Podcasts about experimentation

Welcome to another impactful episode of Build a Better Agency! This week, host Drew McLellan sits down with AI strategist and data tinkerer Cade Dannels to demystify the true potential of artificial intelligence for agencies. If you're tired of hearing the same surface-level conversations about AI writing blog posts, buckle up—this conversation digs deeper. Drew McLellan and Cade Dannels break down how agencies can move beyond basic content generation and leverage AI for operational excellence, lead generation, and creating scalable efficiencies that truly impact the bottom line. Cade Dannels shares his journey from automation enthusiast to agency consultant and reveals the untapped goldmine lurking in most agencies: mountains of unstructured data, from transcripts to emails to proposals. You'll learn practical strategies for onboarding AI as you would a new employee, structuring your agency's unique frameworks into these systems, and using time-tracking to identify tasks ready for automation. The episode also covers step-by-step DIY approaches agencies can start today—no massive tech team or budget required. Together, Drew McLellan and Cade Dannels unpack the real-world process of using AI for smarter lead qualification, nurturing, and personalized outreach—without losing that human touch. They address common concerns about errors, model selection, and how to experiment meaningfully as you climb the AI learning curve. You'll also hear creative ways to motivate team engagement and discover actionable prompts and experiments you can implement immediately.   Don't miss this episode if you're ready to stop dabbling in AI and start harnessing its full agency-transforming power. Whether you're an agency owner taking your first experimental steps or already integrating AI but unsure where to go next, this conversation will help you confidently build a roadmap for impactful, ongoing innovation.   A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Rethinking agency AI: beyond content creation to business operations   Experimentation as the foundation for AI success in agencies Leveraging your agency's unique data and frameworks to unlock AI's full potential Practical lead generation automation with AI—sourcing, qualifying, and nurturing prospects The importance of "onboarding" AI like a new team member for better, more relevant outputs Humanizing AI-driven outreach through strategic inputs and oversight Start small, experiment broadly, and engage your whole team in AI discovery

Husbands and cookies are exchanged, to add holiday cheer.Based on a post by SandyMarl, in 4 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories.The Chix Annual Christmas Cookie ExchangeMcNally topped off each of the four glasses, then tipped the bottle to her lips to make sure she’d drained the last sweet drop of Gewürztraminer. McNally smacked her lips before inserting her tongue into the brown wine bottle’s narrow orifice. “Umm, a sweet little rim job before I recycle this dead soldier,” she announced to a kitchen packed with a few of her long-time friends. “This dark guy is so sweet, I just love him,” she said as she continued her fellatio pantomime by wrapping her lips around the narrow neck as she encircled her fingers and made a couple of strokes up and down the bottle like she was finishing a masterful blow job.Her friends watched her risqué display and giggled, except for Patricia. Patricia picked through the array of Christmas cookie cutter shapes laid out at the edge of the counter, dropping her eyes as she scolded, “McNally, you should be more thoughtful of Dana. Your tipsy little joke is in poor taste in front of our hostess, especially at this time of year.” Patricia meant it as a sobering rebuke, as if any of the girls present needed to be reminded of Dana’s recently widowed status, especially around Christmas.McNally pulled the wine bottle’s phallic dimensions from her lips, setting it down and turning to Dana, “Oh crap, I’m sorry. You know I had no intention of opening painful memories; I was only trying to lift the holiday spirits with a little bawdy humor… I was just thinking…”Dana turned to McNally, “I know. I know you McNally – boy do I know you. You’re always thinking we Chix should loosen up our inhibitions and take a walk on the steamier side of life; and boy are you always ready with a risqué joke, a steamy story or a naughty pun.”Dana broke into a smile, and then spoke to her closest friends, “Hey Chix, you guys are so great! You’re the only reason I’m able to get through this time of year. Without y'all, I’d be nothing but a blubbering mess this Christmas. Facing the painful first anniversary of Sander’s passing is really hard. It’d be unbearable if I had to go through it alone. The support of my Chix means everything to me right now.”Dana forced a cheery voice and continued speaking after dusting the flour off her hands. “I insisted y'all come into my kitchen this year and fill it with holiday cheer, so it’d be like the good times we had before. I want everyone to make a big sugary mess for me to clean up and keep me busy. Our annual Chix Christmas cookie exchange is our tradition; it’s now more meaningful to me than ever. I’m dreading the holidays…” Dana paused to collect her emotions before continuing, “… as the holiday season approaches, I fear being all alone, left to deal with the memory of Sander’s skiing accident by myself. I need my Chix more than ever right now. I need something to keep my mind from dwelling on the anniversary of the accident.”Dana gave a congenial but forced looking smile to the women in her kitchen. “McNally, you go right on giving your Gewurztraminer boyfriend’s long, brown glass cock a good sucking, it’s fine with me and the rest of these kitchen voyeurs. Keep it up, all of you, be merry and I’ll find a way to get by.”Annie wiped a tear off her cheek as she stepped to Dana, wrapping her arms and her baggy, ugly Christmas sweater around Dana, managing to get cookie dough crumbs in Dana’s hair in the process. Annie hugged Dana tight, embracing her in a prolonged hold to convey her sympathy and shared grief at the loss of Dana’s husband last year. Annie teared up again as she remembered gathering with McNally and Patricia to take down the tree and put away all the festive Christmas decorations in Dana’s house as Dana planned Sander’s funeral.It was all so sad, so hard to deal with. Annie admired McNally’s flair to disregard the implicit sadness hanging over their annual Chix Christmas cookie exchange; but didn’t want to get between McNally and Patricia as they scuffled over the proper decorum in Dana’s kitchen under the circumstances.Annie let go and pulled away from her embrace, and as she did, she gasped, “Oh Dana, I’m sorry. Look what I’ve done, my dirty apron made a mess on your top. I’m sorry.”Dana laughed, “I should’ve expected this would happen, wearing black when I’m in the middle of a hen party with flour flying all over my kitchen. I thought I’d feel and look slimmer wearing black, a self-deluding effect to counteract my debauched cookie sampling today. I might as well just drop these little Santa cookies down my pants and let ‘em stick right there on my hips,” smacking her hands on her ass for emphasis.Annie, trying to make up for the accidental flour dusting, began to brush her fingers across Dana’s boobs, fussing and worrying she’d ruined Dana’s pullover. Dana laughed it off, “Annie, stop fretting, it’ll wash out, no problem. Relax. Let’s all have a good time making a mess as we bake and decorate our cookies. There’s something festive about a busy and messy kitchen. I just love it.”McNally watched from the other side of the counter as Annie dabbed and wiped the front of Dana’s chest, “I know what you’re getting for Christmas - one of those cordless hand vacuums; they market it as a bust duster.” Everyone cracked up at McNally’s pun, even Patricia.The timer went off; Patricia stepped to the oven to check on the first batch of cookies. She pulled out the cookie sheet and put it on the cooling rack.“Those look perfect,” Annie announced.“They’re not perfect until they’re decorated,” responded Dana. “They’re just plain-Jane naked right now. It’s our job to get them all dressed up in their Christmas fancy-pants.”“Oh, Patricia, can you grab the box of sprinkles and glittery decorating doo-dahs from the cupboard next to the oven?” asked Dana. Patricia set the full box of decorating doo-dahs on the kitchen table.McNally burst into song, “Doo-dah, doo-dah, Camptown ladies sing this song, all the doo-dah day!” McNally’s three friends joined in a final chorus, “Doo-dah, doo-dah, all the doo-dah day!”“Now things are starting to sound festive,” declared Dana as she mixed bowls of red and green frosting. “McNally, there’s a bottle of Riesling in the garage fridge – I know I don’t have to ask twice to get you to bring that one in and pour another round.”Annie said, “This is sounding and feeling like old times; like back in the beginning when we worked at Dix Chix. Who remembers which of us four started waitressing first at Dix?”“Wasn’t me,” was McNally’s contribution from the hallway, “I’m the youngest of the Chix.”“It could’ve been you; you’ve always had a reputation for starting early McNally,” was Patricia’s retort.McNally laughed at the ribbing. “I seem to recall that Annie got hired a few days ahead of me.”“So, when did we become collectively known as 'The Chix?’” was Dana’s follow up question.Annie answered, “It was Patricia. She advertised to all the boys that there were some interesting Chix to be found in the backroom of Dix Chix Family Restaurant after closing. If a boy had the right stuff, he could find his way into the place and get a few drinks, no ID required.”“That may be true, but I got the idea from that new girl,” said Patricia in a defensive tone. “The new girl suggested it was a crying shame that us four Chix had to close up on Friday and Saturday nights without having any cocks around to make it fun,” was Patricia’s recollection. “Being the studious college girl, Mrs. Dix trusted me with the keys and the liquor inventory.”“And who might have been the corrupting 'new girl’ who put that idea of letting some cocks into the back room with those chicks?” asked Dana with a smirk.“I hear she’s still tending bar somewhere, perhaps more corrupting than ever,” Patricia offered in an offhand guess.McNally, a seasoned barmaid, filled the wine glasses scattered around the kitchen, “I just thought it was false advertising to have a big neon sign that flashed Dix Chix, yet only the Chix half of the attraction was available. I merely suggested to the old timer running the show that if we were working to close the place on Friday and Saturday nights, we owed it to ourselves to have a crew of Dix to go with the Chix. Like the sign said.”Annie asked, “Patricia, I’ve always wondered, how did you choose which boys got an after-hours invitation to the backroom?”“I delegate,” was Patricia’s reply. “That’s why I’m management material. I consulted a trusted source.”McNally gave a curtsey acknowledging her role, and then filled in the story line, “Guys are pretty simple. I’d give the cute ones a line; 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner - Would you prefer a breast or a thigh?’ I then slipped 'em an offer, 'Come on by Dix Chix late some night this weekend for a chicken tender special – tell 'em McNally sent you.’” The three ladies exploded into hearty whoops at McNally’s explanation.Dana took a sip out of her glass, thinking for a moment, “McNally are you responsible then for introducing each of us to our future husbands? I’d never thought of it like that.”“Ultimately the Chix chooses the Dix. At least, that’s how I’d look at it. In collusion with Patricia, I merely helped sow some wild oats in that Dix Chix backroom. But I only sowed the seeds. It was the others who reaped the harvest. I must admit, I did have to run a lot of lame-cock also-rans through that backroom before some of them ended up sticking around for a while.”“Well, however you did it, Sander and I hit it off - after Patricia passed on him and I scooped him up, as I seem to recall. I guess I never thanked you for your fine work.” Dana raised her glass in a salute to McNally.“I’m happy it worked for you Dana,” said Patricia, “I had my eye out for one of those solid, basic models, a kind of nerdy, engineering type. My philosophy was that those low-key kinds of guys wear well. I seem to recall McNally telling me that she didn’t usually fish in those kinds of nerdy-fish ponds, but she promised she’d expand her repertoire to see if she could toss such a specimen my way.”“I remember when Will showed up at the backroom, he looked a little dazed and confused. McNally had to act fast to ease Will into the situation and then gently hand him off to Patricia,” recalled Annie. “So, how’d McNally’s low-key, nerdish fish land in your lap then Patricia?”Patricia made a wistful smile as she rolled out a sheet of dough, “I guess I got what I wanted. Though, I’ve wondered some days if I should have dropped my line into a different pond. There’ve been some days when I wonder what life would’ve been like with a spicier, adventurous man… but that’s normal, right? Don’t we all have some days where we wish things were different?”Annie, Dana and McNally were quick to assure Patricia that they all had their moments when they had a twinge of doubt about their choices in husbands. “Yeah, that’s pretty normal I think,” added Annie.Annie went back to the mixing bowl where she was making rounded, nut-filled Mexican Wedding Cake cookies and dusting them with flour. “Nelson has always been supportive of me, I have to think that our marriage is better than some that I know of, but over the years some of the spark has dimmed. Maybe it’s me, but honestly, if he wanted more sex, I’d consider letting the ol’ boy find a fling with another woman, as long as she agreed to clean my house in exchange for Nelson’s services.”Dana gave up a small squeak, “Serious?”“Oh, just a quirky idea. It’s not like we’d be on the brink of a divorce, we’re perfectly compatible. It would merely be a convenient arrangement, Nelson the ol’ goat, would get more action and stop pestering me and I’d get a clean house and more time. I think it’d be a fair exchange.” Annie shrugged as she spooned out a lump of dough and patted it into a little ball.Dana sighed, “Oh Annie. Annie, you should enjoy the little things from Nelson. You know what I miss most from Sander? It’s little things like tangling our feet together in bed, I really miss the feeling of when Sander would reach across the bed and pull me over close to him. It didn’t have to be sex, sometimes it was so good just to have him spoon into my backside and reach over to caress my breasts.” Dana took a deep breath, “I’m just here to remind The Chix, like they say, 'You don’t know what you got 'til it’s gone.’”Annie’s eyes moistened again, “I’m sorry Dana, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I’m so sorry.”“They’re good memories Annie, I don’t feel bad. Just sad at Christmas now. Get back to making cookies and a mess; it’s the only thing that’ll save me, girl.”Patricia began pressing the cookie cutter into her sheet of dough while pressing this girl-talk topic a little further, “McNally, I’m kind of surprised you and Orlando have made it work so well all of these years. It has always seemed to me that you two traveled in different orbits.”McNally laughed as she put down her half-empty wine glass, concentrating on mixing up some chocolate frosting. “It’s a beautiful cosmic dance between me and Orlando. We’re a pair of heavenly bodies sharing our orbits when the gravitational attraction pulls us close. Otherwise, we each have our own interests as y'all know perfectly well. Orlando has his poetry, music and writing projects. I love lending my graphic and artistic vision to Orlando’s projects when it fits. When we collaborate, we make beautiful art. When we’re not collaborating on something, that’s when I fill my orbit with my animals and other pets.”Patricia raised an eyebrow, “Do you care for your 'pets’ as much as you do your animals?”“Me and my pets share a sensual bond and an understanding. I will never abandon one of my animals. But my pets come and then my pets go, every pet in his own season. I enjoy a wide orbit in this life Patricia.”McNally took another sip, becoming introspective, “Hey you know what? I’d have to say that The Chix is my longest held orbit. It’s so good to have you gals around for me for all of these years.” McNally raised her glass in a toast, “To The Chix. To the long and strong bond of three great gals who have kept me in their orbit as the rest of this crazy world spins out of control. Merry fucking Christmas, to one and to all!” McNally gave a swift motion with her hand, directing her three friends to join her in her toast.Everyone stepped to McNally’s end of the counter, touching their glasses, creating a resounding chime as the glassware clinked. “Here! Here!” said Dana, “Let’s make this a Merry fucking Christmas for one and for all!”“I’ll drink to that,” offered McNally.“Of course, you will,” noted Patricia.Annie gave her signature tipsy laugh, “I’ll drink to that Patricia!” and took a gulp.“May I join you?” asked McNally.Dana laughed, “Wait for me! I’ll drink to that too!”McNally turned and walked away from the circled Chix. “Where are you off to McNally?”“Time for the Pinot Noir - any arguments?”“Yeah. What about the Pinot Grigio?” asked Dana in a mock argumentative voice.“No blow back from me. I’ll get both.” With that McNally disappeared into the garage.The cookie production line clicked into gear as The Chix rolled out a pile of baked cookie shapes and an assortment of buttery spritz cookies, chocolate drops, nut bars to go with the gooey lemon bars and shortbread. “My favorite thing in this whole kitchen, other than maybe the wine, is doing the detailed decorations with colored frosting and sprinkles,” announced Dana.“Here you go then Dana,” said Patricia as she set two hot cookie sheets on the cooling racks, “you’ve got your work cut out for you with all of these shapes.” Patricia brandished a pair of cookie cutters, “You have me to thank for 'cutting your work out for you’; you’ve got Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Christmas trees, wreathes, ornaments, stockings, snowmen, reindeer and candy canes galore.”“'Work cut out for you’, I see what you did there,” observed Annie. “You’ve been hanging around McNally too much.”McNally grabbed a couple of the round Mexican Wedding Cakes from Annie’s station and then a candy cane shaped cookie off the pile of undecorated cookies.“What are you working on McNally?” was Dana’s question.“I’ve been inspired by Annie’s earlier comments and her idea of exchanging Nelson’s candy cane for housework.”Annie chortled, “What? Something creative for me? My, my, what could it be McNally?”“Avert your eyes; I’m making you a little surprise.” Annie laughed and pretended to look away, but she and the others watched to see what culinary form McNally’s inspiration took. McNally coated both sides of the candy cane in pink frosting and then covered the straight end of the candy cane with a thin white glaze. She grabbed two pecan halves from the bowl, placing them on top of the round Mexican Wedding Cakes and then wedged the decorated pink candy cane between the two, projecting upward. McNally handed the 3D cookie sculpture to Annie on a small paper plate. “Here you go girl, a little something sweet to enjoy stuffing into your stocking while Nelson is out with your domestic help.”The Chix all laughed, applauding McNally’s skill at coming up with a naughty little cookie. “See, he comes with a pair of real nuts, and I’ve given his sweet candy cane a condom coating of sugar glaze. And if you’ve been feeling pressure to put out Annie, be assured that he only wants to cum in your chimney once a year.”Annie was laughing pretty hard, “You’re so thoughtful McNally. But I’ve been a good girl all year; I think I deserve to get a bigger candy cane.”“Ho, ho, ho,” chuckled McNally, “What you’re asking for is reserved for the naughty girls on m

Husbands and cookies are exchanged, to add holiday cheer.Based on a post by SandyMarl, in 4 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories.The Chix Annual Christmas Cookie ExchangeMcNally topped off each of the four glasses, then tipped the bottle to her lips to make sure she’d drained the last sweet drop of Gewürztraminer. McNally smacked her lips before inserting her tongue into the brown wine bottle’s narrow orifice. “Umm, a sweet little rim job before I recycle this dead soldier,” she announced to a kitchen packed with a few of her long-time friends. “This dark guy is so sweet, I just love him,” she said as she continued her fellatio pantomime by wrapping her lips around the narrow neck as she encircled her fingers and made a couple of strokes up and down the bottle like she was finishing a masterful blow job.Her friends watched her risqué display and giggled, except for Patricia. Patricia picked through the array of Christmas cookie cutter shapes laid out at the edge of the counter, dropping her eyes as she scolded, “McNally, you should be more thoughtful of Dana. Your tipsy little joke is in poor taste in front of our hostess, especially at this time of year.” Patricia meant it as a sobering rebuke, as if any of the girls present needed to be reminded of Dana’s recently widowed status, especially around Christmas.McNally pulled the wine bottle’s phallic dimensions from her lips, setting it down and turning to Dana, “Oh crap, I’m sorry. You know I had no intention of opening painful memories; I was only trying to lift the holiday spirits with a little bawdy humor… I was just thinking…”Dana turned to McNally, “I know. I know you McNally – boy do I know you. You’re always thinking we Chix should loosen up our inhibitions and take a walk on the steamier side of life; and boy are you always ready with a risqué joke, a steamy story or a naughty pun.”Dana broke into a smile, and then spoke to her closest friends, “Hey Chix, you guys are so great! You’re the only reason I’m able to get through this time of year. Without y'all, I’d be nothing but a blubbering mess this Christmas. Facing the painful first anniversary of Sander’s passing is really hard. It’d be unbearable if I had to go through it alone. The support of my Chix means everything to me right now.”Dana forced a cheery voice and continued speaking after dusting the flour off her hands. “I insisted y'all come into my kitchen this year and fill it with holiday cheer, so it’d be like the good times we had before. I want everyone to make a big sugary mess for me to clean up and keep me busy. Our annual Chix Christmas cookie exchange is our tradition; it’s now more meaningful to me than ever. I’m dreading the holidays…” Dana paused to collect her emotions before continuing, “… as the holiday season approaches, I fear being all alone, left to deal with the memory of Sander’s skiing accident by myself. I need my Chix more than ever right now. I need something to keep my mind from dwelling on the anniversary of the accident.”Dana gave a congenial but forced looking smile to the women in her kitchen. “McNally, you go right on giving your Gewurztraminer boyfriend’s long, brown glass cock a good sucking, it’s fine with me and the rest of these kitchen voyeurs. Keep it up, all of you, be merry and I’ll find a way to get by.”Annie wiped a tear off her cheek as she stepped to Dana, wrapping her arms and her baggy, ugly Christmas sweater around Dana, managing to get cookie dough crumbs in Dana’s hair in the process. Annie hugged Dana tight, embracing her in a prolonged hold to convey her sympathy and shared grief at the loss of Dana’s husband last year. Annie teared up again as she remembered gathering with McNally and Patricia to take down the tree and put away all the festive Christmas decorations in Dana’s house as Dana planned Sander’s funeral.It was all so sad, so hard to deal with. Annie admired McNally’s flair to disregard the implicit sadness hanging over their annual Chix Christmas cookie exchange; but didn’t want to get between McNally and Patricia as they scuffled over the proper decorum in Dana’s kitchen under the circumstances.Annie let go and pulled away from her embrace, and as she did, she gasped, “Oh Dana, I’m sorry. Look what I’ve done, my dirty apron made a mess on your top. I’m sorry.”Dana laughed, “I should’ve expected this would happen, wearing black when I’m in the middle of a hen party with flour flying all over my kitchen. I thought I’d feel and look slimmer wearing black, a self-deluding effect to counteract my debauched cookie sampling today. I might as well just drop these little Santa cookies down my pants and let ‘em stick right there on my hips,” smacking her hands on her ass for emphasis.Annie, trying to make up for the accidental flour dusting, began to brush her fingers across Dana’s boobs, fussing and worrying she’d ruined Dana’s pullover. Dana laughed it off, “Annie, stop fretting, it’ll wash out, no problem. Relax. Let’s all have a good time making a mess as we bake and decorate our cookies. There’s something festive about a busy and messy kitchen. I just love it.”McNally watched from the other side of the counter as Annie dabbed and wiped the front of Dana’s chest, “I know what you’re getting for Christmas - one of those cordless hand vacuums; they market it as a bust duster.” Everyone cracked up at McNally’s pun, even Patricia.The timer went off; Patricia stepped to the oven to check on the first batch of cookies. She pulled out the cookie sheet and put it on the cooling rack.“Those look perfect,” Annie announced.“They’re not perfect until they’re decorated,” responded Dana. “They’re just plain-Jane naked right now. It’s our job to get them all dressed up in their Christmas fancy-pants.”“Oh, Patricia, can you grab the box of sprinkles and glittery decorating doo-dahs from the cupboard next to the oven?” asked Dana. Patricia set the full box of decorating doo-dahs on the kitchen table.McNally burst into song, “Doo-dah, doo-dah, Camptown ladies sing this song, all the doo-dah day!” McNally’s three friends joined in a final chorus, “Doo-dah, doo-dah, all the doo-dah day!”“Now things are starting to sound festive,” declared Dana as she mixed bowls of red and green frosting. “McNally, there’s a bottle of Riesling in the garage fridge – I know I don’t have to ask twice to get you to bring that one in and pour another round.”Annie said, “This is sounding and feeling like old times; like back in the beginning when we worked at Dix Chix. Who remembers which of us four started waitressing first at Dix?”“Wasn’t me,” was McNally’s contribution from the hallway, “I’m the youngest of the Chix.”“It could’ve been you; you’ve always had a reputation for starting early McNally,” was Patricia’s retort.McNally laughed at the ribbing. “I seem to recall that Annie got hired a few days ahead of me.”“So, when did we become collectively known as 'The Chix?’” was Dana’s follow up question.Annie answered, “It was Patricia. She advertised to all the boys that there were some interesting Chix to be found in the backroom of Dix Chix Family Restaurant after closing. If a boy had the right stuff, he could find his way into the place and get a few drinks, no ID required.”“That may be true, but I got the idea from that new girl,” said Patricia in a defensive tone. “The new girl suggested it was a crying shame that us four Chix had to close up on Friday and Saturday nights without having any cocks around to make it fun,” was Patricia’s recollection. “Being the studious college girl, Mrs. Dix trusted me with the keys and the liquor inventory.”“And who might have been the corrupting 'new girl’ who put that idea of letting some cocks into the back room with those chicks?” asked Dana with a smirk.“I hear she’s still tending bar somewhere, perhaps more corrupting than ever,” Patricia offered in an offhand guess.McNally, a seasoned barmaid, filled the wine glasses scattered around the kitchen, “I just thought it was false advertising to have a big neon sign that flashed Dix Chix, yet only the Chix half of the attraction was available. I merely suggested to the old timer running the show that if we were working to close the place on Friday and Saturday nights, we owed it to ourselves to have a crew of Dix to go with the Chix. Like the sign said.”Annie asked, “Patricia, I’ve always wondered, how did you choose which boys got an after-hours invitation to the backroom?”“I delegate,” was Patricia’s reply. “That’s why I’m management material. I consulted a trusted source.”McNally gave a curtsey acknowledging her role, and then filled in the story line, “Guys are pretty simple. I’d give the cute ones a line; 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner - Would you prefer a breast or a thigh?’ I then slipped 'em an offer, 'Come on by Dix Chix late some night this weekend for a chicken tender special – tell 'em McNally sent you.’” The three ladies exploded into hearty whoops at McNally’s explanation.Dana took a sip out of her glass, thinking for a moment, “McNally are you responsible then for introducing each of us to our future husbands? I’d never thought of it like that.”“Ultimately the Chix chooses the Dix. At least, that’s how I’d look at it. In collusion with Patricia, I merely helped sow some wild oats in that Dix Chix backroom. But I only sowed the seeds. It was the others who reaped the harvest. I must admit, I did have to run a lot of lame-cock also-rans through that backroom before some of them ended up sticking around for a while.”“Well, however you did it, Sander and I hit it off - after Patricia passed on him and I scooped him up, as I seem to recall. I guess I never thanked you for your fine work.” Dana raised her glass in a salute to McNally.“I’m happy it worked for you Dana,” said Patricia, “I had my eye out for one of those solid, basic models, a kind of nerdy, engineering type. My philosophy was that those low-key kinds of guys wear well. I seem to recall McNally telling me that she didn’t usually fish in those kinds of nerdy-fish ponds, but she promised she’d expand her repertoire to see if she could toss such a specimen my way.”“I remember when Will showed up at the backroom, he looked a little dazed and confused. McNally had to act fast to ease Will into the situation and then gently hand him off to Patricia,” recalled Annie. “So, how’d McNally’s low-key, nerdish fish land in your lap then Patricia?”Patricia made a wistful smile as she rolled out a sheet of dough, “I guess I got what I wanted. Though, I’ve wondered some days if I should have dropped my line into a different pond. There’ve been some days when I wonder what life would’ve been like with a spicier, adventurous man… but that’s normal, right? Don’t we all have some days where we wish things were different?”Annie, Dana and McNally were quick to assure Patricia that they all had their moments when they had a twinge of doubt about their choices in husbands. “Yeah, that’s pretty normal I think,” added Annie.Annie went back to the mixing bowl where she was making rounded, nut-filled Mexican Wedding Cake cookies and dusting them with flour. “Nelson has always been supportive of me, I have to think that our marriage is better than some that I know of, but over the years some of the spark has dimmed. Maybe it’s me, but honestly, if he wanted more sex, I’d consider letting the ol’ boy find a fling with another woman, as long as she agreed to clean my house in exchange for Nelson’s services.”Dana gave up a small squeak, “Serious?”“Oh, just a quirky idea. It’s not like we’d be on the brink of a divorce, we’re perfectly compatible. It would merely be a convenient arrangement, Nelson the ol’ goat, would get more action and stop pestering me and I’d get a clean house and more time. I think it’d be a fair exchange.” Annie shrugged as she spooned out a lump of dough and patted it into a little ball.Dana sighed, “Oh Annie. Annie, you should enjoy the little things from Nelson. You know what I miss most from Sander? It’s little things like tangling our feet together in bed, I really miss the feeling of when Sander would reach across the bed and pull me over close to him. It didn’t have to be sex, sometimes it was so good just to have him spoon into my backside and reach over to caress my breasts.” Dana took a deep breath, “I’m just here to remind The Chix, like they say, 'You don’t know what you got 'til it’s gone.’”Annie’s eyes moistened again, “I’m sorry Dana, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I’m so sorry.”“They’re good memories Annie, I don’t feel bad. Just sad at Christmas now. Get back to making cookies and a mess; it’s the only thing that’ll save me, girl.”Patricia began pressing the cookie cutter into her sheet of dough while pressing this girl-talk topic a little further, “McNally, I’m kind of surprised you and Orlando have made it work so well all of these years. It has always seemed to me that you two traveled in different orbits.”McNally laughed as she put down her half-empty wine glass, concentrating on mixing up some chocolate frosting. “It’s a beautiful cosmic dance between me and Orlando. We’re a pair of heavenly bodies sharing our orbits when the gravitational attraction pulls us close. Otherwise, we each have our own interests as y'all know perfectly well. Orlando has his poetry, music and writing projects. I love lending my graphic and artistic vision to Orlando’s projects when it fits. When we collaborate, we make beautiful art. When we’re not collaborating on something, that’s when I fill my orbit with my animals and other pets.”Patricia raised an eyebrow, “Do you care for your 'pets’ as much as you do your animals?”“Me and my pets share a sensual bond and an understanding. I will never abandon one of my animals. But my pets come and then my pets go, every pet in his own season. I enjoy a wide orbit in this life Patricia.”McNally took another sip, becoming introspective, “Hey you know what? I’d have to say that The Chix is my longest held orbit. It’s so good to have you gals around for me for all of these years.” McNally raised her glass in a toast, “To The Chix. To the long and strong bond of three great gals who have kept me in their orbit as the rest of this crazy world spins out of control. Merry fucking Christmas, to one and to all!” McNally gave a swift motion with her hand, directing her three friends to join her in her toast.Everyone stepped to McNally’s end of the counter, touching their glasses, creating a resounding chime as the glassware clinked. “Here! Here!” said Dana, “Let’s make this a Merry fucking Christmas for one and for all!”“I’ll drink to that,” offered McNally.“Of course, you will,” noted Patricia.Annie gave her signature tipsy laugh, “I’ll drink to that Patricia!” and took a gulp.“May I join you?” asked McNally.Dana laughed, “Wait for me! I’ll drink to that too!”McNally turned and walked away from the circled Chix. “Where are you off to McNally?”“Time for the Pinot Noir - any arguments?”“Yeah. What about the Pinot Grigio?” asked Dana in a mock argumentative voice.“No blow back from me. I’ll get both.” With that McNally disappeared into the garage.The cookie production line clicked into gear as The Chix rolled out a pile of baked cookie shapes and an assortment of buttery spritz cookies, chocolate drops, nut bars to go with the gooey lemon bars and shortbread. “My favorite thing in this whole kitchen, other than maybe the wine, is doing the detailed decorations with colored frosting and sprinkles,” announced Dana.“Here you go then Dana,” said Patricia as she set two hot cookie sheets on the cooling racks, “you’ve got your work cut out for you with all of these shapes.” Patricia brandished a pair of cookie cutters, “You have me to thank for 'cutting your work out for you’; you’ve got Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Christmas trees, wreathes, ornaments, stockings, snowmen, reindeer and candy canes galore.”“'Work cut out for you’, I see what you did there,” observed Annie. “You’ve been hanging around McNally too much.”McNally grabbed a couple of the round Mexican Wedding Cakes from Annie’s station and then a candy cane shaped cookie off the pile of undecorated cookies.“What are you working on McNally?” was Dana’s question.“I’ve been inspired by Annie’s earlier comments and her idea of exchanging Nelson’s candy cane for housework.”Annie chortled, “What? Something creative for me? My, my, what could it be McNally?”“Avert your eyes; I’m making you a little surprise.” Annie laughed and pretended to look away, but she and the others watched to see what culinary form McNally’s inspiration took. McNally coated both sides of the candy cane in pink frosting and then covered the straight end of the candy cane with a thin white glaze. She grabbed two pecan halves from the bowl, placing them on top of the round Mexican Wedding Cakes and then wedged the decorated pink candy cane between the two, projecting upward. McNally handed the 3D cookie sculpture to Annie on a small paper plate. “Here you go girl, a little something sweet to enjoy stuffing into your stocking while Nelson is out with your domestic help.”The Chix all laughed, applauding McNally’s skill at coming up with a naughty little cookie. “See, he comes with a pair of real nuts, and I’ve given his sweet candy cane a condom coating of sugar glaze. And if you’ve been feeling pressure to put out Annie, be assured that he only wants to cum in your chimney once a year.”Annie was laughing pretty hard, “You’re so thoughtful McNally. But I’ve been a good girl all year; I think I deserve to get a bigger candy cane.”“Ho, ho, ho,” chuckled McNally, “What you’re asking for is reserved for the naughty girls on m

Husbands and cookies are exchanged, to add holiday cheer.Based on a post by SandyMarl, in 4 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Steamy Stories.The Chix Annual Christmas Cookie ExchangeMcNally topped off each of the four glasses, then tipped the bottle to her lips to make sure she’d drained the last sweet drop of Gewürztraminer. McNally smacked her lips before inserting her tongue into the brown wine bottle’s narrow orifice. “Umm, a sweet little rim job before I recycle this dead soldier,” she announced to a kitchen packed with a few of her long-time friends. “This dark guy is so sweet, I just love him,” she said as she continued her fellatio pantomime by wrapping her lips around the narrow neck as she encircled her fingers and made a couple of strokes up and down the bottle like she was finishing a masterful blow job.Her friends watched her risqué display and giggled, except for Patricia. Patricia picked through the array of Christmas cookie cutter shapes laid out at the edge of the counter, dropping her eyes as she scolded, “McNally, you should be more thoughtful of Dana. Your tipsy little joke is in poor taste in front of our hostess, especially at this time of year.” Patricia meant it as a sobering rebuke, as if any of the girls present needed to be reminded of Dana’s recently widowed status, especially around Christmas.McNally pulled the wine bottle’s phallic dimensions from her lips, setting it down and turning to Dana, “Oh crap, I’m sorry. You know I had no intention of opening painful memories; I was only trying to lift the holiday spirits with a little bawdy humor… I was just thinking…”Dana turned to McNally, “I know. I know you McNally – boy do I know you. You’re always thinking we Chix should loosen up our inhibitions and take a walk on the steamier side of life; and boy are you always ready with a risqué joke, a steamy story or a naughty pun.”Dana broke into a smile, and then spoke to her closest friends, “Hey Chix, you guys are so great! You’re the only reason I’m able to get through this time of year. Without y'all, I’d be nothing but a blubbering mess this Christmas. Facing the painful first anniversary of Sander’s passing is really hard. It’d be unbearable if I had to go through it alone. The support of my Chix means everything to me right now.”Dana forced a cheery voice and continued speaking after dusting the flour off her hands. “I insisted y'all come into my kitchen this year and fill it with holiday cheer, so it’d be like the good times we had before. I want everyone to make a big sugary mess for me to clean up and keep me busy. Our annual Chix Christmas cookie exchange is our tradition; it’s now more meaningful to me than ever. I’m dreading the holidays…” Dana paused to collect her emotions before continuing, “… as the holiday season approaches, I fear being all alone, left to deal with the memory of Sander’s skiing accident by myself. I need my Chix more than ever right now. I need something to keep my mind from dwelling on the anniversary of the accident.”Dana gave a congenial but forced looking smile to the women in her kitchen. “McNally, you go right on giving your Gewurztraminer boyfriend’s long, brown glass cock a good sucking, it’s fine with me and the rest of these kitchen voyeurs. Keep it up, all of you, be merry and I’ll find a way to get by.”Annie wiped a tear off her cheek as she stepped to Dana, wrapping her arms and her baggy, ugly Christmas sweater around Dana, managing to get cookie dough crumbs in Dana’s hair in the process. Annie hugged Dana tight, embracing her in a prolonged hold to convey her sympathy and shared grief at the loss of Dana’s husband last year. Annie teared up again as she remembered gathering with McNally and Patricia to take down the tree and put away all the festive Christmas decorations in Dana’s house as Dana planned Sander’s funeral.It was all so sad, so hard to deal with. Annie admired McNally’s flair to disregard the implicit sadness hanging over their annual Chix Christmas cookie exchange; but didn’t want to get between McNally and Patricia as they scuffled over the proper decorum in Dana’s kitchen under the circumstances.Annie let go and pulled away from her embrace, and as she did, she gasped, “Oh Dana, I’m sorry. Look what I’ve done, my dirty apron made a mess on your top. I’m sorry.”Dana laughed, “I should’ve expected this would happen, wearing black when I’m in the middle of a hen party with flour flying all over my kitchen. I thought I’d feel and look slimmer wearing black, a self-deluding effect to counteract my debauched cookie sampling today. I might as well just drop these little Santa cookies down my pants and let ‘em stick right there on my hips,” smacking her hands on her ass for emphasis.Annie, trying to make up for the accidental flour dusting, began to brush her fingers across Dana’s boobs, fussing and worrying she’d ruined Dana’s pullover. Dana laughed it off, “Annie, stop fretting, it’ll wash out, no problem. Relax. Let’s all have a good time making a mess as we bake and decorate our cookies. There’s something festive about a busy and messy kitchen. I just love it.”McNally watched from the other side of the counter as Annie dabbed and wiped the front of Dana’s chest, “I know what you’re getting for Christmas - one of those cordless hand vacuums; they market it as a bust duster.” Everyone cracked up at McNally’s pun, even Patricia.The timer went off; Patricia stepped to the oven to check on the first batch of cookies. She pulled out the cookie sheet and put it on the cooling rack.“Those look perfect,” Annie announced.“They’re not perfect until they’re decorated,” responded Dana. “They’re just plain-Jane naked right now. It’s our job to get them all dressed up in their Christmas fancy-pants.”“Oh, Patricia, can you grab the box of sprinkles and glittery decorating doo-dahs from the cupboard next to the oven?” asked Dana. Patricia set the full box of decorating doo-dahs on the kitchen table.McNally burst into song, “Doo-dah, doo-dah, Camptown ladies sing this song, all the doo-dah day!” McNally’s three friends joined in a final chorus, “Doo-dah, doo-dah, all the doo-dah day!”“Now things are starting to sound festive,” declared Dana as she mixed bowls of red and green frosting. “McNally, there’s a bottle of Riesling in the garage fridge – I know I don’t have to ask twice to get you to bring that one in and pour another round.”Annie said, “This is sounding and feeling like old times; like back in the beginning when we worked at Dix Chix. Who remembers which of us four started waitressing first at Dix?”“Wasn’t me,” was McNally’s contribution from the hallway, “I’m the youngest of the Chix.”“It could’ve been you; you’ve always had a reputation for starting early McNally,” was Patricia’s retort.McNally laughed at the ribbing. “I seem to recall that Annie got hired a few days ahead of me.”“So, when did we become collectively known as 'The Chix?’” was Dana’s follow up question.Annie answered, “It was Patricia. She advertised to all the boys that there were some interesting Chix to be found in the backroom of Dix Chix Family Restaurant after closing. If a boy had the right stuff, he could find his way into the place and get a few drinks, no ID required.”“That may be true, but I got the idea from that new girl,” said Patricia in a defensive tone. “The new girl suggested it was a crying shame that us four Chix had to close up on Friday and Saturday nights without having any cocks around to make it fun,” was Patricia’s recollection. “Being the studious college girl, Mrs. Dix trusted me with the keys and the liquor inventory.”“And who might have been the corrupting 'new girl’ who put that idea of letting some cocks into the back room with those chicks?” asked Dana with a smirk.“I hear she’s still tending bar somewhere, perhaps more corrupting than ever,” Patricia offered in an offhand guess.McNally, a seasoned barmaid, filled the wine glasses scattered around the kitchen, “I just thought it was false advertising to have a big neon sign that flashed Dix Chix, yet only the Chix half of the attraction was available. I merely suggested to the old timer running the show that if we were working to close the place on Friday and Saturday nights, we owed it to ourselves to have a crew of Dix to go with the Chix. Like the sign said.”Annie asked, “Patricia, I’ve always wondered, how did you choose which boys got an after-hours invitation to the backroom?”“I delegate,” was Patricia’s reply. “That’s why I’m management material. I consulted a trusted source.”McNally gave a curtsey acknowledging her role, and then filled in the story line, “Guys are pretty simple. I’d give the cute ones a line; 'Winner, winner, chicken dinner - Would you prefer a breast or a thigh?’ I then slipped 'em an offer, 'Come on by Dix Chix late some night this weekend for a chicken tender special – tell 'em McNally sent you.’” The three ladies exploded into hearty whoops at McNally’s explanation.Dana took a sip out of her glass, thinking for a moment, “McNally are you responsible then for introducing each of us to our future husbands? I’d never thought of it like that.”“Ultimately the Chix chooses the Dix. At least, that’s how I’d look at it. In collusion with Patricia, I merely helped sow some wild oats in that Dix Chix backroom. But I only sowed the seeds. It was the others who reaped the harvest. I must admit, I did have to run a lot of lame-cock also-rans through that backroom before some of them ended up sticking around for a while.”“Well, however you did it, Sander and I hit it off - after Patricia passed on him and I scooped him up, as I seem to recall. I guess I never thanked you for your fine work.” Dana raised her glass in a salute to McNally.“I’m happy it worked for you Dana,” said Patricia, “I had my eye out for one of those solid, basic models, a kind of nerdy, engineering type. My philosophy was that those low-key kinds of guys wear well. I seem to recall McNally telling me that she didn’t usually fish in those kinds of nerdy-fish ponds, but she promised she’d expand her repertoire to see if she could toss such a specimen my way.”“I remember when Will showed up at the backroom, he looked a little dazed and confused. McNally had to act fast to ease Will into the situation and then gently hand him off to Patricia,” recalled Annie. “So, how’d McNally’s low-key, nerdish fish land in your lap then Patricia?”Patricia made a wistful smile as she rolled out a sheet of dough, “I guess I got what I wanted. Though, I’ve wondered some days if I should have dropped my line into a different pond. There’ve been some days when I wonder what life would’ve been like with a spicier, adventurous man… but that’s normal, right? Don’t we all have some days where we wish things were different?”Annie, Dana and McNally were quick to assure Patricia that they all had their moments when they had a twinge of doubt about their choices in husbands. “Yeah, that’s pretty normal I think,” added Annie.Annie went back to the mixing bowl where she was making rounded, nut-filled Mexican Wedding Cake cookies and dusting them with flour. “Nelson has always been supportive of me, I have to think that our marriage is better than some that I know of, but over the years some of the spark has dimmed. Maybe it’s me, but honestly, if he wanted more sex, I’d consider letting the ol’ boy find a fling with another woman, as long as she agreed to clean my house in exchange for Nelson’s services.”Dana gave up a small squeak, “Serious?”“Oh, just a quirky idea. It’s not like we’d be on the brink of a divorce, we’re perfectly compatible. It would merely be a convenient arrangement, Nelson the ol’ goat, would get more action and stop pestering me and I’d get a clean house and more time. I think it’d be a fair exchange.” Annie shrugged as she spooned out a lump of dough and patted it into a little ball.Dana sighed, “Oh Annie. Annie, you should enjoy the little things from Nelson. You know what I miss most from Sander? It’s little things like tangling our feet together in bed, I really miss the feeling of when Sander would reach across the bed and pull me over close to him. It didn’t have to be sex, sometimes it was so good just to have him spoon into my backside and reach over to caress my breasts.” Dana took a deep breath, “I’m just here to remind The Chix, like they say, 'You don’t know what you got 'til it’s gone.’”Annie’s eyes moistened again, “I’m sorry Dana, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I’m so sorry.”“They’re good memories Annie, I don’t feel bad. Just sad at Christmas now. Get back to making cookies and a mess; it’s the only thing that’ll save me, girl.”Patricia began pressing the cookie cutter into her sheet of dough while pressing this girl-talk topic a little further, “McNally, I’m kind of surprised you and Orlando have made it work so well all of these years. It has always seemed to me that you two traveled in different orbits.”McNally laughed as she put down her half-empty wine glass, concentrating on mixing up some chocolate frosting. “It’s a beautiful cosmic dance between me and Orlando. We’re a pair of heavenly bodies sharing our orbits when the gravitational attraction pulls us close. Otherwise, we each have our own interests as y'all know perfectly well. Orlando has his poetry, music and writing projects. I love lending my graphic and artistic vision to Orlando’s projects when it fits. When we collaborate, we make beautiful art. When we’re not collaborating on something, that’s when I fill my orbit with my animals and other pets.”Patricia raised an eyebrow, “Do you care for your 'pets’ as much as you do your animals?”“Me and my pets share a sensual bond and an understanding. I will never abandon one of my animals. But my pets come and then my pets go, every pet in his own season. I enjoy a wide orbit in this life Patricia.”McNally took another sip, becoming introspective, “Hey you know what? I’d have to say that The Chix is my longest held orbit. It’s so good to have you gals around for me for all of these years.” McNally raised her glass in a toast, “To The Chix. To the long and strong bond of three great gals who have kept me in their orbit as the rest of this crazy world spins out of control. Merry fucking Christmas, to one and to all!” McNally gave a swift motion with her hand, directing her three friends to join her in her toast.Everyone stepped to McNally’s end of the counter, touching their glasses, creating a resounding chime as the glassware clinked. “Here! Here!” said Dana, “Let’s make this a Merry fucking Christmas for one and for all!”“I’ll drink to that,” offered McNally.“Of course, you will,” noted Patricia.Annie gave her signature tipsy laugh, “I’ll drink to that Patricia!” and took a gulp.“May I join you?” asked McNally.Dana laughed, “Wait for me! I’ll drink to that too!”McNally turned and walked away from the circled Chix. “Where are you off to McNally?”“Time for the Pinot Noir - any arguments?”“Yeah. What about the Pinot Grigio?” asked Dana in a mock argumentative voice.“No blow back from me. I’ll get both.” With that McNally disappeared into the garage.The cookie production line clicked into gear as The Chix rolled out a pile of baked cookie shapes and an assortment of buttery spritz cookies, chocolate drops, nut bars to go with the gooey lemon bars and shortbread. “My favorite thing in this whole kitchen, other than maybe the wine, is doing the detailed decorations with colored frosting and sprinkles,” announced Dana.“Here you go then Dana,” said Patricia as she set two hot cookie sheets on the cooling racks, “you’ve got your work cut out for you with all of these shapes.” Patricia brandished a pair of cookie cutters, “You have me to thank for 'cutting your work out for you’; you’ve got Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Christmas trees, wreathes, ornaments, stockings, snowmen, reindeer and candy canes galore.”“'Work cut out for you’, I see what you did there,” observed Annie. “You’ve been hanging around McNally too much.”McNally grabbed a couple of the round Mexican Wedding Cakes from Annie’s station and then a candy cane shaped cookie off the pile of undecorated cookies.“What are you working on McNally?” was Dana’s question.“I’ve been inspired by Annie’s earlier comments and her idea of exchanging Nelson’s candy cane for housework.”Annie chortled, “What? Something creative for me? My, my, what could it be McNally?”“Avert your eyes; I’m making you a little surprise.” Annie laughed and pretended to look away, but she and the others watched to see what culinary form McNally’s inspiration took. McNally coated both sides of the candy cane in pink frosting and then covered the straight end of the candy cane with a thin white glaze. She grabbed two pecan halves from the bowl, placing them on top of the round Mexican Wedding Cakes and then wedged the decorated pink candy cane between the two, projecting upward. McNally handed the 3D cookie sculpture to Annie on a small paper plate. “Here you go girl, a little something sweet to enjoy stuffing into your stocking while Nelson is out with your domestic help.”The Chix all laughed, applauding McNally’s skill at coming up with a naughty little cookie. “See, he comes with a pair of real nuts, and I’ve given his sweet candy cane a condom coating of sugar glaze. And if you’ve been feeling pressure to put out Annie, be assured that he only wants to cum in your chimney once a year.”Annie was laughing pretty hard, “You’re so thoughtful McNally. But I’ve been a good girl all year; I think I deserve to get a bigger candy cane.”“Ho, ho, ho,” chuckled McNally, “What you’re asking for is reserved for the naughty girls on m

