completely break down.

John just held her and waited as she let out little sobs. When she had quieted down a little, he released her and stepped back. He looked directly at her.

"Tell me what's the matter."

She had trouble holding his gaze.

"It's just...I just...I don't want to go back."

"Go back to work? I can't say I blame you after what happened."

"No, not just work...back to that life. I mean yes, my life revolved around work. Being a junior associate means I worked 60 hours a week minimum. It's not the work I mind, it's the lifestyle." She paused for a long moment. John waited for her to continue.

"It's just not fulfilling."

John took hold of her hands. Her mind was whirling. As a lawyer, every statement was calculated. Gone over and over again to ensure it elicited the desired response or emotion. She couldn't do that here. Her instincts told her she had to speak with her emotions, from her heart. The fear of pushing John too fast returned. She went ahead anyway.

"I'd rather be here..." She looked up into his eyes, "with you."

John didn't hesitate, "I'd like you here with me."

"But don't you think we're moving too fast?"

"Is that what you think?"

"No, but I think it's what other people would think. I can almost hear some of my girlfriend's advice: 'you're moving too fast, you barely know each other.'" She drifted off, contemplating what some of her more vocal girlfriends would say. None of it positive regarding the speed of their relationship.

She could tell John was thinking about what she had just said, "I still remember a conversation with my father. He gave me some advice about a situation. I really didn't agree with his advice, but figured he knew better and so I followed his advice to the letter. The situation didn't turn out as I hoped, and I went back to him and called him on it. He said, 'that's why it's called advice and not a command.' I replied, 'what do you mean?' He said, 'If I command you to do something, it's because I know the outcome. If I'm giving you advice, it's because there are too many possibilities to know all the outcomes. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.'"

She could see that John was reliving the moment in his mind. She found it sweet, seeing how he was reminiscing about sage advice from his father.

He looked back to her and smiled and stated, "My gut tells me this is right, that we are right."

She fell into his arms and hugged him tightly. A few more tears came, happy ones this time, and she felt her mood shift. She broke their embrace and looked up at him. He looked down at her and asked, "So what do you want to do?"

"I want to quit...and I don't want to live in the city anymore."

"So quit. Move in with me."

"It's what I hoped you'd say, but it also scares me."

"Of course, change is scary."

"I'd have to figure out what to do for work."

"You don't want to be a lawyer anymore?"

"I do, I just don't know how much of a need there is for one here."

"There's a huge need. Our only lawyer in town retired a few years ago. It's not like this area has a ton of lawyers, so we normally travel to find one. It's why they wanted so much money from Rob for his thing. They really don't want to do it, so they make sure they are getting paid well if they do."

Sudden excitement immediately replaced her momentary despair. The thoughts of being a lawyer in the town...of providing a service to a small community that sorely needed it sounded...fulfilling. A broad smile crossed her face, and she looked back up at John, who was returning her smile. She reached up and grabbed his head, pulling him down for a kiss.

When their kiss finally broke, she looked into his eyes, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

*****

Patricia called her parents during her drive home on Sunday. She knew how supportive they were of her, but still expected at least a slight amount of skepticism regarding the choices she was making. There was none. They were completely supportive, even asking if she wanted them to call her uncle to let him know. She declined, she knew her uncle would be sad she was leaving, but also knew how much he loved her. In the end, she knew he would support her.

When she got home, she fired up her laptop to send an email to Cynthia for time on her uncle's calendar. She needn't have bothered. There was already an invite for 9 AM Monday morning. That was interesting. She hoped her parents hadn't called him anyway. After pondering it for a moment, she figured they wouldn't do that. She'd just have to wait until tomorrow to see.

She left the email for later. She put a load of laundry in and had a salad for dinner. She then tackled her emails and readied herself for bed, then called John, realizing after their conversation was over that she had a smile on her face the whole time.

*****

Patricia was in the office early as usual on Monday morning. She was dreading Luke stopping by, but figured she'd deal with that if it happened. She responded to his emails that dealt with client issues, ignoring his questions about where she had been and why she hadn't even notified him she was taking time off. She knew it wasn't professional, but given her suspicions about what he had done, she didn't care.

It was about twenty to nine when her phone rang. It was Cynthia asking if she could come up now. She left her desk and headed up to his office.

"Hi Cynthia, good morning."

"Good morning Patricia, one moment."

Cynthia picked up the phone and dialed.

"Patricia is here...ok." She hung up the phone.

"You can go in Patricia."

"Thank you."

Patricia opened the door and headed into the office. She closed the door, turned and froze. The look on her uncle's face was grim, but what really grabbed her attention was Luke sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Her uncle looked at him.

"Well?"

Luke stood and face Patricia, but wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Patricia...umm...what I did was, umm, disgusting...and I never should have put you in that position. I'm extremely sorry."

Patricia didn't know what to say to him. He wasn't forgiven and she wasn't expecting this scenario. Before she got to far down her line of thought, her uncle spoke.

"Good Luke, you can leave now."

He turned and walked towards the door. His eyes never meeting Patricia's. After the door closed, she turned to her uncle, the confusion on her face very apparent to the man.

"I went through some of his emails this week. What I saw was disturbing enough that the senior partners decided an investigation was in order. From what was uncovered, I believe your suspicions were correct. There were also enough other unsavory acts on his part that the senior partners decided to end his partnership at the firm. Given the evidence we have, the firm will not be refunding his partnership buy-in."

The shock on her face must have been evident, because he asked her to sit. Patricia moved to the other chair in front of the desk and sat slowly, still processing everything she just heard. Once seated, her uncle continued.

"I explained to him that a direct apology to you would be step in the right direction. We're still going through all his communications, and I'm not certain there is enough to forward to the police yet. But I explained that if he didn't start trying to make amends, at a minimum our firm would not by shy in sharing our thoughts on him if he tried to join another firm."

Patricia just sat with her mouth agape.

"In conclusion, you will no longer have to worry about reporting to Luke. We will also be terminating our relationship with his unsavory client today."

Patricia's found her voice, "Wow...I have to say, of everything I expected this morning, this wasn't even a consideration."

"Well, a positive development is that in reading Luke's emails, I was able to become more familiar with the work you've accomplished here so far. Obviously Luke gave me updates, but seeing firsthand, I have to say that I'm very impressed at what you've done for us. I'm also unsurprised."

"I know you are Uncle. You've always been so supportive. How could I do anything but my best for your firm?"

She took a breath before continuing.

"Which is why this is so hard."

"You're leaving."

Patricia's mouth dropped open again.