Young woman finds lust and love at Christmas.By JagFarlane. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Mel swiped the credit card along the terminal, waited for the receipt to print, stuffed it into the restaurant’s portfolio along with a couple of Ande’s mints, and turned to stroll towards the table. She dropped it off to the table’s occupants and hurried off to the kitchen, trying to look busy though probably fooling no one. It was Christmas Eve after all and the bulk of the town’s part time residents, university students and staff, had all scattered off to home days ago leaving behind the few full time residents to keep the place from looking like a ghost town.She was a student at the university too, but had elected to remain behind this year much to the restaurant manager’s relief. Not that the money had been very good, with the vast majority of the students gone there were only a few souls that made it into the building each night and sometimes she wondered if it had even been worth it to the management to even turn on the lights. Stepping out to pick up the signed receipt and bus several dessert plates away, a glance was given to the tips section and a bit of a relieved sigh at the decent tip. At least the residents routinely tipped, she smiled a bit to herself.After taking a look around and finding no one else at any of her tables, Mel leaned up against the entranceway to the kitchen and allowed herself a quiet moment. Another Christmas Eve alone; not that she hadn’t gotten used to it during her stint in the Air Force. But they still were never easy to take. She’d gotten out and took the chance to move to the one area she’d dreamed of living ever since she was a little girl, Boise, Idaho. Shortly after arriving, she’d invested most of her savings into a condo figuring that not having a monthly house expense was the best route. From there she had enrolled in the local community college and after graduating moved to Boise State University.Between the part time gig as a waitress, her G I Bill money, and a couple small grants Mel was living a fairly comfortable albeit Spartan lifestyle. Still, it hadn’t left a lot of time for romance and it didn’t help that she spent most of her time around people who were a few years younger than her. Just finding someone she could sit at the bar with, legally, was a challenge sometimes and often the grad students were either too busy or in a serious relationship already. Fingers played in the curls of her long, dark red hair as she mulled over her current state in life. That is, until the snapping of fingers in front of her face brought her back to reality.“Hey, you’ve got one on table six.” Sandy smiled to her as she ducked into the kitchen.Shaking her head a little to clear the daze, frowning for a moment as she realized that Jingle Bells was playing for fourth time tonight, and then putting on her best smile, Mel made her way over towards table six. A quick glance at the clock revealed closing time was drawing near and she said a silent thanks to her shift being over soon. She just hoped this last customer wasn’t someone who had gone out to get drunk, and then stopped here on the way home.Phil looked up from the menu as the waitress approached, still mulling between the hickory burger and the spicy chicken sandwich. A moment was spent admiring the waitress’ legs, shown off by the green and black plaid skirt she was wearing. Slowly his eyes moved upwards, the thought of the hickory burger fading as he looked over her full chest and the red curls lying upon it. It had been a long day of travel then in the barn tending to the mare and the approaching woman was a welcome sight indeed, both for the eyes and the promise of getting a decent meal at some point today.She rolled her eyes a bit at the stare she was getting, some days she didn’t mind getting ogled but over the years it had grown quite annoying. So annoyed she was that she didn’t even notice that he appeared to be familiar. “Good evening and welcome to Terry’s. Can I start you out with a drink and perhaps an appetizer?” She put on her best server smile and hoped that perhaps his eyes would move up from her chest to at least her chin.“Can I get a Miller Light and a half order of mozzarella sticks?” He waited for her to write down the order, “And I’ll take a umm, hickory burger, medium rare.” Phil put down the menu to fish out his driver’s license and passed it to the waitress.She scribbled down the order and took the license as it was passed to her, glancing down at the date of birth then at the picture and passed it back to him. As Mel made her way back to the order station, the nagging thought of the familiar face in the picture was bugging her. She hadn’t red the name, and for once regretted not doing so. A glance over her shoulder as she input the order didn’t reveal much as his head was down to play with his phone.The sound of a skirt swishing as the waitress came up to the table caused him to glance up, just long enough to take the pint glass and take an appreciative sip of the amber liquid. Sure, it was a little watery but after the last two days it felt like heaven. Eyes glanced up to watch the waitress walk away, her red hair swaying behind her. Her shape reminded him a bit of someone else but he wasn’t fully sure who and made a note to try to look at her face the next time she came around.Sandy had taken the mozzarella sticks out to him so Mel stood off to the side; taking note that closing time was coming up in a few minutes. Of course the handful of customers still in the joint would be allowed to finish their meals but not to place any more orders after the doors were locked. Mel was fairly sure she’d figured out who her guest was, but wanted an up close look at his face to be sure. If he was the person she thought he was, it was to be a pleasant surprise, particularly since he’d never paid her figure that sort of attention before, even with there seeming to be a mental connection. A cross of her fingers, perhaps Christmas was looking up after all.Phil sipped at his third beer of the night, glad that the town bus system was still running through the holidays. The redhead hadn’t been by him since bringing the latest beer, a little more than he was used to consuming on a normal evening but it did mean she was coming by more often. He still hadn’t worked up the courage to look her in the face yet, or maybe he was just enjoying the other views, he wasn’t quite sure which one it was. The debate became moot when his head snapped up at the voice behind him and his eyes finally looked at Mel’s face.“Hey Phil, long time!” She was finally certain it was Phil Clauser, who had been the Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Intro to Equine class she’d taken to minor in equine studies. Mel could still remember how the muscles of his forearms threatened to tear the rolled up cuffs of his flannel shirt when he was teaching them out to do groundwork with a stubborn mare. There had been a couple of jokes among the girls about how they wouldn’t mind taking a roll in the hay with him but as far as Mel knew none had done more than chatted about it.For a moment he regretted having finished three beers already as it seemed they were fogging his brain. The face attached to the tall redhead was vaguely familiar. He thought he could place it in a classroom setting. What seemed like an eternity passed before he imagined her hair tied back, a pair of jeans instead of the skirt, and a sweatshirt; finally placed her as a former student of his. “Hey, Melissa. It has been a couple of years, hasn’t it?”She let out her breath a bit, in relief. Sometimes the red hair was nice in that it often helped people to remember her. For once that was playing into her favor. She set down the burger and another beer, “Merry Christmas Eve! I hope it’s going well for you.”“It’s going good now,” he gave her a faint smile and proceeded to tell her about how one of the mares under his charge had come down ill and he’d come back on short notice to oversee her care. He’d only gotten back this morning and had spent most of the day at the barn, only getting enough time to shower the barn smell off, change his clothes, and come in for dinner. “Such of the life of working in agriculture, but it’s worth it to me,” he offered a smile to her as she stole a fry from his plate. The sound of a lock clicking brought him back to the restaurant, “I guess I should eat up, don’t want to keep you late on Christmas Eve of all nights.”“Oh, it’s okay,” she looked up as the manager called out for the waitresses and slid from the table, “I’ll be right back.” Off to the backroom she went, leaving him to work on his meal.He looked up when she rejoined him at the table, sliding herself back into the chair. She placed a glass of eggnog in front of him with a little smile, “On the house. So, what are you doing for Christmas since you’re back on short notice?” He watched as she tilted her head and seemed to be anxiously awaiting his answer. “Oh, I’m not sure. I guess just go home for the night, have to spend some time with the mare, tomorrow and otherwise maybe I’ll just catch a few movies on the tv.” He took a sip of the eggnog and noted a hint of Southern Comfort. When he looked up, she just gave him a little smile. “You?”“Probably about the same thing, except for the mare part. Just catch up on some Christmas movies, have a couple of drinks, sleep in, and do the same tomorrow I suppose. Or,” she paused, grinned a bit at him, “or, maybe you could join me and at least we would have some company to enjoy during our movie watching.” Mel wagged her eyebrows just a bit in excitement.He watched her eyebrows in a bit of amusement, and chuckled softly “I think I would be a fool to turn down the offer. I would be glad to join you.”She smiled widely at that, and rose up to go retrieve the check and complete the formalities of shutting down the restaurant for the night. He watched her dart from spot to spot, helping with cleaning up tables and putting away silverware. A bit of wonder got to him, how different she was here, than in the classroom, where she had always been a bit formal. He wondered briefly if that had to do with her being a veteran. Perhaps it was because of how she’d lived. It wasn’t long though, before she popped up to the table and gently grabbed his arm to signal that it was time to go. Getting to his feet, he realized just about how much alcohol he’d had, but made it out the door and onto the metro bus, to her place.They walked the two blocks from the bus stop to the complex, where Mel’s condo was. Phil looked up, blinking, “I didn’t know anyone rented these out.” Mel just smiled and shook her head, “I own one. Much better than living in the apartments near campus, and especially much quieter and more private. Plus, I don’t have to compete with the younger women at the pool.” She gave a little wolfish grin at that last part and led him towards the door of her condo.Inside, he found the place lightly decorated for Christmas. Little figurines placed here and there, a few window decorations, Christmas cards taped above the entranceway to the kitchen. The condo itself was cozy. From what he could see it seemed like a two bedroom place and he smiled a little at the fireplace in the living room with a stocking hung to one side. The place had a very homie feel to it; something he hadn’t felt except at his parent’s place, in a long time.She ran around in the background, picking up a few things here and there. None of her plans had included company being over for the night. Normally she would have just come in, poured a glass of wine, stripped off her work uniform and caught up with her TiVo in panties. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen tonight though she stifled a little giggle as she imagined what his reaction would have been to that. “There’s beer, eggnog, and soda in the fridge and the cabinet above the freezer has the liquor in it. Feel free to help yourself, so long as you make me an eggnog with spiced rum in it. I’ll be out in a minute.”She pulled off the top and the skirt, throwing them into her laundry basket. After a moment thinking it over, her bra followed shortly afterwards, letting a heavy chest hang freely. Deciding to go all in and fully change, panties were thrown in last. Into the master bathroom she wandered, taking up a warm wet washcloth, and using it to wipe some of the sweat away from underneath her breasts, around her thighs, and a few other places. Fingers ran through her curly red bush. It was a little overdue for a trimming and there was a bit of a wish that she had the time to, but she figured if it came to that he probably wouldn’t mind terribly much. A few pats with a towel to dry off and she put on a stretchy sports bra, tee-shirt, and a pair of university sweat pants. Two spritzes from a bottle of warm vanilla sugar body spray then quick brushing of her hair and out the door she came.Phil had taken a seat on the end of the couch, having made two of the eggnog and spiced rum drinks. Slowly he sipped at one, just admiring her place and the country style décor she seemed to prefer. A smile crossed his face as she came out, a little surprised at how she could make even sweats and a tee-shirt look sexy. He was just content to watch her as she went over to the fireplace and got a compressed log lit, admiring her rear as she bent over to do it, then as she put a movie into the player and came over to the couch.They chatted idly during the first movie, discussing career goals, college experiences, and general background information. Phil purposely kept only slowly sipping away at his eggnog, making the drink last the entirety of the first movie and giving the alcohol time to course its way out of his system. As they chatted he found himself becoming more intrigued with this young woman, her variety of interests and the passion she brought to life. He liked how her face lit up as she talked about taking an internship at a dig in the Badlands and at having found actual dinosaur bones. Even if he wasn’t so interested in what she was studying, he just liked being around someone who was so happy doing what she was doing.The topic slowly turned towards their shared love of horses. He’d grown up on a horse ranch a few hours south of where they were and she’d only just started taking lessons after moving to Boise. He knew more of the technical side but she had the passion beyond that of someone who had just gushed over ponies as a little kid. When she came back from changing the DVD’s and accepted her second drink, he took note that she was sitting much closer to him than at the beginning of the evening. Each time she came back from getting up it seemed she moved a few inches closer till it was shortly after one am and upon coming back from putting in a new movie she was cuddled up against his figure. He could smell the faded scent of vanilla spice on her, it felt inviting, it just felt right.She knew it was the alcohol. She’d been making hers stronger than usual just so that she’d have the excuse to blame the alcohol. But now she found herself spooned up against Phil and having decided that she’d already crossed the line of no turning back. Mel gently guided his arm to rest over her stomach, snuggling herself fully against him, closing her eyes and just savoring the feeling. It had been too long since she’d last felt the comforting warmth of another person pressed up against her, this time with the bonus of his muscles giving her the protective feeling of being wrapped up. Through her sweats she could even feel the gentle pressing of a stiffening cock. She smiled to herself and gave a tiny wiggle just to get a better feel of it then pressed softly against him feigning snuggling in more.By about halfway through the movie and all of the way through her glass of eggnog curiosity and hormones couldn’t be contained much more. Her hand gently drifted to his pants and upon finding no resistance she unzipped the jeans and slipped her hand in, seeking the opening of his boxers. Fingers gently caressed the head of his swollen member and slowly she began to guide it out into the open. Slowly and gently she caressed him, just enjoying the feeling of his hard cock throbbing in her hand. When she felt his fingers touch the edge of her sweats, Mel arched a little to urge him to seek further. A contented sigh slipped from her lips as she felt his hand gently cup her swollen mound and fingers softly rub upon her clit and external lips.He had been hoping that there might be a little fun after she had been wiggling and adjusting against him during the movie. When she reached for his cock, it felt like he’d stiffened even more at the anticipation. The stroking was pleasant but it hadn’t compared to reaching within her sweats, finding her not wearing a pair of panties, and that she was already damp from the little bit of play they’d already gotten into. Gently he played with her clit, loving the little moans coming from her throat. When she felt wet enough he slipped two fingers within her and began to massage the inside of her cunt while caressing her clit. When he felt her fingers leave his cock for a moment he internally sighed at the loss, but seconds later he felt her sweatpants slip down and the soft skin of her rear caress against his stiff member.As much as Mel was enjoying having her cunt caressed by his fingers what she really craved was the stretching that only a thick cock could give her. Twisting her body a bit, she wiggled upwards till she could stand and straddle his feet. Facing away, she slowly lowered he beautiful ass into position. He guided her down with his two hands on her ass cheeks. Then he gently spread her cheeks until his cock head rubbed against her wet, swollen lips. She reached between her legs and gently grasped his shaft. Then she slowly rubbed the head against herself, enjoying the feeling and giving it enough time to get thoroughly wet. She had taken larger cocks, but he was up there in size and she knew that plenty of lube was her key to really enjoying the experience. When she felt she had gotten his cock wet enough, she pressed his head against her tight hole and slowly she began to wiggle herself down, allowing him to enter. A soft groan slipped from her throat as the head popped within, slowly followed by the thick, veiny shaft.Only when she finally felt her ass begin to press against his body, did she finally breathe out and just waited, feeling him within her.  Phil then slid both his hands upward. Very slowly, his manly hands slid around her ass. Then he slid them forward to her navel, sliding one finger into her tender dimple. She had goosebumps for a moment, and he waited until her body calmed. Then  he resumed his slow upward journey, maintaining a contstant firm contact along her narrow waist.Mel rested her back on Phil's chest. Tucking her head on one of his shoulders, she leaned her head alongside his.Finally, his hands slid up, under her tits. He turned his wrists to cup each of her tits, and her ass continued to gyrate on his lap. Her cunt continued to c

Young woman finds lust and love at Christmas.By JagFarlane. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Mel swiped the credit card along the terminal, waited for the receipt to print, stuffed it into the restaurant’s portfolio along with a couple of Ande’s mints, and turned to stroll towards the table. She dropped it off to the table’s occupants and hurried off to the kitchen, trying to look busy though probably fooling no one. It was Christmas Eve after all and the bulk of the town’s part time residents, university students and staff, had all scattered off to home days ago leaving behind the few full time residents to keep the place from looking like a ghost town.She was a student at the university too, but had elected to remain behind this year much to the restaurant manager’s relief. Not that the money had been very good, with the vast majority of the students gone there were only a few souls that made it into the building each night and sometimes she wondered if it had even been worth it to the management to even turn on the lights. Stepping out to pick up the signed receipt and bus several dessert plates away, a glance was given to the tips section and a bit of a relieved sigh at the decent tip. At least the residents routinely tipped, she smiled a bit to herself.After taking a look around and finding no one else at any of her tables, Mel leaned up against the entranceway to the kitchen and allowed herself a quiet moment. Another Christmas Eve alone; not that she hadn’t gotten used to it during her stint in the Air Force. But they still were never easy to take. She’d gotten out and took the chance to move to the one area she’d dreamed of living ever since she was a little girl, Boise, Idaho. Shortly after arriving, she’d invested most of her savings into a condo figuring that not having a monthly house expense was the best route. From there she had enrolled in the local community college and after graduating moved to Boise State University.Between the part time gig as a waitress, her G I Bill money, and a couple small grants Mel was living a fairly comfortable albeit Spartan lifestyle. Still, it hadn’t left a lot of time for romance and it didn’t help that she spent most of her time around people who were a few years younger than her. Just finding someone she could sit at the bar with, legally, was a challenge sometimes and often the grad students were either too busy or in a serious relationship already. Fingers played in the curls of her long, dark red hair as she mulled over her current state in life. That is, until the snapping of fingers in front of her face brought her back to reality.“Hey, you’ve got one on table six.” Sandy smiled to her as she ducked into the kitchen.Shaking her head a little to clear the daze, frowning for a moment as she realized that Jingle Bells was playing for fourth time tonight, and then putting on her best smile, Mel made her way over towards table six. A quick glance at the clock revealed closing time was drawing near and she said a silent thanks to her shift being over soon. She just hoped this last customer wasn’t someone who had gone out to get drunk, and then stopped here on the way home.Phil looked up from the menu as the waitress approached, still mulling between the hickory burger and the spicy chicken sandwich. A moment was spent admiring the waitress’ legs, shown off by the green and black plaid skirt she was wearing. Slowly his eyes moved upwards, the thought of the hickory burger fading as he looked over her full chest and the red curls lying upon it. It had been a long day of travel then in the barn tending to the mare and the approaching woman was a welcome sight indeed, both for the eyes and the promise of getting a decent meal at some point today.She rolled her eyes a bit at the stare she was getting, some days she didn’t mind getting ogled but over the years it had grown quite annoying. So annoyed she was that she didn’t even notice that he appeared to be familiar. “Good evening and welcome to Terry’s. Can I start you out with a drink and perhaps an appetizer?” She put on her best server smile and hoped that perhaps his eyes would move up from her chest to at least her chin.“Can I get a Miller Light and a half order of mozzarella sticks?” He waited for her to write down the order, “And I’ll take a umm, hickory burger, medium rare.” Phil put down the menu to fish out his driver’s license and passed it to the waitress.She scribbled down the order and took the license as it was passed to her, glancing down at the date of birth then at the picture and passed it back to him. As Mel made her way back to the order station, the nagging thought of the familiar face in the picture was bugging her. She hadn’t red the name, and for once regretted not doing so. A glance over her shoulder as she input the order didn’t reveal much as his head was down to play with his phone.The sound of a skirt swishing as the waitress came up to the table caused him to glance up, just long enough to take the pint glass and take an appreciative sip of the amber liquid. Sure, it was a little watery but after the last two days it felt like heaven. Eyes glanced up to watch the waitress walk away, her red hair swaying behind her. Her shape reminded him a bit of someone else but he wasn’t fully sure who and made a note to try to look at her face the next time she came around.Sandy had taken the mozzarella sticks out to him so Mel stood off to the side; taking note that closing time was coming up in a few minutes. Of course the handful of customers still in the joint would be allowed to finish their meals but not to place any more orders after the doors were locked. Mel was fairly sure she’d figured out who her guest was, but wanted an up close look at his face to be sure. If he was the person she thought he was, it was to be a pleasant surprise, particularly since he’d never paid her figure that sort of attention before, even with there seeming to be a mental connection. A cross of her fingers, perhaps Christmas was looking up after all.Phil sipped at his third beer of the night, glad that the town bus system was still running through the holidays. The redhead hadn’t been by him since bringing the latest beer, a little more than he was used to consuming on a normal evening but it did mean she was coming by more often. He still hadn’t worked up the courage to look her in the face yet, or maybe he was just enjoying the other views, he wasn’t quite sure which one it was. The debate became moot when his head snapped up at the voice behind him and his eyes finally looked at Mel’s face.“Hey Phil, long time!” She was finally certain it was Phil Clauser, who had been the Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Intro to Equine class she’d taken to minor in equine studies. Mel could still remember how the muscles of his forearms threatened to tear the rolled up cuffs of his flannel shirt when he was teaching them out to do groundwork with a stubborn mare. There had been a couple of jokes among the girls about how they wouldn’t mind taking a roll in the hay with him but as far as Mel knew none had done more than chatted about it.For a moment he regretted having finished three beers already as it seemed they were fogging his brain. The face attached to the tall redhead was vaguely familiar. He thought he could place it in a classroom setting. What seemed like an eternity passed before he imagined her hair tied back, a pair of jeans instead of the skirt, and a sweatshirt; finally placed her as a former student of his. “Hey, Melissa. It has been a couple of years, hasn’t it?”She let out her breath a bit, in relief. Sometimes the red hair was nice in that it often helped people to remember her. For once that was playing into her favor. She set down the burger and another beer, “Merry Christmas Eve! I hope it’s going well for you.”“It’s going good now,” he gave her a faint smile and proceeded to tell her about how one of the mares under his charge had come down ill and he’d come back on short notice to oversee her care. He’d only gotten back this morning and had spent most of the day at the barn, only getting enough time to shower the barn smell off, change his clothes, and come in for dinner. “Such of the life of working in agriculture, but it’s worth it to me,” he offered a smile to her as she stole a fry from his plate. The sound of a lock clicking brought him back to the restaurant, “I guess I should eat up, don’t want to keep you late on Christmas Eve of all nights.”“Oh, it’s okay,” she looked up as the manager called out for the waitresses and slid from the table, “I’ll be right back.” Off to the backroom she went, leaving him to work on his meal.He looked up when she rejoined him at the table, sliding herself back into the chair. She placed a glass of eggnog in front of him with a little smile, “On the house. So, what are you doing for Christmas since you’re back on short notice?” He watched as she tilted her head and seemed to be anxiously awaiting his answer. “Oh, I’m not sure. I guess just go home for the night, have to spend some time with the mare, tomorrow and otherwise maybe I’ll just catch a few movies on the tv.” He took a sip of the eggnog and noted a hint of Southern Comfort. When he looked up, she just gave him a little smile. “You?”“Probably about the same thing, except for the mare part. Just catch up on some Christmas movies, have a couple of drinks, sleep in, and do the same tomorrow I suppose. Or,” she paused, grinned a bit at him, “or, maybe you could join me and at least we would have some company to enjoy during our movie watching.” Mel wagged her eyebrows just a bit in excitement.He watched her eyebrows in a bit of amusement, and chuckled softly “I think I would be a fool to turn down the offer. I would be glad to join you.”She smiled widely at that, and rose up to go retrieve the check and complete the formalities of shutting down the restaurant for the night. He watched her dart from spot to spot, helping with cleaning up tables and putting away silverware. A bit of wonder got to him, how different she was here, than in the classroom, where she had always been a bit formal. He wondered briefly if that had to do with her being a veteran. Perhaps it was because of how she’d lived. It wasn’t long though, before she popped up to the table and gently grabbed his arm to signal that it was time to go. Getting to his feet, he realized just about how much alcohol he’d had, but made it out the door and onto the metro bus, to her place.They walked the two blocks from the bus stop to the complex, where Mel’s condo was. Phil looked up, blinking, “I didn’t know anyone rented these out.” Mel just smiled and shook her head, “I own one. Much better than living in the apartments near campus, and especially much quieter and more private. Plus, I don’t have to compete with the younger women at the pool.” She gave a little wolfish grin at that last part and led him towards the door of her condo.Inside, he found the place lightly decorated for Christmas. Little figurines placed here and there, a few window decorations, Christmas cards taped above the entranceway to the kitchen. The condo itself was cozy. From what he could see it seemed like a two bedroom place and he smiled a little at the fireplace in the living room with a stocking hung to one side. The place had a very homie feel to it; something he hadn’t felt except at his parent’s place, in a long time.She ran around in the background, picking up a few things here and there. None of her plans had included company being over for the night. Normally she would have just come in, poured a glass of wine, stripped off her work uniform and caught up with her TiVo in panties. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen tonight though she stifled a little giggle as she imagined what his reaction would have been to that. “There’s beer, eggnog, and soda in the fridge and the cabinet above the freezer has the liquor in it. Feel free to help yourself, so long as you make me an eggnog with spiced rum in it. I’ll be out in a minute.”She pulled off the top and the skirt, throwing them into her laundry basket. After a moment thinking it over, her bra followed shortly afterwards, letting a heavy chest hang freely. Deciding to go all in and fully change, panties were thrown in last. Into the master bathroom she wandered, taking up a warm wet washcloth, and using it to wipe some of the sweat away from underneath her breasts, around her thighs, and a few other places. Fingers ran through her curly red bush. It was a little overdue for a trimming and there was a bit of a wish that she had the time to, but she figured if it came to that he probably wouldn’t mind terribly much. A few pats with a towel to dry off and she put on a stretchy sports bra, tee-shirt, and a pair of university sweat pants. Two spritzes from a bottle of warm vanilla sugar body spray then quick brushing of her hair and out the door she came.Phil had taken a seat on the end of the couch, having made two of the eggnog and spiced rum drinks. Slowly he sipped at one, just admiring her place and the country style décor she seemed to prefer. A smile crossed his face as she came out, a little surprised at how she could make even sweats and a tee-shirt look sexy. He was just content to watch her as she went over to the fireplace and got a compressed log lit, admiring her rear as she bent over to do it, then as she put a movie into the player and came over to the couch.They chatted idly during the first movie, discussing career goals, college experiences, and general background information. Phil purposely kept only slowly sipping away at his eggnog, making the drink last the entirety of the first movie and giving the alcohol time to course its way out of his system. As they chatted he found himself becoming more intrigued with this young woman, her variety of interests and the passion she brought to life. He liked how her face lit up as she talked about taking an internship at a dig in the Badlands and at having found actual dinosaur bones. Even if he wasn’t so interested in what she was studying, he just liked being around someone who was so happy doing what she was doing.The topic slowly turned towards their shared love of horses. He’d grown up on a horse ranch a few hours south of where they were and she’d only just started taking lessons after moving to Boise. He knew more of the technical side but she had the passion beyond that of someone who had just gushed over ponies as a little kid. When she came back from changing the DVD’s and accepted her second drink, he took note that she was sitting much closer to him than at the beginning of the evening. Each time she came back from getting up it seemed she moved a few inches closer till it was shortly after one am and upon coming back from putting in a new movie she was cuddled up against his figure. He could smell the faded scent of vanilla spice on her, it felt inviting, it just felt right.She knew it was the alcohol. She’d been making hers stronger than usual just so that she’d have the excuse to blame the alcohol. But now she found herself spooned up against Phil and having decided that she’d already crossed the line of no turning back. Mel gently guided his arm to rest over her stomach, snuggling herself fully against him, closing her eyes and just savoring the feeling. It had been too long since she’d last felt the comforting warmth of another person pressed up against her, this time with the bonus of his muscles giving her the protective feeling of being wrapped up. Through her sweats she could even feel the gentle pressing of a stiffening cock. She smiled to herself and gave a tiny wiggle just to get a better feel of it then pressed softly against him feigning snuggling in more.By about halfway through the movie and all of the way through her glass of eggnog curiosity and hormones couldn’t be contained much more. Her hand gently drifted to his pants and upon finding no resistance she unzipped the jeans and slipped her hand in, seeking the opening of his boxers. Fingers gently caressed the head of his swollen member and slowly she began to guide it out into the open. Slowly and gently she caressed him, just enjoying the feeling of his hard cock throbbing in her hand. When she felt his fingers touch the edge of her sweats, Mel arched a little to urge him to seek further. A contented sigh slipped from her lips as she felt his hand gently cup her swollen mound and fingers softly rub upon her clit and external lips.He had been hoping that there might be a little fun after she had been wiggling and adjusting against him during the movie. When she reached for his cock, it felt like he’d stiffened even more at the anticipation. The stroking was pleasant but it hadn’t compared to reaching within her sweats, finding her not wearing a pair of panties, and that she was already damp from the little bit of play they’d already gotten into. Gently he played with her clit, loving the little moans coming from her throat. When she felt wet enough he slipped two fingers within her and began to massage the inside of her cunt while caressing her clit. When he felt her fingers leave his cock for a moment he internally sighed at the loss, but seconds later he felt her sweatpants slip down and the soft skin of her rear caress against his stiff member.As much as Mel was enjoying having her cunt caressed by his fingers what she really craved was the stretching that only a thick cock could give her. Twisting her body a bit, she wiggled upwards till she could stand and straddle his feet. Facing away, she slowly lowered he beautiful ass into position. He guided her down with his two hands on her ass cheeks. Then he gently spread her cheeks until his cock head rubbed against her wet, swollen lips. She reached between her legs and gently grasped his shaft. Then she slowly rubbed the head against herself, enjoying the feeling and giving it enough time to get thoroughly wet. She had taken larger cocks, but he was up there in size and she knew that plenty of lube was her key to really enjoying the experience. When she felt she had gotten his cock wet enough, she pressed his head against her tight hole and slowly she began to wiggle herself down, allowing him to enter. A soft groan slipped from her throat as the head popped within, slowly followed by the thick, veiny shaft.Only when she finally felt her ass begin to press against his body, did she finally breathe out and just waited, feeling him within her.  Phil then slid both his hands upward. Very slowly, his manly hands slid around her ass. Then he slid them forward to her navel, sliding one finger into her tender dimple. She had goosebumps for a moment, and he waited until her body calmed. Then  he resumed his slow upward journey, maintaining a contstant firm contact along her narrow waist.Mel rested her back on Phil's chest. Tucking her head on one of his shoulders, she leaned her head alongside his.Finally, his hands slid up, under her tits. He turned his wrists to cup each of her tits, and her ass continued to gyrate on his lap. Her cunt continued to c

Young woman finds lust and love at Christmas.By JagFarlane. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Mel swiped the credit card along the terminal, waited for the receipt to print, stuffed it into the restaurant’s portfolio along with a couple of Ande’s mints, and turned to stroll towards the table. She dropped it off to the table’s occupants and hurried off to the kitchen, trying to look busy though probably fooling no one. It was Christmas Eve after all and the bulk of the town’s part time residents, university students and staff, had all scattered off to home days ago leaving behind the few full time residents to keep the place from looking like a ghost town.She was a student at the university too, but had elected to remain behind this year much to the restaurant manager’s relief. Not that the money had been very good, with the vast majority of the students gone there were only a few souls that made it into the building each night and sometimes she wondered if it had even been worth it to the management to even turn on the lights. Stepping out to pick up the signed receipt and bus several dessert plates away, a glance was given to the tips section and a bit of a relieved sigh at the decent tip. At least the residents routinely tipped, she smiled a bit to herself.After taking a look around and finding no one else at any of her tables, Mel leaned up against the entranceway to the kitchen and allowed herself a quiet moment. Another Christmas Eve alone; not that she hadn’t gotten used to it during her stint in the Air Force. But they still were never easy to take. She’d gotten out and took the chance to move to the one area she’d dreamed of living ever since she was a little girl, Boise, Idaho. Shortly after arriving, she’d invested most of her savings into a condo figuring that not having a monthly house expense was the best route. From there she had enrolled in the local community college and after graduating moved to Boise State University.Between the part time gig as a waitress, her G I Bill money, and a couple small grants Mel was living a fairly comfortable albeit Spartan lifestyle. Still, it hadn’t left a lot of time for romance and it didn’t help that she spent most of her time around people who were a few years younger than her. Just finding someone she could sit at the bar with, legally, was a challenge sometimes and often the grad students were either too busy or in a serious relationship already. Fingers played in the curls of her long, dark red hair as she mulled over her current state in life. That is, until the snapping of fingers in front of her face brought her back to reality.“Hey, you’ve got one on table six.” Sandy smiled to her as she ducked into the kitchen.Shaking her head a little to clear the daze, frowning for a moment as she realized that Jingle Bells was playing for fourth time tonight, and then putting on her best smile, Mel made her way over towards table six. A quick glance at the clock revealed closing time was drawing near and she said a silent thanks to her shift being over soon. She just hoped this last customer wasn’t someone who had gone out to get drunk, and then stopped here on the way home.Phil looked up from the menu as the waitress approached, still mulling between the hickory burger and the spicy chicken sandwich. A moment was spent admiring the waitress’ legs, shown off by the green and black plaid skirt she was wearing. Slowly his eyes moved upwards, the thought of the hickory burger fading as he looked over her full chest and the red curls lying upon it. It had been a long day of travel then in the barn tending to the mare and the approaching woman was a welcome sight indeed, both for the eyes and the promise of getting a decent meal at some point today.She rolled her eyes a bit at the stare she was getting, some days she didn’t mind getting ogled but over the years it had grown quite annoying. So annoyed she was that she didn’t even notice that he appeared to be familiar. “Good evening and welcome to Terry’s. Can I start you out with a drink and perhaps an appetizer?” She put on her best server smile and hoped that perhaps his eyes would move up from her chest to at least her chin.“Can I get a Miller Light and a half order of mozzarella sticks?” He waited for her to write down the order, “And I’ll take a umm, hickory burger, medium rare.” Phil put down the menu to fish out his driver’s license and passed it to the waitress.She scribbled down the order and took the license as it was passed to her, glancing down at the date of birth then at the picture and passed it back to him. As Mel made her way back to the order station, the nagging thought of the familiar face in the picture was bugging her. She hadn’t red the name, and for once regretted not doing so. A glance over her shoulder as she input the order didn’t reveal much as his head was down to play with his phone.The sound of a skirt swishing as the waitress came up to the table caused him to glance up, just long enough to take the pint glass and take an appreciative sip of the amber liquid. Sure, it was a little watery but after the last two days it felt like heaven. Eyes glanced up to watch the waitress walk away, her red hair swaying behind her. Her shape reminded him a bit of someone else but he wasn’t fully sure who and made a note to try to look at her face the next time she came around.Sandy had taken the mozzarella sticks out to him so Mel stood off to the side; taking note that closing time was coming up in a few minutes. Of course the handful of customers still in the joint would be allowed to finish their meals but not to place any more orders after the doors were locked. Mel was fairly sure she’d figured out who her guest was, but wanted an up close look at his face to be sure. If he was the person she thought he was, it was to be a pleasant surprise, particularly since he’d never paid her figure that sort of attention before, even with there seeming to be a mental connection. A cross of her fingers, perhaps Christmas was looking up after all.Phil sipped at his third beer of the night, glad that the town bus system was still running through the holidays. The redhead hadn’t been by him since bringing the latest beer, a little more than he was used to consuming on a normal evening but it did mean she was coming by more often. He still hadn’t worked up the courage to look her in the face yet, or maybe he was just enjoying the other views, he wasn’t quite sure which one it was. The debate became moot when his head snapped up at the voice behind him and his eyes finally looked at Mel’s face.“Hey Phil, long time!” She was finally certain it was Phil Clauser, who had been the Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Intro to Equine class she’d taken to minor in equine studies. Mel could still remember how the muscles of his forearms threatened to tear the rolled up cuffs of his flannel shirt when he was teaching them out to do groundwork with a stubborn mare. There had been a couple of jokes among the girls about how they wouldn’t mind taking a roll in the hay with him but as far as Mel knew none had done more than chatted about it.For a moment he regretted having finished three beers already as it seemed they were fogging his brain. The face attached to the tall redhead was vaguely familiar. He thought he could place it in a classroom setting. What seemed like an eternity passed before he imagined her hair tied back, a pair of jeans instead of the skirt, and a sweatshirt; finally placed her as a former student of his. “Hey, Melissa. It has been a couple of years, hasn’t it?”She let out her breath a bit, in relief. Sometimes the red hair was nice in that it often helped people to remember her. For once that was playing into her favor. She set down the burger and another beer, “Merry Christmas Eve! I hope it’s going well for you.”“It’s going good now,” he gave her a faint smile and proceeded to tell her about how one of the mares under his charge had come down ill and he’d come back on short notice to oversee her care. He’d only gotten back this morning and had spent most of the day at the barn, only getting enough time to shower the barn smell off, change his clothes, and come in for dinner. “Such of the life of working in agriculture, but it’s worth it to me,” he offered a smile to her as she stole a fry from his plate. The sound of a lock clicking brought him back to the restaurant, “I guess I should eat up, don’t want to keep you late on Christmas Eve of all nights.”“Oh, it’s okay,” she looked up as the manager called out for the waitresses and slid from the table, “I’ll be right back.” Off to the backroom she went, leaving him to work on his meal.He looked up when she rejoined him at the table, sliding herself back into the chair. She placed a glass of eggnog in front of him with a little smile, “On the house. So, what are you doing for Christmas since you’re back on short notice?” He watched as she tilted her head and seemed to be anxiously awaiting his answer. “Oh, I’m not sure. I guess just go home for the night, have to spend some time with the mare, tomorrow and otherwise maybe I’ll just catch a few movies on the tv.” He took a sip of the eggnog and noted a hint of Southern Comfort. When he looked up, she just gave him a little smile. “You?”“Probably about the same thing, except for the mare part. Just catch up on some Christmas movies, have a couple of drinks, sleep in, and do the same tomorrow I suppose. Or,” she paused, grinned a bit at him, “or, maybe you could join me and at least we would have some company to enjoy during our movie watching.” Mel wagged her eyebrows just a bit in excitement.He watched her eyebrows in a bit of amusement, and chuckled softly “I think I would be a fool to turn down the offer. I would be glad to join you.”She smiled widely at that, and rose up to go retrieve the check and complete the formalities of shutting down the restaurant for the night. He watched her dart from spot to spot, helping with cleaning up tables and putting away silverware. A bit of wonder got to him, how different she was here, than in the classroom, where she had always been a bit formal. He wondered briefly if that had to do with her being a veteran. Perhaps it was because of how she’d lived. It wasn’t long though, before she popped up to the table and gently grabbed his arm to signal that it was time to go. Getting to his feet, he realized just about how much alcohol he’d had, but made it out the door and onto the metro bus, to her place.They walked the two blocks from the bus stop to the complex, where Mel’s condo was. Phil looked up, blinking, “I didn’t know anyone rented these out.” Mel just smiled and shook her head, “I own one. Much better than living in the apartments near campus, and especially much quieter and more private. Plus, I don’t have to compete with the younger women at the pool.” She gave a little wolfish grin at that last part and led him towards the door of her condo.Inside, he found the place lightly decorated for Christmas. Little figurines placed here and there, a few window decorations, Christmas cards taped above the entranceway to the kitchen. The condo itself was cozy. From what he could see it seemed like a two bedroom place and he smiled a little at the fireplace in the living room with a stocking hung to one side. The place had a very homie feel to it; something he hadn’t felt except at his parent’s place, in a long time.She ran around in the background, picking up a few things here and there. None of her plans had included company being over for the night. Normally she would have just come in, poured a glass of wine, stripped off her work uniform and caught up with her TiVo in panties. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen tonight though she stifled a little giggle as she imagined what his reaction would have been to that. “There’s beer, eggnog, and soda in the fridge and the cabinet above the freezer has the liquor in it. Feel free to help yourself, so long as you make me an eggnog with spiced rum in it. I’ll be out in a minute.”She pulled off the top and the skirt, throwing them into her laundry basket. After a moment thinking it over, her bra followed shortly afterwards, letting a heavy chest hang freely. Deciding to go all in and fully change, panties were thrown in last. Into the master bathroom she wandered, taking up a warm wet washcloth, and using it to wipe some of the sweat away from underneath her breasts, around her thighs, and a few other places. Fingers ran through her curly red bush. It was a little overdue for a trimming and there was a bit of a wish that she had the time to, but she figured if it came to that he probably wouldn’t mind terribly much. A few pats with a towel to dry off and she put on a stretchy sports bra, tee-shirt, and a pair of university sweat pants. Two spritzes from a bottle of warm vanilla sugar body spray then quick brushing of her hair and out the door she came.Phil had taken a seat on the end of the couch, having made two of the eggnog and spiced rum drinks. Slowly he sipped at one, just admiring her place and the country style décor she seemed to prefer. A smile crossed his face as she came out, a little surprised at how she could make even sweats and a tee-shirt look sexy. He was just content to watch her as she went over to the fireplace and got a compressed log lit, admiring her rear as she bent over to do it, then as she put a movie into the player and came over to the couch.They chatted idly during the first movie, discussing career goals, college experiences, and general background information. Phil purposely kept only slowly sipping away at his eggnog, making the drink last the entirety of the first movie and giving the alcohol time to course its way out of his system. As they chatted he found himself becoming more intrigued with this young woman, her variety of interests and the passion she brought to life. He liked how her face lit up as she talked about taking an internship at a dig in the Badlands and at having found actual dinosaur bones. Even if he wasn’t so interested in what she was studying, he just liked being around someone who was so happy doing what she was doing.The topic slowly turned towards their shared love of horses. He’d grown up on a horse ranch a few hours south of where they were and she’d only just started taking lessons after moving to Boise. He knew more of the technical side but she had the passion beyond that of someone who had just gushed over ponies as a little kid. When she came back from changing the DVD’s and accepted her second drink, he took note that she was sitting much closer to him than at the beginning of the evening. Each time she came back from getting up it seemed she moved a few inches closer till it was shortly after one am and upon coming back from putting in a new movie she was cuddled up against his figure. He could smell the faded scent of vanilla spice on her, it felt inviting, it just felt right.She knew it was the alcohol. She’d been making hers stronger than usual just so that she’d have the excuse to blame the alcohol. But now she found herself spooned up against Phil and having decided that she’d already crossed the line of no turning back. Mel gently guided his arm to rest over her stomach, snuggling herself fully against him, closing her eyes and just savoring the feeling. It had been too long since she’d last felt the comforting warmth of another person pressed up against her, this time with the bonus of his muscles giving her the protective feeling of being wrapped up. Through her sweats she could even feel the gentle pressing of a stiffening cock. She smiled to herself and gave a tiny wiggle just to get a better feel of it then pressed softly against him feigning snuggling in more.By about halfway through the movie and all of the way through her glass of eggnog curiosity and hormones couldn’t be contained much more. Her hand gently drifted to his pants and upon finding no resistance she unzipped the jeans and slipped her hand in, seeking the opening of his boxers. Fingers gently caressed the head of his swollen member and slowly she began to guide it out into the open. Slowly and gently she caressed him, just enjoying the feeling of his hard cock throbbing in her hand. When she felt his fingers touch the edge of her sweats, Mel arched a little to urge him to seek further. A contented sigh slipped from her lips as she felt his hand gently cup her swollen mound and fingers softly rub upon her clit and external lips.He had been hoping that there might be a little fun after she had been wiggling and adjusting against him during the movie. When she reached for his cock, it felt like he’d stiffened even more at the anticipation. The stroking was pleasant but it hadn’t compared to reaching within her sweats, finding her not wearing a pair of panties, and that she was already damp from the little bit of play they’d already gotten into. Gently he played with her clit, loving the little moans coming from her throat. When she felt wet enough he slipped two fingers within her and began to massage the inside of her cunt while caressing her clit. When he felt her fingers leave his cock for a moment he internally sighed at the loss, but seconds later he felt her sweatpants slip down and the soft skin of her rear caress against his stiff member.As much as Mel was enjoying having her cunt caressed by his fingers what she really craved was the stretching that only a thick cock could give her. Twisting her body a bit, she wiggled upwards till she could stand and straddle his feet. Facing away, she slowly lowered he beautiful ass into position. He guided her down with his two hands on her ass cheeks. Then he gently spread her cheeks until his cock head rubbed against her wet, swollen lips. She reached between her legs and gently grasped his shaft. Then she slowly rubbed the head against herself, enjoying the feeling and giving it enough time to get thoroughly wet. She had taken larger cocks, but he was up there in size and she knew that plenty of lube was her key to really enjoying the experience. When she felt she had gotten his cock wet enough, she pressed his head against her tight hole and slowly she began to wiggle herself down, allowing him to enter. A soft groan slipped from her throat as the head popped within, slowly followed by the thick, veiny shaft.Only when she finally felt her ass begin to press against his body, did she finally breathe out and just waited, feeling him within her.  Phil then slid both his hands upward. Very slowly, his manly hands slid around her ass. Then he slid them forward to her navel, sliding one finger into her tender dimple. She had goosebumps for a moment, and he waited until her body calmed. Then  he resumed his slow upward journey, maintaining a contstant firm contact along her narrow waist.Mel rested her back on Phil's chest. Tucking her head on one of his shoulders, she leaned her head alongside his.Finally, his hands slid up, under her tits. He turned his wrists to cup each of her tits, and her ass continued to gyrate on his lap. Her cunt continued to c

Poetry and baring the soul.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Arriving at her house, Leah and I carried my clothes up to the spare bedroom. I thanked Leah once again, then kissed her.Leah softly whispered, “Jorunn is downstairs!”I replied in the same whisper, “Then kiss me quietly.” And she did.I spent the remainder of the day doing my laundry, once Leah showed me how to use her Norwegian washing machine. Leah opened the clothes drying rack, and when done, I laid my clothes out to dry.For dinner, Leah prepared salmon fillets with boiled potatoes. As Jorunn and Leah washed the dishes, I sat on the center seat of the sofa, reflecting on the day. When they finished, both Jorunn and Leah rushed into the living room, extremely excited, and sat down on either side of me. Jorunn turned on the television and switched to Norwegian National Television. I wondered what the fuss was about.“Five more minutes,” yelped Jorunn.After a brief introduction, an old black-and-white movie started. Both Jorunn and Leah snuggled up tight against me and I put my arms around them. It felt great. The show, called “Dinner for One”, featured a 90-year-old countess celebrating her birthday. She invited four friends but outlived them all. Her butler decides to impersonate each of the four missing guests. As he slips into each of the roles, he drinks a toast, and quickly becomes intoxicated, leading to numerous sight gags. It felt good to laugh along with people again. It was rather short, and when it ended, Leah told me it was the most repeated television show of all time and is quite popular in Scandinavian countries and northern Europe.Leah and Jorunn went around rearranging and straightening Christmas decorations, then announced it was time to make Julekurver. I heard of them, but never actually made one. Made of paper, they are heart-shaped and filled with sweets.We quickly cleared the dining room table, then covered it with red and white paper, a plastic rule, a plastic circle, and scissor. Leah and Jorunn both moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper of each color, and I followed their action. Then it was time to measure and cut, and fortunately, they slowed down to allow me to keep up. Using a circle, we marked a half circle and cut the excess away. Then cut strips into the paper, not going all the way across. We wove the red and white papers together in a checkerboard pattern and unfolded them into a perfect heart shape. I thought the process rather inefficient and decided to show off my engineering skills from 3M by making a fancier one. As I unfolded it, Jorunn and Leah laughed, and a moment later, I discovered one way not to make a Julekurver.After a long and active day, I was tired, so I went to bed. Both Jorunn and Leah were talking softly in the living room as I drifted off to sleep.A nocturnal visitorDecember 23rd - Just Before MidnightI was startled awake when I heard my bedroom door close, followed by a soft, “Shush!”I listened closely in the total darkness for footsteps and heard someone approach my bed. Leah must be ready to resume what we started back at the hotel! A hand pulled back the covers, and instinctively I slid toward the middle of the bed to make space. Leah slid in next to me and drew the covers back over us.Leah moved and shifted, and a hand found the back of my head. I expected her lips to follow, and they did. Soft and gentle, a wonderful way for my nocturnal visitor to say hello. Leah told me at the hotel she did not want to feel rushed, so there was no urgency. Her lips retreated, and her hand slid down to caress my cheek, as delicate fingers gently stroked me.I reached out and found her left shoulder as Leah faced me, then marveled at the smoothness as my hand traced her arm downward. Approaching her hand, I extended further to touch her hip. I began softly rubbing, but her ass beckoned, and my hand moved to cup and squeeze her firm cheek. My fingers began shooting sensations of warmth, softness, and inner firmness directly to my brain. I pulled Leah tight against me and discovered she was already completely naked.Leah swung her left leg over me and moved to an upright position, straddling my crotch. Beneath my boxer shorts, my erect cock fought for release. Her hand found my cock within its shelter but did not liberate it. Instead, her hand pushed my cock flat against my lower stomach, and she slid forward, trapping it with the swollen outer lips of her pussy. Leah began slowly gyrating, and even through the fabric of my boxers, I felt her pussy lips spreading as they slid along either side of my hidden cock.The hushed sounds of Leah cooing and moaning barely reached my ears, as dampness built between us. I reached up with both hands, found her small breasts, and used my thumbs to tease her nipples to an erection. A heavy breath followed by a long ‘uh. Oh; Ah!’ brought me close to premature orgasm, but this was not what Leah wanted, so I held back.Leah must have sensed I was close. She stopped gyrating, lifted herself, and then began inching herself up my torso. She paused for a moment and sat on my chest, then her hands reached out to touch my face. Two fingertips began touring my facial features as if Leah wanted to memorize every feature of my face. In the darkness, my senses heightened, her fingers swirled, and circled, and glided over me. I never would have imagined how erotic it felt.Leah resumed moving higher, her knees passing over my shoulders until they rested on either side of my head. I reached up to confirm what lay just inches above my face and grazed the same hairy splendor I sampled back at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I picked up traces of the same body wash on her thighs. I was ready to dive back in, so I reached up and grabbed Leah’s hips, then pulled her pussy down toward my awaiting tongue. I paused as her short curly hair began painting her scent onto my face. The scent of arousal overpowered my senses. But? Something strange? I froze. The contradiction awoke my twilight dream state.“Why did you stop, Gunnar?” From the darkness came Jorunn’s voice! The dream of Leah's nocturnal visit was replaced by the reality of a beautiful young woman revealing her devotion and desire to this 56 year old guy.I was stunned. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I stopped; was uncertainty. Jorunn’s pussy smelled different than Leah’s! I hadn’t noticed any difference between Leah’s and Jorunn’s tall, fit bodies. If there were any, they were undetectable in the darkness, especially with only my brief exposure to Leah. “I can’t do this with you, Jorunn.” I softly and sincerely spoke.“I want to make love to you tonight, Gunnar. More than anything in the world. Am I not pretty enough? Has not enough time passed since your wife’s funeral? You are the only man in the world I can love to, without fear of being hurt.”“Jorunn, you are an incredibly beautiful woman. For months, I fantasized about holding you in my arms, kissing you, and wishing to be exactly where I am now. But yesterday, I met your mother.”Jorunn asked, “Did she order you not to have sex with me?”I replied, “It’s not that. I think I’m falling in love with Leah. We spent a wonderful day together, and she swept me off my feet. If that love turns out to be mutual, I am prepared to pledge my heart totally to her and her alone. A lifetime commitment, one I will never dishonor. The only reason you and I got this far tonight is that in the darkness and my dream state, I thought you were Leah. I never would have done it otherwise.” But you are a lovely and desirable woman. I respect you and Leah. So much that I cannot be false to either of you. And I cannot dishonor myself, by doing what I know is dishonorable.”Jorunn shifted positions and lay next to me in the bed. In the darkness, Jorunn whispered, “You are so unlike my father. He always put himself first. I was ready to give myself to you tonight. You could have kept quiet and let it happen. Then lied about it to my mother in the morning. But you didn’t. You are a better man than my father ever was, and I know you will make my mother happy. Please don’t be afraid to give her, and yourself, a chance. She really needs someone like you in her life.”I heard a soft sob and reached out to touch Jorunn’s face. She was crying. Jorunn came into my bedroom tonight, looking for someone to love. She didn’t know about Leah and me, or what happened between us at the hotel. I very much doubt her mother would have told her. I admired what Jorunn just did. She was sacrificing her chance at love so that her mother might have one. Jorunn knew that she bore the duty to initiate affection, after so harshly rejecting my romantic advances, last week.Silence followed, before Jorunn finally said, “What you have shown me, Gunnar, is that there are still good men in this world. But I am still afraid to look for them.”I thought back to the day Jorunn and I went sledging. “Remember what you told me at Korketrekkeren? You don’t need to be afraid of looking for a man, Jorunn. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try looking for a man. Promise me that you will push off, just like riding a sledge, and start looking. When you reach the bottom of that scary hill, you will no longer be afraid, and someone you love will be waiting there for you.”“I will, Gunnar. I promise. And thank you.” Jorunn climbed out of my bed and closed the door as she left.Christmas EveDecember 24 - MorningI woke up in the guest room bed. Hearing noises and holiday folk music in the kitchen, I dressed and went downstairs. Leah smiled and said, “God Jul!”, Norwegian's way of saying merry Christmas. Then she made me scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afterward, I enjoyed a slice of fruited Christmas Cake with coffee.“Leah, there is something I need to tell you. Jorunn came into my room last night looking for a man to love. In the darkness and my dream state, I thought it was you. It took a moment for me to realize it was Jorunn, and I stopped myself before going too far. Jorunn and I talked, and I confessed my love for you, to her. She understood, and asked that I give that love a chance. I want to do that. I asked Jorunn to no longer be afraid to look for love, and she agreed.”“Thank you for telling me, Gunnar. I have struggled to get Jorunn to go on dates after her father hurt her so badly. You must be a special man to find a place in her heart.”Leah sat down at the table with me, and continued; “I trust Jorunn, and now I trust you. So you will know, I will come to you tonight, bearing a lighted candle.”I said, “That sounds romantic.” My cock jolted to attention, under my trousers. I smiled and winked.Leah replied, “Wait until you see what I will be wearing.” She stood and returned to her baking, as the soft holiday music filled the busy kitchen. Leah's hips softly gyrated to the soft beat as she hummed with the lyrics.Jorunn came down later for breakfast, and after eating, she announced she would be working on edits and voiceovers for her recent videos. Since they were related to Christmas, she wanted to finish them to post them later tonight.Just before lunch, Leah led me back to the television and as we snuggled on the couch, she turned on “Tre Notter til Askepott”, a 1973 Czech reenactment of Cinderella, dubbed into Norwegian. The story was familiar, with Cinderella granted three wishes. It was enjoyable, but the dubbed dialog did not quite match the lips of the actors, so I needed to concentrate on what they were saying. Leah mentioned that this show is so popular in Norway, that storms of protest arose one year when they decided not to broadcast it. They ended up sending it out later in the holiday.Jorunn joined Leah and me for lunch. We ate Risengrynsgrot, which is rice porridge cooked with milk, sugar, and vanilla. We each had a bowl, and hiding in one of the three bowls was an almond. I suspected possible cheating such that I would be the one getting the almond, but as it turned out, Jorunn got the lucky bowl. As her prize, Leah gave Jorunn a chocolate-covered marzipan pig, an oddity for certain, but part of the tradition. There was porridge left over, and Leah said she would use it to make Riskrem, the delicious rice dessert eaten after tonight’s dinner. Solveig’s Riskrem was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and I was looking forward to tasting Leah’s.Leah turned to me and said, “If you want to eat, you must help in the kitchen.”Cooking was not something I knew very well, and after Leah led me into the kitchen, I let her know that. But since we were alone, I moved behind her, pulled her blonde hair aside, and nuzzled her neck.Leah said, “If you don’t stop, Gunnar, it will take longer before we eat.” But she wiggled her hips into my crotch before spinning out of my embrace.I helped Leah remove a large roasting pan from the refrigerator and put it in the oven. “That’s a strange-looking piece of meat,” I said.Leah replied, “It is called Ribbe, or roasted pork belly. It is one of the most popular Christmas meals in Norway. I scored the fat layer on top two days ago into a checkerboard pattern. Once cooked, the bottom meat stays tender while the cracklings on top get crispy.”Leah handed me a vegetable peeler and pointed to a bag of potatoes. I needed no further instructions on this. While I worked, Leah flittered around the kitchen, preparing the side dishes. She looked genuinely happy, and we talked and laughed and told tales of Christmases long ago.Just as we pulled the Ribbe from the oven, church bells began ringing from multiple sources. It was 17:00.“It seems like an odd time for church bells,” I said.Leah replied, “In Scandinavia, a new day traditionally starts at sundown, not midnight. Following the old ways, Christmas Day has arrived. It is time to eat.”Jorunn joined us in the mad flurry of activity as places were set, and food moved from the kitchen to the dining room. On the table was Ribbe, boiled potatoes, meatballs, gravy, sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, and lingonberries. Leah poured each of us a tall glass of juleøl, a dark spiced ale, brewed during Christmas all over Norway. She said at one time, a Norwegian king made it illegal to Not brew Christmas Ale. Everything was delicious, and I ate until I could stuff in no more.After dinner, we cleaned up and went into the living room to enjoy coffee, cookies, and a small bowl of Riskrem. I wondered why Leah brought out four bowls of Riskrem. Three topped with whipped cream and a berry sauce, one with only a blob of butter in the middle.Leah said, “We set out a bowl of porridge every Christmas for the fjøsnissen. The tradition evolved from the days when farming families would offer porridge to their barn elf, or nisse. The nisse takes care of the animals in the barn during winter so they don’t get sick. If you don’t do this, the fjøsnissen will play tricks on you.”As we nibbled, Jorunn set the bowl of porridge outside the front door for the fjøsnissen. Then we sat and watched an American Christmas movie on television. After it ended, Leah announced it was time to open the presents. I suspected this would happen and was glad I bought a gift for both Leah and Jorunn. We each dispersed, returned with our packages, and placed them under the Christmas tree.As expected, Leah and Jorunn shared the most gifts for each other, opening the usual mix of chocolates, clothing, and kitchen items. Then Jorunn handed me a gift from her. I opened it and found a DVD labeled, 'Christmas in Norway Tour’, along with a link and instructions to download the video if I preferred. Jorunn told me she made an hour-long video of all the things we did together over the past week, adding music and voiceovers so I would remember the now-completed tour. In exceedingly small letters, at the bottom of the instructions, I saw a link for a story with a similar name and suspected it might be one full of adjectives.Jorunn then opened my gift to her. I remembered the small camera she used this past week and bought her a new top-of-the-line digital camera. From her reaction, I did well.Leah then opened my gift to her. I purchased a genuinely nice Advent star to hang in her window, since she did not have one. It was large and electrically lit and after opening it, she wanted to hang it up right away, which we did. Then we went outside to see how it looked. Leah kissed me and whispered that the Advent Star possessed a special meaning for her this year, a sign of brighter days ahead.Seeing us standing outside, a Julenissen crossed the street and came up to us. The man, dressed in a red jacket with a matching pointed red hat, carried a cloth sack. He was older, and his white beard looked genuine.Jorunn yelled, “God Jul, Julenissen!”As the Julenissen joined us, Leah said, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bjornstad.”The Julenissen opened a small cloth sack, pulled out a straw goat wrapped with red ribbons, and handed it to Jorunn. Leah explained that the Julenissen come around to houses on Christmas Eve to hand out presents and chocolate to the children. Often, more than one Julenissen would knock on your door during the evening. Unlike America, children get to meet the Julenissen in Norway.“It wouldn’t be the same this year without one of your julebukk!” said an excited Jorunn. Mr. Bjornstad had been coming to Jorunn’s house for a long time, and told us he likes to keep alive the old Norse traditions, such as the julebukk. In addition to handing out hand-made gifts, he tells folklore stories and tales from the days of the Vikings. What a wonderful thing to do to preserve the ancient Norse legacy of sagas and storytelling.Leah excused herself as Mr. Bjornstad started telling such a tale to Jorunn and me. He described Valhalla, where Odin and the brave warriors would train by day, and feast on roast boar and ale at night. Leah returned a moment later with four glasses of Aquavit. We toasted the season and sipped our Aquavit with the Julenissen after the story ended. We then sang a Christmas song together.Then we went back inside and watched the DVD that Jorunn made. The tour sounded exciting and full of fun, which indeed, it was. It also gave Leah another chance to see me in action. It was a full evening, and close to 23:00 when the DVD ended. We were all tired, and it was time for bed. Jorunn told us she was going upstairs to take a shower. Leah and I followed her up to our two bedrooms.A Single CandleDecember 24th - Late EveningFive minutes later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Opening it, Leah stood there, holding a single candle, and wearing a lavender-colored silk nightgown and robe set. The half-sleeve wrap robe only partially covered her nightgown, leaving the lace-trimmed bustline and hem of her nightgown exposed. She put a finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shhh!” Then she led me by hand to her bedroom. The only light inside came from her single candle.My eyes quickly adjusted, or perhaps it was just my intent stare, “You look incredible.”Leah

Poetry and baring the soul.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Arriving at her house, Leah and I carried my clothes up to the spare bedroom. I thanked Leah once again, then kissed her.Leah softly whispered, “Jorunn is downstairs!”I replied in the same whisper, “Then kiss me quietly.” And she did.I spent the remainder of the day doing my laundry, once Leah showed me how to use her Norwegian washing machine. Leah opened the clothes drying rack, and when done, I laid my clothes out to dry.For dinner, Leah prepared salmon fillets with boiled potatoes. As Jorunn and Leah washed the dishes, I sat on the center seat of the sofa, reflecting on the day. When they finished, both Jorunn and Leah rushed into the living room, extremely excited, and sat down on either side of me. Jorunn turned on the television and switched to Norwegian National Television. I wondered what the fuss was about.“Five more minutes,” yelped Jorunn.After a brief introduction, an old black-and-white movie started. Both Jorunn and Leah snuggled up tight against me and I put my arms around them. It felt great. The show, called “Dinner for One”, featured a 90-year-old countess celebrating her birthday. She invited four friends but outlived them all. Her butler decides to impersonate each of the four missing guests. As he slips into each of the roles, he drinks a toast, and quickly becomes intoxicated, leading to numerous sight gags. It felt good to laugh along with people again. It was rather short, and when it ended, Leah told me it was the most repeated television show of all time and is quite popular in Scandinavian countries and northern Europe.Leah and Jorunn went around rearranging and straightening Christmas decorations, then announced it was time to make Julekurver. I heard of them, but never actually made one. Made of paper, they are heart-shaped and filled with sweets.We quickly cleared the dining room table, then covered it with red and white paper, a plastic rule, a plastic circle, and scissor. Leah and Jorunn both moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper of each color, and I followed their action. Then it was time to measure and cut, and fortunately, they slowed down to allow me to keep up. Using a circle, we marked a half circle and cut the excess away. Then cut strips into the paper, not going all the way across. We wove the red and white papers together in a checkerboard pattern and unfolded them into a perfect heart shape. I thought the process rather inefficient and decided to show off my engineering skills from 3M by making a fancier one. As I unfolded it, Jorunn and Leah laughed, and a moment later, I discovered one way not to make a Julekurver.After a long and active day, I was tired, so I went to bed. Both Jorunn and Leah were talking softly in the living room as I drifted off to sleep.A nocturnal visitorDecember 23rd - Just Before MidnightI was startled awake when I heard my bedroom door close, followed by a soft, “Shush!”I listened closely in the total darkness for footsteps and heard someone approach my bed. Leah must be ready to resume what we started back at the hotel! A hand pulled back the covers, and instinctively I slid toward the middle of the bed to make space. Leah slid in next to me and drew the covers back over us.Leah moved and shifted, and a hand found the back of my head. I expected her lips to follow, and they did. Soft and gentle, a wonderful way for my nocturnal visitor to say hello. Leah told me at the hotel she did not want to feel rushed, so there was no urgency. Her lips retreated, and her hand slid down to caress my cheek, as delicate fingers gently stroked me.I reached out and found her left shoulder as Leah faced me, then marveled at the smoothness as my hand traced her arm downward. Approaching her hand, I extended further to touch her hip. I began softly rubbing, but her ass beckoned, and my hand moved to cup and squeeze her firm cheek. My fingers began shooting sensations of warmth, softness, and inner firmness directly to my brain. I pulled Leah tight against me and discovered she was already completely naked.Leah swung her left leg over me and moved to an upright position, straddling my crotch. Beneath my boxer shorts, my erect cock fought for release. Her hand found my cock within its shelter but did not liberate it. Instead, her hand pushed my cock flat against my lower stomach, and she slid forward, trapping it with the swollen outer lips of her pussy. Leah began slowly gyrating, and even through the fabric of my boxers, I felt her pussy lips spreading as they slid along either side of my hidden cock.The hushed sounds of Leah cooing and moaning barely reached my ears, as dampness built between us. I reached up with both hands, found her small breasts, and used my thumbs to tease her nipples to an erection. A heavy breath followed by a long ‘uh. Oh; Ah!’ brought me close to premature orgasm, but this was not what Leah wanted, so I held back.Leah must have sensed I was close. She stopped gyrating, lifted herself, and then began inching herself up my torso. She paused for a moment and sat on my chest, then her hands reached out to touch my face. Two fingertips began touring my facial features as if Leah wanted to memorize every feature of my face. In the darkness, my senses heightened, her fingers swirled, and circled, and glided over me. I never would have imagined how erotic it felt.Leah resumed moving higher, her knees passing over my shoulders until they rested on either side of my head. I reached up to confirm what lay just inches above my face and grazed the same hairy splendor I sampled back at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I picked up traces of the same body wash on her thighs. I was ready to dive back in, so I reached up and grabbed Leah’s hips, then pulled her pussy down toward my awaiting tongue. I paused as her short curly hair began painting her scent onto my face. The scent of arousal overpowered my senses. But? Something strange? I froze. The contradiction awoke my twilight dream state.“Why did you stop, Gunnar?” From the darkness came Jorunn’s voice! The dream of Leah's nocturnal visit was replaced by the reality of a beautiful young woman revealing her devotion and desire to this 56 year old guy.I was stunned. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I stopped; was uncertainty. Jorunn’s pussy smelled different than Leah’s! I hadn’t noticed any difference between Leah’s and Jorunn’s tall, fit bodies. If there were any, they were undetectable in the darkness, especially with only my brief exposure to Leah. “I can’t do this with you, Jorunn.” I softly and sincerely spoke.“I want to make love to you tonight, Gunnar. More than anything in the world. Am I not pretty enough? Has not enough time passed since your wife’s funeral? You are the only man in the world I can love to, without fear of being hurt.”“Jorunn, you are an incredibly beautiful woman. For months, I fantasized about holding you in my arms, kissing you, and wishing to be exactly where I am now. But yesterday, I met your mother.”Jorunn asked, “Did she order you not to have sex with me?”I replied, “It’s not that. I think I’m falling in love with Leah. We spent a wonderful day together, and she swept me off my feet. If that love turns out to be mutual, I am prepared to pledge my heart totally to her and her alone. A lifetime commitment, one I will never dishonor. The only reason you and I got this far tonight is that in the darkness and my dream state, I thought you were Leah. I never would have done it otherwise.” But you are a lovely and desirable woman. I respect you and Leah. So much that I cannot be false to either of you. And I cannot dishonor myself, by doing what I know is dishonorable.”Jorunn shifted positions and lay next to me in the bed. In the darkness, Jorunn whispered, “You are so unlike my father. He always put himself first. I was ready to give myself to you tonight. You could have kept quiet and let it happen. Then lied about it to my mother in the morning. But you didn’t. You are a better man than my father ever was, and I know you will make my mother happy. Please don’t be afraid to give her, and yourself, a chance. She really needs someone like you in her life.”I heard a soft sob and reached out to touch Jorunn’s face. She was crying. Jorunn came into my bedroom tonight, looking for someone to love. She didn’t know about Leah and me, or what happened between us at the hotel. I very much doubt her mother would have told her. I admired what Jorunn just did. She was sacrificing her chance at love so that her mother might have one. Jorunn knew that she bore the duty to initiate affection, after so harshly rejecting my romantic advances, last week.Silence followed, before Jorunn finally said, “What you have shown me, Gunnar, is that there are still good men in this world. But I am still afraid to look for them.”I thought back to the day Jorunn and I went sledging. “Remember what you told me at Korketrekkeren? You don’t need to be afraid of looking for a man, Jorunn. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try looking for a man. Promise me that you will push off, just like riding a sledge, and start looking. When you reach the bottom of that scary hill, you will no longer be afraid, and someone you love will be waiting there for you.”“I will, Gunnar. I promise. And thank you.” Jorunn climbed out of my bed and closed the door as she left.Christmas EveDecember 24 - MorningI woke up in the guest room bed. Hearing noises and holiday folk music in the kitchen, I dressed and went downstairs. Leah smiled and said, “God Jul!”, Norwegian's way of saying merry Christmas. Then she made me scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afterward, I enjoyed a slice of fruited Christmas Cake with coffee.“Leah, there is something I need to tell you. Jorunn came into my room last night looking for a man to love. In the darkness and my dream state, I thought it was you. It took a moment for me to realize it was Jorunn, and I stopped myself before going too far. Jorunn and I talked, and I confessed my love for you, to her. She understood, and asked that I give that love a chance. I want to do that. I asked Jorunn to no longer be afraid to look for love, and she agreed.”“Thank you for telling me, Gunnar. I have struggled to get Jorunn to go on dates after her father hurt her so badly. You must be a special man to find a place in her heart.”Leah sat down at the table with me, and continued; “I trust Jorunn, and now I trust you. So you will know, I will come to you tonight, bearing a lighted candle.”I said, “That sounds romantic.” My cock jolted to attention, under my trousers. I smiled and winked.Leah replied, “Wait until you see what I will be wearing.” She stood and returned to her baking, as the soft holiday music filled the busy kitchen. Leah's hips softly gyrated to the soft beat as she hummed with the lyrics.Jorunn came down later for breakfast, and after eating, she announced she would be working on edits and voiceovers for her recent videos. Since they were related to Christmas, she wanted to finish them to post them later tonight.Just before lunch, Leah led me back to the television and as we snuggled on the couch, she turned on “Tre Notter til Askepott”, a 1973 Czech reenactment of Cinderella, dubbed into Norwegian. The story was familiar, with Cinderella granted three wishes. It was enjoyable, but the dubbed dialog did not quite match the lips of the actors, so I needed to concentrate on what they were saying. Leah mentioned that this show is so popular in Norway, that storms of protest arose one year when they decided not to broadcast it. They ended up sending it out later in the holiday.Jorunn joined Leah and me for lunch. We ate Risengrynsgrot, which is rice porridge cooked with milk, sugar, and vanilla. We each had a bowl, and hiding in one of the three bowls was an almond. I suspected possible cheating such that I would be the one getting the almond, but as it turned out, Jorunn got the lucky bowl. As her prize, Leah gave Jorunn a chocolate-covered marzipan pig, an oddity for certain, but part of the tradition. There was porridge left over, and Leah said she would use it to make Riskrem, the delicious rice dessert eaten after tonight’s dinner. Solveig’s Riskrem was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and I was looking forward to tasting Leah’s.Leah turned to me and said, “If you want to eat, you must help in the kitchen.”Cooking was not something I knew very well, and after Leah led me into the kitchen, I let her know that. But since we were alone, I moved behind her, pulled her blonde hair aside, and nuzzled her neck.Leah said, “If you don’t stop, Gunnar, it will take longer before we eat.” But she wiggled her hips into my crotch before spinning out of my embrace.I helped Leah remove a large roasting pan from the refrigerator and put it in the oven. “That’s a strange-looking piece of meat,” I said.Leah replied, “It is called Ribbe, or roasted pork belly. It is one of the most popular Christmas meals in Norway. I scored the fat layer on top two days ago into a checkerboard pattern. Once cooked, the bottom meat stays tender while the cracklings on top get crispy.”Leah handed me a vegetable peeler and pointed to a bag of potatoes. I needed no further instructions on this. While I worked, Leah flittered around the kitchen, preparing the side dishes. She looked genuinely happy, and we talked and laughed and told tales of Christmases long ago.Just as we pulled the Ribbe from the oven, church bells began ringing from multiple sources. It was 17:00.“It seems like an odd time for church bells,” I said.Leah replied, “In Scandinavia, a new day traditionally starts at sundown, not midnight. Following the old ways, Christmas Day has arrived. It is time to eat.”Jorunn joined us in the mad flurry of activity as places were set, and food moved from the kitchen to the dining room. On the table was Ribbe, boiled potatoes, meatballs, gravy, sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, and lingonberries. Leah poured each of us a tall glass of juleøl, a dark spiced ale, brewed during Christmas all over Norway. She said at one time, a Norwegian king made it illegal to Not brew Christmas Ale. Everything was delicious, and I ate until I could stuff in no more.After dinner, we cleaned up and went into the living room to enjoy coffee, cookies, and a small bowl of Riskrem. I wondered why Leah brought out four bowls of Riskrem. Three topped with whipped cream and a berry sauce, one with only a blob of butter in the middle.Leah said, “We set out a bowl of porridge every Christmas for the fjøsnissen. The tradition evolved from the days when farming families would offer porridge to their barn elf, or nisse. The nisse takes care of the animals in the barn during winter so they don’t get sick. If you don’t do this, the fjøsnissen will play tricks on you.”As we nibbled, Jorunn set the bowl of porridge outside the front door for the fjøsnissen. Then we sat and watched an American Christmas movie on television. After it ended, Leah announced it was time to open the presents. I suspected this would happen and was glad I bought a gift for both Leah and Jorunn. We each dispersed, returned with our packages, and placed them under the Christmas tree.As expected, Leah and Jorunn shared the most gifts for each other, opening the usual mix of chocolates, clothing, and kitchen items. Then Jorunn handed me a gift from her. I opened it and found a DVD labeled, 'Christmas in Norway Tour’, along with a link and instructions to download the video if I preferred. Jorunn told me she made an hour-long video of all the things we did together over the past week, adding music and voiceovers so I would remember the now-completed tour. In exceedingly small letters, at the bottom of the instructions, I saw a link for a story with a similar name and suspected it might be one full of adjectives.Jorunn then opened my gift to her. I remembered the small camera she used this past week and bought her a new top-of-the-line digital camera. From her reaction, I did well.Leah then opened my gift to her. I purchased a genuinely nice Advent star to hang in her window, since she did not have one. It was large and electrically lit and after opening it, she wanted to hang it up right away, which we did. Then we went outside to see how it looked. Leah kissed me and whispered that the Advent Star possessed a special meaning for her this year, a sign of brighter days ahead.Seeing us standing outside, a Julenissen crossed the street and came up to us. The man, dressed in a red jacket with a matching pointed red hat, carried a cloth sack. He was older, and his white beard looked genuine.Jorunn yelled, “God Jul, Julenissen!”As the Julenissen joined us, Leah said, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bjornstad.”The Julenissen opened a small cloth sack, pulled out a straw goat wrapped with red ribbons, and handed it to Jorunn. Leah explained that the Julenissen come around to houses on Christmas Eve to hand out presents and chocolate to the children. Often, more than one Julenissen would knock on your door during the evening. Unlike America, children get to meet the Julenissen in Norway.“It wouldn’t be the same this year without one of your julebukk!” said an excited Jorunn. Mr. Bjornstad had been coming to Jorunn’s house for a long time, and told us he likes to keep alive the old Norse traditions, such as the julebukk. In addition to handing out hand-made gifts, he tells folklore stories and tales from the days of the Vikings. What a wonderful thing to do to preserve the ancient Norse legacy of sagas and storytelling.Leah excused herself as Mr. Bjornstad started telling such a tale to Jorunn and me. He described Valhalla, where Odin and the brave warriors would train by day, and feast on roast boar and ale at night. Leah returned a moment later with four glasses of Aquavit. We toasted the season and sipped our Aquavit with the Julenissen after the story ended. We then sang a Christmas song together.Then we went back inside and watched the DVD that Jorunn made. The tour sounded exciting and full of fun, which indeed, it was. It also gave Leah another chance to see me in action. It was a full evening, and close to 23:00 when the DVD ended. We were all tired, and it was time for bed. Jorunn told us she was going upstairs to take a shower. Leah and I followed her up to our two bedrooms.A Single CandleDecember 24th - Late EveningFive minutes later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Opening it, Leah stood there, holding a single candle, and wearing a lavender-colored silk nightgown and robe set. The half-sleeve wrap robe only partially covered her nightgown, leaving the lace-trimmed bustline and hem of her nightgown exposed. She put a finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shhh!” Then she led me by hand to her bedroom. The only light inside came from her single candle.My eyes quickly adjusted, or perhaps it was just my intent stare, “You look incredible.”Leah

Referências do EpisódioAbout the security content of iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3OysterLoader Unmasked: The Multi-Stage Evasion LoaderGTIG AI Threat Tracker: Distillation, Experimentation, and (Continued) Integration of AI for Adversarial UseAttackers Weaponize Signed RMM Tools via Zoom, Meet, & Teams LuresDataflow Rider: How Attackers can Abuse Shadow Resources in Google Cloud DataflowRoteiro e apresentação: Carlos CabralEdição de áudio: Paulo Arruzzo Narração de encerramento: Bianca Garcia

Poetry and baring the soul.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Arriving at her house, Leah and I carried my clothes up to the spare bedroom. I thanked Leah once again, then kissed her.Leah softly whispered, “Jorunn is downstairs!”I replied in the same whisper, “Then kiss me quietly.” And she did.I spent the remainder of the day doing my laundry, once Leah showed me how to use her Norwegian washing machine. Leah opened the clothes drying rack, and when done, I laid my clothes out to dry.For dinner, Leah prepared salmon fillets with boiled potatoes. As Jorunn and Leah washed the dishes, I sat on the center seat of the sofa, reflecting on the day. When they finished, both Jorunn and Leah rushed into the living room, extremely excited, and sat down on either side of me. Jorunn turned on the television and switched to Norwegian National Television. I wondered what the fuss was about.“Five more minutes,” yelped Jorunn.After a brief introduction, an old black-and-white movie started. Both Jorunn and Leah snuggled up tight against me and I put my arms around them. It felt great. The show, called “Dinner for One”, featured a 90-year-old countess celebrating her birthday. She invited four friends but outlived them all. Her butler decides to impersonate each of the four missing guests. As he slips into each of the roles, he drinks a toast, and quickly becomes intoxicated, leading to numerous sight gags. It felt good to laugh along with people again. It was rather short, and when it ended, Leah told me it was the most repeated television show of all time and is quite popular in Scandinavian countries and northern Europe.Leah and Jorunn went around rearranging and straightening Christmas decorations, then announced it was time to make Julekurver. I heard of them, but never actually made one. Made of paper, they are heart-shaped and filled with sweets.We quickly cleared the dining room table, then covered it with red and white paper, a plastic rule, a plastic circle, and scissor. Leah and Jorunn both moved quickly, folding a sheet of paper of each color, and I followed their action. Then it was time to measure and cut, and fortunately, they slowed down to allow me to keep up. Using a circle, we marked a half circle and cut the excess away. Then cut strips into the paper, not going all the way across. We wove the red and white papers together in a checkerboard pattern and unfolded them into a perfect heart shape. I thought the process rather inefficient and decided to show off my engineering skills from 3M by making a fancier one. As I unfolded it, Jorunn and Leah laughed, and a moment later, I discovered one way not to make a Julekurver.After a long and active day, I was tired, so I went to bed. Both Jorunn and Leah were talking softly in the living room as I drifted off to sleep.A nocturnal visitorDecember 23rd - Just Before MidnightI was startled awake when I heard my bedroom door close, followed by a soft, “Shush!”I listened closely in the total darkness for footsteps and heard someone approach my bed. Leah must be ready to resume what we started back at the hotel! A hand pulled back the covers, and instinctively I slid toward the middle of the bed to make space. Leah slid in next to me and drew the covers back over us.Leah moved and shifted, and a hand found the back of my head. I expected her lips to follow, and they did. Soft and gentle, a wonderful way for my nocturnal visitor to say hello. Leah told me at the hotel she did not want to feel rushed, so there was no urgency. Her lips retreated, and her hand slid down to caress my cheek, as delicate fingers gently stroked me.I reached out and found her left shoulder as Leah faced me, then marveled at the smoothness as my hand traced her arm downward. Approaching her hand, I extended further to touch her hip. I began softly rubbing, but her ass beckoned, and my hand moved to cup and squeeze her firm cheek. My fingers began shooting sensations of warmth, softness, and inner firmness directly to my brain. I pulled Leah tight against me and discovered she was already completely naked.Leah swung her left leg over me and moved to an upright position, straddling my crotch. Beneath my boxer shorts, my erect cock fought for release. Her hand found my cock within its shelter but did not liberate it. Instead, her hand pushed my cock flat against my lower stomach, and she slid forward, trapping it with the swollen outer lips of her pussy. Leah began slowly gyrating, and even through the fabric of my boxers, I felt her pussy lips spreading as they slid along either side of my hidden cock.The hushed sounds of Leah cooing and moaning barely reached my ears, as dampness built between us. I reached up with both hands, found her small breasts, and used my thumbs to tease her nipples to an erection. A heavy breath followed by a long ‘uh. Oh; Ah!’ brought me close to premature orgasm, but this was not what Leah wanted, so I held back.Leah must have sensed I was close. She stopped gyrating, lifted herself, and then began inching herself up my torso. She paused for a moment and sat on my chest, then her hands reached out to touch my face. Two fingertips began touring my facial features as if Leah wanted to memorize every feature of my face. In the darkness, my senses heightened, her fingers swirled, and circled, and glided over me. I never would have imagined how erotic it felt.Leah resumed moving higher, her knees passing over my shoulders until they rested on either side of my head. I reached up to confirm what lay just inches above my face and grazed the same hairy splendor I sampled back at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I picked up traces of the same body wash on her thighs. I was ready to dive back in, so I reached up and grabbed Leah’s hips, then pulled her pussy down toward my awaiting tongue. I paused as her short curly hair began painting her scent onto my face. The scent of arousal overpowered my senses. But? Something strange? I froze. The contradiction awoke my twilight dream state.“Why did you stop, Gunnar?” From the darkness came Jorunn’s voice! The dream of Leah's nocturnal visit was replaced by the reality of a beautiful young woman revealing her devotion and desire to this 56 year old guy.I was stunned. I couldn’t reveal the real reason I stopped; was uncertainty. Jorunn’s pussy smelled different than Leah’s! I hadn’t noticed any difference between Leah’s and Jorunn’s tall, fit bodies. If there were any, they were undetectable in the darkness, especially with only my brief exposure to Leah. “I can’t do this with you, Jorunn.” I softly and sincerely spoke.“I want to make love to you tonight, Gunnar. More than anything in the world. Am I not pretty enough? Has not enough time passed since your wife’s funeral? You are the only man in the world I can love to, without fear of being hurt.”“Jorunn, you are an incredibly beautiful woman. For months, I fantasized about holding you in my arms, kissing you, and wishing to be exactly where I am now. But yesterday, I met your mother.”Jorunn asked, “Did she order you not to have sex with me?”I replied, “It’s not that. I think I’m falling in love with Leah. We spent a wonderful day together, and she swept me off my feet. If that love turns out to be mutual, I am prepared to pledge my heart totally to her and her alone. A lifetime commitment, one I will never dishonor. The only reason you and I got this far tonight is that in the darkness and my dream state, I thought you were Leah. I never would have done it otherwise.” But you are a lovely and desirable woman. I respect you and Leah. So much that I cannot be false to either of you. And I cannot dishonor myself, by doing what I know is dishonorable.”Jorunn shifted positions and lay next to me in the bed. In the darkness, Jorunn whispered, “You are so unlike my father. He always put himself first. I was ready to give myself to you tonight. You could have kept quiet and let it happen. Then lied about it to my mother in the morning. But you didn’t. You are a better man than my father ever was, and I know you will make my mother happy. Please don’t be afraid to give her, and yourself, a chance. She really needs someone like you in her life.”I heard a soft sob and reached out to touch Jorunn’s face. She was crying. Jorunn came into my bedroom tonight, looking for someone to love. She didn’t know about Leah and me, or what happened between us at the hotel. I very much doubt her mother would have told her. I admired what Jorunn just did. She was sacrificing her chance at love so that her mother might have one. Jorunn knew that she bore the duty to initiate affection, after so harshly rejecting my romantic advances, last week.Silence followed, before Jorunn finally said, “What you have shown me, Gunnar, is that there are still good men in this world. But I am still afraid to look for them.”I thought back to the day Jorunn and I went sledging. “Remember what you told me at Korketrekkeren? You don’t need to be afraid of looking for a man, Jorunn. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try looking for a man. Promise me that you will push off, just like riding a sledge, and start looking. When you reach the bottom of that scary hill, you will no longer be afraid, and someone you love will be waiting there for you.”“I will, Gunnar. I promise. And thank you.” Jorunn climbed out of my bed and closed the door as she left.Christmas EveDecember 24 - MorningI woke up in the guest room bed. Hearing noises and holiday folk music in the kitchen, I dressed and went downstairs. Leah smiled and said, “God Jul!”, Norwegian's way of saying merry Christmas. Then she made me scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Afterward, I enjoyed a slice of fruited Christmas Cake with coffee.“Leah, there is something I need to tell you. Jorunn came into my room last night looking for a man to love. In the darkness and my dream state, I thought it was you. It took a moment for me to realize it was Jorunn, and I stopped myself before going too far. Jorunn and I talked, and I confessed my love for you, to her. She understood, and asked that I give that love a chance. I want to do that. I asked Jorunn to no longer be afraid to look for love, and she agreed.”“Thank you for telling me, Gunnar. I have struggled to get Jorunn to go on dates after her father hurt her so badly. You must be a special man to find a place in her heart.”Leah sat down at the table with me, and continued; “I trust Jorunn, and now I trust you. So you will know, I will come to you tonight, bearing a lighted candle.”I said, “That sounds romantic.” My cock jolted to attention, under my trousers. I smiled and winked.Leah replied, “Wait until you see what I will be wearing.” She stood and returned to her baking, as the soft holiday music filled the busy kitchen. Leah's hips softly gyrated to the soft beat as she hummed with the lyrics.Jorunn came down later for breakfast, and after eating, she announced she would be working on edits and voiceovers for her recent videos. Since they were related to Christmas, she wanted to finish them to post them later tonight.Just before lunch, Leah led me back to the television and as we snuggled on the couch, she turned on “Tre Notter til Askepott”, a 1973 Czech reenactment of Cinderella, dubbed into Norwegian. The story was familiar, with Cinderella granted three wishes. It was enjoyable, but the dubbed dialog did not quite match the lips of the actors, so I needed to concentrate on what they were saying. Leah mentioned that this show is so popular in Norway, that storms of protest arose one year when they decided not to broadcast it. They ended up sending it out later in the holiday.Jorunn joined Leah and me for lunch. We ate Risengrynsgrot, which is rice porridge cooked with milk, sugar, and vanilla. We each had a bowl, and hiding in one of the three bowls was an almond. I suspected possible cheating such that I would be the one getting the almond, but as it turned out, Jorunn got the lucky bowl. As her prize, Leah gave Jorunn a chocolate-covered marzipan pig, an oddity for certain, but part of the tradition. There was porridge left over, and Leah said she would use it to make Riskrem, the delicious rice dessert eaten after tonight’s dinner. Solveig’s Riskrem was one of my favorite parts of the holiday season, and I was looking forward to tasting Leah’s.Leah turned to me and said, “If you want to eat, you must help in the kitchen.”Cooking was not something I knew very well, and after Leah led me into the kitchen, I let her know that. But since we were alone, I moved behind her, pulled her blonde hair aside, and nuzzled her neck.Leah said, “If you don’t stop, Gunnar, it will take longer before we eat.” But she wiggled her hips into my crotch before spinning out of my embrace.I helped Leah remove a large roasting pan from the refrigerator and put it in the oven. “That’s a strange-looking piece of meat,” I said.Leah replied, “It is called Ribbe, or roasted pork belly. It is one of the most popular Christmas meals in Norway. I scored the fat layer on top two days ago into a checkerboard pattern. Once cooked, the bottom meat stays tender while the cracklings on top get crispy.”Leah handed me a vegetable peeler and pointed to a bag of potatoes. I needed no further instructions on this. While I worked, Leah flittered around the kitchen, preparing the side dishes. She looked genuinely happy, and we talked and laughed and told tales of Christmases long ago.Just as we pulled the Ribbe from the oven, church bells began ringing from multiple sources. It was 17:00.“It seems like an odd time for church bells,” I said.Leah replied, “In Scandinavia, a new day traditionally starts at sundown, not midnight. Following the old ways, Christmas Day has arrived. It is time to eat.”Jorunn joined us in the mad flurry of activity as places were set, and food moved from the kitchen to the dining room. On the table was Ribbe, boiled potatoes, meatballs, gravy, sausages, sauerkraut, prunes, and lingonberries. Leah poured each of us a tall glass of juleøl, a dark spiced ale, brewed during Christmas all over Norway. She said at one time, a Norwegian king made it illegal to Not brew Christmas Ale. Everything was delicious, and I ate until I could stuff in no more.After dinner, we cleaned up and went into the living room to enjoy coffee, cookies, and a small bowl of Riskrem. I wondered why Leah brought out four bowls of Riskrem. Three topped with whipped cream and a berry sauce, one with only a blob of butter in the middle.Leah said, “We set out a bowl of porridge every Christmas for the fjøsnissen. The tradition evolved from the days when farming families would offer porridge to their barn elf, or nisse. The nisse takes care of the animals in the barn during winter so they don’t get sick. If you don’t do this, the fjøsnissen will play tricks on you.”As we nibbled, Jorunn set the bowl of porridge outside the front door for the fjøsnissen. Then we sat and watched an American Christmas movie on television. After it ended, Leah announced it was time to open the presents. I suspected this would happen and was glad I bought a gift for both Leah and Jorunn. We each dispersed, returned with our packages, and placed them under the Christmas tree.As expected, Leah and Jorunn shared the most gifts for each other, opening the usual mix of chocolates, clothing, and kitchen items. Then Jorunn handed me a gift from her. I opened it and found a DVD labeled, 'Christmas in Norway Tour’, along with a link and instructions to download the video if I preferred. Jorunn told me she made an hour-long video of all the things we did together over the past week, adding music and voiceovers so I would remember the now-completed tour. In exceedingly small letters, at the bottom of the instructions, I saw a link for a story with a similar name and suspected it might be one full of adjectives.Jorunn then opened my gift to her. I remembered the small camera she used this past week and bought her a new top-of-the-line digital camera. From her reaction, I did well.Leah then opened my gift to her. I purchased a genuinely nice Advent star to hang in her window, since she did not have one. It was large and electrically lit and after opening it, she wanted to hang it up right away, which we did. Then we went outside to see how it looked. Leah kissed me and whispered that the Advent Star possessed a special meaning for her this year, a sign of brighter days ahead.Seeing us standing outside, a Julenissen crossed the street and came up to us. The man, dressed in a red jacket with a matching pointed red hat, carried a cloth sack. He was older, and his white beard looked genuine.Jorunn yelled, “God Jul, Julenissen!”As the Julenissen joined us, Leah said, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Bjornstad.”The Julenissen opened a small cloth sack, pulled out a straw goat wrapped with red ribbons, and handed it to Jorunn. Leah explained that the Julenissen come around to houses on Christmas Eve to hand out presents and chocolate to the children. Often, more than one Julenissen would knock on your door during the evening. Unlike America, children get to meet the Julenissen in Norway.“It wouldn’t be the same this year without one of your julebukk!” said an excited Jorunn. Mr. Bjornstad had been coming to Jorunn’s house for a long time, and told us he likes to keep alive the old Norse traditions, such as the julebukk. In addition to handing out hand-made gifts, he tells folklore stories and tales from the days of the Vikings. What a wonderful thing to do to preserve the ancient Norse legacy of sagas and storytelling.Leah excused herself as Mr. Bjornstad started telling such a tale to Jorunn and me. He described Valhalla, where Odin and the brave warriors would train by day, and feast on roast boar and ale at night. Leah returned a moment later with four glasses of Aquavit. We toasted the season and sipped our Aquavit with the Julenissen after the story ended. We then sang a Christmas song together.Then we went back inside and watched the DVD that Jorunn made. The tour sounded exciting and full of fun, which indeed, it was. It also gave Leah another chance to see me in action. It was a full evening, and close to 23:00 when the DVD ended. We were all tired, and it was time for bed. Jorunn told us she was going upstairs to take a shower. Leah and I followed her up to our two bedrooms.A Single CandleDecember 24th - Late EveningFive minutes later, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Opening it, Leah stood there, holding a single candle, and wearing a lavender-colored silk nightgown and robe set. The half-sleeve wrap robe only partially covered her nightgown, leaving the lace-trimmed bustline and hem of her nightgown exposed. She put a finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shhh!” Then she led me by hand to her bedroom. The only light inside came from her single candle.My eyes quickly adjusted, or perhaps it was just my intent stare, “You look incredible.”Leah

In this episode of That's So Hindu, Mat McDermott speaks with Dr Vijay Satnarine and Dr Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria about the often downplayed and misunderstood concept of kama in Hinduism, emphasizing the importance of desire and pleasure in achieving a balanced life. The discussion critiques the puritanical mindset that has historically downplayed these aspects, particularly in the context of modern relationships and provides insights into the psychological implications of desire, the historical context of sexuality in Hinduism, and practical steps for embracing a holistic view of intimacy and pleasure.TakeawaysKama is a crucial aspect of a balanced life.Desire should not be rejected in the pursuit of moksha.The Victorian mindset has negatively influenced views on sexuality.Intimacy and pleasure are essential for fulfilling relationships.Hindu teachings advocate for a holistic understanding of desire.Communication about sex is vital in modern relationships.Historical texts show a more accepting view of sexuality.Pleasure should be pursued ethically and consensually.Understanding one's desires can lead to personal growth.The conversation around sexuality needs to be normalized.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Kama Before Moksha02:46 Reclaiming Desire: The Balance of Life Goals05:58 Understanding Kama: Beyond the Sutras08:40 The Puritanical Mindset: Historical Context11:47 The Spectrum of Sexuality in Hinduism14:58 The Role of Pleasure in Relationships17:46 Navigating Modern Relationships and Intimacy20:50 Experimentation and Mastery in Relationships23:34 The Impact of Victorian Ideals on Hindu Thought26:38 Addressing Swami Scandals and Human Fallibility29:38 Practical Steps for Embracing Desire32:45 Conclusion: Embracing a Holistic View of DesireKeywordsHinduism, Kama, Moksha, relationships, desire, intimacy, Victorian mindset, sexuality, spirituality, balance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Skandinavian Folklore and Feast Days.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Syv Slags Kaker. (or, Seven Sorts of  Cookies)December 22nd – Evening, Five Days LaterJorunn said, “Well, Gunnar, we are back at our starting point, and this concludes the tour. We got off to a rough start on the first day, but since then, I have enjoyed spending time with you. After my mom got divorced, I stopped dating. Sure, I went out in mixed groups with my friends, but I cannot remember the last time I went somewhere, by myself, with a man. The divorce made me lose all confidence and trust in men. Why enter a relationship, and give my heart to a man, knowing it is going to fail? My father hurt my mother and me so badly, that neither of us have recovered. You were so wonderful to me this week, and showed me that not all men are like my father.”Jorunn looked at me with pleading eyes, “I don’t want this tour to end. I don’t want you to leave. Can you please stay in Oslo at least a few more days?”Jorunn didn’t want me to go. And I didn’t want to leave her either. I replied, “Jorunn, I cannot think of anyone or any place I would rather be than here in Oslo, with you.”Jorunn said, “It’s still early enough that we may be able to find seating without a reservation. I know a great place for seafood.”“Lead on,” I replied.Jorunn and I discussed the now-completed tour while enjoying a delicious dinner at a small kafé. I offered suggestions for the tour, but otherwise let her know I enjoyed seeing Norway, and I told her what a wonderful guide she was. After returning to America, I promised to recommend her tours to everyone I knew.As I looked over the dessert menu, I asked Jorunn, “I’m willing to stay a few more days. Are there any other Norwegian Christmas traditions or activities worth doing over the next few days?”“If you put down that dessert menu, there is one called Syv Slags Kaker. I baked seven kinds of cookies to celebrate Jul. If you come to my house, we can have coffee and you can sample all seven kinds.”“That sounds great,” I replied. Jorunn was inviting me to her home. She was beautiful and funny, and I admit I developed fantasies about her as I watched her vlog videos back in the nursing home. Heck, I even created new fantasies over the last week. She was much warmer toward me at the end of the tour. In Tromsø, we shared a blanket as we rode in a sleigh pulled by an actual reindeer. But after the Nutcracker ballet, I held back and did not cross any lines. Could a 56-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman have a sexual relationship? I managed to keep up with Jorunn all week and didn’t see any reason not to. I reached below the table to carefully re-position myself before standing up.We made our way to the Train Station and rode to Jorunn’s neighborhood. As we walked to her house, I noticed many homes with a lighted star in one of the windows.“What are those stars,” I asked.“They are a tradition in Norway. A star is lit on the first Sunday of Advent to help guide the Three Wise Men.”We stopped in front of a modest house. There was no star in the window, but I saw sheaves of oats hung from one of the trees. I was familiar with the tradition of putting out something for the birds in the frigid days of December. As we stepped inside, I was suddenly surprised. “Hi, Mom! I would like you to meet Gunnar Larsen.”“Good evening, Mr. Larsen. Jorunn has been sending me text messages all week about your exciting travels. I hope you enjoyed your tour. My name is Leah.”This was not what I expected. I hoped to be alone with Jorunn. The family resemblance was striking and quite apparent. Leah’s straight hair was a bit shorter than Jorunn’s but matched her daughter’s pure blonde color. Her blue eyes stood out from her attractive face. She was wearing a multi-colored Norwegian Dale sweater and green trousers. I possessed absolutely no experience telling how old Norwegian women are. She must be in her forties but looked younger.I said, “I enjoyed Jorunn’s tour very much. Your daughter is quite talented in many ways. Please, call me Gunnar.”Jorunn said, “Gunnar was asking about other Jul traditions and activities here in Norway over Christmas. I thought Syv Slags Kaker would be a good one, and your cookies are the best ones in Oslo. I’ll make us some coffee.”Leah looked at me, “Please sit Gunnar. How much longer will you be staying in Norway?”I replied, “About two more weeks. I wanted to celebrate the New Year here before returning to America.”I talked about the completed tour, and she seemed interested enough that I rambled on.“I really enjoyed visiting Lillehammer. It brought back memories of watching the 1994 Winter Olympics, probably my favorite one. The music was fantastic, and the woman who sang the Olympic Hymn at the opening ceremony possessed such a wonderful voice.”Leah replied, “Her name is Sissel Kyrkjebø. She is still extremely popular today, and we consider her a national treasure. I was 18 at the time, and worked at those Olympics.”“I’d love to hear more about that,” I replied. “It was nice to see many of the venues still being used. I also enjoyed the Olympic Museum in Maihaugen, which told the history of the 1994 Olympics. I was surprised to learn that Norway has won more Olympic medals than any other country. But the highlight for me was riding the chairlift to the top of the Lysgårdsbakkene ski jump. The views were amazing. I can’t imagine anyone being brave enough to make such a jump.”“I agree with you on that!” laughed Leah.I continued, “We also flew to Tromsø, and I got to see the Northern Lights. We can sometimes see them in southern Minnesota, but they were much more impressive here with the clear Norwegian air. Jorunn and I took a ride in a sleigh, pulled by actual reindeer. Reindeer are much larger than I thought. We visited a Sami farm, where we ate reindeer stew and learned about the Sami culture.”“I’ve never been, but I hear it’s really fun,” replied Leah.“Bærums Verk was also a highlight. You may already know that the town dates to the 1600s. I loved the old buildings and cobbled streets. Although the Christmas Market was small, I found it unique, with artisans selling handmade crafts. It was nice to see the old crafts like glassblowing, ironwork, and woodworking.”Jorunn returned with a large tray, holding coffee and cookies, and we began sampling.Leah asked, “Did you take Gunnar to Pepperkakebyen in Bergen? It’s a marvelous gingerbread village in my hometown. There are over 200 small gingerbread houses, and with the tiny lights turned on, it looks so real.”Jorunn replied, “A week goes by quickly, mamma. There is only so much time. The gingerbread houses are very nice, and I have fond memories of going there with you.”As we continued talking and munching cookies, I looked around at the decorations. There was an advent calendar, wreaths, angels, gnomes called nisse, hearts, stars, and candles. The decorations looked more natural, perhaps a bit less commercialized than in America. There was a real tree, complete with its wonderful pine smell, a star at the top, garland, tinsel, ornaments, and white lights.I looked at Leah, “I noticed that you don’t have a Christmas star in the window as many of the other houses do.”Leah replied, “I found my former husband in bed with another woman. I immediately divorced him. Among the many things he took from Jorunn and I, was our Christmas Star.”Leah sounded deeply hurt and from more than just the missing star. After tasting the last of the seven cookies, Leah asked how I liked them. “The waffle-like Krumkaker was probably my favorite. We tried making them in Minnesota, but yours turned out so much better. And, of course, the Pepperkaker gingerbread stars were great.” I held up another cookie and said, “I don’t know the name of this one, but it was also excellent.”Leah replied, “That one is Serinakaker, a Norwegian butter cookie.”I realized the inevitable, “It is getting late. Thank you both, Leah and Jorunn, for a wonderful evening. I need to get back to my hotel and figure out what to do over the next few days.”I saw Jorunn look at her mother, who nodded. As I stood up, Leah did too. “Nonsense, Gunnar. I won’t have it. Come, spend Christmas with Jorunn and me! Nearly everything in Oslo shuts down in the afternoon on Christmas Eve and stays closed until the 27th. No restaurants or shops will be open. I have an unused bedroom upstairs. Come celebrate Jul with us.”I caught the signal between mother and daughter and wondered if this was pre-planned. But spending Christmas alone in my hotel sounded almost as bad as spending it alone in the nursing home. It was an easy decision. “I accept.”Leah said, “Good. I’ll stop by your hotel tomorrow and help you move your things. Perhaps we can have lunch as well at one of the restaurants along Karl Johans gate.”“It would be my pleasure, ” I replied. “Let’s say, about 11:00 AM”Little Christmas EveDecember 23rd - MorningIt was December 23rd, known in Norway as Lille Julaften. Spending Christmas with Leah and Jorunn created a problem for me. I needed to find at least one Christmas present for each, just in case they bought a gift for me. I got up early and headed out to search. Reflecting on last night, and indeed, the last week, it ended up being far simpler than I feared. I soon found a gift for each, along with reusable cloth gift bags in Christmas colors.I heard a knock on my hotel door and opened it. Leah stood there, holding a coat over her arm. She was wearing a traditional Norwegian folk costume called a bunad. Her blonde hair, simply styled, was highlighted by two attractive braids.I smiled and said, “What a pleasant surprise. You look like you just stepped out of a fairy tale.”She looked past me into the messy room, then took a step toward me and surprised me with a kiss on my cheek. She stepped back and started laughing. “It didn’t work. I am a fairy tale princess, but you are still a frog! It looks like we have some work to do cleaning up your lily pad.”As Leah entered the room, I said, “I already packed a small bag, enough for a few days.”Leah walked over to the pile of clothes from my week-long trip. She picked up a shirt and sniffed it. Then she pulled a wool sweater out from the pile. “Keep your wool sweaters away from the rest of your dirty clothes. Wool is harder to clean and may pick up the smell. Let me see what else you packed.”Leah dumped out my small gym bag onto the bed and then began tossing things aside. “This won’t do. We need to take all of your clothes back to my house and wash them.”Fond memories returned. Whenever we went on a trip, Solveig would always dump out my suitcase and re-load it with other clothes. Solvieg would also pick out clothes for me to wear whenever we dressed to go out to weddings or a party.Leah said, “Don’t expect me to wash them for you. I have other things to do to get ready for Christmas. You’ll have enough free time you can wash them yourself. We will gather everything up after we come back from lunch.”What a woman! I can see where Jorunn inherited her strong personality. We left my hotel, and Leah took me to one of her favorite kafés. As we walked, Leah’s bunad drew eyes, and attracted smiles, as if she were a magnet. As we waited for our food, I asked Leah about her bunad.Leah replied, “I don’t get to wear my bunad very often. I usually wear it for National Day in May, and for weddings and baptisms, but I haven’t been to many of those lately. Christmas is also an acceptable time to wear it.”Leah wore the traditional white blouse with a silver neckpin. Her vest was bright red with a handmade breastplate. Her navy skirt was trimmed with intricate embroidery, and covered in front by a white apron. Around her waist and running down the front was a decorative handwoven belt.“I grew up east of Bergen, in the Hardanger region, so my bunad is in the Hardanger style. While details may vary, you can tell where someone is from by which style of bunad they are wearing. It would not be proper to choose a bunad from a different region simply because you prefer a different color.”“That’s a lovely silver brooch you have on. It looks very old.”“It was my grandmother’s. Norwegians have a spiritual connection to silver, and silver brooches are handed down for many generations. One day, it will be Jorunn’s.”The food was excellent. I have not eaten a bad meal here in Norway. Leah was a great conversationalist, and she freely shared her humor and wit. Her stories from the 1994 Olympics were fascinating, and even though Jorunn and I were just there, I wanted to go back. I learned Leah worked as a radiology technician at a local hospital here in Oslo and took the entire holiday off. The meal finished too quickly, and we returned to my hotel.As we gathered my assorted clothing, I saw one of my socks on the floor, so I walked around Leah to pick it up. Turning quickly, I found myself face-to-face with her. We stared at each other for a moment, then moved at the same time. Our lips came together, and we kissed. Not a gentle kiss, but a passionate one, long and deep. Intentions were clear on both sides.We separated. Leah said, “I have not had sex since divorcing my husband nearly three years ago. That bastard took away more than my Christmas Star, he took away my trust in men. I am forty-seven years old. I never go out on dates, because I’m afraid to open my heart again to another man. Jorunn texted me every night for the past week and would send short videos she took during the day. She kept repeating how much fun she was having with you, and how nice a man you are. I know it sounds funny, but after watching and reading what Jorunn sent me, I feel like I already know you, and have made it past the first date. I know you lost the woman you loved. I cannot replace her in your heart, but if you are ready, I would like to share mine.”This was unexpected. “When I was in Minnesota, I watched Jorunn’s vlog almost every night. She is so sweet and funny and does such an excellent job. Even though I never met Jorunn, I felt like I knew her. To use your dating analogy, it’s one of the reasons I picked her as a tour guide. I felt comfortable with Jorunn and was too afraid to trust another tour company. When I came to Norway, I left my past behind. It is time for me to find something, or someone, to love.”Our bodies came together, and our lips re-joined. Any fears of rejection vanished as I locked my lips onto those of this beautiful Norwegian woman. Our tongues danced with each other, while our hands moved quickly over each other’s bodies.“Help me take off my bunad,” pleaded Leah.Together, we unclasped, unbuckled, unbuttoned, and untied, removing one layer at a time of the intricate bunad and laying it over a chair. It was like slowly opening the best Christmas present I have ever gotten, as more of Leah’s body slowly revealed itself to me. Her breasts were small, but firm, and went well with her slender frame. I forgot how delicate a woman’s features are, and Leah’s body was perfect in every way. Below her waist, I found a mound of pure blonde hair, barely darker than the color on her head.“I have no other words, you are truly a gorgeous woman, Leah.”“Thank you, Gunnar. Now it’s my turn to have fun.”Leah approached me. With small steps, she moved gracefully. She lifted my pullover shirt, pausing as it obscured my eyes. “Don’t take your shirt off. Just enjoy the sensations.” In the darkness, her fingers teasingly played with the hairs on my chest. A fingernail flicked back and forth over my nipple, drawing it to an erection. Moving lower, Leah unbuckled my trousers and slid them down, taking my knickers with them. I was not yet erect, but moving rapidly in that direction. Cool fingers wrapped around my cock and lifted, while a single fingernail twirled against my ball sack. Her tongue dragged across the tip of my cock. Then, Leah’s hands moved behind me to cup and squeeze my bum cheeks. Her warm breath washed over my cock.Leah stood and pulled my shirt the rest of the way off, and I stepped out of my trousers. We remained like this, both naked, looking longingly at each other. Leah reached up and touched my hair. “You have just a touch of grey. I like that. Few mature men are as blessed as you, with a firm, lean body. I see all kinds of patients. You look like a forty-year-old.”I suppose that was one benefit of eating the low-fat, low-sugar, and tasteless nursing home food. I lost nearly thirty pounds. “I am older than I look, and you should know that I had a stroke two years ago. I am doing much better, but still have a balance issue, and sometimes slur my words."Slurring your words might just be because you have a lazy tongue. Perhaps we can find a way to fix that later.”For a moment, I wondered what she meant, then hoped my notions might come true. Leah dropped to her knees directly in front of me and ran a finger along my nearly erect shaft. “It feels so nice to touch a real one again. What a lovely cock you have.”I said, “I’m sorry. I don’t have a very large penis.”Leah laughed, “Anything more than a mouthful is just wasted. Now let’s begin. I will say a Norwegian word, and you repeat it. Listen carefully to my pronunciation and maybe we can fix your American accent.”Leah said, “Penis.” Then she grabbed my cock with her right hand.This might be fun, so I replied, “Penis!”Leah whispered, “Rub.” Then she began gently sliding her hand along my shaft. Without any lubrication, there was quite a bit of friction.I replied, “Rub!”Leah said, “Lick.” Leah extended her tongue, and starting near the base, began leaving wet trails along each side of my glistening cock. The warm softness of her tongue brought me to full erection.It felt fantastic, and I gasped out, “Lick!”Leah said, “Suck.” She opened her mouth wide and took in the head of my cock, using her tongue to tease the underside. Bringing her lips together, I felt the insides of her mouth pressing inward and squeezing tightly against me. When her suction began, she pulled the head of my cock deeper into her mouth. Leah’s head pulled back ever so slightly, allowing her soft lips to glide over me until my cock was almost freed. But not quite. Using the extra room, Leah teased my opening with the tip of her tongue. From the way her tongue easily twirled around, I was certain I contributed my pre-cum.Then her suction pulled me deeper into her mouth. She look

Skandinavian Folklore and Feast Days.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Syv Slags Kaker. (or, Seven Sorts of  Cookies)December 22nd – Evening, Five Days LaterJorunn said, “Well, Gunnar, we are back at our starting point, and this concludes the tour. We got off to a rough start on the first day, but since then, I have enjoyed spending time with you. After my mom got divorced, I stopped dating. Sure, I went out in mixed groups with my friends, but I cannot remember the last time I went somewhere, by myself, with a man. The divorce made me lose all confidence and trust in men. Why enter a relationship, and give my heart to a man, knowing it is going to fail? My father hurt my mother and me so badly, that neither of us have recovered. You were so wonderful to me this week, and showed me that not all men are like my father.”Jorunn looked at me with pleading eyes, “I don’t want this tour to end. I don’t want you to leave. Can you please stay in Oslo at least a few more days?”Jorunn didn’t want me to go. And I didn’t want to leave her either. I replied, “Jorunn, I cannot think of anyone or any place I would rather be than here in Oslo, with you.”Jorunn said, “It’s still early enough that we may be able to find seating without a reservation. I know a great place for seafood.”“Lead on,” I replied.Jorunn and I discussed the now-completed tour while enjoying a delicious dinner at a small kafé. I offered suggestions for the tour, but otherwise let her know I enjoyed seeing Norway, and I told her what a wonderful guide she was. After returning to America, I promised to recommend her tours to everyone I knew.As I looked over the dessert menu, I asked Jorunn, “I’m willing to stay a few more days. Are there any other Norwegian Christmas traditions or activities worth doing over the next few days?”“If you put down that dessert menu, there is one called Syv Slags Kaker. I baked seven kinds of cookies to celebrate Jul. If you come to my house, we can have coffee and you can sample all seven kinds.”“That sounds great,” I replied. Jorunn was inviting me to her home. She was beautiful and funny, and I admit I developed fantasies about her as I watched her vlog videos back in the nursing home. Heck, I even created new fantasies over the last week. She was much warmer toward me at the end of the tour. In Tromsø, we shared a blanket as we rode in a sleigh pulled by an actual reindeer. But after the Nutcracker ballet, I held back and did not cross any lines. Could a 56-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman have a sexual relationship? I managed to keep up with Jorunn all week and didn’t see any reason not to. I reached below the table to carefully re-position myself before standing up.We made our way to the Train Station and rode to Jorunn’s neighborhood. As we walked to her house, I noticed many homes with a lighted star in one of the windows.“What are those stars,” I asked.“They are a tradition in Norway. A star is lit on the first Sunday of Advent to help guide the Three Wise Men.”We stopped in front of a modest house. There was no star in the window, but I saw sheaves of oats hung from one of the trees. I was familiar with the tradition of putting out something for the birds in the frigid days of December. As we stepped inside, I was suddenly surprised. “Hi, Mom! I would like you to meet Gunnar Larsen.”“Good evening, Mr. Larsen. Jorunn has been sending me text messages all week about your exciting travels. I hope you enjoyed your tour. My name is Leah.”This was not what I expected. I hoped to be alone with Jorunn. The family resemblance was striking and quite apparent. Leah’s straight hair was a bit shorter than Jorunn’s but matched her daughter’s pure blonde color. Her blue eyes stood out from her attractive face. She was wearing a multi-colored Norwegian Dale sweater and green trousers. I possessed absolutely no experience telling how old Norwegian women are. She must be in her forties but looked younger.I said, “I enjoyed Jorunn’s tour very much. Your daughter is quite talented in many ways. Please, call me Gunnar.”Jorunn said, “Gunnar was asking about other Jul traditions and activities here in Norway over Christmas. I thought Syv Slags Kaker would be a good one, and your cookies are the best ones in Oslo. I’ll make us some coffee.”Leah looked at me, “Please sit Gunnar. How much longer will you be staying in Norway?”I replied, “About two more weeks. I wanted to celebrate the New Year here before returning to America.”I talked about the completed tour, and she seemed interested enough that I rambled on.“I really enjoyed visiting Lillehammer. It brought back memories of watching the 1994 Winter Olympics, probably my favorite one. The music was fantastic, and the woman who sang the Olympic Hymn at the opening ceremony possessed such a wonderful voice.”Leah replied, “Her name is Sissel Kyrkjebø. She is still extremely popular today, and we consider her a national treasure. I was 18 at the time, and worked at those Olympics.”“I’d love to hear more about that,” I replied. “It was nice to see many of the venues still being used. I also enjoyed the Olympic Museum in Maihaugen, which told the history of the 1994 Olympics. I was surprised to learn that Norway has won more Olympic medals than any other country. But the highlight for me was riding the chairlift to the top of the Lysgårdsbakkene ski jump. The views were amazing. I can’t imagine anyone being brave enough to make such a jump.”“I agree with you on that!” laughed Leah.I continued, “We also flew to Tromsø, and I got to see the Northern Lights. We can sometimes see them in southern Minnesota, but they were much more impressive here with the clear Norwegian air. Jorunn and I took a ride in a sleigh, pulled by actual reindeer. Reindeer are much larger than I thought. We visited a Sami farm, where we ate reindeer stew and learned about the Sami culture.”“I’ve never been, but I hear it’s really fun,” replied Leah.“Bærums Verk was also a highlight. You may already know that the town dates to the 1600s. I loved the old buildings and cobbled streets. Although the Christmas Market was small, I found it unique, with artisans selling handmade crafts. It was nice to see the old crafts like glassblowing, ironwork, and woodworking.”Jorunn returned with a large tray, holding coffee and cookies, and we began sampling.Leah asked, “Did you take Gunnar to Pepperkakebyen in Bergen? It’s a marvelous gingerbread village in my hometown. There are over 200 small gingerbread houses, and with the tiny lights turned on, it looks so real.”Jorunn replied, “A week goes by quickly, mamma. There is only so much time. The gingerbread houses are very nice, and I have fond memories of going there with you.”As we continued talking and munching cookies, I looked around at the decorations. There was an advent calendar, wreaths, angels, gnomes called nisse, hearts, stars, and candles. The decorations looked more natural, perhaps a bit less commercialized than in America. There was a real tree, complete with its wonderful pine smell, a star at the top, garland, tinsel, ornaments, and white lights.I looked at Leah, “I noticed that you don’t have a Christmas star in the window as many of the other houses do.”Leah replied, “I found my former husband in bed with another woman. I immediately divorced him. Among the many things he took from Jorunn and I, was our Christmas Star.”Leah sounded deeply hurt and from more than just the missing star. After tasting the last of the seven cookies, Leah asked how I liked them. “The waffle-like Krumkaker was probably my favorite. We tried making them in Minnesota, but yours turned out so much better. And, of course, the Pepperkaker gingerbread stars were great.” I held up another cookie and said, “I don’t know the name of this one, but it was also excellent.”Leah replied, “That one is Serinakaker, a Norwegian butter cookie.”I realized the inevitable, “It is getting late. Thank you both, Leah and Jorunn, for a wonderful evening. I need to get back to my hotel and figure out what to do over the next few days.”I saw Jorunn look at her mother, who nodded. As I stood up, Leah did too. “Nonsense, Gunnar. I won’t have it. Come, spend Christmas with Jorunn and me! Nearly everything in Oslo shuts down in the afternoon on Christmas Eve and stays closed until the 27th. No restaurants or shops will be open. I have an unused bedroom upstairs. Come celebrate Jul with us.”I caught the signal between mother and daughter and wondered if this was pre-planned. But spending Christmas alone in my hotel sounded almost as bad as spending it alone in the nursing home. It was an easy decision. “I accept.”Leah said, “Good. I’ll stop by your hotel tomorrow and help you move your things. Perhaps we can have lunch as well at one of the restaurants along Karl Johans gate.”“It would be my pleasure, ” I replied. “Let’s say, about 11:00 AM”Little Christmas EveDecember 23rd - MorningIt was December 23rd, known in Norway as Lille Julaften. Spending Christmas with Leah and Jorunn created a problem for me. I needed to find at least one Christmas present for each, just in case they bought a gift for me. I got up early and headed out to search. Reflecting on last night, and indeed, the last week, it ended up being far simpler than I feared. I soon found a gift for each, along with reusable cloth gift bags in Christmas colors.I heard a knock on my hotel door and opened it. Leah stood there, holding a coat over her arm. She was wearing a traditional Norwegian folk costume called a bunad. Her blonde hair, simply styled, was highlighted by two attractive braids.I smiled and said, “What a pleasant surprise. You look like you just stepped out of a fairy tale.”She looked past me into the messy room, then took a step toward me and surprised me with a kiss on my cheek. She stepped back and started laughing. “It didn’t work. I am a fairy tale princess, but you are still a frog! It looks like we have some work to do cleaning up your lily pad.”As Leah entered the room, I said, “I already packed a small bag, enough for a few days.”Leah walked over to the pile of clothes from my week-long trip. She picked up a shirt and sniffed it. Then she pulled a wool sweater out from the pile. “Keep your wool sweaters away from the rest of your dirty clothes. Wool is harder to clean and may pick up the smell. Let me see what else you packed.”Leah dumped out my small gym bag onto the bed and then began tossing things aside. “This won’t do. We need to take all of your clothes back to my house and wash them.”Fond memories returned. Whenever we went on a trip, Solveig would always dump out my suitcase and re-load it with other clothes. Solvieg would also pick out clothes for me to wear whenever we dressed to go out to weddings or a party.Leah said, “Don’t expect me to wash them for you. I have other things to do to get ready for Christmas. You’ll have enough free time you can wash them yourself. We will gather everything up after we come back from lunch.”What a woman! I can see where Jorunn inherited her strong personality. We left my hotel, and Leah took me to one of her favorite kafés. As we walked, Leah’s bunad drew eyes, and attracted smiles, as if she were a magnet. As we waited for our food, I asked Leah about her bunad.Leah replied, “I don’t get to wear my bunad very often. I usually wear it for National Day in May, and for weddings and baptisms, but I haven’t been to many of those lately. Christmas is also an acceptable time to wear it.”Leah wore the traditional white blouse with a silver neckpin. Her vest was bright red with a handmade breastplate. Her navy skirt was trimmed with intricate embroidery, and covered in front by a white apron. Around her waist and running down the front was a decorative handwoven belt.“I grew up east of Bergen, in the Hardanger region, so my bunad is in the Hardanger style. While details may vary, you can tell where someone is from by which style of bunad they are wearing. It would not be proper to choose a bunad from a different region simply because you prefer a different color.”“That’s a lovely silver brooch you have on. It looks very old.”“It was my grandmother’s. Norwegians have a spiritual connection to silver, and silver brooches are handed down for many generations. One day, it will be Jorunn’s.”The food was excellent. I have not eaten a bad meal here in Norway. Leah was a great conversationalist, and she freely shared her humor and wit. Her stories from the 1994 Olympics were fascinating, and even though Jorunn and I were just there, I wanted to go back. I learned Leah worked as a radiology technician at a local hospital here in Oslo and took the entire holiday off. The meal finished too quickly, and we returned to my hotel.As we gathered my assorted clothing, I saw one of my socks on the floor, so I walked around Leah to pick it up. Turning quickly, I found myself face-to-face with her. We stared at each other for a moment, then moved at the same time. Our lips came together, and we kissed. Not a gentle kiss, but a passionate one, long and deep. Intentions were clear on both sides.We separated. Leah said, “I have not had sex since divorcing my husband nearly three years ago. That bastard took away more than my Christmas Star, he took away my trust in men. I am forty-seven years old. I never go out on dates, because I’m afraid to open my heart again to another man. Jorunn texted me every night for the past week and would send short videos she took during the day. She kept repeating how much fun she was having with you, and how nice a man you are. I know it sounds funny, but after watching and reading what Jorunn sent me, I feel like I already know you, and have made it past the first date. I know you lost the woman you loved. I cannot replace her in your heart, but if you are ready, I would like to share mine.”This was unexpected. “When I was in Minnesota, I watched Jorunn’s vlog almost every night. She is so sweet and funny and does such an excellent job. Even though I never met Jorunn, I felt like I knew her. To use your dating analogy, it’s one of the reasons I picked her as a tour guide. I felt comfortable with Jorunn and was too afraid to trust another tour company. When I came to Norway, I left my past behind. It is time for me to find something, or someone, to love.”Our bodies came together, and our lips re-joined. Any fears of rejection vanished as I locked my lips onto those of this beautiful Norwegian woman. Our tongues danced with each other, while our hands moved quickly over each other’s bodies.“Help me take off my bunad,” pleaded Leah.Together, we unclasped, unbuckled, unbuttoned, and untied, removing one layer at a time of the intricate bunad and laying it over a chair. It was like slowly opening the best Christmas present I have ever gotten, as more of Leah’s body slowly revealed itself to me. Her breasts were small, but firm, and went well with her slender frame. I forgot how delicate a woman’s features are, and Leah’s body was perfect in every way. Below her waist, I found a mound of pure blonde hair, barely darker than the color on her head.“I have no other words, you are truly a gorgeous woman, Leah.”“Thank you, Gunnar. Now it’s my turn to have fun.”Leah approached me. With small steps, she moved gracefully. She lifted my pullover shirt, pausing as it obscured my eyes. “Don’t take your shirt off. Just enjoy the sensations.” In the darkness, her fingers teasingly played with the hairs on my chest. A fingernail flicked back and forth over my nipple, drawing it to an erection. Moving lower, Leah unbuckled my trousers and slid them down, taking my knickers with them. I was not yet erect, but moving rapidly in that direction. Cool fingers wrapped around my cock and lifted, while a single fingernail twirled against my ball sack. Her tongue dragged across the tip of my cock. Then, Leah’s hands moved behind me to cup and squeeze my bum cheeks. Her warm breath washed over my cock.Leah stood and pulled my shirt the rest of the way off, and I stepped out of my trousers. We remained like this, both naked, looking longingly at each other. Leah reached up and touched my hair. “You have just a touch of grey. I like that. Few mature men are as blessed as you, with a firm, lean body. I see all kinds of patients. You look like a forty-year-old.”I suppose that was one benefit of eating the low-fat, low-sugar, and tasteless nursing home food. I lost nearly thirty pounds. “I am older than I look, and you should know that I had a stroke two years ago. I am doing much better, but still have a balance issue, and sometimes slur my words."Slurring your words might just be because you have a lazy tongue. Perhaps we can find a way to fix that later.”For a moment, I wondered what she meant, then hoped my notions might come true. Leah dropped to her knees directly in front of me and ran a finger along my nearly erect shaft. “It feels so nice to touch a real one again. What a lovely cock you have.”I said, “I’m sorry. I don’t have a very large penis.”Leah laughed, “Anything more than a mouthful is just wasted. Now let’s begin. I will say a Norwegian word, and you repeat it. Listen carefully to my pronunciation and maybe we can fix your American accent.”Leah said, “Penis.” Then she grabbed my cock with her right hand.This might be fun, so I replied, “Penis!”Leah whispered, “Rub.” Then she began gently sliding her hand along my shaft. Without any lubrication, there was quite a bit of friction.I replied, “Rub!”Leah said, “Lick.” Leah extended her tongue, and starting near the base, began leaving wet trails along each side of my glistening cock. The warm softness of her tongue brought me to full erection.It felt fantastic, and I gasped out, “Lick!”Leah said, “Suck.” She opened her mouth wide and took in the head of my cock, using her tongue to tease the underside. Bringing her lips together, I felt the insides of her mouth pressing inward and squeezing tightly against me. When her suction began, she pulled the head of my cock deeper into her mouth. Leah’s head pulled back ever so slightly, allowing her soft lips to glide over me until my cock was almost freed. But not quite. Using the extra room, Leah teased my opening with the tip of her tongue. From the way her tongue easily twirled around, I was certain I contributed my pre-cum.Then her suction pulled me deeper into her mouth. She look

In this episode of That's So Hindu, Mat McDermott speaks with Dr Vijay Satnarine and Dr Kavita Pallod Sekhsaria about the often downplayed and misunderstood concept of kama in Hinduism, emphasizing the importance of desire and pleasure in achieving a balanced life. The discussion critiques the puritanical mindset that has historically downplayed these aspects, particularly in the context of modern relationships and provides insights into the psychological implications of desire, the historical context of sexuality in Hinduism, and practical steps for embracing a holistic view of intimacy and pleasure.TakeawaysKama is a crucial aspect of a balanced life.Desire should not be rejected in the pursuit of moksha.The Victorian mindset has negatively influenced views on sexuality.Intimacy and pleasure are essential for fulfilling relationships.Hindu teachings advocate for a holistic understanding of desire.Communication about sex is vital in modern relationships.Historical texts show a more accepting view of sexuality.Pleasure should be pursued ethically and consensually.Understanding one's desires can lead to personal growth.The conversation around sexuality needs to be normalized.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Kama Before Moksha02:46 Reclaiming Desire: The Balance of Life Goals05:58 Understanding Kama: Beyond the Sutras08:40 The Puritanical Mindset: Historical Context11:47 The Spectrum of Sexuality in Hinduism14:58 The Role of Pleasure in Relationships17:46 Navigating Modern Relationships and Intimacy20:50 Experimentation and Mastery in Relationships23:34 The Impact of Victorian Ideals on Hindu Thought26:38 Addressing Swami Scandals and Human Fallibility29:38 Practical Steps for Embracing Desire32:45 Conclusion: Embracing a Holistic View of DesireKeywordsHinduism, Kama, Moksha, relationships, desire, intimacy, Victorian mindset, sexuality, spirituality, balance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thomas Fusco is a researcher and author who approaches paranormal phenomena through a self-developed hypothesis aimed at explaining unexplained experiences within a structured, testable framework. Rather than relying solely on anecdote, Fusco attempts to correlate reports of hauntings, apparitions, and anomalous events with underlying principles involving consciousness, environment, and physics. His work emphasizes experimentation, pattern analysis, and critical evaluation—seeking to move paranormal inquiry closer to a repeatable, hypothesis-driven model while acknowledging the limits and challenges of proving extraordinary claims.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-x-zone-radio-tv-show--1078348/support.Please note that all XZBN radio and/or television shows are Copyright © REL-MAR McConnell Meda Company, Niagara, Ontario, Canada – www.rel-mar.com. For more Episodes of this show and all shows produced, broadcasted and syndicated from REL-MAR McConell Media Company and The 'X' Zone Broadcast Network and the 'X' Zone TV Channell, visit www.xzbn.net. For programming, distribution, and syndication inquiries, email programming@xzbn.net.We are proud to announce the we have launched TWATNews.com, launched in August 2025.TWATNews.com is an independent online news platform dedicated to uncovering the truth about Donald Trump and his ongoing influence in politics, business, and society. Unlike mainstream outlets that often sanitize, soften, or ignore stories that challenge Trump and his allies, TWATNews digs deeper to deliver hard-hitting articles, investigative features, and sharp commentary that mainstream media won't touch.These are stories and articles that you will not read anywhere else.Our mission is simple: to expose corruption, lies, and authoritarian tendencies while giving voice to the perspectives and evidence that are often marginalized or buried by corporate-controlled media

Skandinavian Folklore and Feast Days.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Syv Slags Kaker. (or, Seven Sorts of  Cookies)December 22nd – Evening, Five Days LaterJorunn said, “Well, Gunnar, we are back at our starting point, and this concludes the tour. We got off to a rough start on the first day, but since then, I have enjoyed spending time with you. After my mom got divorced, I stopped dating. Sure, I went out in mixed groups with my friends, but I cannot remember the last time I went somewhere, by myself, with a man. The divorce made me lose all confidence and trust in men. Why enter a relationship, and give my heart to a man, knowing it is going to fail? My father hurt my mother and me so badly, that neither of us have recovered. You were so wonderful to me this week, and showed me that not all men are like my father.”Jorunn looked at me with pleading eyes, “I don’t want this tour to end. I don’t want you to leave. Can you please stay in Oslo at least a few more days?”Jorunn didn’t want me to go. And I didn’t want to leave her either. I replied, “Jorunn, I cannot think of anyone or any place I would rather be than here in Oslo, with you.”Jorunn said, “It’s still early enough that we may be able to find seating without a reservation. I know a great place for seafood.”“Lead on,” I replied.Jorunn and I discussed the now-completed tour while enjoying a delicious dinner at a small kafé. I offered suggestions for the tour, but otherwise let her know I enjoyed seeing Norway, and I told her what a wonderful guide she was. After returning to America, I promised to recommend her tours to everyone I knew.As I looked over the dessert menu, I asked Jorunn, “I’m willing to stay a few more days. Are there any other Norwegian Christmas traditions or activities worth doing over the next few days?”“If you put down that dessert menu, there is one called Syv Slags Kaker. I baked seven kinds of cookies to celebrate Jul. If you come to my house, we can have coffee and you can sample all seven kinds.”“That sounds great,” I replied. Jorunn was inviting me to her home. She was beautiful and funny, and I admit I developed fantasies about her as I watched her vlog videos back in the nursing home. Heck, I even created new fantasies over the last week. She was much warmer toward me at the end of the tour. In Tromsø, we shared a blanket as we rode in a sleigh pulled by an actual reindeer. But after the Nutcracker ballet, I held back and did not cross any lines. Could a 56-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman have a sexual relationship? I managed to keep up with Jorunn all week and didn’t see any reason not to. I reached below the table to carefully re-position myself before standing up.We made our way to the Train Station and rode to Jorunn’s neighborhood. As we walked to her house, I noticed many homes with a lighted star in one of the windows.“What are those stars,” I asked.“They are a tradition in Norway. A star is lit on the first Sunday of Advent to help guide the Three Wise Men.”We stopped in front of a modest house. There was no star in the window, but I saw sheaves of oats hung from one of the trees. I was familiar with the tradition of putting out something for the birds in the frigid days of December. As we stepped inside, I was suddenly surprised. “Hi, Mom! I would like you to meet Gunnar Larsen.”“Good evening, Mr. Larsen. Jorunn has been sending me text messages all week about your exciting travels. I hope you enjoyed your tour. My name is Leah.”This was not what I expected. I hoped to be alone with Jorunn. The family resemblance was striking and quite apparent. Leah’s straight hair was a bit shorter than Jorunn’s but matched her daughter’s pure blonde color. Her blue eyes stood out from her attractive face. She was wearing a multi-colored Norwegian Dale sweater and green trousers. I possessed absolutely no experience telling how old Norwegian women are. She must be in her forties but looked younger.I said, “I enjoyed Jorunn’s tour very much. Your daughter is quite talented in many ways. Please, call me Gunnar.”Jorunn said, “Gunnar was asking about other Jul traditions and activities here in Norway over Christmas. I thought Syv Slags Kaker would be a good one, and your cookies are the best ones in Oslo. I’ll make us some coffee.”Leah looked at me, “Please sit Gunnar. How much longer will you be staying in Norway?”I replied, “About two more weeks. I wanted to celebrate the New Year here before returning to America.”I talked about the completed tour, and she seemed interested enough that I rambled on.“I really enjoyed visiting Lillehammer. It brought back memories of watching the 1994 Winter Olympics, probably my favorite one. The music was fantastic, and the woman who sang the Olympic Hymn at the opening ceremony possessed such a wonderful voice.”Leah replied, “Her name is Sissel Kyrkjebø. She is still extremely popular today, and we consider her a national treasure. I was 18 at the time, and worked at those Olympics.”“I’d love to hear more about that,” I replied. “It was nice to see many of the venues still being used. I also enjoyed the Olympic Museum in Maihaugen, which told the history of the 1994 Olympics. I was surprised to learn that Norway has won more Olympic medals than any other country. But the highlight for me was riding the chairlift to the top of the Lysgårdsbakkene ski jump. The views were amazing. I can’t imagine anyone being brave enough to make such a jump.”“I agree with you on that!” laughed Leah.I continued, “We also flew to Tromsø, and I got to see the Northern Lights. We can sometimes see them in southern Minnesota, but they were much more impressive here with the clear Norwegian air. Jorunn and I took a ride in a sleigh, pulled by actual reindeer. Reindeer are much larger than I thought. We visited a Sami farm, where we ate reindeer stew and learned about the Sami culture.”“I’ve never been, but I hear it’s really fun,” replied Leah.“Bærums Verk was also a highlight. You may already know that the town dates to the 1600s. I loved the old buildings and cobbled streets. Although the Christmas Market was small, I found it unique, with artisans selling handmade crafts. It was nice to see the old crafts like glassblowing, ironwork, and woodworking.”Jorunn returned with a large tray, holding coffee and cookies, and we began sampling.Leah asked, “Did you take Gunnar to Pepperkakebyen in Bergen? It’s a marvelous gingerbread village in my hometown. There are over 200 small gingerbread houses, and with the tiny lights turned on, it looks so real.”Jorunn replied, “A week goes by quickly, mamma. There is only so much time. The gingerbread houses are very nice, and I have fond memories of going there with you.”As we continued talking and munching cookies, I looked around at the decorations. There was an advent calendar, wreaths, angels, gnomes called nisse, hearts, stars, and candles. The decorations looked more natural, perhaps a bit less commercialized than in America. There was a real tree, complete with its wonderful pine smell, a star at the top, garland, tinsel, ornaments, and white lights.I looked at Leah, “I noticed that you don’t have a Christmas star in the window as many of the other houses do.”Leah replied, “I found my former husband in bed with another woman. I immediately divorced him. Among the many things he took from Jorunn and I, was our Christmas Star.”Leah sounded deeply hurt and from more than just the missing star. After tasting the last of the seven cookies, Leah asked how I liked them. “The waffle-like Krumkaker was probably my favorite. We tried making them in Minnesota, but yours turned out so much better. And, of course, the Pepperkaker gingerbread stars were great.” I held up another cookie and said, “I don’t know the name of this one, but it was also excellent.”Leah replied, “That one is Serinakaker, a Norwegian butter cookie.”I realized the inevitable, “It is getting late. Thank you both, Leah and Jorunn, for a wonderful evening. I need to get back to my hotel and figure out what to do over the next few days.”I saw Jorunn look at her mother, who nodded. As I stood up, Leah did too. “Nonsense, Gunnar. I won’t have it. Come, spend Christmas with Jorunn and me! Nearly everything in Oslo shuts down in the afternoon on Christmas Eve and stays closed until the 27th. No restaurants or shops will be open. I have an unused bedroom upstairs. Come celebrate Jul with us.”I caught the signal between mother and daughter and wondered if this was pre-planned. But spending Christmas alone in my hotel sounded almost as bad as spending it alone in the nursing home. It was an easy decision. “I accept.”Leah said, “Good. I’ll stop by your hotel tomorrow and help you move your things. Perhaps we can have lunch as well at one of the restaurants along Karl Johans gate.”“It would be my pleasure, ” I replied. “Let’s say, about 11:00 AM”Little Christmas EveDecember 23rd - MorningIt was December 23rd, known in Norway as Lille Julaften. Spending Christmas with Leah and Jorunn created a problem for me. I needed to find at least one Christmas present for each, just in case they bought a gift for me. I got up early and headed out to search. Reflecting on last night, and indeed, the last week, it ended up being far simpler than I feared. I soon found a gift for each, along with reusable cloth gift bags in Christmas colors.I heard a knock on my hotel door and opened it. Leah stood there, holding a coat over her arm. She was wearing a traditional Norwegian folk costume called a bunad. Her blonde hair, simply styled, was highlighted by two attractive braids.I smiled and said, “What a pleasant surprise. You look like you just stepped out of a fairy tale.”She looked past me into the messy room, then took a step toward me and surprised me with a kiss on my cheek. She stepped back and started laughing. “It didn’t work. I am a fairy tale princess, but you are still a frog! It looks like we have some work to do cleaning up your lily pad.”As Leah entered the room, I said, “I already packed a small bag, enough for a few days.”Leah walked over to the pile of clothes from my week-long trip. She picked up a shirt and sniffed it. Then she pulled a wool sweater out from the pile. “Keep your wool sweaters away from the rest of your dirty clothes. Wool is harder to clean and may pick up the smell. Let me see what else you packed.”Leah dumped out my small gym bag onto the bed and then began tossing things aside. “This won’t do. We need to take all of your clothes back to my house and wash them.”Fond memories returned. Whenever we went on a trip, Solveig would always dump out my suitcase and re-load it with other clothes. Solvieg would also pick out clothes for me to wear whenever we dressed to go out to weddings or a party.Leah said, “Don’t expect me to wash them for you. I have other things to do to get ready for Christmas. You’ll have enough free time you can wash them yourself. We will gather everything up after we come back from lunch.”What a woman! I can see where Jorunn inherited her strong personality. We left my hotel, and Leah took me to one of her favorite kafés. As we walked, Leah’s bunad drew eyes, and attracted smiles, as if she were a magnet. As we waited for our food, I asked Leah about her bunad.Leah replied, “I don’t get to wear my bunad very often. I usually wear it for National Day in May, and for weddings and baptisms, but I haven’t been to many of those lately. Christmas is also an acceptable time to wear it.”Leah wore the traditional white blouse with a silver neckpin. Her vest was bright red with a handmade breastplate. Her navy skirt was trimmed with intricate embroidery, and covered in front by a white apron. Around her waist and running down the front was a decorative handwoven belt.“I grew up east of Bergen, in the Hardanger region, so my bunad is in the Hardanger style. While details may vary, you can tell where someone is from by which style of bunad they are wearing. It would not be proper to choose a bunad from a different region simply because you prefer a different color.”“That’s a lovely silver brooch you have on. It looks very old.”“It was my grandmother’s. Norwegians have a spiritual connection to silver, and silver brooches are handed down for many generations. One day, it will be Jorunn’s.”The food was excellent. I have not eaten a bad meal here in Norway. Leah was a great conversationalist, and she freely shared her humor and wit. Her stories from the 1994 Olympics were fascinating, and even though Jorunn and I were just there, I wanted to go back. I learned Leah worked as a radiology technician at a local hospital here in Oslo and took the entire holiday off. The meal finished too quickly, and we returned to my hotel.As we gathered my assorted clothing, I saw one of my socks on the floor, so I walked around Leah to pick it up. Turning quickly, I found myself face-to-face with her. We stared at each other for a moment, then moved at the same time. Our lips came together, and we kissed. Not a gentle kiss, but a passionate one, long and deep. Intentions were clear on both sides.We separated. Leah said, “I have not had sex since divorcing my husband nearly three years ago. That bastard took away more than my Christmas Star, he took away my trust in men. I am forty-seven years old. I never go out on dates, because I’m afraid to open my heart again to another man. Jorunn texted me every night for the past week and would send short videos she took during the day. She kept repeating how much fun she was having with you, and how nice a man you are. I know it sounds funny, but after watching and reading what Jorunn sent me, I feel like I already know you, and have made it past the first date. I know you lost the woman you loved. I cannot replace her in your heart, but if you are ready, I would like to share mine.”This was unexpected. “When I was in Minnesota, I watched Jorunn’s vlog almost every night. She is so sweet and funny and does such an excellent job. Even though I never met Jorunn, I felt like I knew her. To use your dating analogy, it’s one of the reasons I picked her as a tour guide. I felt comfortable with Jorunn and was too afraid to trust another tour company. When I came to Norway, I left my past behind. It is time for me to find something, or someone, to love.”Our bodies came together, and our lips re-joined. Any fears of rejection vanished as I locked my lips onto those of this beautiful Norwegian woman. Our tongues danced with each other, while our hands moved quickly over each other’s bodies.“Help me take off my bunad,” pleaded Leah.Together, we unclasped, unbuckled, unbuttoned, and untied, removing one layer at a time of the intricate bunad and laying it over a chair. It was like slowly opening the best Christmas present I have ever gotten, as more of Leah’s body slowly revealed itself to me. Her breasts were small, but firm, and went well with her slender frame. I forgot how delicate a woman’s features are, and Leah’s body was perfect in every way. Below her waist, I found a mound of pure blonde hair, barely darker than the color on her head.“I have no other words, you are truly a gorgeous woman, Leah.”“Thank you, Gunnar. Now it’s my turn to have fun.”Leah approached me. With small steps, she moved gracefully. She lifted my pullover shirt, pausing as it obscured my eyes. “Don’t take your shirt off. Just enjoy the sensations.” In the darkness, her fingers teasingly played with the hairs on my chest. A fingernail flicked back and forth over my nipple, drawing it to an erection. Moving lower, Leah unbuckled my trousers and slid them down, taking my knickers with them. I was not yet erect, but moving rapidly in that direction. Cool fingers wrapped around my cock and lifted, while a single fingernail twirled against my ball sack. Her tongue dragged across the tip of my cock. Then, Leah’s hands moved behind me to cup and squeeze my bum cheeks. Her warm breath washed over my cock.Leah stood and pulled my shirt the rest of the way off, and I stepped out of my trousers. We remained like this, both naked, looking longingly at each other. Leah reached up and touched my hair. “You have just a touch of grey. I like that. Few mature men are as blessed as you, with a firm, lean body. I see all kinds of patients. You look like a forty-year-old.”I suppose that was one benefit of eating the low-fat, low-sugar, and tasteless nursing home food. I lost nearly thirty pounds. “I am older than I look, and you should know that I had a stroke two years ago. I am doing much better, but still have a balance issue, and sometimes slur my words."Slurring your words might just be because you have a lazy tongue. Perhaps we can find a way to fix that later.”For a moment, I wondered what she meant, then hoped my notions might come true. Leah dropped to her knees directly in front of me and ran a finger along my nearly erect shaft. “It feels so nice to touch a real one again. What a lovely cock you have.”I said, “I’m sorry. I don’t have a very large penis.”Leah laughed, “Anything more than a mouthful is just wasted. Now let’s begin. I will say a Norwegian word, and you repeat it. Listen carefully to my pronunciation and maybe we can fix your American accent.”Leah said, “Penis.” Then she grabbed my cock with her right hand.This might be fun, so I replied, “Penis!”Leah whispered, “Rub.” Then she began gently sliding her hand along my shaft. Without any lubrication, there was quite a bit of friction.I replied, “Rub!”Leah said, “Lick.” Leah extended her tongue, and starting near the base, began leaving wet trails along each side of my glistening cock. The warm softness of her tongue brought me to full erection.It felt fantastic, and I gasped out, “Lick!”Leah said, “Suck.” She opened her mouth wide and took in the head of my cock, using her tongue to tease the underside. Bringing her lips together, I felt the insides of her mouth pressing inward and squeezing tightly against me. When her suction began, she pulled the head of my cock deeper into her mouth. Leah’s head pulled back ever so slightly, allowing her soft lips to glide over me until my cock was almost freed. But not quite. Using the extra room, Leah teased my opening with the tip of her tongue. From the way her tongue easily twirled around, I was certain I contributed my pre-cum.Then her suction pulled me deeper into her mouth. She look

021126 SHORT 53 Min Kate On Headlines and Melissa on Brain Re-Wiring and Experimentation by Kate Dalley

In an unprecedented action, a national primate center made a bold move toward ending animal experimentation and becoming a sanctuary.  Amy Meyer, PETA's Associate Director of Primate Experimentation Campaigns, speaks with Emil Guillermo about the signficance of the Oregon Health and Science University's step toward ending monkey experiments at its Oregon National Primate Research Center. Go to PETA.org for more. ---- PETA, the world's largest animal rights organization with all its global entities, is 9 million strong and growing. Hosted by Emil Guillermo. Powered by PETA activism. Contact us at PETA.org. Music provided by CarbonWorks. Go to Apple podcasts and subscribe. Contact and follow host Emil Guillermo on www.YouTube.com/@emilamok1 Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to THE PETA PODCAST! (Released, 2/11/26   ©copyright 2026        

In an unprecedented action, a national primate center made a bold move toward ending animal experimentation and becoming a sanctuary.  Amy Meyer, PETA's Associate Director of Primate Experimentation Campaigns, speaks with Emil Guillermo about the signficance of the Oregon Health and Science University's step toward ending monkey experiments at its Oregon National Primate Research Center. Go to PETA.org for more. ---- PETA, the world's largest animal rights organization with all its global entities, is 9 million strong and growing. Hosted by Emil Guillermo. Powered by PETA activism. Contact us at PETA.org. Music provided by CarbonWorks. Go to Apple podcasts and subscribe. Contact and follow host Emil Guillermo on www.YouTube.com/@emilamok1 Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to THE PETA PODCAST! (Released, 2/11/26   ©copyright 2026        

In an unprecedented action, a national primate center made a bold move toward ending animal experimentation and becoming a sanctuary.  Amy Meyer, PETA's Associate Director of Primate Experimentation Campaigns, speaks with Emil Guillermo about the signficance of the Oregon Health and Science University's step toward ending monkey experiments at its Oregon National Primate Research Center. Go to PETA.org for more. ---- PETA, the world's largest animal rights organization with all its global entities, is 9 million strong and growing. Hosted by Emil Guillermo. Powered by PETA activism. Contact us at PETA.org. Music provided by CarbonWorks. Go to Apple podcasts and subscribe. Contact and follow host Emil Guillermo on www.YouTube.com/@emilamok1 Please subscribe, rate, and review wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to THE PETA PODCAST! (Released, 2/11/26   ©copyright 2026        

What if wealth isn't about the product you choose, but the mindset you bring before you choose it?   In this Live Counterflow interview, Brandon sits down with Bob Regnerus, a coach, strategist, and long-time contributor in the Perry Marshall ecosystem, to explore why most financial and business strategies fail without alignment, conviction, and self-awareness.   Bob shares insights from over 30 years of coaching high-performing entrepreneurs, athletes, and leaders, revealing how purpose, natural advantage, and 80/20 leverage shape results long before tactics ever matter.   This conversation goes deep into: Why copying successful people often backfires How "clarity" can become a trap without action The difference between hard work and aligned hard work What your "financial nervous system" reveals about money decisions Why systems pressure people into default thinking, and how to step out How AI can amplify your strengths without replacing human intuition   Bob also explains the Purpose Factor framework, a tool that helps people remember who they are, identify what lights them up, and recognize blind spots that quietly sabotage progress.   If you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or leader who's tired of chasing tactics that don't fit, this episode will challenge how you think about money, growth, and leverage   00:00 Welcome to Wealth Wisdom Financial Podcast 00:05 Introducing Live Counterflow 00:50 Mindset Shifts and Financial Nervous System 01:13 Interview with Bob Ris: Coach, Mentor, Entrepreneur 01:29 Bob's Background and Achievements 05:49 The Importance of Purpose and Natural Advantage 13:26 Financial Systems and Personal Purpose 18:24 Purpose Factor and Self-Discovery 22:09 Applying 80/20 Principle in Life and Business 27:28 Discovering Your Marketing DNA 28:03 Embracing Your Natural Strengths 29:48 The Power of Experimentation 31:00 Understanding Your Purpose Factor 32:09 Commitment and Testing in Business 34:03 The 80/20 Principle in Action 35:30 How You Do One Thing is How You Do Everything 37:52 Aligning Business with Personal Values 45:12 Leveraging AI for Creativity and Efficiency 49:17 Purpose Factor Assessment and Its Benefits 52:51 Closing Remarks and Appreciations]   Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EQS5mXEXyPQ 

Is 'ethics' something we've undervaluing when it comes to experimentation? Should we actually care about this nerd stuff of 'ethics'?!Well, yes. Obviously. AJ "Does No Wrong" Long joined Shiva to chat about this specifically, as someone who works in the fantasy sports realm of things, ethics can be a contentious subject. We got into:- Why "users first" is really the only way to foolproof ethnical experimentation (and low-key, the only great way to run a business long term) - How PrizePicks fosters 'responsibility' in fantasy sports (really cool things they're doing there)- How to set (and enforce) guardrails in programs. Which is stupidly important in experimentation, when people want to break it down and hack it as much as possibleGo follow AJ on LinkedIn:⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/angusjlong/Also go follow Shiva Manjunath on LinkedIn:⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiva-manjunath/⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our newsletter for more memes, clips, and awesome content!⁠⁠https://fromatob.beehiiv.com/

Sledges, Corkscrews, and other fears.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Once at the starting point, we both sat down on our sledges. I was grateful only a few others were preparing to ride, but gasped again when I saw how youthful their faces were. I doubted anyone here was over thirty years old. I wondered whether Jorunn was punishing me, or perhaps was hoping I would voluntarily quit the tour.“I don’t know if I can do this, Jorunn. I’m afraid.”Jorunn looked me in the eye with a grim look on her face.“Afraid is coming home with my mother, and finding my father sleeping with another woman. Afraid is watching how he broke apart my family and wondering how my mom and I would go on. Afraid is me cutting off my father and not wanting to ever see him again.”“Afraid is quitting a dead-end job and trying to earn a living as a vlogger in one of the most expensive countries on earth. Afraid is checking every morning for clicks, likes, and followers, and finding out the numbers did not change.”“Afraid is starting a private small-group tour company, all by myself, and weaving my way through the many regulations, laws, and insurance requirements. Afraid is knowing I have to book at least one trip a month just to cover those costs.”“Afraid is taking a group of six to Svalbard for a glacier hike in early summer, and spotting a polar bear less than 200 meters away lumbering towards us. Afraid is watching our guide fire off the last of her flares, but seeing the bear still coming. Afraid is the look in our guide’s eyes as she reached for her rifle.”“You don’t need to be afraid of sledging, Gunnar. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try sledging. Meet me at the bottom of the hill. Either make the run or turn in your sledge and take the Metro down the hill.”I watched Jorunn push off and head down the run, then thought about her words. I lived a good life in Minnesota, meeting Solveig in college and then stepping right into a lifetime job with the 3M company. Adventure was going to our lake cabin where the only challenges were fighting off mosquitos, and figuring out how to remove burnt marshmallows off the end of a stick. After our first child, Solveig and I stopped doing anything like sledding, and instead sat and watched our kids having all the fun.What am I doing here in Norway? Why am I here? Jorunn answered that question for me. I pushed off and started my run.I fought my way down the mountain, and as I approached the end of the run, I was happy to see it level off. I saw Jorunn standing next to her sledge, her small camera pointed at me. I raised both hands over my head, waved, then yelled, “I did it!” I coasted to a stop three meters past her.Jorunn ran up to me, and as I stood, she hugged me. “I’m proud of you Gunnar.” As we hugged, under the clear blue skies and chilly temperatures, I closed my eyes and went back 35 years to a small hill in Minneapolis, where I hugged Solvieg after sledding. Jorunn released me and stepped back.I yelped, “It was wonderful! I kept to the side as other people whizzed past me. A few sections were bumpy, and my teeth rattled. The only time I was scared was when there was a steep drop-off on one side. Don’t you use guardrails in Norway?”“You may have seen a few small concrete walls, but we believe in personal responsibility here in Norway. If you cannot manage a sledge, you should not make the run. The authorities do monitor the conditions and sometimes close the run when it is too icy.”“Does that mean you believed in me? Believed I could make it down the hill?”“There is nothing wrong with you, Gunnar. While I was waiting here at the bottom of the hill, I read about your Iron Range in Minnesota. You are rusty. There is a Wizard of Oz Museum there. You are the Tin Man. This tour is the Oil Can. Figure it out. The Oil Can only works if you pick it up and use it. Stand tall and walk proudly for as long as you can. If you fall, get up and keep going.”It was an interesting way to look at life. I was only 56 years old, but for the last few years, I acted like I was 80. I still have many years to go sledging, if only I was not afraid to try.I turned to Jorunn. “Let’s go again!”Pea SoupDecember 16 - Mid-DayAfter three more runs, Jorunn and I turned in our sledges and ate lunch at the beautiful Frognersteren Restaurant on top of the hill. I followed her suggestion of a thick pea soup with meatballs and potatoes. It was delicious. As we sipped hot chocolate, it felt good to be alive again.“A week ago, I was in a nursing home in Minnesota. After my wife died, no one visited me, not even my adult children. I was alone. It was a terrible place, run by a terrible nurse. I had to get out. I made plans with my lawyer, then walked out the front door and got on a plane to come to Norway. What’s the worst place you have ever been?”“Dublin, Ireland. After the divorce, my mother and I were struggling financially. We had gone from living a comfortable life to living paycheck to paycheck. I saw a post on the Internet for a job as a body double for a Vikings television program. I wasn’t sure what a body double did, but it paid well for a short gig. I took all my clothes off while a dozen people stared at me and took photos and videos. I hadn’t been naked in front of any man in over a year, since before the divorce. They must have liked me because I got the part, and they flew me to Dublin. The next morning, I went to the studios. I sat there in a robe while they cut and styled my hair to match the actress I was portraying. Then off to the makeup department, where I removed my robe while they applied fake tattoos and full body makeup so I would look dirty in all the right places.”“After lunch in the studio, the costume department placed me in a white linen tunic. When it was time to film, they told me to stand in front of the lead actor while he lifted the tunic off me and tossed it aside. He was much older than me, and with his beard, he reminded me of my father. He exuded the same swagger as if the world revolved only around him. I would be fully exposed to him, and to the camera crew, who were filming me from behind. They told me to act submissive and let the lead actor hug me. It took several takes and a few tweaks before the director was happy.”“Next, I was ordered to lay down on a stylized Viking bed covered with furs. The sex scene was to be filmed twice. Once for television, then for an unrated video release. The make-up people gave me a once over, then thankfully positioned a flesh-covered patch over my vagina. In the first shot, I was naked, but the lead actor remained fully clothed. He stood and positioned himself between my legs, and they told me to keep my vagina pressed tight against his crotch as he bucked against me. We needed to make the audience believe we were having sex while showing them nothing. I remained in this position while they adjusted the lighting and camera angles, and beneath his trousers, I felt the lead actor’s erect cock pressed against me.”“The director yelled, ‘Action’. Once again, they told me to be submissive, and let the lead actor take charge. He started humping against me. Looking up at him, he was still a handsome man, and I wondered how many women around the world dreamed or fantasized about being in the same place I was. I wasn’t one of them, but I understood this was why they hired me, so I accepted it. Like earlier, it took several takes. The director would review the shot and make small adjustments each time. After the last take, I saw a large wet spot on the front of the lead actor’s trousers.”“Then it was time for the unrated scene. A host of costume and make-up people swarmed around the actor while I lay there naked. This time, he was to be naked as he approached the bed. The camera angle was off to the side to avoid full frontal and he used his left hand to shield his erection, thankfully contained in a flesh-covered sock. The scene began with the lead actor approaching me, and once in position, he began humping against me. His covered cock slid against the covering over my vagina, but the sensations passed right through. My nipples became erect, and I felt my wetness building.”“After several takes, the director was happy, and we moved on to the last scene for which I was needed. In this one, the lead actor would be laying on top of me, his arms extended and propping himself up with his hands placed on either side of my body. This scene was more challenging because it needed to be mixed with prior facial cuts shot separately with the lead male actor and lead female actress. The scene would be filmed from several angles including above and below. As the director reviewed the earlier footage, the makeup people worked on my face and hair.”“The next thing I felt was the lead actor lying on top of me, his body pressing his erect cock against the patch covering my vagina. I wanted to turn away, but he told me to look at him because it would help him release his creative juices. I feared the possible double entendre. Here I was, face-to-face with the avatar of the man I hated more than anyone, the man who destroyed our family. When the director was ready, he said to go at it and try to simulate real sex. He yelled 'Action’. I was sweating under the lights, and the patch covering my vagina began to slip, aided by the movement of the lead actor’s covered cock. As my pussy became more exposed, I was afraid his cock might slide into me, so I yelled 'Cut!’. Everything stopped, and I pushed him off.”“That was enough. I yelled I was through, gathered my things, and headed for the front door. I paid my own way back to Oslo, and thought about filing a protest, but later learned what they did was mostly proper. Most sex scenes are between two body doubles. It is rare, but sometimes a lead actor will film such scenes if they have it in their nudity clause. I had a new appreciation for body doubles, but my own acting career lasted one day, and looking at the final scenes after release, I was on screen for eight seconds, and no one knew it was me!”I said, “Wow. We have something in common. The nursing home did everything properly, but like you, I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I headed for the front door. I’m sorry for your terrible experience.”Jorunn shook her head, “Don’t be sorry. The experience ended up changing my life for the better. After I got back to Oslo, I swore to never work for anyone else again. I wanted to direct my own scenes, so I started doing vlogs. That led to the creation of my tour company. As things turned out, I walked out one door and right into something I loved. Plus, I walked out wearing this really cool, braided leather Viking headband I have on now. You are halfway there. You have walked out the front door. Now you must find something, or someone, to love.”A profound statement from someone so young.SpikersuppaDecember 16 - AfternoonI noticed the sun getting low on the horizon. Jorunn caught my glance and said, “The sun sets early here in Oslo, around 3:30 in the afternoon. In some of the northern cities, it set last month and will not rise again until spring.”I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day looking at museums, and flushed with my success on the hill, I took a chance. “Do you ice skate?”Jorunn replied, “I do, but not very well.”I said, “If you know of a skating rink with lights, maybe we can go there and skate.”“There is a nice lighted one in downtown Oslo called Spikersuppa,” said Jorunn. “When the sun goes down in Oslo, the twinkling lights are turned on, bringing with them their magic. The ice-skating rink is close to the Christmas market, which is our agenda for tonight.”“That sounds great to me,” I replied.We took the T-bane back to downtown Oslo and arrived as the sun was setting. There weren’t any clouds, but the multi-layered horizon was still beautiful. Orange along the bottom, and above it, increasingly darker hues of blue and purple, before turning to black in the night sky. After leaving the train station Jorunn and I walked along a pedestrian-only street named 'Karl Johns gate’ passing high-end stores and restaurants. Jorunn either pointed to, or mentioned, notable downtown buildings such as the Royal Palace, Parliament, the National Theatre, the Grand Hotel, and the original University of Oslo buildings. We also passed the brilliantly lit Freia clock, associated with the long-time Norwegian chocolate maker, and the unofficial symbol of Oslo.We rented skates and then stepped tentatively onto the ice. It wasn’t a big rink, and fortunately, not crowded. In the middle was a frozen water fountain. Christmas music was playing and twinkling lights glowed all around us.“I played ice hockey in Minnesota when I was in high school, but haven’t skated since.”“My father used to take me to figure skating lessons when I was young, but I stopped. I kept falling when trying to do spins.”“Maybe we can help each other out. Have you ever tried ice dancing?”Jorunn laughed. “No! Never!”“Neither have I. But a wise woman once told me that I should not be afraid of ice dancing. What I should be afraid of is being too afraid to try ice dancing.”Jorunn smiled, “A very wise woman, indeed! Let’s try it and see what happens.”I remember watching the wonderful British duo of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean ice dancing in their last Olympics in 1994. The Olympics were here in Norway, in Lillehammer. I was not about to try any lifts or spins, but I reached my right arm behind Jorunn and placed my hand on her right hip. Taking her left hand in mine, I held her left arm across my body.“Ready?” I asked.Jorunn nodded, and together we pushed off. Right. Left. Right. Left. We moved slowly, side-by-side, in a steady rhythm, and made it around the rink making only a few wobbles. After three more passes, my ancient muscle memory awoke, and I wanted to do more. We separated and I joined my right hand to her left. “We can take longer strides and skate a little faster this way.”After another trip around the rink, we added a slow weaving pattern. Coming out of the last turn, I told Jorunn, “Here is your chance to be a figure skater. I’ll hold your hand. Try a spin.”I skated slightly just ahead of Jorunn, then pulled her forward so she would have enough speed. I raised her hand into the air as she went past, and she started spinning. She yelled, “I’m doing it.” And she was, at least until her speed slowed and she fell into me. “Dam toe pick!” she yelled. With her arms around me, our eyes met. Then she wrinkled her nose, her signature facial expression on the vlogs indicating she didn’t like something. Just as quickly, her face lit up and her big smile glowed. “I’m laughing too hard inside. That was such fun!” She burst out laughing and I joined her. We finally broke the ice, here on the ice.Jorunn separated from me and said, “It is time for Christmas Market.” I helped her up and we turned in our skates. The nearby lights and sounds beckoned.The Christmas MarketDecember 16 - EveningThe sun set long ago and was now just a memory. It was completely dark, but downtown Oslo turned into a Christmas wonderland. There were twinkling lights on almost every tree, with the large and stately buildings surrounding us outlined in white lights to accompany their dramatic uplighting. Oslo was so different than Minneapolis. In downtown Minneapolis, 30-year-old buildings were being torn down to build taller ones in the same location. Here, the buildings were massive, centuries-old, covering an entire block, and they were still in use, letting everyone appreciate the history and architecture. Jorunn and I saw glass-covered buildings in Oslo, with their clean modern architecture, but this was the heart of the city. The life, the pulse, and vitality of Oslo all sprang from here.Towering above everything at the Christmas Market was a brilliantly lit Ferris wheel, each spoke outlined in white lights. I looked at Jorunn and she nodded. She took my hand, and we ran for the Ferris wheel, artfully dodging between the growing number of people.When we boarded, we found each of the seats enclosed in a glass bubble, possibly as a safety measure, or just as likely, protection from the cold. One of the benefits of this was being able to move around a bit, which afforded us a 360-degree aerial view of downtown Oslo. We paused near the top, where Jorunn pulled out her camera.Jorunn said, “It’s rather romantic up here. We should do a selfie.” She sat down right me. “Kiss me. On the lips. Just a quick one. I have the timer set for three seconds. We’ll put our lips together and hold them for a few seconds until the flash goes off.”“Jorunn, I am much older than you. I don’t think it will look very romantic.”“Gunnar, you’re not too old to kiss someone. And if I need to, I can do a little digital touchup, or just flash a quick cut. It will be perfect.”“How do want me to kiss you? Do you want my eyes open or closed? Should I look at the camera or…”Jorunn quickly reached behind my head and pulled me to her. As our lips met, I closed my eyes, and my mouth responded. I felt her softness and a quick tease as Jorunn’s tongue glazed over my lips. A flash went off. But Jorunn did not separate, nor did I. I opened my eyes, and saw that Jorunn’s eyes closed. As our lips pressed together, it felt so warm and comfortable.We separated, and Jorunn said, “Perfect!” Then she looked at the photo just taken. I thought about the sequence of her words and her actions. Jorunn switched over to video and began doing her vlog. She was speaking in English. Immersed in Norwegian for three days, it almost sounded like a foreign language to me. When Jorunn finished, I asked her why she didn’t record her vlogs in Norwegian.She surprised me by continuing in English. “Norwegians already live here. Who would watch my videos if I recorded them in Norwegian? If someone in Norway wants to see the view from the top of this Ferris wheel, they will come here and ride it. People from every continent watch my videos and speak at least some English. It used to bother me when I would get comments on my videos complaining I spoke with a Norwegian accent. Now I just laugh.”I asked her, “Every continent? Including Antarctica?”“Yes. The Norwegian Polar Institute has a year-round research station in Antarctica named 'Troll’. Their mission is to study the polar regions and the effects of global warming and pollution. It’s not a tourist destination, but they have talked to me about possibly going there. They want to do more outreach, to spread the word to younger audiences on social media. I have followers there, but we haven’t been able to work out the permissions and details. The

Sledges, Corkscrews, and other fears.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.Once at the starting point, we both sat down on our sledges. I was grateful only a few others were preparing to ride, but gasped again when I saw how youthful their faces were. I doubted anyone here was over thirty years old. I wondered whether Jorunn was punishing me, or perhaps was hoping I would voluntarily quit the tour.“I don’t know if I can do this, Jorunn. I’m afraid.”Jorunn looked me in the eye with a grim look on her face.“Afraid is coming home with my mother, and finding my father sleeping with another woman. Afraid is watching how he broke apart my family and wondering how my mom and I would go on. Afraid is me cutting off my father and not wanting to ever see him again.”“Afraid is quitting a dead-end job and trying to earn a living as a vlogger in one of the most expensive countries on earth. Afraid is checking every morning for clicks, likes, and followers, and finding out the numbers did not change.”“Afraid is starting a private small-group tour company, all by myself, and weaving my way through the many regulations, laws, and insurance requirements. Afraid is knowing I have to book at least one trip a month just to cover those costs.”“Afraid is taking a group of six to Svalbard for a glacier hike in early summer, and spotting a polar bear less than 200 meters away lumbering towards us. Afraid is watching our guide fire off the last of her flares, but seeing the bear still coming. Afraid is the look in our guide’s eyes as she reached for her rifle.”“You don’t need to be afraid of sledging, Gunnar. What you need to be afraid of is being too afraid to try sledging. Meet me at the bottom of the hill. Either make the run or turn in your sledge and take the Metro down the hill.”I watched Jorunn push off and head down the run, then thought about her words. I lived a good life in Minnesota, meeting Solveig in college and then stepping right into a lifetime job with the 3M company. Adventure was going to our lake cabin where the only challenges were fighting off mosquitos, and figuring out how to remove burnt marshmallows off the end of a stick. After our first child, Solveig and I stopped doing anything like sledding, and instead sat and watched our kids having all the fun.What am I doing here in Norway? Why am I here? Jorunn answered that question for me. I pushed off and started my run.I fought my way down the mountain, and as I approached the end of the run, I was happy to see it level off. I saw Jorunn standing next to her sledge, her small camera pointed at me. I raised both hands over my head, waved, then yelled, “I did it!” I coasted to a stop three meters past her.Jorunn ran up to me, and as I stood, she hugged me. “I’m proud of you Gunnar.” As we hugged, under the clear blue skies and chilly temperatures, I closed my eyes and went back 35 years to a small hill in Minneapolis, where I hugged Solvieg after sledding. Jorunn released me and stepped back.I yelped, “It was wonderful! I kept to the side as other people whizzed past me. A few sections were bumpy, and my teeth rattled. The only time I was scared was when there was a steep drop-off on one side. Don’t you use guardrails in Norway?”“You may have seen a few small concrete walls, but we believe in personal responsibility here in Norway. If you cannot manage a sledge, you should not make the run. The authorities do monitor the conditions and sometimes close the run when it is too icy.”“Does that mean you believed in me? Believed I could make it down the hill?”“There is nothing wrong with you, Gunnar. While I was waiting here at the bottom of the hill, I read about your Iron Range in Minnesota. You are rusty. There is a Wizard of Oz Museum there. You are the Tin Man. This tour is the Oil Can. Figure it out. The Oil Can only works if you pick it up and use it. Stand tall and walk proudly for as long as you can. If you fall, get up and keep going.”It was an interesting way to look at life. I was only 56 years old, but for the last few years, I acted like I was 80. I still have many years to go sledging, if only I was not afraid to try.I turned to Jorunn. “Let’s go again!”Pea SoupDecember 16 - Mid-DayAfter three more runs, Jorunn and I turned in our sledges and ate lunch at the beautiful Frognersteren Restaurant on top of the hill. I followed her suggestion of a thick pea soup with meatballs and potatoes. It was delicious. As we sipped hot chocolate, it felt good to be alive again.“A week ago, I was in a nursing home in Minnesota. After my wife died, no one visited me, not even my adult children. I was alone. It was a terrible place, run by a terrible nurse. I had to get out. I made plans with my lawyer, then walked out the front door and got on a plane to come to Norway. What’s the worst place you have ever been?”“Dublin, Ireland. After the divorce, my mother and I were struggling financially. We had gone from living a comfortable life to living paycheck to paycheck. I saw a post on the Internet for a job as a body double for a Vikings television program. I wasn’t sure what a body double did, but it paid well for a short gig. I took all my clothes off while a dozen people stared at me and took photos and videos. I hadn’t been naked in front of any man in over a year, since before the divorce. They must have liked me because I got the part, and they flew me to Dublin. The next morning, I went to the studios. I sat there in a robe while they cut and styled my hair to match the actress I was portraying. Then off to the makeup department, where I removed my robe while they applied fake tattoos and full body makeup so I would look dirty in all the right places.”“After lunch in the studio, the costume department placed me in a white linen tunic. When it was time to film, they told me to stand in front of the lead actor while he lifted the tunic off me and tossed it aside. He was much older than me, and with his beard, he reminded me of my father. He exuded the same swagger as if the world revolved only around him. I would be fully exposed to him, and to the camera crew, who were filming me from behind. They told me to act submissive and let the lead actor hug me. It took several takes and a few tweaks before the director was happy.”“Next, I was ordered to lay down on a stylized Viking bed covered with furs. The sex scene was to be filmed twice. Once for television, then for an unrated video release. The make-up people gave me a once over, then thankfully positioned a flesh-covered patch over my vagina. In the first shot, I was naked, but the lead actor remained fully clothed. He stood and positioned himself between my legs, and they told me to keep my vagina pressed tight against his crotch as he bucked against me. We needed to make the audience believe we were having sex while showing them nothing. I remained in this position while they adjusted the lighting and camera angles, and beneath his trousers, I felt the lead actor’s erect cock pressed against me.”“The director yelled, ‘Action’. Once again, they told me to be submissive, and let the lead actor take charge. He started humping against me. Looking up at him, he was still a handsome man, and I wondered how many women around the world dreamed or fantasized about being in the same place I was. I wasn’t one of them, but I understood this was why they hired me, so I accepted it. Like earlier, it took several takes. The director would review the shot and make small adjustments each time. After the last take, I saw a large wet spot on the front of the lead actor’s trousers.”“Then it was time for the unrated scene. A host of costume and make-up people swarmed around the actor while I lay there naked. This time, he was to be naked as he approached the bed. The camera angle was off to the side to avoid full frontal and he used his left hand to shield his erection, thankfully contained in a flesh-covered sock. The scene began with the lead actor approaching me, and once in position, he began humping against me. His covered cock slid against the covering over my vagina, but the sensations passed right through. My nipples became erect, and I felt my wetness building.”“After several takes, the director was happy, and we moved on to the last scene for which I was needed. In this one, the lead actor would be laying on top of me, his arms extended and propping himself up with his hands placed on either side of my body. This scene was more challenging because it needed to be mixed with prior facial cuts shot separately with the lead male actor and lead female actress. The scene would be filmed from several angles including above and below. As the director reviewed the earlier footage, the makeup people worked on my face and hair.”“The next thing I felt was the lead actor lying on top of me, his body pressing his erect cock against the patch covering my vagina. I wanted to turn away, but he told me to look at him because it would help him release his creative juices. I feared the possible double entendre. Here I was, face-to-face with the avatar of the man I hated more than anyone, the man who destroyed our family. When the director was ready, he said to go at it and try to simulate real sex. He yelled 'Action’. I was sweating under the lights, and the patch covering my vagina began to slip, aided by the movement of the lead actor’s covered cock. As my pussy became more exposed, I was afraid his cock might slide into me, so I yelled 'Cut!’. Everything stopped, and I pushed him off.”“That was enough. I yelled I was through, gathered my things, and headed for the front door. I paid my own way back to Oslo, and thought about filing a protest, but later learned what they did was mostly proper. Most sex scenes are between two body doubles. It is rare, but sometimes a lead actor will film such scenes if they have it in their nudity clause. I had a new appreciation for body doubles, but my own acting career lasted one day, and looking at the final scenes after release, I was on screen for eight seconds, and no one knew it was me!”I said, “Wow. We have something in common. The nursing home did everything properly, but like you, I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I headed for the front door. I’m sorry for your terrible experience.”Jorunn shook her head, “Don’t be sorry. The experience ended up changing my life for the better. After I got back to Oslo, I swore to never work for anyone else again. I wanted to direct my own scenes, so I started doing vlogs. That led to the creation of my tour company. As things turned out, I walked out one door and right into something I loved. Plus, I walked out wearing this really cool, braided leather Viking headband I have on now. You are halfway there. You have walked out the front door. Now you must find something, or someone, to love.”A profound statement from someone so young.SpikersuppaDecember 16 - AfternoonI noticed the sun getting low on the horizon. Jorunn caught my glance and said, “The sun sets early here in Oslo, around 3:30 in the afternoon. In some of the northern cities, it set last month and will not rise again until spring.”I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day looking at museums, and flushed with my success on the hill, I took a chance. “Do you ice skate?”Jorunn replied, “I do, but not very well.”I said, “If you know of a skating rink with lights, maybe we can go there and skate.”“There is a nice lighted one in downtown Oslo called Spikersuppa,” said Jorunn. “When the sun goes down in Oslo, the twinkling lights are turned on, bringing with them their magic. The ice-skating rink is close to the Christmas market, which is our agenda for tonight.”“That sounds great to me,” I replied.We took the T-bane back to downtown Oslo and arrived as the sun was setting. There weren’t any clouds, but the multi-layered horizon was still beautiful. Orange along the bottom, and above it, increasingly darker hues of blue and purple, before turning to black in the night sky. After leaving the train station Jorunn and I walked along a pedestrian-only street named 'Karl Johns gate’ passing high-end stores and restaurants. Jorunn either pointed to, or mentioned, notable downtown buildings such as the Royal Palace, Parliament, the National Theatre, the Grand Hotel, and the original University of Oslo buildings. We also passed the brilliantly lit Freia clock, associated with the long-time Norwegian chocolate maker, and the unofficial symbol of Oslo.We rented skates and then stepped tentatively onto the ice. It wasn’t a big rink, and fortunately, not crowded. In the middle was a frozen water fountain. Christmas music was playing and twinkling lights glowed all around us.“I played ice hockey in Minnesota when I was in high school, but haven’t skated since.”“My father used to take me to figure skating lessons when I was young, but I stopped. I kept falling when trying to do spins.”“Maybe we can help each other out. Have you ever tried ice dancing?”Jorunn laughed. “No! Never!”“Neither have I. But a wise woman once told me that I should not be afraid of ice dancing. What I should be afraid of is being too afraid to try ice dancing.”Jorunn smiled, “A very wise woman, indeed! Let’s try it and see what happens.”I remember watching the wonderful British duo of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean ice dancing in their last Olympics in 1994. The Olympics were here in Norway, in Lillehammer. I was not about to try any lifts or spins, but I reached my right arm behind Jorunn and placed my hand on her right hip. Taking her left hand in mine, I held her left arm across my body.“Ready?” I asked.Jorunn nodded, and together we pushed off. Right. Left. Right. Left. We moved slowly, side-by-side, in a steady rhythm, and made it around the rink making only a few wobbles. After three more passes, my ancient muscle memory awoke, and I wanted to do more. We separated and I joined my right hand to her left. “We can take longer strides and skate a little faster this way.”After another trip around the rink, we added a slow weaving pattern. Coming out of the last turn, I told Jorunn, “Here is your chance to be a figure skater. I’ll hold your hand. Try a spin.”I skated slightly just ahead of Jorunn, then pulled her forward so she would have enough speed. I raised her hand into the air as she went past, and she started spinning. She yelled, “I’m doing it.” And she was, at least until her speed slowed and she fell into me. “Dam toe pick!” she yelled. With her arms around me, our eyes met. Then she wrinkled her nose, her signature facial expression on the vlogs indicating she didn’t like something. Just as quickly, her face lit up and her big smile glowed. “I’m laughing too hard inside. That was such fun!” She burst out laughing and I joined her. We finally broke the ice, here on the ice.Jorunn separated from me and said, “It is time for Christmas Market.” I helped her up and we turned in our skates. The nearby lights and sounds beckoned.The Christmas MarketDecember 16 - EveningThe sun set long ago and was now just a memory. It was completely dark, but downtown Oslo turned into a Christmas wonderland. There were twinkling lights on almost every tree, with the large and stately buildings surrounding us outlined in white lights to accompany their dramatic uplighting. Oslo was so different than Minneapolis. In downtown Minneapolis, 30-year-old buildings were being torn down to build taller ones in the same location. Here, the buildings were massive, centuries-old, covering an entire block, and they were still in use, letting everyone appreciate the history and architecture. Jorunn and I saw glass-covered buildings in Oslo, with their clean modern architecture, but this was the heart of the city. The life, the pulse, and vitality of Oslo all sprang from here.Towering above everything at the Christmas Market was a brilliantly lit Ferris wheel, each spoke outlined in white lights. I looked at Jorunn and she nodded. She took my hand, and we ran for the Ferris wheel, artfully dodging between the growing number of people.When we boarded, we found each of the seats enclosed in a glass bubble, possibly as a safety measure, or just as likely, protection from the cold. One of the benefits of this was being able to move around a bit, which afforded us a 360-degree aerial view of downtown Oslo. We paused near the top, where Jorunn pulled out her camera.Jorunn said, “It’s rather romantic up here. We should do a selfie.” She sat down right me. “Kiss me. On the lips. Just a quick one. I have the timer set for three seconds. We’ll put our lips together and hold them for a few seconds until the flash goes off.”“Jorunn, I am much older than you. I don’t think it will look very romantic.”“Gunnar, you’re not too old to kiss someone. And if I need to, I can do a little digital touchup, or just flash a quick cut. It will be perfect.”“How do want me to kiss you? Do you want my eyes open or closed? Should I look at the camera or…”Jorunn quickly reached behind my head and pulled me to her. As our lips met, I closed my eyes, and my mouth responded. I felt her softness and a quick tease as Jorunn’s tongue glazed over my lips. A flash went off. But Jorunn did not separate, nor did I. I opened my eyes, and saw that Jorunn’s eyes closed. As our lips pressed together, it felt so warm and comfortable.We separated, and Jorunn said, “Perfect!” Then she looked at the photo just taken. I thought about the sequence of her words and her actions. Jorunn switched over to video and began doing her vlog. She was speaking in English. Immersed in Norwegian for three days, it almost sounded like a foreign language to me. When Jorunn finished, I asked her why she didn’t record her vlogs in Norwegian.She surprised me by continuing in English. “Norwegians already live here. Who would watch my videos if I recorded them in Norwegian? If someone in Norway wants to see the view from the top of this Ferris wheel, they will come here and ride it. People from every continent watch my videos and speak at least some English. It used to bother me when I would get comments on my videos complaining I spoke with a Norwegian accent. Now I just laugh.”I asked her, “Every continent? Including Antarctica?”“Yes. The Norwegian Polar Institute has a year-round research station in Antarctica named 'Troll’. Their mission is to study the polar regions and the effects of global warming and pollution. It’s not a tourist destination, but they have talked to me about possibly going there. They want to do more outreach, to spread the word to younger audiences on social media. I have followers there, but we haven’t been able to work out the permissions and details. The

Today I'm joined by Stephanie Blair, Founder of Know & Flourish (https://knowandflourish.com/), for a practical conversation on digital career growth in Customer Success. We dig into how to build a career identity (not just a title), why experimentation matters, and how to expand your lane without burning out. You'll hear a real-world example from my team of turning a scrappy spreadsheet into a lightweight web tool, and what that kind of initiative can do for your brand inside the business.We also talk about the shift in CS org design: the rise of digital program managers, AI-assisted workflows, and yes - why human, IRL moments still win renewals. If you're exploring a pivot into CS (from sales/marketing/product) or within CS (service → expansion, or IC → leader), Stephanie breaks down how to translate your skills, control your narrative, and interview like a peer.Housekeeping: I'll be co-chairing the CS Summit in Austin later this month, and the Digital CX Masterclass is coming soon join the waitlist at https://DigitalCustomerSuccess.com/Masterclass to be first in line. Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic

In this episode of Always Be Testing, host Tye DeGrange is joined by Cormac Jonas, CEO and Founder of The Jonas Agency, for a deep dive into what's actually broken in modern performance marketing. With years of experience across affiliate, paid media, and creator-led growth, Cormac brings a sharp perspective on why so many brands are optimizing campaigns while ignoring the bigger problem: flawed measurement.The conversation unpacks how misattribution, last-click bias, and platform incentives distort ROI, using the recent Honey browser extension controversy as a real-world example of how value gets misassigned across channels. They explore why TikTok and YouTube reshaped high-intent demand, how AI, CTV, and programmatic traffic are inflating “performance” metrics, and why owning an audience now matters more than owning traffic. This episode is a candid look at where affiliate and performance marketing are heading — and what brands need to fix before scaling spend.

The Homeland calls for Gunnar, And So Does Love.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.‘You are the Tin Man. This tour; is the Oil Can. Figure it out.'A recently widowed Norwegian American plans his escape from a Minnesota nursing home to travel abroad and join a ‘Christmas in Norway Tour’. While battling his fears, he meets a beautiful young tour guide and her divorced mother, who years later, still bears scars from her unfaithful husband’s affair. This story is about overcoming those fears to let healing begin. This story picks up after that, and shows the lingering effects of a husband’s extra-marital affair on his family. This is also a Christmas story, so expect to travel to locations in Norway, encounter Norwegian Christmas traditions, and maybe even get sprinkled with pixie-dust!“A man has only one escape from his old self: to see a different self - in the mirror of some woman’s eyes” - Clare Booth LucePrequel: The Ruined ChristmasOslo, Norway - Three Years AgoMy name is Jorunn. As a Norwegian landsby girl, Mamma and I spent Christmas week in Bergen, visiting her family and celebrating my 22nd birthday. We decided to leave Bergen two days early so that Pappa would not have to celebrate New Year’s Eve alone. During the week, while we were away, Pappa told us how he missed us.We arrived back home in mid-afternoon, just as the sun was setting, and saw our Christmas Star lit up in the window. After entering the house, we heard Pappa moaning upstairs and went up to see if he was all right. Opening the bedroom door, we saw him humping a strange woman!“What are you doing?” shouted Mamma.Pappa replied, “Leah, you’re home early.”“Who is this woman?”“She’s just a slut. She means nothing to me.”The woman yelped, “I am not a slut! I am a happily married woman.”Mamma yelled, “I can see what keeps you happy.”Pappa yelled back, “I still love you, Leah. Let me get rid of this slut. She’s only here because I was lonely. We can talk.”Mamma replied, “You can talk to my advokater. We’re through! How can I ever trust you again, you bastard? Do you realize what you have done to our family!”Mamma began sobbing and ran down the stairs.Pappa looked at me and said, “Jorunn, none of this would have happened if your mother hadn’t come home early and seen us.”I looked at Pappa and saw his slime-covered beard slick with the woman’s juices. “You’re wrong Pappa. It did happen. Mamma and I just wouldn’t have known. You said you didn’t want to be seen by us. That works both ways! I don’t ever want to talk to you or see you ever again!”I ran downstairs to Mamma, and with our suitcases still in the boot, we drove to a friend’s house.Gunnar and Nurse RatchedDecember 13 - MorningMinneapolis, Minnesota - Present DayI pressed the button on my cell phone and hung up after talking with Roger Mans, my long-time friend and attorney. My two adult children texted a few days ago they wanted to visit me here in the nursing home. I had not seen them since the funeral of my wife, Solveig, and that was two months ago. Their plan was for me to sign their power of attorney forms, giving them full control over me and my affairs. But my plan was different, and now was time to put it into place.Two years ago, at just 54 years old, I had a stroke. A devastating paralysis left me needing a lot of care, and therapy to regain my mobility, speech, and other functions.I realized Solveig was unable to care for me at our home. She tried with all her heart, but she was also fighting her own battle with cancer, and undergoing her own rigorous treatments.So I decided to enter a nursing home, while I continued to get rehab. I wanted a facility with a stroke recovery unit. This limited my nursing home choices. The only thing making life bearable here, was Solveig faithfully visiting me, and sneaking an occasional home-cooked meal past the head nurse and her staff. Sadly, Solveig succumbed to the cancer while I was still a resident at the ‘Bethel Retirement Center'. At Solveig’s funeral, my children promised to visit often, but as usual, I could never count on them for anything.Without my wife here to check on things, my decent clothes never came back from the laundry, and instead, the staff returned excuses. I put on old sweatpants and an old sweatshirt. It would do for now. I prepared myself for this day by walking the halls of the nursing home, attending physical therapy sessions, and taking care of myself without help from the staff. Still not fully recovered, but like my clothing, it would do for now.I said goodbye to Alfred, my shared roommate. He nodded, wished me luck, and said he would love to go with me. I felt sorry for him. He was a great storyteller but needed to use his walker, and physically, he required the kind of care they provided here.I walked down the hall to the nurse’s station and found Molly Turner, the rather brusque chief nurse, and her two assistants sitting behind it. “Good morning, Nurse Ratched,” I said.“Good day to you, Gunnar,” she replied.“I’m checking out,” I said.“Be serious, Gunnar. No one ever checks out of a nursing home, unless they are flat on their back with a toe tag.”I looked at her and smiled, “I only hope that will be your Fate, Molly.”“That’s not a nice thing to say, Gunnar. Now, return to your room or I will have dietary take away your rice pudding for a week.”The rice pudding here was a pale imitation of the riskrem, which Solvieg would make every Christmas. I would miss it this year. I gave Nurse Ratched a one-fingered salute, then walked toward the exit. There was a scramble of squeaky chairs and shouts behind me, and I heard their footsteps closing in on me. As I pushed the two doors open to the main lobby, there was Roger, standing next to the nursing home administrator. I walked up to my lawyer, and shook his hand, “Thank you, old friend.”I turned to see a stunned Nurse Ratched. “Allow me to escort Mr. Larsen back to his room,” she meekly pronounced.The nursing home administrator said, “That won’t be necessary, Molly. Mr. Larsen is leaving us. He isn’t taking anything with him. You may clear out his room and get it ready for the next resident.”I looked Nurse Ratched in the eye and saw the fires of hell blazing within. Then, it was my turn to smile back.All my therapists had agreed that my rehab was successful. My speech skills were quite restored. My left arm and leg took longer to restore. But it was good enough to ditch the wheelchair, then the walker, then the cane. What really set me back was the grief of losing my wife, and the guilt of not being there when she needed me most.Gunnar’s HouseRoger drove me to my house. I hadn't been there in two years. It looked pathetic. No one bothered shoveling the snow on the walkway, and I feared what my children may have done to the inside. I found the hidden key I placed under a rock years ago and used it to enter through the front door. The living room and dining room furniture were mostly gone, or should I say, stolen. They had rifled through the small office nook next to the kitchen, with papers scattered over the kitchen countertops and floor.I turned and said, “You’re going to have your work cut out for you, Roger.”“This is exactly what you said would happen, Gunnar. Our firm will take care of it for you.”I opened a small drawer in the office nook and thankfully found my passport intact. It was useless to my children. I went to the master bedroom and saw the dresser drawers partially opened, with clothes scattered all about the floor. On top of the dresser was Solvieg’s jewelry box. I opened it, and few things remained. I was glad to see the gold charm bracelet I gave her 35 years ago for Christmas. She wore it a couple of times, then stopped, complaining it turned her wrist green as the fake gold coating wore away. But she kept it all these years. A worn-out trinket to my children, as precious as the Sauron’s Ring of Power to me. I picked it up and put it in the pocket of my sweatpants.I went into the walk-in closet and picked out some clothes, tossed them into an old gym bag, and said, “I’m done. We can go.”Roger said, “The locksmith and security company will meet me here this afternoon. Once they are done, your children will no longer have access.”“I’d rather not have an auction of whatever is left in the house. I don’t think Solveig would have liked that. Once you go through the papers, just throw everything left in a dumpster and haul it away. Whatever the two pirates plundered will be the only inheritance they will ever see from me.”Miller And Mans Law OfficeRoger and I next went to his office. I said hello to Jane, the long-time receptionist. I have always suspected that Jane knows everything that goes on here, and secretly runs the whole place, not unlike the way Nurse Ratched does in her domain. However, Jane does so with more efficiency, happiness, and joy for both clients and staff.Jane asked, “Can I get you anything, Gunnar?”“I’d love a cup of decent coffee, and an Apple Fritter if you have one.”“I’ll bring them to Roger’s office. Two creams and no sugar, if I remember right.”“Perfect, as always, Jane.”We went into Roger’s plush office, and I sat down in a chair more comfortable than any I sat in for the last two years.“Are you actually going to go through with this?” Roger asked.“Every bit of it,” I replied.I signed multiple papers, removing my two children as beneficiaries from my life insurance and investment accounts. I also gave Roger limited power of attorney to sell my house and dispose of its possessions.Jane arrived with the coffee and Apple Fritter. “Norway? Why would anyone want to go to Norway in December?”“Did Roger spill the beans?” I asked.Jane replied, “Every piece of paper that comes into this office passes through my hands. I opened your travel visa when it came in.”“Jane, I can’t spend Christmas here in Minnesota. The bitter wintry weather pales in comparison to the cold hearts of my own two children. The further away from them I am, the better. I’ve never been to Norway and have always wanted to see the 'home country’ of my ancestors.”Like I said, Jane knows all. The coffee tasted great, and the deep-fried Apple Fritter, one of Nursed Ratched’s 'prohibited foods’, was outstanding. Roger slid me a packet labeled 'Gunnar - Norway’. As Jane left, I opened it and looked at the contents. As planned, there was an international cell phone with a different number, a stack of krone, and three new credit cards bearing the name of a fictitious business. I handed Roger my old cell phone.“We’ll dispose of this for you. Your children will have no idea where you are unless they hire a private detective with exceptionally good connections. Legally, they have no rights to any of your assets, so even if somehow they track you to our law office, they will not get past Jane.”I believed Roger on that.“The tour company you asked us to sign you up with seems pretty sketchy. Their contract looks like something generated off a free online legal site. We reviewed it, it is crude, but legal and binding. If you back out, they still get paid. Why did you pick this tour company? There are many larger and more reputable companies we might have booked you with.”“It’s silly, Roger. I know it’s only a one-person company, run by a young vlogger in Norway. It was terribly boring in the nursing home, so I would spend evenings watching her videos as she traveled around Norway visiting various places, and leading small groups of tourists. It looked like the people were having fun and she made me laugh. Watching her videos was one of the few things that brought me any happiness.”“Why did you reserve for four persons?” asked Roger.“I wanted to make sure her Christmas in Norway tour wouldn’t be canceled. She has a four-person minimum.”“You won’t get those other bookings back, even if more people are going.”“I don’t need the money, Roger, but I do need this tour.”“How about clothing? You don’t have many clothes in that gym bag, Gunnar. Do you want to stop somewhere before we get to the airport?”“No. I’ll travel light. It’ll be easier when going through airport security. I’ll buy more clothes when I get to Norway.”“How about after you come back?”“I’m going to someplace warm and sunny. Maybe visit a mouse in Florida. I’ll be in touch if I need anything while I’m in Norway, and call you when I get back in three weeks.”Jorunn, The Tour GuideDecember 15 – Morning, Two Days LaterI spent yesterday shopping for the new clothes I would need. The tour is a mix of city and outdoor activities, so I bought a basic wardrobe, along with good walking shoes, snow pants, a warm jacket, and gloves. I ate lunch and dinner at two smaller restaurants. The food was good, but I felt lonely eating by myself, in a city I didn’t know, in a strange country. I missed Solveig very much and wished she were here with me.The next morning, I walked to the nearby hotel where the tour group would be meeting and followed the “Christmas in Norway Tour” sign to a small room off the lobby. There she was! Jorunn. My vlogger! She was about as tall as I am, at least when I can stand straight, with long blonde hair parted in the middle, clear blue eyes, and her signature radiant smile. She wore a Norwegian Dale sweater and brown pants.Jorunn spoke to me in Norwegian. “Excuse me, sir, this room is reserved for a tour group.”I hobbled closer. “Yes, and I’m one of the people taking the tour.”“We have a pretty active schedule for the next seven days, from December 15th through the 22nd. Do you think you are well enough to take this tour?”I wasn’t sure if I was, but I didn’t want to tell her that. “I won’t slow you down,” I replied.“What is your name?” she asked.“Gunnar Larsen.”She opened a small notebook and flipped through the pages. “It says here you are in a group of four. I see three other names. When are they coming?”“There won’t be any others from my group. One of the names is my recently deceased wife, the other two are my estranged adult children. I’m all there is.”Jorunn looked puzzled. “Only four people in total signed up, including you, all from your group. If the others aren’t coming, then you will be the only one. I don’t… I can’t… I mean, I have reservations I cannot cancel. You’re going to cost me a fortune whether I go through with the tour or not.”I replied, “The contract states that you have a four-person minimum. I am paying you in full for all four people. You won’t lose any money.”Jorunn smirked and looked like she was thinking. “I don’t know if you’re some kind of dirty old man, but if I agree to continue this tour, you should know that we will have separate rooms every night and there will be no sex of any kind. Judging by the way you look; I hope you can at least wipe your own butt!”“Your terms are acceptable. I had a stroke two years ago, but I have mostly recovered. I can walk, talk, and listen. I have trouble with my balance at times and sometimes slur my words. If you think something is too strenuous for me, I am willing to skip that part of the tour.”“Well, Mr. Larsen of Minnesota, you need to sign some release forms. As stated in the contract, I get to film the tour group for my vlogs, so I expect smiles when I am filming you. For now, go help yourself to breakfast. There is coffee, brunost, bread, and milk. Enough to feed four. Don’t expect me to serve you, and if you don’t know how to use a cheese sliver, learn fast.”She looked puzzled earlier but was now the confident Jorunn with whom I spent virtual evenings. I was delighted we worked this out. Smiles would not be a problem.OsloDecember 15 - MorningJorunn left the room and returned shortly with a small basket of food. “We have a lot of brunost left over, so I am going to make us a food packet for lunch called matpakke. I have a place in mind where we can sit and picnic.”“We will use the Vy app and Oslo Pass and travel by train and Metro. But today, we will mainly walk around Oslo. You will need to check into this hotel under the tour name if you have not done so. We will be in Oslo for two nights. The prepaid room is part of your tour package. I will try to cancel or change some reservations. Meet me back here in one hour.”I went back to my hotel to retrieve my belongings, then checked into the one Jorunn requested. It was not as nice as the one I left, but it was clean, and I did not want to make a fuss on the first day. I purchased a surprising amount of clothing yesterday and needed to make two trips to bring everything over. Then I returned to the meeting room and found Jorunn waiting.Jorunn and I walked from the hotel to Oslo Central Station and took a tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Jorunn told me it is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland, with over two hundred sculptures combining the human form with an element of fantasy. Most figures were naked, with a mix of vagueness and rather notably open precision. The most prominent sculpture was a 17-meter-high monolith consisting of 121 intertwined human figures clambering to the top, carved from a single stone block. We spent over an hour walking the grounds, and while it was interesting, I told Jorunn that I didn’t see much in the way of Christmas here.A combination of walking and a short bus ride brought us to the grounds of the Akershus Fortress. Constructed in the 13th century, it protects the waterfront and Oslo harbor. Also on the site was the restored Akershus Castle, which was formerly a residence of prior kings of Norway. Jorunn said it serves today as an entertainment and event center for the Norwegian government, and this close to Christmas was not open to the public.I found it challenging to walk the grounds of the Fortress, as there were steep inclines mixed with stone steps and cobblestone paths. Remnants of a prior snowstorm still lingered in shady areas and under arches, making the footing treacherous. We did stop at places offering magnificent views of the city of Oslo, the bay, and the fjord, and several ramparts still bore cannons. Jorunn was rather businesslike and did not seem to be enjoyin

The Homeland calls for Gunnar, And So Does Love.Based on a post by Jorunn, in 4 parts. Listen to the ►Podcast at Connected.‘You are the Tin Man. This tour; is the Oil Can. Figure it out.'A recently widowed Norwegian American plans his escape from a Minnesota nursing home to travel abroad and join a ‘Christmas in Norway Tour’. While battling his fears, he meets a beautiful young tour guide and her divorced mother, who years later, still bears scars from her unfaithful husband’s affair. This story is about overcoming those fears to let healing begin. This story picks up after that, and shows the lingering effects of a husband’s extra-marital affair on his family. This is also a Christmas story, so expect to travel to locations in Norway, encounter Norwegian Christmas traditions, and maybe even get sprinkled with pixie-dust!“A man has only one escape from his old self: to see a different self - in the mirror of some woman’s eyes” - Clare Booth LucePrequel: The Ruined ChristmasOslo, Norway - Three Years AgoMy name is Jorunn. As a Norwegian landsby girl, Mamma and I spent Christmas week in Bergen, visiting her family and celebrating my 22nd birthday. We decided to leave Bergen two days early so that Pappa would not have to celebrate New Year’s Eve alone. During the week, while we were away, Pappa told us how he missed us.We arrived back home in mid-afternoon, just as the sun was setting, and saw our Christmas Star lit up in the window. After entering the house, we heard Pappa moaning upstairs and went up to see if he was all right. Opening the bedroom door, we saw him humping a strange woman!“What are you doing?” shouted Mamma.Pappa replied, “Leah, you’re home early.”“Who is this woman?”“She’s just a slut. She means nothing to me.”The woman yelped, “I am not a slut! I am a happily married woman.”Mamma yelled, “I can see what keeps you happy.”Pappa yelled back, “I still love you, Leah. Let me get rid of this slut. She’s only here because I was lonely. We can talk.”Mamma replied, “You can talk to my advokater. We’re through! How can I ever trust you again, you bastard? Do you realize what you have done to our family!”Mamma began sobbing and ran down the stairs.Pappa looked at me and said, “Jorunn, none of this would have happened if your mother hadn’t come home early and seen us.”I looked at Pappa and saw his slime-covered beard slick with the woman’s juices. “You’re wrong Pappa. It did happen. Mamma and I just wouldn’t have known. You said you didn’t want to be seen by us. That works both ways! I don’t ever want to talk to you or see you ever again!”I ran downstairs to Mamma, and with our suitcases still in the boot, we drove to a friend’s house.Gunnar and Nurse RatchedDecember 13 - MorningMinneapolis, Minnesota - Present DayI pressed the button on my cell phone and hung up after talking with Roger Mans, my long-time friend and attorney. My two adult children texted a few days ago they wanted to visit me here in the nursing home. I had not seen them since the funeral of my wife, Solveig, and that was two months ago. Their plan was for me to sign their power of attorney forms, giving them full control over me and my affairs. But my plan was different, and now was time to put it into place.Two years ago, at just 54 years old, I had a stroke. A devastating paralysis left me needing a lot of care, and therapy to regain my mobility, speech, and other functions.I realized Solveig was unable to care for me at our home. She tried with all her heart, but she was also fighting her own battle with cancer, and undergoing her own rigorous treatments.So I decided to enter a nursing home, while I continued to get rehab. I wanted a facility with a stroke recovery unit. This limited my nursing home choices. The only thing making life bearable here, was Solveig faithfully visiting me, and sneaking an occasional home-cooked meal past the head nurse and her staff. Sadly, Solveig succumbed to the cancer while I was still a resident at the ‘Bethel Retirement Center'. At Solveig’s funeral, my children promised to visit often, but as usual, I could never count on them for anything.Without my wife here to check on things, my decent clothes never came back from the laundry, and instead, the staff returned excuses. I put on old sweatpants and an old sweatshirt. It would do for now. I prepared myself for this day by walking the halls of the nursing home, attending physical therapy sessions, and taking care of myself without help from the staff. Still not fully recovered, but like my clothing, it would do for now.I said goodbye to Alfred, my shared roommate. He nodded, wished me luck, and said he would love to go with me. I felt sorry for him. He was a great storyteller but needed to use his walker, and physically, he required the kind of care they provided here.I walked down the hall to the nurse’s station and found Molly Turner, the rather brusque chief nurse, and her two assistants sitting behind it. “Good morning, Nurse Ratched,” I said.“Good day to you, Gunnar,” she replied.“I’m checking out,” I said.“Be serious, Gunnar. No one ever checks out of a nursing home, unless they are flat on their back with a toe tag.”I looked at her and smiled, “I only hope that will be your Fate, Molly.”“That’s not a nice thing to say, Gunnar. Now, return to your room or I will have dietary take away your rice pudding for a week.”The rice pudding here was a pale imitation of the riskrem, which Solvieg would make every Christmas. I would miss it this year. I gave Nurse Ratched a one-fingered salute, then walked toward the exit. There was a scramble of squeaky chairs and shouts behind me, and I heard their footsteps closing in on me. As I pushed the two doors open to the main lobby, there was Roger, standing next to the nursing home administrator. I walked up to my lawyer, and shook his hand, “Thank you, old friend.”I turned to see a stunned Nurse Ratched. “Allow me to escort Mr. Larsen back to his room,” she meekly pronounced.The nursing home administrator said, “That won’t be necessary, Molly. Mr. Larsen is leaving us. He isn’t taking anything with him. You may clear out his room and get it ready for the next resident.”I looked Nurse Ratched in the eye and saw the fires of hell blazing within. Then, it was my turn to smile back.All my therapists had agreed that my rehab was successful. My speech skills were quite restored. My left arm and leg took longer to restore. But it was good enough to ditch the wheelchair, then the walker, then the cane. What really set me back was the grief of losing my wife, and the guilt of not being there when she needed me most.Gunnar’s HouseRoger drove me to my house. I hadn't been there in two years. It looked pathetic. No one bothered shoveling the snow on the walkway, and I feared what my children may have done to the inside. I found the hidden key I placed under a rock years ago and used it to enter through the front door. The living room and dining room furniture were mostly gone, or should I say, stolen. They had rifled through the small office nook next to the kitchen, with papers scattered over the kitchen countertops and floor.I turned and said, “You’re going to have your work cut out for you, Roger.”“This is exactly what you said would happen, Gunnar. Our firm will take care of it for you.”I opened a small drawer in the office nook and thankfully found my passport intact. It was useless to my children. I went to the master bedroom and saw the dresser drawers partially opened, with clothes scattered all about the floor. On top of the dresser was Solvieg’s jewelry box. I opened it, and few things remained. I was glad to see the gold charm bracelet I gave her 35 years ago for Christmas. She wore it a couple of times, then stopped, complaining it turned her wrist green as the fake gold coating wore away. But she kept it all these years. A worn-out trinket to my children, as precious as the Sauron’s Ring of Power to me. I picked it up and put it in the pocket of my sweatpants.I went into the walk-in closet and picked out some clothes, tossed them into an old gym bag, and said, “I’m done. We can go.”Roger said, “The locksmith and security company will meet me here this afternoon. Once they are done, your children will no longer have access.”“I’d rather not have an auction of whatever is left in the house. I don’t think Solveig would have liked that. Once you go through the papers, just throw everything left in a dumpster and haul it away. Whatever the two pirates plundered will be the only inheritance they will ever see from me.”Miller And Mans Law OfficeRoger and I next went to his office. I said hello to Jane, the long-time receptionist. I have always suspected that Jane knows everything that goes on here, and secretly runs the whole place, not unlike the way Nurse Ratched does in her domain. However, Jane does so with more efficiency, happiness, and joy for both clients and staff.Jane asked, “Can I get you anything, Gunnar?”“I’d love a cup of decent coffee, and an Apple Fritter if you have one.”“I’ll bring them to Roger’s office. Two creams and no sugar, if I remember right.”“Perfect, as always, Jane.”We went into Roger’s plush office, and I sat down in a chair more comfortable than any I sat in for the last two years.“Are you actually going to go through with this?” Roger asked.“Every bit of it,” I replied.I signed multiple papers, removing my two children as beneficiaries from my life insurance and investment accounts. I also gave Roger limited power of attorney to sell my house and dispose of its possessions.Jane arrived with the coffee and Apple Fritter. “Norway? Why would anyone want to go to Norway in December?”“Did Roger spill the beans?” I asked.Jane replied, “Every piece of paper that comes into this office passes through my hands. I opened your travel visa when it came in.”“Jane, I can’t spend Christmas here in Minnesota. The bitter wintry weather pales in comparison to the cold hearts of my own two children. The further away from them I am, the better. I’ve never been to Norway and have always wanted to see the 'home country’ of my ancestors.”Like I said, Jane knows all. The coffee tasted great, and the deep-fried Apple Fritter, one of Nursed Ratched’s 'prohibited foods’, was outstanding. Roger slid me a packet labeled 'Gunnar - Norway’. As Jane left, I opened it and looked at the contents. As planned, there was an international cell phone with a different number, a stack of krone, and three new credit cards bearing the name of a fictitious business. I handed Roger my old cell phone.“We’ll dispose of this for you. Your children will have no idea where you are unless they hire a private detective with exceptionally good connections. Legally, they have no rights to any of your assets, so even if somehow they track you to our law office, they will not get past Jane.”I believed Roger on that.“The tour company you asked us to sign you up with seems pretty sketchy. Their contract looks like something generated off a free online legal site. We reviewed it, it is crude, but legal and binding. If you back out, they still get paid. Why did you pick this tour company? There are many larger and more reputable companies we might have booked you with.”“It’s silly, Roger. I know it’s only a one-person company, run by a young vlogger in Norway. It was terribly boring in the nursing home, so I would spend evenings watching her videos as she traveled around Norway visiting various places, and leading small groups of tourists. It looked like the people were having fun and she made me laugh. Watching her videos was one of the few things that brought me any happiness.”“Why did you reserve for four persons?” asked Roger.“I wanted to make sure her Christmas in Norway tour wouldn’t be canceled. She has a four-person minimum.”“You won’t get those other bookings back, even if more people are going.”“I don’t need the money, Roger, but I do need this tour.”“How about clothing? You don’t have many clothes in that gym bag, Gunnar. Do you want to stop somewhere before we get to the airport?”“No. I’ll travel light. It’ll be easier when going through airport security. I’ll buy more clothes when I get to Norway.”“How about after you come back?”“I’m going to someplace warm and sunny. Maybe visit a mouse in Florida. I’ll be in touch if I need anything while I’m in Norway, and call you when I get back in three weeks.”Jorunn, The Tour GuideDecember 15 – Morning, Two Days LaterI spent yesterday shopping for the new clothes I would need. The tour is a mix of city and outdoor activities, so I bought a basic wardrobe, along with good walking shoes, snow pants, a warm jacket, and gloves. I ate lunch and dinner at two smaller restaurants. The food was good, but I felt lonely eating by myself, in a city I didn’t know, in a strange country. I missed Solveig very much and wished she were here with me.The next morning, I walked to the nearby hotel where the tour group would be meeting and followed the “Christmas in Norway Tour” sign to a small room off the lobby. There she was! Jorunn. My vlogger! She was about as tall as I am, at least when I can stand straight, with long blonde hair parted in the middle, clear blue eyes, and her signature radiant smile. She wore a Norwegian Dale sweater and brown pants.Jorunn spoke to me in Norwegian. “Excuse me, sir, this room is reserved for a tour group.”I hobbled closer. “Yes, and I’m one of the people taking the tour.”“We have a pretty active schedule for the next seven days, from December 15th through the 22nd. Do you think you are well enough to take this tour?”I wasn’t sure if I was, but I didn’t want to tell her that. “I won’t slow you down,” I replied.“What is your name?” she asked.“Gunnar Larsen.”She opened a small notebook and flipped through the pages. “It says here you are in a group of four. I see three other names. When are they coming?”“There won’t be any others from my group. One of the names is my recently deceased wife, the other two are my estranged adult children. I’m all there is.”Jorunn looked puzzled. “Only four people in total signed up, including you, all from your group. If the others aren’t coming, then you will be the only one. I don’t… I can’t… I mean, I have reservations I cannot cancel. You’re going to cost me a fortune whether I go through with the tour or not.”I replied, “The contract states that you have a four-person minimum. I am paying you in full for all four people. You won’t lose any money.”Jorunn smirked and looked like she was thinking. “I don’t know if you’re some kind of dirty old man, but if I agree to continue this tour, you should know that we will have separate rooms every night and there will be no sex of any kind. Judging by the way you look; I hope you can at least wipe your own butt!”“Your terms are acceptable. I had a stroke two years ago, but I have mostly recovered. I can walk, talk, and listen. I have trouble with my balance at times and sometimes slur my words. If you think something is too strenuous for me, I am willing to skip that part of the tour.”“Well, Mr. Larsen of Minnesota, you need to sign some release forms. As stated in the contract, I get to film the tour group for my vlogs, so I expect smiles when I am filming you. For now, go help yourself to breakfast. There is coffee, brunost, bread, and milk. Enough to feed four. Don’t expect me to serve you, and if you don’t know how to use a cheese sliver, learn fast.”She looked puzzled earlier but was now the confident Jorunn with whom I spent virtual evenings. I was delighted we worked this out. Smiles would not be a problem.OsloDecember 15 - MorningJorunn left the room and returned shortly with a small basket of food. “We have a lot of brunost left over, so I am going to make us a food packet for lunch called matpakke. I have a place in mind where we can sit and picnic.”“We will use the Vy app and Oslo Pass and travel by train and Metro. But today, we will mainly walk around Oslo. You will need to check into this hotel under the tour name if you have not done so. We will be in Oslo for two nights. The prepaid room is part of your tour package. I will try to cancel or change some reservations. Meet me back here in one hour.”I went back to my hotel to retrieve my belongings, then checked into the one Jorunn requested. It was not as nice as the one I left, but it was clean, and I did not want to make a fuss on the first day. I purchased a surprising amount of clothing yesterday and needed to make two trips to bring everything over. Then I returned to the meeting room and found Jorunn waiting.Jorunn and I walked from the hotel to Oslo Central Station and took a tram to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Jorunn told me it is the world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, Gustav Vigeland, with over two hundred sculptures combining the human form with an element of fantasy. Most figures were naked, with a mix of vagueness and rather notably open precision. The most prominent sculpture was a 17-meter-high monolith consisting of 121 intertwined human figures clambering to the top, carved from a single stone block. We spent over an hour walking the grounds, and while it was interesting, I told Jorunn that I didn’t see much in the way of Christmas here.A combination of walking and a short bus ride brought us to the grounds of the Akershus Fortress. Constructed in the 13th century, it protects the waterfront and Oslo harbor. Also on the site was the restored Akershus Castle, which was formerly a residence of prior kings of Norway. Jorunn said it serves today as an entertainment and event center for the Norwegian government, and this close to Christmas was not open to the public.I found it challenging to walk the grounds of the Fortress, as there were steep inclines mixed with stone steps and cobblestone paths. Remnants of a prior snowstorm still lingered in shady areas and under arches, making the footing treacherous. We did stop at places offering magnificent views of the city of Oslo, the bay, and the fjord, and several ramparts still bore cannons. Jorunn was rather businesslike and did not seem to be enjoyin

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time.“I; I don’t want to just be a charity case,” Ken replied. “If you do this, Gabrielle;”“It will only be because I want to. Promise,” Gabby replied, finishing his thought. “Now, your first lesson in kissing: making the move. I’m a young, attractive woman who has been making eye contact with you all night and finding every excuse in the book to touch you. You may not realize it, but when a woman does that, it means she’s ready for you to make the move. Try it on me, just like I did.”Mimicking Ken, Gabby closed her eyes, waiting for the moment that Ken would kiss her once more. He leaned in as she had done, trying to take his time and not rush anything. As he was about to kiss her, he remembered that agonizing wait when he could sense her almost on top of him. Pausing mere centimeters from her lips, he allowed the tension to build up for a few moments. Soon, a huge smile began to form on Gabby’s lips; she was enjoying this, and he hadn’t even touched her yet! Ken collected his courage and finally met her lips with his, moving them ever so slightly as he kissed her. He only had his instincts to guide him, but she didn’t seem to mind one bit.“Umm; that was very nice,” Gabby whispered as they parted. “Good job in mimicking my technique. Let’s try one more. This time, lick your lips just a bit before you kiss me, and try to let our mouths fit together like a puzzle. You can take my lower lip between yours, or I can take your lip between mine. Tilting your head to the side a bit is also a natural position. The possibilities are almost endless. When you’re ready, don’t be afraid to put your tongue in my mouth. In the future, you’ll want to be careful about doing this too soon, but for our purposes tonight, go right ahead.”Ken did as she instructed, and found that the increased moisture to be quite pleasant. It allowed each of their lips to slide along the other’s with little effort. All too soon, he felt Gabby take his lower lip in hers, sucking lightly and even nibbling for an instant. After she did this a second time, Ken took the hint and reciprocated in kind, eliciting a contented murmur from Gabby. As their kissing became more passionate, he could no longer resist the urge to taste this gorgeous woman. Still tentative, he pressed his tongue against the crease of her lips, which parted to allow him entry. Though he didn’t know what to do once he was in, he soon found himself enthralled in Gabby’s passions. Her tongue danced with his, exploring his mouth in a slow, methodical fashion. This gave him the perfect gauge to judge his own efforts by. After nearly twenty minutes of making out, they finally separated, their faces flushed from the experience.“Holy shit.” Ken sighed.“You, my friend, are one quick study. The next girl that kisses you may well get addicted and refuse to let you go,” Gabby agreed with a playful grin. Leaning back on the sofa, she reached down and unbuttoned the top button of her jeans, asking, “You ready to learn something else?”In spite of his hardening cock, Ken couldn’t help but feel like he was doing something he shouldn’t. “Look, you seriously don’t have to;”“I want to,” she said with confidence. “Ken, you are such a sweet, special guy, and I want to show you that. I want to prove to you how lucky a girl I would be to have a guy like you.”Would be? What’s that supposed to mean?“I’ve never made love to a virgin, Ken,” she continued. “But I know what I love in bed, and I think I can help you get quite good at this. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, but if you’ll allow me, I’d love nothing more than to take your virginity tonight.”Ken was torn. This woman certainly drove him crazy, but part of him worried this was all an elaborate setup. Women never came on to him like this, let alone one this beautiful! Then again, she hadn’t balked in the slightest in kissing him. Hell, she had even encouraged him to French kiss her. In spite of the fact that he had every reason to be distrusting after Jacqueline’s message, he recognized that she had shown him nothing but kindness and patience. He didn’t believe in destiny or fate, but if there was a moment in which he was supposed to lose his virginity, this had to be it.“Okay; I want to,” he whispered.“I’m glad,” she replied with a warm smile.Fumbling with his belt, he said, “I guess I’d better;”“There’s plenty of time, Ken,” Gabby reassured him. “If we do this, I want to do it right. I want to show you the proper way to take a girl around the world. That starts with what we were doing earlier, only this time, you can start removing my clothes in the process.”As Ken leaned in and resumed their kissing, Gabby guided his hands lower and slipped them underneath her sweater. He spent a few moments enjoying the warm sensation of skin-to-skin contact before tugging her sweater up. They separated for a moment so that Gabby could finish peeling her top off, revealing a simple, black silk bra. As they continued making out, Ken reached behind her, trying to decipher the key to unhooking the ever-hated bra.“Want some advice?” Gabby asked with a slight giggle.“Sure,” Ken signed, beginning to get frustrated.“Feel for the crease, then slip one finger under and one finger over. Squeeze together and rub your fingers until it unhooks.”Concentrating, Ken did as she instructed. The clasp itself was easy to find, and her descriptions were spot on. To his surprise, it only took one unsuccessful attempt before he managed to snap the garment open.“Impressive,” Gabby marveled.“Thanks, but that was all you. I’d be lost without your instructions.”“You’re a natural student; you take direction well. Ready for the next lesson?”“Oh yeah,” Ken said with anticipation.“Your kissing skills have grown by leaps and bounds in just a few minutes. Now you should remember that you don’t have to kiss just my lips. My cheeks, my neck, my shoulders; my entire body is your playground. Few things turn a woman on more than a man whose only desire is to worship every inch of her form.”With that, Gabby shrugged her shoulders and slipped her bra off, revealing her ample D-cup tits to Ken. He was utterly speechless at the sight he now beheld. They were not only large, but quite perky as well. Her tiny pink nipples, already hard from their making out, were the perfect accent to Gabby’s most notable assets. As he drank her in, he felt her guide his hand towards her, reaching him out to touch her tit. It barely fit into his hand, yet it was so soft and warm that it felt like it just belonged there. Taking a deep breath, Ken now reached in with both of his hands, squeezing her tits together and exploring every inch of their surface. Remembering her words from a moment ago, he leaned in once more and began to kiss his way from her lips down to her chest.“Yes; just like that.” she cooed.Arriving at the valley of her bosom, he made his way to one side, kissing her tit while also stimulating her nipple with his finger.“That’s so good, Ken; ooh, you can suck on them too,” she whispered with encouragement.Ken’s heart leapt at her suggestion, and he moved to take one of her tiny nipples in his mouth. He sucked with eagerness at first, but Gabby soon coaxed him to go slower.“Careful there; be gentle.”“Sorry.”“Quite alright, they’re just a bit sensitive,” she said with a sweet giggle.Ken spent quite some time lapping at her tits, alternating sides every so often. At first, Gabby advised him on when to change so as not to over stimulate one side or the other. Soon, though, Ken was moving back and forth all on his own, driving her wild with lust in the process. After several minutes of this, she lifted his head up, a wicked grin on her face.“Ready for the big reveal?” she asked, lowering the zipper of her jeans.“Uh; uh huh.”Lifting her hips up, Gabby slipped her jeans over her curvy ass and down her long legs before kicking them off with her boots. She then turned to recline back on the sofa, spreading her legs a tiny bit. The smoldering come hither look she gave Ken was enough to bring any man to his knees.“Come on, Ken; you’ve got a Christmas present to open.”Ken’s mouth went dry as he stared at her black thong panties, mesmerized in disbelief by what was about to happen. With trembling hands, he slipped his fingers into her waistband and slid the silky garment off, revealing Gabby’s shaven pussy at last. In that moment, Ken had completely forgotten that he was still wearing all his clothes.“I just love the way you’re looking at me,” Gabby breathed, breaking his trance. “It’s like you won the lottery or something.”“I; think I did.”“So sweet. Now then, time to learn how to really make a woman happy. Most women are at least willing to engage in oral sex, but you always need to give at least as much as you receive. It’s only polite. And there’s no better way to make a woman want to suck your cock; than to eat her pussy without prompting. With that said.”Gabby now spread her legs wide for him, beckoning him to explore her delectable womanhood. Following a trail she laid with her fingers, Ken began to kiss his way up her leg and inner thigh. After repeating the action on her other leg, he arrived at her soaked pussy, breathing in the musky aroma seeping from within her.“Spread my lips, Ken,” Gabby whispered.Using a gentle touch, he did as she asked, gazing deep into her slick tunnel. He soon leaned forward, touching his tongue to the folds of her labia. She tasted different than he had expected, perhaps a bit salty, but nothing unpleasant in Ken’s mind. He continued to taste and tease her lips for a few moments, and she began to squirm and writhe under him in pleasure.“Oh, yes; that’s just right, Ken; you can move a little higher, too. See that little bump there? That’s my clit. She’s sensitive, but if you pay enough attention to her; something good is bound to happen.”He tilted his head upwards a bit, running his tongue along her lips as he arrived at her clit. Flicking the nub a couple of times, he was surprised at just how strong Gabby’s reaction was. Ken liked that. She was having the time of her life, and it was all because of him. Feeling a twinge of confidence, he redoubled his efforts and began lapping at her clit again and again, never giving her a chance to rest.“Yes; yes, that’s fucking incredible!” she cried out.As Gabby’s hips began to buck, Ken looped his arms around her thighs on instinct, helping her to remain still. He continued his worshipping of her womanhood, savoring every drop of her juices as she squirmed and squealed in delight. Soon, he began to sense that her thrashing was reaching a crescendo and an ultimate plateau. He received almost immediate verbal confirmation of this.“Holy shit; Fuck that’s awesome! Oh, Ken don’t stop; don’t; stop; please don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop; ah!”Ken knew in an academic sense that women could achieve powerful orgasms. Still, he had never actually seen it happen, let alone experienced it by his hand, or rather his tongue. Yet lying beneath him was the most beautiful woman he had ever met in his life, and she was becoming even more beautiful by the second as her body erupted in ecstasy. The look of pleasure on her face as her eyes fluttered closed was awe-inspiring. A few final licks to her pussy, and she gently pushed his face away from her crotch.“That’s quite enough; but oh so wonderful.” she sighed. “You’re a natural, Ken.”“Thanks. That’s; got to be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Seeing you lose control like that, it was surreal.”“So sweet,” she said, sitting up straight on the sofa. “For all your supposed awkwardness, you sure know how to pay a girl a compliment.” She leaned forward, planting a long, slow kiss on his lips. As they parted, she whispered, “Ready for your due reward?”With a slight gasp, he replied, “Oh, hell yes.”Gabby stood from the sofa, smiling the entire time. Reaching behind the armrest of the sofa, she pulled out a dark blue sleeping bag and began to spread it out on the thick rug in front of the fire.“It’s a tradition,” she explained, seeing the look of confusion on Ken’s face. “When I was a little girl, I swore I’d catch Santa in the act by sleeping next to the tree. He’d never be able to sneak past me. Well, my parents told me to go for it, but that it wouldn’t work; he’s too good. Sure enough, he had come and gone the next morning. He even left a note next to my pillow that said, ‘Nice try, Gabby. Merry Christmas.’ Ever since then, I’ve slept by the tree every Christmas Eve.”“Love it,” Ken grinned.By now, she had finished spreading the sleeping bag out on the floor and affixed a couple of pillows at the head for them. As it was designed for one person, she had opened it completely and laid it out flat, making it large enough for two to lie on. Seeing what she was doing, Ken grabbed a large throw blanket from the sofa to cover up with.“Why, thank you,” she said. “But don’t you think you’re a bit overdressed?”“Huh?” Ken had been so entranced with Gabby’s naked body that he’d forgotten that he was still wearing his clothes. “Oh, uh, I guess so.”“Can I help with that?” she asked with a mischievous grin.“Sure.”Gabby sauntered over to him, wrapping him in a warm hug as they stood next to the fireplace. After kissing his lips, she moved to his cheek and neck, just as he had done to her before. As she began to drive him crazy, she slipped her fingers into his tee shirt and pulled it off of him, exposing his bare chest to her. Now with a new playground to explore, Gabby continued from where she left off. She first lingered around his neck and shoulders, then down his chest before finally reaching his stomach. As she knelt before him, she unbuckled his belt and slid his jeans and boxers down to his ankles, freeing his rock hard cock at last.Ken was not large my most standards, being only about five inches in length at full staff, but to Gabby he was perfect. She had no hesitation as she began to lightly stroke his length in her hand, and soon began to take him in her mouth bit-by-bit. Ken was in blissful agony; not only was he receiving is first blowjob, but he also had to keep from exploding too soon, all while concentrating on standing still. She sucked him for a few seconds more before releasing him.“If you get close, let me know, okay? I want this inside my pussy, too.”Ken could only nod in reply. She soon resumed her pleasuring of his member, sucking him with gleeful determination. He had been so good to her tonight; she only wanted to reward his efforts. Slowing her pace, she gazed up at him with her smoldering eyes, her pretty face framed by her long blonde hair. As Ken began to lose himself in her beauty, he also felt a familiar bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. Though he panicked for a moment, he soon had the presence of mind to tap Gabby on the forehead.“I think you’d better slow down,” he stammered.Releasing his cock from her mouth with a pop, Gabby grinned and replied, “Good. Because I think it’s time for me to take your virginity.”After switching off the gas logs, she stretched out on the open sleeping bag and held part of the blanket up, beckoning Ken to slide in with her. He did so with eagerness, though was still nervous as hell; he had no idea what he was doing! Sensing his doubts, Gabby spoke with soft confidence and reassurance.“Let’s go you on top to start. That way you can control it so you don’t go off too soon. Honestly, though, don’t worry about stamina. You’ve already lasted through one of my blowjobs, which is no small feat, if I do say so myself. You ready?”“Um, yeah; I think so. But do we need any; protection? I don’t have a condom or anything.”With a warm smile, she replied, “Don’t ever change, Ken. Sweet, humble, and considerate, that’s what you are. I don’t have any diseases per my last doctor’s visit two months ago, and I know you’re a virgin so I don’t think there’s any concern.”“That’s good. But; what if you get pregnant? I’m not sure I’d be able to pull out in time.”“Well,” she paused, her smile becoming more bittersweet. “It’s a long story, but trust me when I say that there’s no risk of me becoming pregnant. We’re clear to let loose with this, as long as you’re comfortable with that, of course.”“I am. I just; wanted to be sure.”“Thank you, Ken. Now, if you please, my pussy is aching for your cock, and you’d best make her happy.”Positioning his pelvic region between her legs, Ken attempted to push into her, but his slick cock merely grazed the surface before slipping up to her belly. Gabby just smiled and reached down, taking a gentle grip on his cock with her hand and guiding him to the entrance of her pussy. Feeling a bit of give, he followed his instincts and penetrated her at long last, his virginity melting away in the process. She was divine, far tighter than Ken had ever imagined in his wildest dreams and fantasies.“Oh Ken; that’s just where you belong,” she cooed in satisfaction.“Holy fuck; so tight.” he could only reply.Ken began to thrust in and out of her, keeping his tempo moderate at the start to get a feel for how sensitive he was. The sensations of making love to this goddess were only enhanced by the look of sheer enjoyment in Gabby’s eyes. He prayed that he would be able to last and enjoy it all, even if only for a few minutes. As he continued thrusting into her, Gabby began to get a mischievous look in her eyes.“You’re thinking something,” Ken observed.“Uh huh. Wanna learn a trick that’ll drive any girl nuts?”“Sure.”“Come up on your knees and keep your torso straight up. Try to get to where you can keep yourself inside me without having to balance on your arms.”“Like this?” he asked, relaxing back on his folded knees.“Exactly. You can also stretch my leg out against your chest to help you balance.”“Very nice,” he said as he followed her instructions.&ld

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time.“I; I don’t want to just be a charity case,” Ken replied. “If you do this, Gabrielle;”“It will only be because I want to. Promise,” Gabby replied, finishing his thought. “Now, your first lesson in kissing: making the move. I’m a young, attractive woman who has been making eye contact with you all night and finding every excuse in the book to touch you. You may not realize it, but when a woman does that, it means she’s ready for you to make the move. Try it on me, just like I did.”Mimicking Ken, Gabby closed her eyes, waiting for the moment that Ken would kiss her once more. He leaned in as she had done, trying to take his time and not rush anything. As he was about to kiss her, he remembered that agonizing wait when he could sense her almost on top of him. Pausing mere centimeters from her lips, he allowed the tension to build up for a few moments. Soon, a huge smile began to form on Gabby’s lips; she was enjoying this, and he hadn’t even touched her yet! Ken collected his courage and finally met her lips with his, moving them ever so slightly as he kissed her. He only had his instincts to guide him, but she didn’t seem to mind one bit.“Umm; that was very nice,” Gabby whispered as they parted. “Good job in mimicking my technique. Let’s try one more. This time, lick your lips just a bit before you kiss me, and try to let our mouths fit together like a puzzle. You can take my lower lip between yours, or I can take your lip between mine. Tilting your head to the side a bit is also a natural position. The possibilities are almost endless. When you’re ready, don’t be afraid to put your tongue in my mouth. In the future, you’ll want to be careful about doing this too soon, but for our purposes tonight, go right ahead.”Ken did as she instructed, and found that the increased moisture to be quite pleasant. It allowed each of their lips to slide along the other’s with little effort. All too soon, he felt Gabby take his lower lip in hers, sucking lightly and even nibbling for an instant. After she did this a second time, Ken took the hint and reciprocated in kind, eliciting a contented murmur from Gabby. As their kissing became more passionate, he could no longer resist the urge to taste this gorgeous woman. Still tentative, he pressed his tongue against the crease of her lips, which parted to allow him entry. Though he didn’t know what to do once he was in, he soon found himself enthralled in Gabby’s passions. Her tongue danced with his, exploring his mouth in a slow, methodical fashion. This gave him the perfect gauge to judge his own efforts by. After nearly twenty minutes of making out, they finally separated, their faces flushed from the experience.“Holy shit.” Ken sighed.“You, my friend, are one quick study. The next girl that kisses you may well get addicted and refuse to let you go,” Gabby agreed with a playful grin. Leaning back on the sofa, she reached down and unbuttoned the top button of her jeans, asking, “You ready to learn something else?”In spite of his hardening cock, Ken couldn’t help but feel like he was doing something he shouldn’t. “Look, you seriously don’t have to;”“I want to,” she said with confidence. “Ken, you are such a sweet, special guy, and I want to show you that. I want to prove to you how lucky a girl I would be to have a guy like you.”Would be? What’s that supposed to mean?“I’ve never made love to a virgin, Ken,” she continued. “But I know what I love in bed, and I think I can help you get quite good at this. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, but if you’ll allow me, I’d love nothing more than to take your virginity tonight.”Ken was torn. This woman certainly drove him crazy, but part of him worried this was all an elaborate setup. Women never came on to him like this, let alone one this beautiful! Then again, she hadn’t balked in the slightest in kissing him. Hell, she had even encouraged him to French kiss her. In spite of the fact that he had every reason to be distrusting after Jacqueline’s message, he recognized that she had shown him nothing but kindness and patience. He didn’t believe in destiny or fate, but if there was a moment in which he was supposed to lose his virginity, this had to be it.“Okay; I want to,” he whispered.“I’m glad,” she replied with a warm smile.Fumbling with his belt, he said, “I guess I’d better;”“There’s plenty of time, Ken,” Gabby reassured him. “If we do this, I want to do it right. I want to show you the proper way to take a girl around the world. That starts with what we were doing earlier, only this time, you can start removing my clothes in the process.”As Ken leaned in and resumed their kissing, Gabby guided his hands lower and slipped them underneath her sweater. He spent a few moments enjoying the warm sensation of skin-to-skin contact before tugging her sweater up. They separated for a moment so that Gabby could finish peeling her top off, revealing a simple, black silk bra. As they continued making out, Ken reached behind her, trying to decipher the key to unhooking the ever-hated bra.“Want some advice?” Gabby asked with a slight giggle.“Sure,” Ken signed, beginning to get frustrated.“Feel for the crease, then slip one finger under and one finger over. Squeeze together and rub your fingers until it unhooks.”Concentrating, Ken did as she instructed. The clasp itself was easy to find, and her descriptions were spot on. To his surprise, it only took one unsuccessful attempt before he managed to snap the garment open.“Impressive,” Gabby marveled.“Thanks, but that was all you. I’d be lost without your instructions.”“You’re a natural student; you take direction well. Ready for the next lesson?”“Oh yeah,” Ken said with anticipation.“Your kissing skills have grown by leaps and bounds in just a few minutes. Now you should remember that you don’t have to kiss just my lips. My cheeks, my neck, my shoulders; my entire body is your playground. Few things turn a woman on more than a man whose only desire is to worship every inch of her form.”With that, Gabby shrugged her shoulders and slipped her bra off, revealing her ample D-cup tits to Ken. He was utterly speechless at the sight he now beheld. They were not only large, but quite perky as well. Her tiny pink nipples, already hard from their making out, were the perfect accent to Gabby’s most notable assets. As he drank her in, he felt her guide his hand towards her, reaching him out to touch her tit. It barely fit into his hand, yet it was so soft and warm that it felt like it just belonged there. Taking a deep breath, Ken now reached in with both of his hands, squeezing her tits together and exploring every inch of their surface. Remembering her words from a moment ago, he leaned in once more and began to kiss his way from her lips down to her chest.“Yes; just like that.” she cooed.Arriving at the valley of her bosom, he made his way to one side, kissing her tit while also stimulating her nipple with his finger.“That’s so good, Ken; ooh, you can suck on them too,” she whispered with encouragement.Ken’s heart leapt at her suggestion, and he moved to take one of her tiny nipples in his mouth. He sucked with eagerness at first, but Gabby soon coaxed him to go slower.“Careful there; be gentle.”“Sorry.”“Quite alright, they’re just a bit sensitive,” she said with a sweet giggle.Ken spent quite some time lapping at her tits, alternating sides every so often. At first, Gabby advised him on when to change so as not to over stimulate one side or the other. Soon, though, Ken was moving back and forth all on his own, driving her wild with lust in the process. After several minutes of this, she lifted his head up, a wicked grin on her face.“Ready for the big reveal?” she asked, lowering the zipper of her jeans.“Uh; uh huh.”Lifting her hips up, Gabby slipped her jeans over her curvy ass and down her long legs before kicking them off with her boots. She then turned to recline back on the sofa, spreading her legs a tiny bit. The smoldering come hither look she gave Ken was enough to bring any man to his knees.“Come on, Ken; you’ve got a Christmas present to open.”Ken’s mouth went dry as he stared at her black thong panties, mesmerized in disbelief by what was about to happen. With trembling hands, he slipped his fingers into her waistband and slid the silky garment off, revealing Gabby’s shaven pussy at last. In that moment, Ken had completely forgotten that he was still wearing all his clothes.“I just love the way you’re looking at me,” Gabby breathed, breaking his trance. “It’s like you won the lottery or something.”“I; think I did.”“So sweet. Now then, time to learn how to really make a woman happy. Most women are at least willing to engage in oral sex, but you always need to give at least as much as you receive. It’s only polite. And there’s no better way to make a woman want to suck your cock; than to eat her pussy without prompting. With that said.”Gabby now spread her legs wide for him, beckoning him to explore her delectable womanhood. Following a trail she laid with her fingers, Ken began to kiss his way up her leg and inner thigh. After repeating the action on her other leg, he arrived at her soaked pussy, breathing in the musky aroma seeping from within her.“Spread my lips, Ken,” Gabby whispered.Using a gentle touch, he did as she asked, gazing deep into her slick tunnel. He soon leaned forward, touching his tongue to the folds of her labia. She tasted different than he had expected, perhaps a bit salty, but nothing unpleasant in Ken’s mind. He continued to taste and tease her lips for a few moments, and she began to squirm and writhe under him in pleasure.“Oh, yes; that’s just right, Ken; you can move a little higher, too. See that little bump there? That’s my clit. She’s sensitive, but if you pay enough attention to her; something good is bound to happen.”He tilted his head upwards a bit, running his tongue along her lips as he arrived at her clit. Flicking the nub a couple of times, he was surprised at just how strong Gabby’s reaction was. Ken liked that. She was having the time of her life, and it was all because of him. Feeling a twinge of confidence, he redoubled his efforts and began lapping at her clit again and again, never giving her a chance to rest.“Yes; yes, that’s fucking incredible!” she cried out.As Gabby’s hips began to buck, Ken looped his arms around her thighs on instinct, helping her to remain still. He continued his worshipping of her womanhood, savoring every drop of her juices as she squirmed and squealed in delight. Soon, he began to sense that her thrashing was reaching a crescendo and an ultimate plateau. He received almost immediate verbal confirmation of this.“Holy shit; Fuck that’s awesome! Oh, Ken don’t stop; don’t; stop; please don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop; ah!”Ken knew in an academic sense that women could achieve powerful orgasms. Still, he had never actually seen it happen, let alone experienced it by his hand, or rather his tongue. Yet lying beneath him was the most beautiful woman he had ever met in his life, and she was becoming even more beautiful by the second as her body erupted in ecstasy. The look of pleasure on her face as her eyes fluttered closed was awe-inspiring. A few final licks to her pussy, and she gently pushed his face away from her crotch.“That’s quite enough; but oh so wonderful.” she sighed. “You’re a natural, Ken.”“Thanks. That’s; got to be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Seeing you lose control like that, it was surreal.”“So sweet,” she said, sitting up straight on the sofa. “For all your supposed awkwardness, you sure know how to pay a girl a compliment.” She leaned forward, planting a long, slow kiss on his lips. As they parted, she whispered, “Ready for your due reward?”With a slight gasp, he replied, “Oh, hell yes.”Gabby stood from the sofa, smiling the entire time. Reaching behind the armrest of the sofa, she pulled out a dark blue sleeping bag and began to spread it out on the thick rug in front of the fire.“It’s a tradition,” she explained, seeing the look of confusion on Ken’s face. “When I was a little girl, I swore I’d catch Santa in the act by sleeping next to the tree. He’d never be able to sneak past me. Well, my parents told me to go for it, but that it wouldn’t work; he’s too good. Sure enough, he had come and gone the next morning. He even left a note next to my pillow that said, ‘Nice try, Gabby. Merry Christmas.’ Ever since then, I’ve slept by the tree every Christmas Eve.”“Love it,” Ken grinned.By now, she had finished spreading the sleeping bag out on the floor and affixed a couple of pillows at the head for them. As it was designed for one person, she had opened it completely and laid it out flat, making it large enough for two to lie on. Seeing what she was doing, Ken grabbed a large throw blanket from the sofa to cover up with.“Why, thank you,” she said. “But don’t you think you’re a bit overdressed?”“Huh?” Ken had been so entranced with Gabby’s naked body that he’d forgotten that he was still wearing his clothes. “Oh, uh, I guess so.”“Can I help with that?” she asked with a mischievous grin.“Sure.”Gabby sauntered over to him, wrapping him in a warm hug as they stood next to the fireplace. After kissing his lips, she moved to his cheek and neck, just as he had done to her before. As she began to drive him crazy, she slipped her fingers into his tee shirt and pulled it off of him, exposing his bare chest to her. Now with a new playground to explore, Gabby continued from where she left off. She first lingered around his neck and shoulders, then down his chest before finally reaching his stomach. As she knelt before him, she unbuckled his belt and slid his jeans and boxers down to his ankles, freeing his rock hard cock at last.Ken was not large my most standards, being only about five inches in length at full staff, but to Gabby he was perfect. She had no hesitation as she began to lightly stroke his length in her hand, and soon began to take him in her mouth bit-by-bit. Ken was in blissful agony; not only was he receiving is first blowjob, but he also had to keep from exploding too soon, all while concentrating on standing still. She sucked him for a few seconds more before releasing him.“If you get close, let me know, okay? I want this inside my pussy, too.”Ken could only nod in reply. She soon resumed her pleasuring of his member, sucking him with gleeful determination. He had been so good to her tonight; she only wanted to reward his efforts. Slowing her pace, she gazed up at him with her smoldering eyes, her pretty face framed by her long blonde hair. As Ken began to lose himself in her beauty, he also felt a familiar bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. Though he panicked for a moment, he soon had the presence of mind to tap Gabby on the forehead.“I think you’d better slow down,” he stammered.Releasing his cock from her mouth with a pop, Gabby grinned and replied, “Good. Because I think it’s time for me to take your virginity.”After switching off the gas logs, she stretched out on the open sleeping bag and held part of the blanket up, beckoning Ken to slide in with her. He did so with eagerness, though was still nervous as hell; he had no idea what he was doing! Sensing his doubts, Gabby spoke with soft confidence and reassurance.“Let’s go you on top to start. That way you can control it so you don’t go off too soon. Honestly, though, don’t worry about stamina. You’ve already lasted through one of my blowjobs, which is no small feat, if I do say so myself. You ready?”“Um, yeah; I think so. But do we need any; protection? I don’t have a condom or anything.”With a warm smile, she replied, “Don’t ever change, Ken. Sweet, humble, and considerate, that’s what you are. I don’t have any diseases per my last doctor’s visit two months ago, and I know you’re a virgin so I don’t think there’s any concern.”“That’s good. But; what if you get pregnant? I’m not sure I’d be able to pull out in time.”“Well,” she paused, her smile becoming more bittersweet. “It’s a long story, but trust me when I say that there’s no risk of me becoming pregnant. We’re clear to let loose with this, as long as you’re comfortable with that, of course.”“I am. I just; wanted to be sure.”“Thank you, Ken. Now, if you please, my pussy is aching for your cock, and you’d best make her happy.”Positioning his pelvic region between her legs, Ken attempted to push into her, but his slick cock merely grazed the surface before slipping up to her belly. Gabby just smiled and reached down, taking a gentle grip on his cock with her hand and guiding him to the entrance of her pussy. Feeling a bit of give, he followed his instincts and penetrated her at long last, his virginity melting away in the process. She was divine, far tighter than Ken had ever imagined in his wildest dreams and fantasies.“Oh Ken; that’s just where you belong,” she cooed in satisfaction.“Holy fuck; so tight.” he could only reply.Ken began to thrust in and out of her, keeping his tempo moderate at the start to get a feel for how sensitive he was. The sensations of making love to this goddess were only enhanced by the look of sheer enjoyment in Gabby’s eyes. He prayed that he would be able to last and enjoy it all, even if only for a few minutes. As he continued thrusting into her, Gabby began to get a mischievous look in her eyes.“You’re thinking something,” Ken observed.“Uh huh. Wanna learn a trick that’ll drive any girl nuts?”“Sure.”“Come up on your knees and keep your torso straight up. Try to get to where you can keep yourself inside me without having to balance on your arms.”“Like this?” he asked, relaxing back on his folded knees.“Exactly. You can also stretch my leg out against your chest to help you balance.”“Very nice,” he said as he followed her instructions.&ld

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time.Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What’s up, Mom?”“I’ve got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I’m going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don’t have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he’d just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he’d made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn’t wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom’s list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren’t harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I’d see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won’t settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I’m just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it’s great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I’m, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don’t know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that’s sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I’ll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn’t believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline’s fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I’ve got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I’ve got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason’s longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She’s an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don’t belong on the same Planet as her! You’re nothing’! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken’s arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken’s gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won’t be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn’t have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn’t?”“I did. Jason, someday you’ll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won’t bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn’t bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken’s mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason’s punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that’s not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan’s families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken’s seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man’s gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that’s family; I don’t want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles’ cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I’ve got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it’s Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I’ll; I’ll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn’t even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You’ve reached Live 95.5 FM’s world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you’ve reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn’t help creeping on her! That’s where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You’re doing everyone a favor! If you’d like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken’s rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn’t even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She’s far worse! I can’t imagine how evil she’d be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken’s mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn’t know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason’s words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn’t have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken’s initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason’s cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle’s Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and

Miracles can happen on Christmas Eve.Based on a post by auguy86, in 2 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at My First Time.Ken Dix flipped through the TV guide at a moderate pace; “500 channels, and nothing but Christmas specials on.”Finding nothing but disappointment at every turn. As it was Christmas Eve, every show was a mushy feel-good romp spouting lines about family and goodwill to others. None of that spoke to Ken in the slightest.“Ken?” a voice came from the kitchen.“What’s up, Mom?”“I’ve got my hands full with making everything for dinner tonight, but I’m going to run short on a couple of ingredients,” Helen Dix said, poking her head into the living room. “Can you run to the store real quick for me please?”“Sure thing,” Ken replied, seeing as he had nothing better to do.“Great, thank you. I made a list on the counter for you. The store should be open for another hour or two. The main things would be the eggs; I don’t have enough to finish my famous chess pie. If they have tea by the gallon, grab one sweet and one unsweet. The rest are great if you find them, but not essential.”“Got it,” Ken said as he took the list from the counter.Heading out to his car, Ken cranked up his Honda Civic and pulled out of the driveway. As he made his way into town, Ken reflected on his current situation. Though he loved his mom, being home for the holidays was always nerve-wracking for him. His hometown of Alpharetta, Georgia was crawling with former high school classmates of his, people he’d just as soon never see again. But up at MIT, he was actually among peers that he could relate to on an intellectual level. Not that he’d made that many friends up there. As a nineteen-year-old freshman, he was still stuck in the same boring math and science classes as everyone else. He couldn’t wait until he could start his health sciences training. Maybe then he could meet some decent people, perhaps of the female variety.Ken soon arrived in the parking lot of the local Kroger. It was soon obvious that the place was packed with last-minute shoppers, all trying to find that one final ingredient they were missing. Locking his car, Ken sauntered into the store, grabbing a shopping basket along the way. He found the shelves of the store well picked over, striking out on the nonessential items on his mom’s list. Making his way to the drinks aisle, he was pleased to see that the store was keeping the gallon jugs of tea well stocked for the holidays, and picked up a pair.Ken soon arrived in the refrigerated section of the store. Almost every shelf was empty, but he did manage to find one last carton of six eggs, just what his mom needed. Depositing the carton in his shopping basket, Ken made his way back to the front of the store, checking out in the express lane. He gripped the shopping bags tightly, being careful that the eggs weren’t harmed from the swinging of the bags. Arriving back in the parking lot, he was pleasantly surprised to see one of his former classmates, Jacqueline Brown. As he approached, she saw him coming.“Ken? Kenneth Dix?”She was extremely pretty, as was befitting one of the most popular girls in school, and kept her chestnut-brown hair cut just below her jawline. Her soft, warm facial features and bubbly personality belied the sharp intellect hiding underneath. She and Ken had been partners a few times in various subjects, and he had helped craft her entrance essay to the University of Washington. This earned her a full ride scholarship. In spite of her popularity, they had worked well together, and Ken even dared to call her a friend, at least in his own mind. They had never hung out on a social basis; her circle of friends would never have let her live that down. Still, times had changed. They were both out of high school, after all. What could it hurt to ask?“Jacqueline? Wow, I never thought I’d see you back here. Thought you escaped to cooler climates?”“Yeah, Seattle is nice, but nothing beats Christmas at home,” she replied, adjusting her UW sweatshirt. “You back for the same reason?”“Uh huh. Mom pretty much insisted. She won’t settle for anything less than a full family gathering on Christmas Eve. I’m just grabbing a few last things for her. But yeah, it’s great seeing you again. You, uh, you look good.”“Um; thanks,” she replied with hesitation.“I’m, uh, gonna be home for a couple of weeks. Would you want to, I don’t know, hang out sometime? Maybe grab a bite to eat? My treat.”“Well, Ken, that’s sweet of you to ask.” she said almost to herself. As she paused, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she had gotten an idea. “Alright! Here, let me give you my number.” She scribbled a series of digits down on a scrap piece of paper, writing her name next to them. “I’ll, um, talk to you later, I guess?”“Sounds great!”Ken couldn’t believe it; he had actually done it! He had asked out the prettiest girl he had ever known! Moreover, she had given him her number! Things were definitely looking up.“Dick!” a voice behind them yelled.Ken turned, immediately recognizing Jason Brown, Jacqueline’s fraternal twin brother, along with his two flunkies, Brian and Barrett Sullivan. Jason had been the star quarterback at his high school, and the Sullivan boys were his best offensive linemen. They often served as his muscle off the football field, as well. Ken was intimately familiar with these three, as they had made it their mission in high school to make his life a living hell. Being stuffed in lockers, having his wallet stolen, all were commonplace with them. The three approached, attempting to appear imposing, which they were from the perspective of the ever-scrawny Ken.“I’ve got nothing to say to you guys,” Ken muttered as they approached.“Well I’ve got something to say to you, Mr. Kenny Dick,” Jason growled.“Just shut up and leave me alone,” Ken replied, his blood boiling at the use of Jason’s longtime nickname for him.“No! You shut the fuck up and listen!” Jason said, grabbing Ken by the collar of his tee-shirt and flinging him against his car. In the process, Ken dropped his shopping bags, the jugs of tea landing directly on the egg carton.“Jason! Stop it!” Jacqueline protested.Undeterred, Jason threatened. “Listen fuck-wad, you stay the hell away from my sister!”“She’s an adult, dickhead! She can have anyone she wants as a friend!” Ken protested.“You don’t belong on the same Planet as her! You’re nothing’! A pathetic sack of guts your dumbass mother decided to give a name to! Know what? Just do us all a favor and drop dead!”Enraged at the insult to his mom, Ken swung a wild haymaker at his assailant, but Jason was more than ready, pinning Ken’s arm back against his car. Jason then delivered a crushing punch to Ken’s gut, dropping him down to his knees. Before leaving, Jason knelt down next to his gasping victim.“Next time, I won’t be so nice. Next time; I might just kill you myself. See ya around. Dick.” Turning to his sister, Jason said, “Come on, time to go home.”Jacqueline looked down at the pitiful form of Ken before muttering, “Sorry, Ken.”The trio of boys sauntered off across the parking lot, laughing and high-fiving at their antics. Jacqueline followed right behind them. Ken picked himself up and inspected his groceries, discovering the crushed eggs in his bag. Swearing and cursing, he grabbed the misshapen carton and went to throw it in a nearby trash can.“No chess pie tonight.”As Ken returned to his car and began his drive home, Jason and his flunkies watched on from his car, still pleased with their efforts.“You shouldn’t have done that,” Jacqueline said in a lecturing tone.Jason turned to face his sister. “I do what I gotta do, Jacqueline. That fuck-wad has no business getting friendly with you. He needs to learn his place.”“Be that as it may, I can take care of myself,” she replied firmly.“Take care of yourself? Wait; you didn’t?”“I did. Jason, someday you’ll learn that there are more subtle and effective ways to ward off undesirables. Trust me, Ken won’t bother me ever again.”Back at Home.Upon arriving back home, Ken couldn’t bring himself to tell his mom about the incident with the eggs. He instead told her that the store had run out altogether. She had spent many sleepless nights in the past worrying about the constant bullying her son was subjected to in school. Ken didn’t want to give her anything else to worry about. By this time, has uncles had started arriving, and the living room was soon filled with the sounds of football games. In Ken’s mind, these were no more thought provoking that the mindless Christmas specials he had found earlier. Ken went up to his room to take a hot shower, as well as get some alone time in the process. As he stripped down, he saw a bruise beginning to form on his stomach from Jason’s punch. He winced in pain as he touched the tender skin.Shit; that’s not going away for a while.Ken took some Tylenol for the pain before stepping into the shower. The hot water helped relax his body, and the steam gradually built up, clearing his mind a bit. He finished after a while and, after making sure his door was shut, flopped facedown onto his bed. After laying there for around an hour or so, his mom finally called him down to rejoin the family for dinner.Taking his seat at the table, Ken glanced around the room at his various family members. His mom had two older brothers, Lee and Stan. Though Lee was tall and still relatively youthful looking at forty-five, Stan was shorter and beginning to bald as he approached fifty. Still, both of them had one notable thing in common as far as Ken was concerned: they were both still jocks at heart. Ken had never known his father; it had always just been him and his mom. He could tell that his uncles tried to be male role models for him, but their efforts were usually ill-conceived attempts to “man him up.” Never once did they understand his introverted tendencies, and always tried to get him to be more of a people person. After a while, Ken stopped paying their advice any attention.It was striking to Ken how similar Lee and Stan’s families were. They had both married beautiful, blonde cheerleaders, and now both had sixteen-year-old daughters, both of whom were among the most popular girls in school. It all sickened Ken; they were just perpetuating the stereotype of pretty and popular being the be-all, end-all in life. As the family ate, Ken remained silent for the most part. The adults were engrossed in discussions about their jobs, and the two daughters were giggling and playing on their phones the entire time. None of this was relevant to Ken.“You know, I saw something interesting today,” Lee said as dessert was being brought out. “I was at Kroger filling up my car, and saw you in the main parking lot, Ken. Looked like you were, uh, having some words with a few guys out there.”Shit! He saw that?Not wanting to worry his mom, Ken replied, “It; it was nothing.”“Nothing, eh? Is that why that punk punched you in the gut?”With a worried look on her face, Helen asked, “Ken, sweetie, what is he talking about?” She walked around the table to Ken’s seat and lifted up his shirt, seeing the bruise on his abdomen. “Was it that Jason boy again?”“Mom, just let it go.”“No! Ken, you know I worry about you!”“You worry about Me? I think you need to worry more about your brother!” Ken shouted, his anger exploding at last. “Right, Uncle Lee? Come on, you see your own nephew being ganged up on in a parking lot, yet you do nothing to help him out?!”“A man’s gotta learn to fight his own battles,” Lee replied in a calm voice.“No. You want to know what a man does? A man sticks up for his Family! No. Matter. What! You stood there and watched your own nephew get beaten up. That says a hell of a lot more about you than it does me. And if that’s family; I don’t want any part of this one.”Without a word, Ken stood and left the dining room. He then grabbed his MIT hoodie and headed for the front door. As he was about to get into his car and drive off, he saw to his frustration that his uncles’ cars were parked in the driveway behind him, blocking him in. Cursing under his breath, he prepared to leave on foot.“Ken! Come back inside, please!” Helen called after him, running down the driveway.“No. I’ve got to go out; clear my head.”“Ken, it’s Christmas Eve. Please, come be with your family.”“Mom, aside from you, not a single person in that house feels like family to me,” Ken replied coldly. “I’ll; I’ll call you after while.”Ken walked off into the cold Georgia night, not knowing for sure where to go or what to do. Nobody else was out, as they were all at home with their families. Remembering the square in historic downtown Alpharetta, he decided to head in that direction. Maybe the quiet walk would do him some good.Arriving in the town square, Ken walked along the sidewalks for a bit, peering into the darkened windows of the various shops and restaurants. Everything looked so different to him with everyone gone for the day; it all seemed so peaceful. As he continued to walk, he soon saw City Hall in the distance. In front of the building was a large green space, which was teeming with a surprising amount of activity for it being Christmas Eve. Ken moved closer, now spying a large gathering of people sitting on picnic blankets, all bundled up in coats and hats. Ahead of them, a large screen projected the classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life.Though Ken was never into the Christmas cheer, as it were, he felt strangely drawn to watch a few minutes of the film from a distance. He soon began to regret that decision, as the movie had reached the point where George Baily had an arrest warrant out for him, lashing out at his family in anger. Watching him get drunk and punched in a bar fight, Ken began to feel sick with anger. Despite all his efforts to help better the world around him, the universe conspired against George Baily; just as it seemed to be conspiring against Ken. Unable to watch a moment more, he turned and walked into the nearby park.Again alone with his thoughts, Ken sat on a bench near the fountain in the center of the park. He contemplated many things, as he often did in solitude. He thought about his piss poor excuse for a family, intent on changing him into what they say he should be. If only they could love him as he is. He thought about Jason Brown, a perpetual asshole that managed to get all the beautiful women his heart desired. If only the universe would serve up his just desserts, rather than conspiring against Ken. Sighing in frustration, he stuffed his freezing hands into his jeans pockets.Jacqueline!Feeling the scrap of paper still in his pocket, Ken suddenly felt a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreary day. He needed something, anything to lift his spirits, and hearing her kind, sweet voice might just do it. Hell, he didn’t even care anymore if she was interested in him in a romantic sense; he just needed someone to listen and understand him. Digging out his phone, he dialed the number. After a single ring, a message began to play, seeming to be read by a game show host.“Congratulations! You’ve reached Live 95.5 FM’s world-famous Loser Line! Live 95.5; featuring the best entertainment in Seattle! If you’ve reached this message, you have attempted to hit on a girl Way out of your league! That poor young lady wants nothing to do with you, but you just couldn’t help creeping on her! That’s where we come in! Now you know what a loser you really are! So leave the girl alone, loser! You’re doing everyone a favor! If you’d like to leave a message for the world-famous Loser Line, begin speaking at the tone!”Beep!Ken hung up the phone in quiet disbelief. How could he have been so wrong about Jacqueline? They had worked so well together in school, and he even considered her a friend! She always spoke so kindly to him, how could this have happened? Was she really as nasty and shallow as her dumbass brother? Was she really just that good of an actress? As he pondered all this, Ken’s rage finally exploded out of him.“That two-faced bitch! Who the fuck does she think she is?! I trusted her! Hell, she would never have gotten a full scholarship without my help! All I ever did was Like her! And after all that, she doesn’t even have the decency to turn me down to my face?! What The Fucking Hell? At least her brother was honest about his disdain. She’s far worse! I can’t imagine how evil she’d be if a person actually offended her?”Slumping back down onto the park bench, every thought that entered Ken’s mind brought him lower. Jason was an ass, but then again, he didn’t know how to act any different. Uncle Lee was a moron, but then again, he had no malicious intent. But Jacqueline; she was the last straw. He had trusted her, opened up to her, and she repaid him by committing the single most cruel and senseless act Ken could ever imagine. Everything was crashing down around him. As he continued to sulk, Jason’s words entered into his mind once more.“I should just do everyone a favor and drop dead; is that what you want, Jacqueline? Seems like you agree with your brother, or you wouldn’t have given me that number.”Ken reached into his pocket, withdrawing a folding knife. It had been a high school graduation present to him from his grandfather, before he passed a few months later. A far cry from the typical Swiss Army knife, he unfolded the shiny, four-inch blade, which stood in beautiful contrast to the wooden handle. Inscribed in the wood were Ken’s initials. He had not used it for anything yet, never had any need to. As he stared at his reflection in the blade, Ken kept replaying Jason’s cruel words in his mind, to do the world a favor and drop dead.“Maybe that’s not such a bad idea.” Ken mumbled.Just as he took a firm grip on the handle, preparing to take the knife to his throat, an unfamiliar voice came from off to the side.“Hey!”Gabrielle’s Christmas night.Gabrielle Libertine relaxed in a lawn chair, savoring the crisp, cold air of Christmas Eve. This was her favorite time of the year, and being able to enjoy an outdoor showing of her favorite Christmas film, It’s a Wonderful Life, made it even better. It all fit in perfectly with her life philosophy: live for happiness. Not only her own, but as much as could be had for the world around her too.“You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and

Who determines what 'good' Compliance actually looks like?  The obvious answer is regulators (and in some jurisdictions) prosecutors. But what if it were the regulated Firms themselves?  That's the idea behind purpose-driven compliance, which I'm exploring on this episode.Episode Summary To explore this, I'm joined by Veronica Root Martinez, Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law, to explore a deceptively simple but unsettling idea: 100% compliance is impossible. While we often behave as though perfect compliance is the goal — and in some safety-critical domains it must be — most organisational compliance involves humans. And humans make mistakes. Things get missed. Context changes. Stuff goes wrong.So if perfection isn't realistic, the real question becomes: how do organisations decide what really matters? The traditional answer has been to look outward — to regulators, enforcement authorities, and in some jurisdictions (particularly the US), prosecutors. Their priorities, expressed through sentencing guidelines, enforcement actions, and settlements, end up defining what “good” compliance looks like. Veronica challenges that logic. She argues that this gets things the wrong way round. Instead of letting enforcement priorities dictate behaviour, she makes the case for purpose-driven compliance — where organisations set their own priorities based on their purpose, values, and actual risks, rather than chasing shifting regulatory expectations. Along the way, the conversation explores culture, human judgment, psychological safety, technology, experimentation, and why “best practice” can sometimes make things worse rather than better. This episode is for anyone who writes rules, enforces them — or simply has to live under them.Guest BiographyVeronica Root Martinez is a Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law, where she researches corporate compliance, ethics, and organisational culture. Her work on purpose-driven compliance challenges enforcement-led models and explores how organisations can set priorities based on their own purpose, values, and risks.Before entering academia, Veronica practised as an associate at a large law firm in Washington, DC, where she worked on regulatory and white-collar matters — experience that strongly informs the practical orientation of her research.LinksProfessor Veronica Root Martinez – Faculty Profilehttps://law.duke.edu/fac/martinezVeronica on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-root-martinez/Purpose-Driven Compliance (paper discussed in the episode)https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6078766AI-Generated Timestamped Summary00:00 – 02:00 | “Because they said so”Christian reframes compliance as a universal human experience — not just a professional discipline — and introduces the problem of rules justified solely by regulatory expectation.02:00 – 05:30 | Why 100% compliance is impossibleVeronica explains why modern organisations cannot realistically achieve perfect compliance when humans are involved — and why pretending otherwise creates problems.05:30 – 10:30 | Tolerated misconduct and cultural driftHow allowing “small” rule-breaking can escalate into bigger issues, drawing on behavioural ethics and real-world corporate failures. 10:30 – 14:30 | Risk, prioritisation, and what really mattersA discussion of risk-based thinking, irrecoverable vs recoverable errors, and why organisations — not regulators — are best placed to set priorities. 14:30 – 18:30 | Enforcement swings and resilienceWhy compliance programmes built around enforcement trends are fragile, expensive, and reactive — and how purpose-driven approaches create stability. 18:30 – 23:30 | Innovation, uncertainty, and guardrailsWhy regulators are always behind innovation — and how values-based guardrails help employees make decisions in uncharted territory.23:30 – 30:30 | Technology, AI, and the human in the loopThe limits of automation, the danger of over-reliance on tech, and why human judgment remains essential.30:30 – 36:30 | Rules, loopholes, and malicious complianceHow overly detailed rulebooks create loopholes — and why purpose and principles offer a better basis for accountability.36:30 – 40:30 | The Costco exampleA powerful illustration of simplicity: four ethical principles that employees can actually understand and use.40:30 – 45:30 | Training, regulators, and unintended consequencesWhy blanket training requirements often miss the mark — and how enforcement agreements can accidentally undermine effectiveness.45:30 – 52:30 | Measuring culture and compliance effectivenessMoving beyond counting inputs to assessing outputs, including psychological safety, Speak Up systems, and cultural indicators.52:30 – 57:30 | Experimentation and learningWhy failed interventions aren't failure — they're information — and why compliance should be treated as an evolving experiment.57:30 – End | Reclaiming responsibilityA closing reflection on extrinsic motivation, “because I said so,” and why purpose-driven compliance offers a more human, defensible, and sustainable way forward.

Dirk encounters a stranded motorist who looks very familiar.By Original Aramis. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.It was a simply beautiful day, just perfect for riding; bright sunlight, clear sky, not too hot, no wind to speak of, absolutely perfect. Dirk had been on the road riding with his club since early morning, and now it was very late in the afternoon, and he was headed home. He had spent the last two hours at the clubhouse with his brothers, having a few cold ones after a long and enjoyable day on the road, and now he was heading for his house with the sun setting behind him. The brotherhood of his club and the pleasure of riding the roads with them was the reason he joined the club in the first place, and he was already looking forward to the next ride with them.He was riding down a back road that was far enough off the main track that it wasn't used all that often, and it was one of his favorite roads to ride for just that reason.People driving cars, or cagers as they were known in the biker world, were the single biggest threat to anyone on a motorcycle, and Dirk avoided heavily traveled roads whenever he could. He was just rounding a bend in the road when he saw a car pulled off to the side of the road with what appeared to be a woman standing next to it, looking down at the right front tire which was flat. He slowed his bike and then pulled off the road, parking behind the car, a fairly new black Mustang convertible. The woman, a tall blonde wearing a gold sleeveless blouse, black slacks and flats, looked at him with apprehension as he got off the bike and walked over to her. No doubt she was sizing him up, just as he was doing the same to her.She was a stunner, to be sure, and from what Dirk could see beneath the form-fitting top and slacks she was wearing she had a body to die for. Dirk guessed that she was about 50 years old or so, but she certainly didn't look it either in her face or her body. Dirk was a boob man, always had been and always would be, and the woman standing next to the car certainly filled the bill. While not huge her boobs were big, bigger than average, which pleased Dirk to no end. And from what he could see beneath the fairly tight top and snug slacks she was wearing this woman was a very fit and trim 50.He could tell she was apprehensive because he had ridden up on a Harley and was wearing the colors of an MC; Dirk had encountered this before and knew how to handle it. His boots crunched in the gravel as he walked up to the car, stopping at the trunk to keep some space between them until she was sure he wasn't going to attack her. She turned to face him as he stopped.You need some help, ma'am?“ he asked, putting his hand on the trunk of the car. Dirk could see some of the apprehension leave her face when he used the word ma'am, which was exactly his intention.Yes, I do!” she said, giving him a nervous smile. As you can see I’ve got a flat, and I have no idea of how to change a tire!“Do you have road hazard on your car insurance?” he asked. If you have that you can call for a tow truck, and the driver will change your tire for you at no charge, he said.Yes, I do, but they always take so goddamn long to get here!“ she said, her smile broadening just a bit as she became more comfortable with him. And I really don't feel like standing out here on the side of the road way out in Bumfuck Egypt while I’m waiting for the tow truck to get here!” She put her hand to her mouth and paused for a moment before continuing. I’m sorry, I always curse whenever I get nervous or upset, and right now I’m a little bit of both.No need to be nervous, ma'am, all bikers aren't like what you see on TV, he said, trying to reassure you. Most of us aren t, actually, so don't let the colors fool you. Now would you like me to change your tire for you?“ he asked, and her face immediately brightened.You'd do that for me? For some strange woman you’ve never met before?” she asked, her eyes bright.You're hardly a ‘strange woman, and yes, I'd be happy to change your tire for you!“ Dirk replied.Thank you so much!” she said, a smile on her face. She took a step towards him, extending her hand as she continued. I’m Caroline,“ she said, introducing herself. Dirk stepped forward and took her hand, shaking it as he spoke.Dirk, he said, returning her smile. Nice to meet you, Caroline! Now let me get at this tire so you can get on your way,” he said, releasing her hand.Fifteen minutes later he was done, standing next to the Mustang and wiping his hands on a shop rag he's gotten out of the saddlebags on his bike.That temporary tire is next to useless, so you might want to get your real tire repaired or replaced as soon as you can, like tomorrow, he said, nodding to the donut tire now bolted onto the front right wheel. And stay off the major highways with it, those things aren't designed for highway speeds. I’ve seen them literally disintegrate at those speeds, and it didn't end well for the driver.Thank you, I will, Caroline said, looking down at the temporary tire before looking back up at him. And thank you so much for stopping to help me, Dirk, you’ve been a real gentleman in more ways than one!“ she said, reaching out and touching him on the arm as she spoke. The smile on her face was genuine this time with no trace of nervousness. You have to let me pay you for this,” she said, looking into his eyes.Nope, I wouldn't dream of it!“ he replied. I was raised to respect women and do right by them, so this is just a normal thing for me. She smiled at him again as he said this.Well, then, at least you have to let me buy you a beer!” she said, pausing for a moment before continuing. Or would you rather come to my house and have it there?“ she asked, the look in her eyes changing. I think we'd be much more comfortable there than in a noisy old bar, don't you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.That all depends on what you have in mind, he said, grinning at her as he played her game. She grinned right back as she replied.I guess you'll just have to come to my house and find out, won't you, Dirk?“ she asked coyly.I guess so, he said, smiling at her.Great! Just follow me, it's not that far!” she said. She walked around the front of the car and got in, starting the engine as Dirk walked back to his bike. He tossed the shop rag back into the open saddlebag, closed and secured it, then got on his bike and fired it up. She pulled her Mustang out onto the road, being careful not to spray him with gravel as she did so, and Dirk followed her. Ten minutes later they were pulling into the driveway of a single-story ranch-style house sitting in the middle of about five acres of land. The closest neighbor was at least that far away, and Dirk liked the house right away. The garage door opened as Caroline's car got close, and she pulled the Mustang inside to park it. There wasn't enough room in the garage for his bike, so Dirk parked it in the driveway just outside of the garage and got off. He walked into the garage just as Caroline was closing the door to her car.We'll go in the side door, so just follow me,“ she said, turning to walk to the door. Dirk couldn't help but notice and admire her firm, shapely ass as she walked in front of him.'Damn, but she looks good for a broad her age!’ he thought to himself as he followed her into the house. Caroline pressed a button on the garage door opener control that was on the wall next to the door, and the garage door began dropping down behind them. The side door took them right into the kitchen, and once inside Caroline dropped her car keys and purse on the counter. She walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, then looked at him and smiled.Imported or domestic?” she asked, standing behind the open refrigerator door.Domestic, please. I can't stand imported beer. Most of them are bitter and have a nasty aftertaste to them, he replied.Domestic it is, then!“ she said, bending over to retrieve a beer. When she stood up she was holding a dark brown bottle of beer in each hand, and she nudged the refrigerator door with her hip to get it to swing closed. He was happy to see that the beer just happened to be his favorite brand. She held one of the beers out to him, smiling as she spoke.I don't like imported beer much either,” she said, twisting the top off her beer, then dropping it into the trash can at the end of the counter. And for pretty much the same reasons you stated. I only keep in in the house because some of my friends like it. She held her beer up in his direction and made a toast.So, here's to new friends!“ she said, giving him a big smile.He smiled back, clinking the neck of his bottle against hers. To new friends, he said, and then they both took a drink from their beers. The beer was cold and good, and it went down smooth.Let’s go into the living room and relax, shall we?” Caroline asked, motioning towards the big living room adjacent to the kitchen.Sounds good to me, Dirk replied, following her out of the kitchen and into the living room. The room was huge, bigger than any living room he had ever seen, and was sunken on top of that. The circular walls of the sunken living room were lined with tan leather couches and love seats with a big, round coffee table in the middle, and in the middle of that sat the biggest, most elaborate bong Dirk had ever seen. Caroline walked down the short stairway into the living room and then sat down on one of the couches. She patted the couch next to her, smiling at Dirk, so he walked down into the living room and sat down next to her, keeping a respectable distance between them. They still didn’t know each other all that well, although Dirk knew more about her than she thought he did. In any event, he was playing it cool for now.:So tell me, Dirk, what do you do when you’re not rescuing damsels in distress who are stranded on the side of the road,“ she asked, looking at him and taking a sip from her beer.Not much, actually, he replied, taking a pull from his beer, before he continued. I guess you could say I’m kind of retired. My parents were killed in a car crash when I was 24, and I inherited enough money and holdings that I don’t have to work again for the rest of my life.I’m so sorry, Dirk. Caroline said, frowning. She ran his hand along the side of his face as she spoke, her hand was warm and soft, and it gave Dirk a chill.Thank you, but it’s okay, he said, looking into her eyes. I’m okay now. Took a while for me to get over it, to get used to the idea that they were gone, but thanks to the help of some of my friends and a therapist who really knows her shit, I managed to get my life on track.Good. I’m so glad to hear that,” she replied, smiling. So now for the most part, I just cruise around the country on my bike, either that or I’m out riding with my club, he said, sitting back on the couch. Sounds like a pretty good life if you ask me, Caroline said. “Is there a Mrs. Dirk or a lady friend in the picture,” she asked, raising her eyebrows.No, I’m too much of a nomad for that, Dirk replied. Besides, I’m way too young to settle down or get involved in a serious relationship. I’m too busy enjoying myself and having a good time, he said, chuckling a bit.And getting laid as much as you can along the way, I imagine,“ she said, grinning at him as she raised the bottle to her lips and took a sip.Yeah, there’s that, too, Dirk said, grinning right back at her. He took a pull from his beer before he continued, the thought crossing his mind that it was time to let her know that he knew about her.So, what have you been up to since you retired from the industry?” he asked, taking her by surprise. And what brings you all the way out here from Los Angeles?“She smiled a half-smile as she looked down for a moment at the beer in her lap. It was the kind of smile you make when you know you’ve been caught at something. She looked up at him, still smiling as she spoke.When did you recognize me?” she asked quietly.As soon as I got close enough to get a good look, he replied.So that explains the you’re no strange woman comment you made out on the road, then,“ she said, and Dirk nodded. I had a feeling you may have recognized me, but I wasn’t sure. You were being very cool about it all, I must say.It wasn’t easy, let me tell you, he said. When I was a kid going through puberty, you were my favorite porn star of all time. I saw just about every movie you ever made, and I couldn’t even begin to tell you the number of times I, well, that is, I mean. He stammered, realizing that he’d gotten carried away with his enthusiasm and said too much.The number of times you masturbated over me?” she said, finishing his sentence for him and grinning at him.Well, yeah, he said, slightly embarrassed.She laughed at his obvious discomfort, then put her hand on his leg as she replied. It’s okay, Dirk, really it is,“ she said. I’d be insulted if you didn’t masturbate over me. After all, that’s the whole point of porn, isn’t it? I mean, who watches porn and doesn’t masturbate?” she asked, leaning back and taking her hand from his leg.Good point, he said, taking another drink from his beer.Did you come hard, Dirk?“ she asked, and Dirk just about choked on his beer. He turned and looked at her, and she leaned over towards him as she spoke again, bracing herself with one hand on the couch next to him. Did you come hard for me?” she asked, her voice a throaty whisper.Dirk nodded as he replied. Yeah, I did, he said in a low voice. No porn star ever made me come the way you did, then or now.She smiled at this, looking deep into his eyes as she spoke again. Would you like for me to make you come now, Dirk?“ she asked, her voice nearly a whisper. She put her hand on the top of his thigh and rubbed up and down as she spoke, and Dirk could feel his cock beginning to twitch as the blood started rushing to it. I mean, after all, it’s the least I could do to repay you for helping me today, don’t you think?”I’d have to be crazy to say no, he said, leaning forward and putting his beer on the coffee table, then sitting back. And I’m a lot of things, but crazy ain’t one of them.She smiled at his reply, her hand still moving up and down on his thigh, but moving up higher with every stroke. You remember what my specialty was, don’t you, Dirk?“ she asked, still smiling and still rubbing his thigh.As I recall, you gave one hell of a blowjob, he replied, and she grinned at this.I gave the best blowjobs in the business,” she said proudly. Nobody could suck a cock like me, and I mean nobody,“ she said, sliding her hand up and onto the growing bulge in his jeans.She gripped his cock gently through his jeans as she continued. Would you like me to suck your cock, Dirk?” she asked, her voice a whisper. Would you like for me to suck your cock, make you come in my mouth, and then swallow it?“ She squeezed his cock harder through his jeans, feeling it growing beneath her hand.I’d like that very much, Dirk said in a low voice.She broke out into a big smile at his reply, then slid off the couch to kneel in front of him, spreading his knees out as she did. She sat down on her haunches, her hands on his knees for support, then running her hands at the tops of his thighs towards his crotch. She looked up at him, a smile on her face, as her hands met at his cock. She massaged and squeezed his cock through his jeans for a moment, looking down at the growing lump in his jeans, then moved her hands to the button at the top. She opened the button and then slid the zipper down slowly, looking up at him again as she did so.When the zipper was all the way down, she pulled his jeans open, looking down as she did so, and was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was he not wearing any boxers, he was also clean-shaven. She looked up at him, a smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with desire as she spoke.Oh, look, a naked cock!” she cooed, holding his jeans open. Is it for me?“All yours. Dirk replied.Let’s set him and his two brothers free, shall we?” she asked, reaching inside his jeans to cup his balls in her hand. She gently lifted them up and pulled them out of his jeans, moving his jeans aside with the other hand. His cock and balls were now fully exposed, and she was pleasantly surprised to see that Dirk shaved his balls as well. She looked up at him as she spoke.I’m so glad to see that you shave, Dirk,“ she said, her voice husky. It makes giving you a blowjob and sucking on your balls so much easier. Caroline smiled at him again and then lowered her head down to his cock. She ran her warm, wet tongue slowly along the underside of his semi-erect cock from the base to the tip, leaving a glistening trail behind. She did this several times before she moved down to his balls, licking them just as slowly and lovingly as she had his cock.She wrapped one hand around his shaft, pumping it slowly to full hardness as she planted her soft, warm lips on his balls. She opened her mouth and sucked one of his balls into her mouth, rolling her tongue around it as she lifted her head up, pulling on it with her mouth. She repeated the process with the other one until his balls were slick and shiny with her spit.Dirk watched in amazement as she worked him over. He simply couldn’t believe that the porn star of his youthful dreams was actually in front of him on her knees, sucking on his cock and balls. And damn! but she was good. His cock was rock hard and throbbing by now, her hand wrapped firmly around it and pumping it as she worked on his balls.She released his ball from her mouth with a gentle pop, then ran her tongue over and around both of them before opening her mouth as wide as she could, placing her lips on his sack. With gentle but steady suction, she sucked both of his balls into her mouth, and Dirk could see her cheeks bulging out as her mouth was filled with his balls. She looked up at him for a moment, still pumping his cock with her hand, and then continued working on his balls. She rolled her tongue around them as much as she could, but her mouth was so full that all she could really do was suck on them and tug on them by lifting her head up. She did this for a few moments, then let his balls slip from her mouth.Aha,” she sighed, her mouth open. I just love sucking on a man’s balls,“ she said, grinning up at him as she continued pumping his cock with her hand. Almost as much as I love sucking on his dick. She ran the flat of her soft, wet tongue up the underside of his cock from his balls to the tip, opening her mouth wide when she got to the head and lowering it down over the first three inches of his cock, before closing her lips around it. She immediately applied suction, slowly pulling her mouth back up his shaft until just the head was in her mouth.She sucked hard on the head, swirling her tongue over and around it, before sliding her mouth all the way down his shaft. She took his e

Dirk encounters a stranded motorist who looks very familiar.By Original Aramis. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.It was a simply beautiful day, just perfect for riding; bright sunlight, clear sky, not too hot, no wind to speak of, absolutely perfect. Dirk had been on the road riding with his club since early morning, and now it was very late in the afternoon, and he was headed home. He had spent the last two hours at the clubhouse with his brothers, having a few cold ones after a long and enjoyable day on the road, and now he was heading for his house with the sun setting behind him. The brotherhood of his club and the pleasure of riding the roads with them was the reason he joined the club in the first place, and he was already looking forward to the next ride with them.He was riding down a back road that was far enough off the main track that it wasn't used all that often, and it was one of his favorite roads to ride for just that reason.People driving cars, or cagers as they were known in the biker world, were the single biggest threat to anyone on a motorcycle, and Dirk avoided heavily traveled roads whenever he could. He was just rounding a bend in the road when he saw a car pulled off to the side of the road with what appeared to be a woman standing next to it, looking down at the right front tire which was flat. He slowed his bike and then pulled off the road, parking behind the car, a fairly new black Mustang convertible. The woman, a tall blonde wearing a gold sleeveless blouse, black slacks and flats, looked at him with apprehension as he got off the bike and walked over to her. No doubt she was sizing him up, just as he was doing the same to her.She was a stunner, to be sure, and from what Dirk could see beneath the form-fitting top and slacks she was wearing she had a body to die for. Dirk guessed that she was about 50 years old or so, but she certainly didn't look it either in her face or her body. Dirk was a boob man, always had been and always would be, and the woman standing next to the car certainly filled the bill. While not huge her boobs were big, bigger than average, which pleased Dirk to no end. And from what he could see beneath the fairly tight top and snug slacks she was wearing this woman was a very fit and trim 50.He could tell she was apprehensive because he had ridden up on a Harley and was wearing the colors of an MC; Dirk had encountered this before and knew how to handle it. His boots crunched in the gravel as he walked up to the car, stopping at the trunk to keep some space between them until she was sure he wasn't going to attack her. She turned to face him as he stopped.You need some help, ma'am?“ he asked, putting his hand on the trunk of the car. Dirk could see some of the apprehension leave her face when he used the word ma'am, which was exactly his intention.Yes, I do!” she said, giving him a nervous smile. As you can see I’ve got a flat, and I have no idea of how to change a tire!“Do you have road hazard on your car insurance?” he asked. If you have that you can call for a tow truck, and the driver will change your tire for you at no charge, he said.Yes, I do, but they always take so goddamn long to get here!“ she said, her smile broadening just a bit as she became more comfortable with him. And I really don't feel like standing out here on the side of the road way out in Bumfuck Egypt while I’m waiting for the tow truck to get here!” She put her hand to her mouth and paused for a moment before continuing. I’m sorry, I always curse whenever I get nervous or upset, and right now I’m a little bit of both.No need to be nervous, ma'am, all bikers aren't like what you see on TV, he said, trying to reassure you. Most of us aren t, actually, so don't let the colors fool you. Now would you like me to change your tire for you?“ he asked, and her face immediately brightened.You'd do that for me? For some strange woman you’ve never met before?” she asked, her eyes bright.You're hardly a ‘strange woman, and yes, I'd be happy to change your tire for you!“ Dirk replied.Thank you so much!” she said, a smile on her face. She took a step towards him, extending her hand as she continued. I’m Caroline,“ she said, introducing herself. Dirk stepped forward and took her hand, shaking it as he spoke.Dirk, he said, returning her smile. Nice to meet you, Caroline! Now let me get at this tire so you can get on your way,” he said, releasing her hand.Fifteen minutes later he was done, standing next to the Mustang and wiping his hands on a shop rag he's gotten out of the saddlebags on his bike.That temporary tire is next to useless, so you might want to get your real tire repaired or replaced as soon as you can, like tomorrow, he said, nodding to the donut tire now bolted onto the front right wheel. And stay off the major highways with it, those things aren't designed for highway speeds. I’ve seen them literally disintegrate at those speeds, and it didn't end well for the driver.Thank you, I will, Caroline said, looking down at the temporary tire before looking back up at him. And thank you so much for stopping to help me, Dirk, you’ve been a real gentleman in more ways than one!“ she said, reaching out and touching him on the arm as she spoke. The smile on her face was genuine this time with no trace of nervousness. You have to let me pay you for this,” she said, looking into his eyes.Nope, I wouldn't dream of it!“ he replied. I was raised to respect women and do right by them, so this is just a normal thing for me. She smiled at him again as he said this.Well, then, at least you have to let me buy you a beer!” she said, pausing for a moment before continuing. Or would you rather come to my house and have it there?“ she asked, the look in her eyes changing. I think we'd be much more comfortable there than in a noisy old bar, don't you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.That all depends on what you have in mind, he said, grinning at her as he played her game. She grinned right back as she replied.I guess you'll just have to come to my house and find out, won't you, Dirk?“ she asked coyly.I guess so, he said, smiling at her.Great! Just follow me, it's not that far!” she said. She walked around the front of the car and got in, starting the engine as Dirk walked back to his bike. He tossed the shop rag back into the open saddlebag, closed and secured it, then got on his bike and fired it up. She pulled her Mustang out onto the road, being careful not to spray him with gravel as she did so, and Dirk followed her. Ten minutes later they were pulling into the driveway of a single-story ranch-style house sitting in the middle of about five acres of land. The closest neighbor was at least that far away, and Dirk liked the house right away. The garage door opened as Caroline's car got close, and she pulled the Mustang inside to park it. There wasn't enough room in the garage for his bike, so Dirk parked it in the driveway just outside of the garage and got off. He walked into the garage just as Caroline was closing the door to her car.We'll go in the side door, so just follow me,“ she said, turning to walk to the door. Dirk couldn't help but notice and admire her firm, shapely ass as she walked in front of him.'Damn, but she looks good for a broad her age!’ he thought to himself as he followed her into the house. Caroline pressed a button on the garage door opener control that was on the wall next to the door, and the garage door began dropping down behind them. The side door took them right into the kitchen, and once inside Caroline dropped her car keys and purse on the counter. She walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, then looked at him and smiled.Imported or domestic?” she asked, standing behind the open refrigerator door.Domestic, please. I can't stand imported beer. Most of them are bitter and have a nasty aftertaste to them, he replied.Domestic it is, then!“ she said, bending over to retrieve a beer. When she stood up she was holding a dark brown bottle of beer in each hand, and she nudged the refrigerator door with her hip to get it to swing closed. He was happy to see that the beer just happened to be his favorite brand. She held one of the beers out to him, smiling as she spoke.I don't like imported beer much either,” she said, twisting the top off her beer, then dropping it into the trash can at the end of the counter. And for pretty much the same reasons you stated. I only keep in in the house because some of my friends like it. She held her beer up in his direction and made a toast.So, here's to new friends!“ she said, giving him a big smile.He smiled back, clinking the neck of his bottle against hers. To new friends, he said, and then they both took a drink from their beers. The beer was cold and good, and it went down smooth.Let’s go into the living room and relax, shall we?” Caroline asked, motioning towards the big living room adjacent to the kitchen.Sounds good to me, Dirk replied, following her out of the kitchen and into the living room. The room was huge, bigger than any living room he had ever seen, and was sunken on top of that. The circular walls of the sunken living room were lined with tan leather couches and love seats with a big, round coffee table in the middle, and in the middle of that sat the biggest, most elaborate bong Dirk had ever seen. Caroline walked down the short stairway into the living room and then sat down on one of the couches. She patted the couch next to her, smiling at Dirk, so he walked down into the living room and sat down next to her, keeping a respectable distance between them. They still didn’t know each other all that well, although Dirk knew more about her than she thought he did. In any event, he was playing it cool for now.:So tell me, Dirk, what do you do when you’re not rescuing damsels in distress who are stranded on the side of the road,“ she asked, looking at him and taking a sip from her beer.Not much, actually, he replied, taking a pull from his beer, before he continued. I guess you could say I’m kind of retired. My parents were killed in a car crash when I was 24, and I inherited enough money and holdings that I don’t have to work again for the rest of my life.I’m so sorry, Dirk. Caroline said, frowning. She ran his hand along the side of his face as she spoke, her hand was warm and soft, and it gave Dirk a chill.Thank you, but it’s okay, he said, looking into her eyes. I’m okay now. Took a while for me to get over it, to get used to the idea that they were gone, but thanks to the help of some of my friends and a therapist who really knows her shit, I managed to get my life on track.Good. I’m so glad to hear that,” she replied, smiling. So now for the most part, I just cruise around the country on my bike, either that or I’m out riding with my club, he said, sitting back on the couch. Sounds like a pretty good life if you ask me, Caroline said. “Is there a Mrs. Dirk or a lady friend in the picture,” she asked, raising her eyebrows.No, I’m too much of a nomad for that, Dirk replied. Besides, I’m way too young to settle down or get involved in a serious relationship. I’m too busy enjoying myself and having a good time, he said, chuckling a bit.And getting laid as much as you can along the way, I imagine,“ she said, grinning at him as she raised the bottle to her lips and took a sip.Yeah, there’s that, too, Dirk said, grinning right back at her. He took a pull from his beer before he continued, the thought crossing his mind that it was time to let her know that he knew about her.So, what have you been up to since you retired from the industry?” he asked, taking her by surprise. And what brings you all the way out here from Los Angeles?“She smiled a half-smile as she looked down for a moment at the beer in her lap. It was the kind of smile you make when you know you’ve been caught at something. She looked up at him, still smiling as she spoke.When did you recognize me?” she asked quietly.As soon as I got close enough to get a good look, he replied.So that explains the you’re no strange woman comment you made out on the road, then,“ she said, and Dirk nodded. I had a feeling you may have recognized me, but I wasn’t sure. You were being very cool about it all, I must say.It wasn’t easy, let me tell you, he said. When I was a kid going through puberty, you were my favorite porn star of all time. I saw just about every movie you ever made, and I couldn’t even begin to tell you the number of times I, well, that is, I mean. He stammered, realizing that he’d gotten carried away with his enthusiasm and said too much.The number of times you masturbated over me?” she said, finishing his sentence for him and grinning at him.Well, yeah, he said, slightly embarrassed.She laughed at his obvious discomfort, then put her hand on his leg as she replied. It’s okay, Dirk, really it is,“ she said. I’d be insulted if you didn’t masturbate over me. After all, that’s the whole point of porn, isn’t it? I mean, who watches porn and doesn’t masturbate?” she asked, leaning back and taking her hand from his leg.Good point, he said, taking another drink from his beer.Did you come hard, Dirk?“ she asked, and Dirk just about choked on his beer. He turned and looked at her, and she leaned over towards him as she spoke again, bracing herself with one hand on the couch next to him. Did you come hard for me?” she asked, her voice a throaty whisper.Dirk nodded as he replied. Yeah, I did, he said in a low voice. No porn star ever made me come the way you did, then or now.She smiled at this, looking deep into his eyes as she spoke again. Would you like for me to make you come now, Dirk?“ she asked, her voice nearly a whisper. She put her hand on the top of his thigh and rubbed up and down as she spoke, and Dirk could feel his cock beginning to twitch as the blood started rushing to it. I mean, after all, it’s the least I could do to repay you for helping me today, don’t you think?”I’d have to be crazy to say no, he said, leaning forward and putting his beer on the coffee table, then sitting back. And I’m a lot of things, but crazy ain’t one of them.She smiled at his reply, her hand still moving up and down on his thigh, but moving up higher with every stroke. You remember what my specialty was, don’t you, Dirk?“ she asked, still smiling and still rubbing his thigh.As I recall, you gave one hell of a blowjob, he replied, and she grinned at this.I gave the best blowjobs in the business,” she said proudly. Nobody could suck a cock like me, and I mean nobody,“ she said, sliding her hand up and onto the growing bulge in his jeans.She gripped his cock gently through his jeans as she continued. Would you like me to suck your cock, Dirk?” she asked, her voice a whisper. Would you like for me to suck your cock, make you come in my mouth, and then swallow it?“ She squeezed his cock harder through his jeans, feeling it growing beneath her hand.I’d like that very much, Dirk said in a low voice.She broke out into a big smile at his reply, then slid off the couch to kneel in front of him, spreading his knees out as she did. She sat down on her haunches, her hands on his knees for support, then running her hands at the tops of his thighs towards his crotch. She looked up at him, a smile on her face, as her hands met at his cock. She massaged and squeezed his cock through his jeans for a moment, looking down at the growing lump in his jeans, then moved her hands to the button at the top. She opened the button and then slid the zipper down slowly, looking up at him again as she did so.When the zipper was all the way down, she pulled his jeans open, looking down as she did so, and was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was he not wearing any boxers, he was also clean-shaven. She looked up at him, a smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with desire as she spoke.Oh, look, a naked cock!” she cooed, holding his jeans open. Is it for me?“All yours. Dirk replied.Let’s set him and his two brothers free, shall we?” she asked, reaching inside his jeans to cup his balls in her hand. She gently lifted them up and pulled them out of his jeans, moving his jeans aside with the other hand. His cock and balls were now fully exposed, and she was pleasantly surprised to see that Dirk shaved his balls as well. She looked up at him as she spoke.I’m so glad to see that you shave, Dirk,“ she said, her voice husky. It makes giving you a blowjob and sucking on your balls so much easier. Caroline smiled at him again and then lowered her head down to his cock. She ran her warm, wet tongue slowly along the underside of his semi-erect cock from the base to the tip, leaving a glistening trail behind. She did this several times before she moved down to his balls, licking them just as slowly and lovingly as she had his cock.She wrapped one hand around his shaft, pumping it slowly to full hardness as she planted her soft, warm lips on his balls. She opened her mouth and sucked one of his balls into her mouth, rolling her tongue around it as she lifted her head up, pulling on it with her mouth. She repeated the process with the other one until his balls were slick and shiny with her spit.Dirk watched in amazement as she worked him over. He simply couldn’t believe that the porn star of his youthful dreams was actually in front of him on her knees, sucking on his cock and balls. And damn! but she was good. His cock was rock hard and throbbing by now, her hand wrapped firmly around it and pumping it as she worked on his balls.She released his ball from her mouth with a gentle pop, then ran her tongue over and around both of them before opening her mouth as wide as she could, placing her lips on his sack. With gentle but steady suction, she sucked both of his balls into her mouth, and Dirk could see her cheeks bulging out as her mouth was filled with his balls. She looked up at him for a moment, still pumping his cock with her hand, and then continued working on his balls. She rolled her tongue around them as much as she could, but her mouth was so full that all she could really do was suck on them and tug on them by lifting her head up. She did this for a few moments, then let his balls slip from her mouth.Aha,” she sighed, her mouth open. I just love sucking on a man’s balls,“ she said, grinning up at him as she continued pumping his cock with her hand. Almost as much as I love sucking on his dick. She ran the flat of her soft, wet tongue up the underside of his cock from his balls to the tip, opening her mouth wide when she got to the head and lowering it down over the first three inches of his cock, before closing her lips around it. She immediately applied suction, slowly pulling her mouth back up his shaft until just the head was in her mouth.She sucked hard on the head, swirling her tongue over and around it, before sliding her mouth all the way down his shaft. She took his e

Dirk has an encounter with his neighbor's wife.By Original Aramis. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Dirk was standing in his garage next to his bike, a cold bottle of beer in his hand, taking a break from working on it. He was looking out of the open door of his garage and across the street, watching his new neighbors as they were talking in their driveway, standing next to their two cars. They'd moved in about a month ago and Dirk hadn't had the chance to talk to either one of them, but he had a feeling from what he'd seen so far that he wasn't going to like the guy very much. And he wasn't so sure about the woman, either.This guy's pussy-whipped if I’ve ever seen it!“ Dirk said out loud to himself as he watched the woman clearly giving directions to her husband. She was very animated, and both the expression on her face and the gestures of her arms and hands told Dirk everything he needed to know about her or so he thought. She was obviously the one wearing the pants in the family, and Dirk didn't know whether to dislike the husband or pity him. Either way, Dirk was just glad he wasn't him despite what the wife looked like.The woman was a stunner, a real sexpot, no doubt about it. Blond hair, a pretty face, tall and slender, long legs that went all the way up to a fantastically rounded and firm ass, and a set of simply killer big tits that stood out proudly from her chest like a pair of twin torpedoes. She was wearing a yellow halter top and a pair of skin-tight white chino pants that sat low on her hips and showed just about everything. Dirk was impressed by her flat, firm stomach, and was that a diamond piercing he saw glinting from her navel? Dirk wondered how many hours in the gym it took to get and keep a body like that, and the thought of her in a skin-tight workout outfit made him smile. A pair of black spiked heels that must have been about 4 inches tall completed her outfit.The husband was Joe Average, about six feet tall, maybe 180 pounds soaking wet, with brunette hair kept fairly short, a regular build (if there was such a thing), and black plastic framed glasses. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about him at all, and Dirk couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to land a woman such as the one he was looking at.Dirk took another pull from his beer as he watched the conversation unfold, admiring the way her big tits moved inside her halter top."God, I'd love to see those things naked!” he said out loud, smiling to himself. The conversation ended with the woman giving the man a peck on the cheek, after which he got into his car and drove away. The woman waved at her husband as he drove off, then looked up and saw Dirk standing in the shadows of his garage. She smiled and waved at him, and Dirk lifted the beer up in return. Then she turned and went into the house, and Dirk went back to working on his bike.It was only about ten minutes later when he heard a female voice from the open garage doorway behind him.“Nice bike!” the voice said, and Dirk turned around to see who it was, still squatting down next to his bike. He was surprised to see the woman from across the street standing there smiling at him.“What is it?” she asked, crossing her arms beneath her mammoth tits, cocking her hips as she put one foot out to the side. Dirk stood up and faced her, pulling a shop rag out of his back pocket and wiping his hands with it as he replied.“It's a Harley, 2003 Heritage Softail Classic, he replied, his guard up. The 100th Anniversary Edition, actually, best bike I’ve ever owned.”“That explains why you’ve had it for 17 years, I guess,” she said, smiling at him like the cat who was about to eat the canary.Exactly, Dirk replied, sitting back on the seat of his bike. The new bikes are nice and all, but they're too complicated for me, too much electronic shit that can go wrong and fuck up your ride. This one is simple, classic, and does what I need it to do. This was my first Harley, and I have no plans on ever getting rid of it!“A man with commitment,” she said, her smile getting bigger. I like that I’m Kimberly,“ she said, stepping forward and extending her hand. Dirk reached out and took it, giving it a shake as he replied.Dirk, he said. Nice to meet you, Kimberly.Please, call me Kim, and the pleasure is all mine, I assure you!” she replied. I see you're in a club,“ she said, smiling and looking at his vest while she looked him over. ‘High-Side , is that you?” she asked, pointing at his road name patch.Yeah, that's my road name, Dirk said. He had just had this same conversation with the wife of his best friend not too long ago, and the memories of that night came flooding back to him in a rush. He still couldn't get over his best friend asking him to fuck his own wife, and how it all turned out.One of these days you'll have to tell me how you got it,“ she said, and Dirk was relieved that he didn't have to go through the story of his road name again so soon.I'll do that, he said, getting up from his bike and going over to the small refrigerator under his work bench. Would you like a beer, Kim?” he asked, bending over to open the refrigerator. When he stood up and turned around with a beer in his hand Kim was standing so close to him that he almost ran into her, and before he could react she stepped in even closer, her big tits lightly pressing against his chest. Dirk saw the look in her eyes and recognized it right away, and he immediately knew where she was headed.Later,“ she said softly, her voice low and husky. Right now I want some of this!” she said as she reached out and placed the palm of her hand right onto Dirk's cock, rubbing it firmly up and down. Dirk felt his cock respond immediately, shifting under her hand as it began to expand. Kim glanced down for a moment and then looked back up at Dirk, smiling as she spoke again.He likes me!“ she said, rubbing harder.What's not to like?” Dirk replied, returning her bravado right back at her. But what about your husband? I don't think he'd much like what you're doing right now, nor do I think he'd like what I think you're going to do next.“My husband likes what I tell him to like, Kim replied, still rubbing Dirk's quickly hardening cock with the palm of her hand.So it's like that, huh? I thought so,” he said, leaning back against the work bench and letting Kim continue to rub his cock which was getting bigger and harder by the moment.You thought what?“ she said softly, looking up at him and squeezing his hardening shaft through his jeans. That I’m in charge, and that he does what I tell him to do?”Something like that, yeah, Dirk replied. I got that from watching the conversation you had with him this morning out in the driveway before he went to work.It's more than you think, Dirk",“ she said, giving him a half-smile as she squeezed his cock again. "Much more!”Let me guess he's a cuckold, right?“ Dirk said, causing Kim to grin.Exactly!” she said. But enough about him. Right now I want this big, hard cock of yours in my mouth! I want to taste you, suck on you, and drink you down when I make you cum in my mouth!“ she said breathlessly, stepping in close to him.She grabbed the top of his jeans with both hands and began working them open, yanking the zipper down when she got the button open and shoving her hand into them. She wrapped her fingers around his hard shaft and began pumping, reaching up with her other hand and placing it behind his neck to pull his mouth down to hers.She kissed him hard and deep, slipping her tongue into his mouth as she pumped his cock in her hand, and Dirk slid his hands around to her huge tits and grabbed them hard. He squeezed and kneaded the big mounds in his hands, and Kim moaned in his mouth.She took her hands from his cock and his neck long enough to pull her halter top open and set her tits free, and Dirk immediately grabbed onto them again as she regained her grip on his cock.I want you!” she whispered, breaking off the kiss but maintaining her grip on his cock. I want to taste you!“ she said, dropping to her knees in front of him. She pulled his jeans open with both hands, setting his cock free; she noticed he wasn't wearing anything under them, and she paused to look at it for a moment. She moved her nose right up next to the tip and inhaled, closing her eyes and smiling as she inhaled his scent.I just love the way a real man's cock smells!” she whispered, looking up at him. It smells so fucking good!“ she said, gripping it in her hand and pumping the shaft again. She ran her nose down the underside of his cock and over his balls, inhaling deeply, then stuck out her tongue and licked him along the underside, from his balls up to the tip.When she got to the tip, she immediately closed her lips around the head of his cock and sucked him into her mouth, sliding her wet mouth down onto his cock until she had all of him in her mouth. Her nose pressed against his abdomen as she slid her tongue around the underside of his shaft, then she sucked hard as she slid her mouth back up his cock to the tip. She repeated this several times. And soon Dirk’s cock was shiny and wet with her saliva. When she got to the head of his cock, she paused, looking up at Dirk as she sucked on it for a moment, Before releasing it.She wrapped her hand around his cock, and began slowing pumping it as she spoke; So how does it feel to have another man's wife sucking your cock, Dirk?” she asked, licking the tip of his coq for emphasis. Are you okay with that?“ she asked, teasingly.You aren’t the first married woman. I’ve had sucking my dick, sweetheart. Dirk replied, looking down at her. And you won’t be the first married woman I’ve fucked before either. I just can’t. Can’t help but wonder how your husband is going to take all of this if he finds out, he said.It’s not a matter of if , lover, it’s a matter of when,” she said, giving that half-grin again.Still don’t believe me? Okay, then watch this.“ She reached into her back pocket with her free hand and retrieved her cell phone. Pushing a button on it while still pumping Dirk's cock. She leaned over and sucked on the head as the phone rang, giving it a pop when the call went through."Hi, baby, it’s me,” she said, looking up at Dirk with her hand pumping his cock. “You made it to work okay? Great, baby. I’m glad. Look, baby, remember how we were talking last week and I told you how I really wanted to fuck other men, specifically the biker guy across the street? The one I said I thought was so fucking hot. Remember that? You do? Good. Well, I just wanted you to know that But right now, I’m on my knees in front of him in his garage, and I’m sucking his cock.”She paused as her husband said something on the other end, that Dirk couldn’t hear.Sucking on the head of his cock while her husband was talking. She slipped her mouth from his cock, to reply.“That’s right, baby right now. I’ve got his big cock in my hand right now. And my god, he's hard!” she said, smiling up at Dirk.“Yeah, he is. Much harder than you ever get. And I think he’s bigger and thicker than you are, too. So I’m gonna suck his dick a little more, and then I’m gonna let him fuck me, okay, baby? And no, there’s nothing you can do about it, you know? I’m going to fuck him, and that’s all there is to it.”She paused again for a moment, before continuing, her hand still pumping is Cock.Great And just so you’ll know, baby, as much as I’d like for him to come inside me, I think I’m gonna make him come in my mouth. Uh huh, in my mouth.  And then I’m going to swallow his cum. Yes, I’m going to swallow his cum. And if you’re being a really good boy, then maybe I’ll let you come in my mouth and swallow your cum.There was another short pause as the husband said something else, and she sucked on the head of his cock again, as he spoke.. After just a few moments she continued.Okay, baby, well, I’ve got this big hard dick in front of my face right now, and if I don’t get my pussy wrapped around it soon I’m gonna go out of my mind. So I’m gonna hang up and fuck him now, okay?“ she said, looking up at Dirk.Okay, baby. I’ll talk to you later. Bye,” she said, then pressed a button on the phone to end the call.She tossed the cell phone onto the workbench next to Dirk, then looked up at him, grinning. Believe me now?“ she said as he held the head of his cock right in front of her face.His precum was flowing like a river by now, and she stuck her tongue out and licked it in as she spoke.Absolutely, he said, watching her.  You’ve really got him wrapped around your little finger, don't you?”So tight, he can hardly breathe,“ she replied, grinning again.And you don’t think that him knowing that I fucked his wife, is going to be a problem later on?”She slurped on the head of his cock some more.After all, I do live right across the street, and it’s not like he’s not gonna see me just about every day.She slid her mouth down his shaft once, and held it there a moment; before sliding it off and replying; It won’t be a problem, because I’ll tell him it won’t be a problem,“ she replied, giving him a slightly evil smile and cocking one eyebrow at him.Now, are we gonna fuck, or not?” she asked.Oh yeah, we’re gonna fuck, he replied, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her to her feet. He stepped to the side and shoved her roughly against the workbench, making her gasp as he moved in behind her.She braced herself with her hands on the wall as he bent her over the bench, her big tits pressing against the smooth surface of the workbench, then grabbed her pants with both hands at the hips and yanked downwards. The button and zipper holding them closed gave way, the button flying and the zipper popping open as he pulled them down her legs.Dirk wasn’t surprised to see that she wasn’t wearing any panties, he also wasn’t surprised to see the wetness covering her outer lips. Her pussy was shaven as smooth. The outer lips, pink and glistening, and her musk filled the room immediately.Oh, uh, wait a minute, wait. She began as she tried to stand up straight.Uff,“ she cried as he shoved her back down, and then she slapped her hands back on the wall for support.Dirk pulled her pants down as hard as he could, as he slapped her hard on the ass. The sound of his hand smacking against her ass sounded like a rifle shot in the garage, and Kim cried out in surprise.Spread your legs. Dirk commanded, and when she didn’t move fast enough, he smacked her on the ass again, harder. The red imprint of his hand was clearly visible; and he knew that Hubby was sure to see it later on that night. But that wasn’t his problem. So he didn’t care.That’s the man I wanted to see. Kim said, looking back at him with a grin on her face, while she spread her legs as far apart as she could, the chino pants around her knees. Use me. Dirk. Use me like I’m your personal fuck-toy. Fuck me. Fuck me hard, you big stud.Dirk moved in close behind her, his own jeans around his knees as well, and placed a hand on her back as he grasped his throbbing, rock-hard cock with the other. He rubbed the head up and down her slit a couple times. He spread her juices over it, and made it slick, against the opening of her pussy. Then he grabbed her by the hips at the same time, impaling her on his cock.She was so wet that he slid all the way in on the first thrust, and he felt his balls bump against her clit.Oh-oh!” Kim cried loudly, squeezing her eyes closed in ecstasy as Dirk shoved his cock into her pussy. She groaned as he held it there for a moment. Then began moaning as he began thrusting. He thrusted hard and fast, pumping in deep strokes.; shoving his cock in and out of her as deep as he could in each thrust.He gripped her hips tightly in his hands and used them for leverage, yanking her back against him with every forward thrust. She groaned and gasped in time with his thrust, his cock siding in and out of her pussy, over and over again.Oh, my god! yes, yes, yes!“ she cried in time with his thrust. Fuck me, fuck me, use me, like, the slut, that I am. It was all Kim could do to keep her balance with her hands on the wall in front of her.Dirk was fucking her so hard.He was pounding her pussy, just as she had wanted, hard and fast, and she knew it wasn’t going to be long before she was coming all over his hardcore.I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna cum,” she gasped, feeling her orgasm building quickly. Where the hell was this? Stud when I was single?“ she thought to herself as Dirk continued pounding her with his cock.So come, then. Dirk said without pausing or missing a beat.   Don’t talk about it, do it. And she did. As soon as Dirk uttered those words her orgasm hit, exploding inside her body, like a bomb. She cried out and gritted her teeth as the powerful orgasm rocked her body to the depths of her being. She was cumming hard; harder than she's ever cum before. And Dirk could feel her pussy fluttering and contracting around his cock as she came.He continued his thrust, pushing harder and deeper as she came.She was surprised when she had a second orgasm immediately after the first.Ung Kim cried through clenched teeth as the second orgasm shook her body, her eyes squeezed shut, a grimace on her face as the powerful waves of pleasure rocked through her. She pushed back against Dirk, meeting his thrusts as her orgasm ran its course. And when it was finally done, it left her covered with a fine sheet of sweat and gasping for breath.Dirk slowed his thrusts until he was slowly sliding in and out of her sopping-wet pussy, in long, easy strokes; and Kim dropped down onto the workbench, resting on her forearms.Her mouth was hanging open and she was panting for breath when she looked back at Dirk and spoke.Oh my god, that was incredible!” she said, a big grin on her face. I’ve never been fucked like that before. And I came so hard!“ she said, looking back at him.And now you’re gonna make me cum, Dirk said, looking back.Yes I am. Kim said, jumping up and spinning around to face him. Dirk let her go and felt his cock slip out of her pussy as she moved, dropping to her knees in front of him and grabbing his glistening slippery cock in one hand, and his heavy balls in the other. She pumped his cock and squeezed his balls gently, as she looked up at him and spoke again.  I’m gonna make you come in my mouth, and I’m gonna swallow every drop,” she whispered sexily. She slipped her mouth over the head of his cock and down his shaft, taking it all in one swift movement. She immediately began sliding her mouth up and down the length of his cock. Sliding her tongue along the underside of his cock and sucking on it hard as she moved. She kneaded and

Dirk has an encounter with his neighbor's wife.By Original Aramis. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Dirk was standing in his garage next to his bike, a cold bottle of beer in his hand, taking a break from working on it. He was looking out of the open door of his garage and across the street, watching his new neighbors as they were talking in their driveway, standing next to their two cars. They'd moved in about a month ago and Dirk hadn't had the chance to talk to either one of them, but he had a feeling from what he'd seen so far that he wasn't going to like the guy very much. And he wasn't so sure about the woman, either.This guy's pussy-whipped if I’ve ever seen it!“ Dirk said out loud to himself as he watched the woman clearly giving directions to her husband. She was very animated, and both the expression on her face and the gestures of her arms and hands told Dirk everything he needed to know about her or so he thought. She was obviously the one wearing the pants in the family, and Dirk didn't know whether to dislike the husband or pity him. Either way, Dirk was just glad he wasn't him despite what the wife looked like.The woman was a stunner, a real sexpot, no doubt about it. Blond hair, a pretty face, tall and slender, long legs that went all the way up to a fantastically rounded and firm ass, and a set of simply killer big tits that stood out proudly from her chest like a pair of twin torpedoes. She was wearing a yellow halter top and a pair of skin-tight white chino pants that sat low on her hips and showed just about everything. Dirk was impressed by her flat, firm stomach, and was that a diamond piercing he saw glinting from her navel? Dirk wondered how many hours in the gym it took to get and keep a body like that, and the thought of her in a skin-tight workout outfit made him smile. A pair of black spiked heels that must have been about 4 inches tall completed her outfit.The husband was Joe Average, about six feet tall, maybe 180 pounds soaking wet, with brunette hair kept fairly short, a regular build (if there was such a thing), and black plastic framed glasses. There was absolutely nothing remarkable about him at all, and Dirk couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to land a woman such as the one he was looking at.Dirk took another pull from his beer as he watched the conversation unfold, admiring the way her big tits moved inside her halter top."God, I'd love to see those things naked!” he said out loud, smiling to himself. The conversation ended with the woman giving the man a peck on the cheek, after which he got into his car and drove away. The woman waved at her husband as he drove off, then looked up and saw Dirk standing in the shadows of his garage. She smiled and waved at him, and Dirk lifted the beer up in return. Then she turned and went into the house, and Dirk went back to working on his bike.It was only about ten minutes later when he heard a female voice from the open garage doorway behind him.“Nice bike!” the voice said, and Dirk turned around to see who it was, still squatting down next to his bike. He was surprised to see the woman from across the street standing there smiling at him.“What is it?” she asked, crossing her arms beneath her mammoth tits, cocking her hips as she put one foot out to the side. Dirk stood up and faced her, pulling a shop rag out of his back pocket and wiping his hands with it as he replied.“It's a Harley, 2003 Heritage Softail Classic, he replied, his guard up. The 100th Anniversary Edition, actually, best bike I’ve ever owned.”“That explains why you’ve had it for 17 years, I guess,” she said, smiling at him like the cat who was about to eat the canary.Exactly, Dirk replied, sitting back on the seat of his bike. The new bikes are nice and all, but they're too complicated for me, too much electronic shit that can go wrong and fuck up your ride. This one is simple, classic, and does what I need it to do. This was my first Harley, and I have no plans on ever getting rid of it!“A man with commitment,” she said, her smile getting bigger. I like that I’m Kimberly,“ she said, stepping forward and extending her hand. Dirk reached out and took it, giving it a shake as he replied.Dirk, he said. Nice to meet you, Kimberly.Please, call me Kim, and the pleasure is all mine, I assure you!” she replied. I see you're in a club,“ she said, smiling and looking at his vest while she looked him over. ‘High-Side , is that you?” she asked, pointing at his road name patch.Yeah, that's my road name, Dirk said. He had just had this same conversation with the wife of his best friend not too long ago, and the memories of that night came flooding back to him in a rush. He still couldn't get over his best friend asking him to fuck his own wife, and how it all turned out.One of these days you'll have to tell me how you got it,“ she said, and Dirk was relieved that he didn't have to go through the story of his road name again so soon.I'll do that, he said, getting up from his bike and going over to the small refrigerator under his work bench. Would you like a beer, Kim?” he asked, bending over to open the refrigerator. When he stood up and turned around with a beer in his hand Kim was standing so close to him that he almost ran into her, and before he could react she stepped in even closer, her big tits lightly pressing against his chest. Dirk saw the look in her eyes and recognized it right away, and he immediately knew where she was headed.Later,“ she said softly, her voice low and husky. Right now I want some of this!” she said as she reached out and placed the palm of her hand right onto Dirk's cock, rubbing it firmly up and down. Dirk felt his cock respond immediately, shifting under her hand as it began to expand. Kim glanced down for a moment and then looked back up at Dirk, smiling as she spoke again.He likes me!“ she said, rubbing harder.What's not to like?” Dirk replied, returning her bravado right back at her. But what about your husband? I don't think he'd much like what you're doing right now, nor do I think he'd like what I think you're going to do next.“My husband likes what I tell him to like, Kim replied, still rubbing Dirk's quickly hardening cock with the palm of her hand.So it's like that, huh? I thought so,” he said, leaning back against the work bench and letting Kim continue to rub his cock which was getting bigger and harder by the moment.You thought what?“ she said softly, looking up at him and squeezing his hardening shaft through his jeans. That I’m in charge, and that he does what I tell him to do?”Something like that, yeah, Dirk replied. I got that from watching the conversation you had with him this morning out in the driveway before he went to work.It's more than you think, Dirk",“ she said, giving him a half-smile as she squeezed his cock again. "Much more!”Let me guess he's a cuckold, right?“ Dirk said, causing Kim to grin.Exactly!” she said. But enough about him. Right now I want this big, hard cock of yours in my mouth! I want to taste you, suck on you, and drink you down when I make you cum in my mouth!“ she said breathlessly, stepping in close to him.She grabbed the top of his jeans with both hands and began working them open, yanking the zipper down when she got the button open and shoving her hand into them. She wrapped her fingers around his hard shaft and began pumping, reaching up with her other hand and placing it behind his neck to pull his mouth down to hers.She kissed him hard and deep, slipping her tongue into his mouth as she pumped his cock in her hand, and Dirk slid his hands around to her huge tits and grabbed them hard. He squeezed and kneaded the big mounds in his hands, and Kim moaned in his mouth.She took her hands from his cock and his neck long enough to pull her halter top open and set her tits free, and Dirk immediately grabbed onto them again as she regained her grip on his cock.I want you!” she whispered, breaking off the kiss but maintaining her grip on his cock. I want to taste you!“ she said, dropping to her knees in front of him. She pulled his jeans open with both hands, setting his cock free; she noticed he wasn't wearing anything under them, and she paused to look at it for a moment. She moved her nose right up next to the tip and inhaled, closing her eyes and smiling as she inhaled his scent.I just love the way a real man's cock smells!” she whispered, looking up at him. It smells so fucking good!“ she said, gripping it in her hand and pumping the shaft again. She ran her nose down the underside of his cock and over his balls, inhaling deeply, then stuck out her tongue and licked him along the underside, from his balls up to the tip.When she got to the tip, she immediately closed her lips around the head of his cock and sucked him into her mouth, sliding her wet mouth down onto his cock until she had all of him in her mouth. Her nose pressed against his abdomen as she slid her tongue around the underside of his shaft, then she sucked hard as she slid her mouth back up his cock to the tip. She repeated this several times. And soon Dirk’s cock was shiny and wet with her saliva. When she got to the head of his cock, she paused, looking up at Dirk as she sucked on it for a moment, Before releasing it.She wrapped her hand around his cock, and began slowing pumping it as she spoke; So how does it feel to have another man's wife sucking your cock, Dirk?” she asked, licking the tip of his coq for emphasis. Are you okay with that?“ she asked, teasingly.You aren’t the first married woman. I’ve had sucking my dick, sweetheart. Dirk replied, looking down at her. And you won’t be the first married woman I’ve fucked before either. I just can’t. Can’t help but wonder how your husband is going to take all of this if he finds out, he said.It’s not a matter of if , lover, it’s a matter of when,” she said, giving that half-grin again.Still don’t believe me? Okay, then watch this.“ She reached into her back pocket with her free hand and retrieved her cell phone. Pushing a button on it while still pumping Dirk's cock. She leaned over and sucked on the head as the phone rang, giving it a pop when the call went through."Hi, baby, it’s me,” she said, looking up at Dirk with her hand pumping his cock. “You made it to work okay? Great, baby. I’m glad. Look, baby, remember how we were talking last week and I told you how I really wanted to fuck other men, specifically the biker guy across the street? The one I said I thought was so fucking hot. Remember that? You do? Good. Well, I just wanted you to know that But right now, I’m on my knees in front of him in his garage, and I’m sucking his cock.”She paused as her husband said something on the other end, that Dirk couldn’t hear.Sucking on the head of his cock while her husband was talking. She slipped her mouth from his cock, to reply.“That’s right, baby right now. I’ve got his big cock in my hand right now. And my god, he's hard!” she said, smiling up at Dirk.“Yeah, he is. Much harder than you ever get. And I think he’s bigger and thicker than you are, too. So I’m gonna suck his dick a little more, and then I’m gonna let him fuck me, okay, baby? And no, there’s nothing you can do about it, you know? I’m going to fuck him, and that’s all there is to it.”She paused again for a moment, before continuing, her hand still pumping is Cock.Great And just so you’ll know, baby, as much as I’d like for him to come inside me, I think I’m gonna make him come in my mouth. Uh huh, in my mouth.  And then I’m going to swallow his cum. Yes, I’m going to swallow his cum. And if you’re being a really good boy, then maybe I’ll let you come in my mouth and swallow your cum.There was another short pause as the husband said something else, and she sucked on the head of his cock again, as he spoke.. After just a few moments she continued.Okay, baby, well, I’ve got this big hard dick in front of my face right now, and if I don’t get my pussy wrapped around it soon I’m gonna go out of my mind. So I’m gonna hang up and fuck him now, okay?“ she said, looking up at Dirk.Okay, baby. I’ll talk to you later. Bye,” she said, then pressed a button on the phone to end the call.She tossed the cell phone onto the workbench next to Dirk, then looked up at him, grinning. Believe me now?“ she said as he held the head of his cock right in front of her face.His precum was flowing like a river by now, and she stuck her tongue out and licked it in as she spoke.Absolutely, he said, watching her.  You’ve really got him wrapped around your little finger, don't you?”So tight, he can hardly breathe,“ she replied, grinning again.And you don’t think that him knowing that I fucked his wife, is going to be a problem later on?”She slurped on the head of his cock some more.After all, I do live right across the street, and it’s not like he’s not gonna see me just about every day.She slid her mouth down his shaft once, and held it there a moment; before sliding it off and replying; It won’t be a problem, because I’ll tell him it won’t be a problem,“ she replied, giving him a slightly evil smile and cocking one eyebrow at him.Now, are we gonna fuck, or not?” she asked.Oh yeah, we’re gonna fuck, he replied, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her to her feet. He stepped to the side and shoved her roughly against the workbench, making her gasp as he moved in behind her.She braced herself with her hands on the wall as he bent her over the bench, her big tits pressing against the smooth surface of the workbench, then grabbed her pants with both hands at the hips and yanked downwards. The button and zipper holding them closed gave way, the button flying and the zipper popping open as he pulled them down her legs.Dirk wasn’t surprised to see that she wasn’t wearing any panties, he also wasn’t surprised to see the wetness covering her outer lips. Her pussy was shaven as smooth. The outer lips, pink and glistening, and her musk filled the room immediately.Oh, uh, wait a minute, wait. She began as she tried to stand up straight.Uff,“ she cried as he shoved her back down, and then she slapped her hands back on the wall for support.Dirk pulled her pants down as hard as he could, as he slapped her hard on the ass. The sound of his hand smacking against her ass sounded like a rifle shot in the garage, and Kim cried out in surprise.Spread your legs. Dirk commanded, and when she didn’t move fast enough, he smacked her on the ass again, harder. The red imprint of his hand was clearly visible; and he knew that Hubby was sure to see it later on that night. But that wasn’t his problem. So he didn’t care.That’s the man I wanted to see. Kim said, looking back at him with a grin on her face, while she spread her legs as far apart as she could, the chino pants around her knees. Use me. Dirk. Use me like I’m your personal fuck-toy. Fuck me. Fuck me hard, you big stud.Dirk moved in close behind her, his own jeans around his knees as well, and placed a hand on her back as he grasped his throbbing, rock-hard cock with the other. He rubbed the head up and down her slit a couple times. He spread her juices over it, and made it slick, against the opening of her pussy. Then he grabbed her by the hips at the same time, impaling her on his cock.She was so wet that he slid all the way in on the first thrust, and he felt his balls bump against her clit.Oh-oh!” Kim cried loudly, squeezing her eyes closed in ecstasy as Dirk shoved his cock into her pussy. She groaned as he held it there for a moment. Then began moaning as he began thrusting. He thrusted hard and fast, pumping in deep strokes.; shoving his cock in and out of her as deep as he could in each thrust.He gripped her hips tightly in his hands and used them for leverage, yanking her back against him with every forward thrust. She groaned and gasped in time with his thrust, his cock siding in and out of her pussy, over and over again.Oh, my god! yes, yes, yes!“ she cried in time with his thrust. Fuck me, fuck me, use me, like, the slut, that I am. It was all Kim could do to keep her balance with her hands on the wall in front of her.Dirk was fucking her so hard.He was pounding her pussy, just as she had wanted, hard and fast, and she knew it wasn’t going to be long before she was coming all over his hardcore.I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna cum,” she gasped, feeling her orgasm building quickly. Where the hell was this? Stud when I was single?“ she thought to herself as Dirk continued pounding her with his cock.So come, then. Dirk said without pausing or missing a beat.   Don’t talk about it, do it. And she did. As soon as Dirk uttered those words her orgasm hit, exploding inside her body, like a bomb. She cried out and gritted her teeth as the powerful orgasm rocked her body to the depths of her being. She was cumming hard; harder than she's ever cum before. And Dirk could feel her pussy fluttering and contracting around his cock as she came.He continued his thrust, pushing harder and deeper as she came.She was surprised when she had a second orgasm immediately after the first.Ung Kim cried through clenched teeth as the second orgasm shook her body, her eyes squeezed shut, a grimace on her face as the powerful waves of pleasure rocked through her. She pushed back against Dirk, meeting his thrusts as her orgasm ran its course. And when it was finally done, it left her covered with a fine sheet of sweat and gasping for breath.Dirk slowed his thrusts until he was slowly sliding in and out of her sopping-wet pussy, in long, easy strokes; and Kim dropped down onto the workbench, resting on her forearms.Her mouth was hanging open and she was panting for breath when she looked back at Dirk and spoke.Oh my god, that was incredible!” she said, a big grin on her face. I’ve never been fucked like that before. And I came so hard!“ she said, looking back at him.And now you’re gonna make me cum, Dirk said, looking back.Yes I am. Kim said, jumping up and spinning around to face him. Dirk let her go and felt his cock slip out of her pussy as she moved, dropping to her knees in front of him and grabbing his glistening slippery cock in one hand, and his heavy balls in the other. She pumped his cock and squeezed his balls gently, as she looked up at him and spoke again.  I’m gonna make you come in my mouth, and I’m gonna swallow every drop,” she whispered sexily. She slipped her mouth over the head of his cock and down his shaft, taking it all in one swift movement. She immediately began sliding her mouth up and down the length of his cock. Sliding her tongue along the underside of his cock and sucking on it hard as she moved. She kneaded and

Today we have a special episode breaking down how investors are using AI.  This is a question I get from many of you, and while there is no shortage of content on the implications of AI, I know there's an appetite to learn more about tangible use cases, how to make sure you're getting the most out of these tools, how to think about advancements in the technology, and ensuring that you're keeping pace with the innovation curve. So my guest today is David Plon, Founder of Portrait Analytics. Now, David and Portrait have been partners of Business Breakdowns since last year, but I specifically asked David to do this episode because, one, he is really front and center to how investors are using and applying AI. But two, and maybe more importantly, he and his team come with a background in investing.  So while the conversation doesn't really focus on Portrait, you'll hear references to what he and his team are building and how they've shaped it for investors, you'll very much understand when you hear David talk that he is someone who understands the pain points of an investor. I think everyone will find something in this episode that will benefit them in their day to day, and I would love to hear the feedback.  For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Portrait Analytics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - your centralized resource for AI-powered idea generation, thesis monitoring, and personalized report building. Built by buy-side investors, for investment professionals. We work in the background, helping surface stock ideas and thesis signposts to help you monetize every insight. In short, we help you understand the story behind the stock chart, and get to "go, or no-go" 10x faster than before. Sign-up for a free trial today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠portraitresearch.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joincolossus.com/episodes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠). Timestamps  (00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns (00:04:05) Meet David Plon: Investor to Founder (00:05:54) Pain Points in the Investment Process (00:09:08) AI as a “Smart Filter” for News (00:11:54) AI's Role in the Pre-Buy Process (00:14:34) How AI Enables Specific Quantitative Analysis (00:17:24) Using AI for Investment Idea Generation (00:21:42) How to Write Good Prompts for LLMs (00:25:27) Structured vs. Creative Tasks (00:27:47) The Value of Experimentation & Real-Time Feedback (00:32:28) Best Practices for Deploying AI in an Institutional Setting (00:35:57) Why Documenting Decision Making is Essential (00:39:19) How Models Have Improved at Using Provided Context (00:42:02) Memory in LLMs: Near-Term Limitations, Long-Term Potential (00:46:24) Applying Agentic AI in Investment Research

Is "developer-friendly" AI security actually possible? In this episode, Bryan Woolgar-O'Neil (CTO & Co-founder of Harmonic Security) joins Ashish to dismantle the traditional "block everything" approach to security.Bryan explains why 70% of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers are running locally on developer laptops and why trying to block them is a losing battle . Instead, he advocates for a "coaching" approach, intervening in real-time to guide engineers rather than stopping their flow .We dive deep into the technical realities of MCP (Model Context Protocol), why it's becoming the standard for connecting AI to data, and the security risks of connecting it to production environments . Bryan also shares his prediction that Small Language Models (SLMs) will eventually outperform general giants like ChatGPT for specific business tasks .Guest Socials - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bryan's Linkedin Podcast Twitter - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@CloudSecPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you want to watch videos of this LIVE STREAMED episode and past episodes - Check out our other Cloud Security Social Channels:-⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cloud Security Podcast- Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cloud Security Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠If you are interested in AI Security, you can check out our sister podcast -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ AI Security Podcast⁠Questions asked:(00:00) Introduction(01:55) Who is Bryan Woolgar-O'Neil?(03:00) Why AI Adoption Stops at Experimentation(05:15) The "Shadow AI" Blind Spot: Firewall Stats vs. Reality (08:00) Is AI Security Fundamentally Different? (Speed & Scale) (10:45) Can Security Ever Be "Developer Friendly"? (14:30) What is MCP (Model Context Protocol)? (17:20) Why 70% of MCP Usage is Local (and the Risks) (21:30) The "Coaching" Approach: Don't Just Block, Educate (25:40) Developer First: Permissive vs. Blocking Cultures (30:20) The Rise of the "Head of AI" Role (34:30) Use Cases: Workforce Productivity vs. Product Integration (41:00) An AI Security Maturity Model (Visibility -> Access -> Coaching) (46:00) Future Prediction: Agentic Flows & Urgent Tasks (49:30) Why Small Language Models (SLMs) Will Win (53:30) Fun Questions: Feature Films & Pork Dumplings

In a world that's being transformed by AI agents and agentic systems, how do software developers unlearn what they know while also maintaining engineering rigor? In an in-person conversation with Nathen Harvey, Developer Relations Engineer at Google Cloud, and Patrick Debois, Developer Relations at Tessl, host Ken Mugrage dives into the ways individuals, teams and organizations are walking the line between experimentation and well-established engineering practices as they seek to innovate while ensuring resilience, reliability and security. Thoughtworks is a platinum sponsor of the 2025 DORA report: https://www.thoughtworks.com/en-us/insights/reports/the-2025-dora-report  

Sean O'Dell of Dynatrace argues that enterprises are unprepared for a major shift brought on by AI: the rise of the developer. Speaking at Dynatrace Perform in Las Vegas, O'Dell explains that AI-assisted and “vibe” coding are collapsing traditional boundaries in software development. Developers, once insulated from production by layers of operations and governance, are now regaining end-to-end ownership of the entire software lifecycle — from development and testing to deployment and security. This shift challenges long-standing enterprise structures built around separation of duties and risk mitigation. At the same time, the definition of “developer” is expanding. With AI lowering technical barriers, software creation is becoming more about creative intent than mastery of specialized tools, opening the door to nontraditional developers. Experimentation is also moving into production environments, a change that would have seemed reckless just 18 months ago. According to O'Dell, enterprises now understand AI well enough to experiment confidently, but many are not ready for the cultural, operational, and security implications of developers — broadly defined — taking full control again.Learn more from The New Stack about the latest around enterprise developers and AI: Retool's New AI-Powered App Builder Lets Non-Developers Build Enterprise AppsSolving 3 Enterprise AI Problems Developers FaceEnterprise Platform Teams Are Stuck in Day 2 HellJoin our community of newsletter subscribers to stay on top of the news and at the top of your game.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dirk provides sex therapy insights.By Original Aramis. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.(be sure to catch part 1, before continuing this episode)The look in her eyes had changed from timid to tigress, and Dirk was now her prey.She rose up on her knees and lunged at him, grabbing his cock and shoving her mouth down on it. Then she grabbed him by the hips and pushed her head forward, shoving his entire cock as deep into her mouth as she could. She held it there for just a moment, then started sliding her mouth up and down his shaft like a woman possessed, twisting his jeans in her fists as she tightened her grip on them for support. She sucked him hard, fast and deep, her hair and the spit flying. Dirk looked down in amazement, his body rocking back and forth from the effort she was putting into sucking his cock. He watched her go at him for a full minute before she finally slid her mouth from his cock, looking up at him with shiny, watery eyes and a big smile on her face as she spoke.“God, I love sucking your cock!” she exclaimed, panting for breath. She looked at him for just a moment more, then slid her mouth back onto his shaft and went back to work. She grabbed Dirk's hands and put them on the sides of her head, and Dirk got the message. He grabbed her by the hair and face-fucked her again, harder and faster this time, and her muffled cries of passion told him that he was doing exactly what she wanted. She braced herself with her hands on the front of his thighs as he shoved her mouth up and down on his cock, then reached down with one hand and started fingering her pussy. She moaned and cried out as she touched herself, and it was only a matter of moments before she came.She came hard, her body shivering as her orgasm exploded inside her, a muffled cry, coming from her mouth full of Dirk's cock, and she squeezed her eyes closed in reaction to the intensity of her orgasm. She gripped his jeans hard in one hand as she furiously worked her pussy with the other, keeping Dirk's cock in her mouth as she rode out the waves of her orgasm.It was over as fast as it had started, and Dirk released her hair from his hands as she fell back onto her haunches. The scent of her musk filled the room, and Dirk could see that her pink panties were absolutely soaked with her juices. She looked up at him, gasping and panting for breath, her mouth hanging open, saliva dripping from her chin onto her cleavage. She was giving him the same look as before, telling him that she wasn't done with him just yet.“I want that cock inside me!” she panted, looking up at him from beneath her brows once more. The look of pure lust was burning brightly in her eyes with an intensity that Dirk had never seen before in any woman. I need that cock inside me!“ she said, lunging up and grabbing Dirk's jeans with both hands. She yanked them down around his knees, then grabbed his boxers by the sides of the fly and ripped them wide open, literally tearing them from his hips."Holy shit!” Dirk thought as she looked up at him, a lustful smile on her face. She jumped to her feet and immediately wrapped her arms around Dirk's neck and kissed him, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth and grinding her entire body against his. Dirk could feel the heat of her pussy against him, and his cock throbbed as it was trapped between them. He put his arms around her and held her tight, kissing her back. She moved as they kissed, turning him so his back was to the bed and then stepping towards the bed until the back of his knees were touching the mattress. With his jeans and ripped boxers around his lower legs Dirk had to shuffle, but he managed to move without falling over.Stephanie broke off the kiss, and then put her hands on Dirk's chest and shoved him backwards. He fell back onto the bed, his lower legs hanging off the side, and watched in amazement as Stephanie ripped her panties from her hips and tossed them aside. She climbed onto the bed on top of him, pushing his legs together as she straddled him, her knees on either side of his hips. Without a word she got into position above him and immediately reached down and grabbed his cock, pointing it straight up at her pussy. She rubbed the head between her slippery outer lips a few times and then sank down on it, moaning loudly as she impaled herself onto his cock.“Oh!” she moaned, throwing her head back with her eyes closed, biting on her lower lips as she sat up straight on Dirk's hips, pushing her pussy down onto his cock as far as she could. She leaned back and put her hands on Dirk's thighs, pushing her hips down and slowly rotating them around and around on the shaft buried inside her. She lowered her head and opened her eyes, looking directly at Dirk as she moved on top of him, still biting her lower lip. Her pussy was very tight and very wet, and was gripping his shaft like a hot, wet, velvet glove. Staring right into his eyes she sat straight up and then reached for the clasp at the front of her bra, unhooked it, and pulled the bra from her body, setting her big tits free. She tossed it in the same general direction as her panties, then reached up and grabbed her big tits with both hands. She continued looking Dirk in the eyes as she squeezed them hard, pulling and tugging on the nipples as she slowly rotated her hips around and around.Without a word, Stephanie released her tits from her grasp and reached down to grab Dirk's hands, placing them on her tits and squeezing. Dirk took the hint and squeezed her big, firm tits hard in his hands, eliciting another moan from her as he did so. Stephanie reached behind her and grabbed his balls with one hand, massaging and kneading them in her hand as he did the same to her tits. Then she released his balls from her hand and dropped forward, placing one hand on either side of Dirk's head. Dirk released her boobs from his grasp as she fell forward, and they hung over his chest with the hard nipples barely brushing against his skin. She looked deep into his eyes as she began to move, sliding her pussy up and down the length of Dirk's hard cock. She fucked him hard and fast, slamming her hips down and shoving her pussy down onto his cock in hard, fast movements, her heavy tits swaying and bobbing with her movements.Dirk reached up and grabbed her swaying tits with his hands, squeezing them hard and eliciting a loud moan from Stephanie. She threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut as Dirk squeezed her tits harder, and the motions of her hips increased. She lowered her head and opened her eyes to look directly into his, her mouth hanging open as she panted for breath, never slowing the motions of her hips as she rode his cock hard. A fine layer of sweat was now covering her body, glistening in the light of the bedroom, and Dirk thought that only made her look sexier and hotter; if that was possible.Stephanie sat straight up on Dirk's shaft, pulling her tits out of his reach, then braced herself with her hands on his stomach. She closed her eyes and bit her lips, turning her head to the side as she rocked her hips from front to back in rapid movements. The upper part of her body was motionless but her hips were a blur as she fucked Dirk's cock hard and fast. Her big tits bobbed on her chest, the nipples hard as rocks, and she began to moan as she rocked her hips on his cock.“I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum!” she moaned, gritting her teeth as she continued riding his cock. A few seconds later her second orgasm hit, and she cried out as her orgasm exploded inside her. She squeezed her eyes closed and gritted her teeth, throwing her head around as the waves of pleasure rocketed through her body, and her hips moved even faster. The bed was shaking and bucking with the force of her movements, and Dirk wouldn't have been surprised if the neighbors had heard them. Dirk could feel her pussy flooding as she came, drenching his cock in her slippery juices, and it was all he could do to hang on to the bed as she rode her orgasm out.After several long moments Stephanie's orgasm began to subside, and the motions of her hips slowed until she was sitting still, Dirk's throbbing cock still buried inside her. She was gasping and panting for breath, her body glistening with sweat as she looked down at him, her mouth hanging open. She smiled a crooked smile at him, slowly rotating her hips around in circles.“Now it's my turn!” Dirk said as he reached up and grabbed Stephanie by the upper arms, throwing her from on top of him and onto the bed beside him. Before she could react he jumped up from the bed, spun around, and flipped her over onto her stomach. Then he grabbed her by the hips and yanked her up onto all fours, pulling her back towards him until her knees were on the edge of the bed.“Oh my God, yes! Yes, Dirk, yes!” she cried as she realized what he had in mind.“Fuck me doggy style, Dirk! Fuck me doggie style, Dirk Fuck me doggie style, like you fuck your biker bitches Fuck me, Dirk, fuck me hard,” she cried, looking over her shoulder at him.Dirk grabbed her hips with one hand and his cock with the other, pressing the head of his cock against her tunnel and holding it there while he moved his hand to her other hip. Grasping her hips in both hands he yanked her back as he thrust forward, impaling her with his cock and driving it into her as deeply as he could. He felt his balls slap against her clit as he hit bottom, and Stephanie screamed in ecstasy. Gripping her hips tightly with both hands he began fucking her, thrusting his hard cock in and out of her sopping wet pussy in hard, deep, long strokes.Stephanie moaned in time with his thrusts, the moans being of the high-pitched type a woman makes when she’s more overpowered than aroused.Dirk reached forward with one hand and grabbed her by the hair, twisting it in his hand and yanking back, forcing her head up as he continued to thrust in and out of her. As soon as he did this the pitch of Stephanie’s moans changed from a high-pitched moan to a lower, more guttural pitch moan of a woman who is truly enjoying what is happening.Dirk felt her being to thrust back against him, matching him stroke for stroke, and the harder he pulled on her hand and the further he pulled her head back the more she seemed to enjoy it.She twisted the bed spread in her fists as he fucked her hard and fast, moaning, continually at the pounding he was giving her. He was fucking her hard and fast now, his balls slapping against her clit with every forward thrust, the globes of her ass rippling as his abdomen banged against her ass. Dirk could feel the faint beginnings of his own orgasm building in his balls, and he felt his cock thicken along with it. He didn’t know how, but Stephanie must have felt it as well.“I want, I want you to, come on, my face. Come on, my face, Dirk,” she moaned through clenched teeth in time with his thrusting, her head still pulled up and back by his grip on her hair.“Then turn around and get on your knees, because here it comes.” Dirk replied. He released her hair from his grasp and pulled out of her pussy, and she quickly got up, spun around, and dropped to her knees in front of him. She grabbed his cock with both hands and clamped her mouth around the head of his cock, sucking hard as she pumped the shaft quickly. She felt his cock thicken and widen in her hands and knew he was about to come. She released his cock from her mouth and held her mouth open, pumping his cock in her hand.“Give it to me, Dirk. Come for me, come all over my face, give it to me,” she whispered, and Dirk did just that.He groaned as his orgasm hit and the first blast of cum exploded from the head of his cock, landing right in the middle of her forehead at the hairline and falling down her face, between her eyes and down her nose to her lips. Stephanie cried out in joy and smiled, turning her head from side to side as Dirk’s cock pumped stream after stream of hot, sticky cum onto her turned face and into her mouth.After letting three or four streams of cum land on her face, she clamped her lips around the head of his cock and sucked hard, keeping his cock in her mouth as it continued to pump out more cum. She gripped his shaft in her hand hard, pumping it with one hand and squeezing his balls with the other. She wanted to get every last drop out of him and into her mouth, and she wasn’t going to stop until she had done just that. The force of Dirk’s orgasm took him by surprise, it had been a while since he’d been with a woman, and the intensity of this woman had made him cum harder and longer than he could remember.He was cumming so hard and so long that he thought his brains would surely come out of the end of his dick, especially with Stephanie’s mouth locked onto his cock and sucking the way she was. Nearing the end of his orgasm he grabbed Stephanie’s head once more and forced her mouth down onto his cock, burying it in the back of her throat as the last spasms went through him, pumping the very last of his cum out. She cried out around his cock, but didn’t pull away, staying there until his orgasm was spent and he released her head from his hands.She sat back on her haunches, her mouth open as she gasped for breath, and Dirk could see a large amount of his cum on her tongue and in her mouth. She looked up at him and smiled with her mouth open, then rolled his cum around in her mouth and on her tongue for him to see. She did this for several moments, savoring the feel and the taste on her tongue before closing her mouth and swallowing it down.Then she used her fingers to scoop up the strands of cum from her face, sticking her fingers into her mouth and sucking the cum from them. She did this until her face was clean of his cum, looking him in the eyes the entire time.“Very tasty,” she said, smiling up at him. “I just love the taste of cum, especially yours.”“Damn, girl!” was all Dirk could say.This made Stephanie laugh, and she was still laughing as she stood up. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips, her lips barely parted. He put his hands on her hips as they kissed, and he thought it was one of the softest, most sincere kisses he’d ever had.“Thank you, Dirk, she said softly, looking into his eyes.”“You’re welcome, Stephanie,” he said. Yeah, he knew it was kind of lame after the fucking he’d just given her, but it was all he could think of at the moment.She smiled at him and then took her arms from around his neck, reaching down to pick up the discarded dress from the floor next to the bed. She stepped into it and pulled it up as Dirk reached down to pull up his jeans from around his ankles. As she tied the ends of the top behind her neck, Dirk reached into his back pocket and pulled out a fairly large knife, flicking the blade open. He cut the remains of his boxers from his legs and tossed them onto the bed, then closed the knife and put it back into his pocket before standing up and pulling his jeans up.“I guess I owe you a pair of boxers, huh, Dirk?” she said, smiling at him.Dirk turned to look at her and thought that she looked better in that dress without a bra than she did with one.“Sorry about that, I kind of got carried away.”“Don’t worry about it, Stephanie,” Dirk replied, fastening his belt and zipping up his jeans. “I usually go commando anyway, so it’s no big deal. I only wore them tonight because, well, I didn’t want to surprise you with a naked cock just inside the zipper of my jeans, you know?”Stephanie laughed at this, as she replied. “That’s very kind of you. I appreciate the thought,” she said, smiling broadly. Damn, but this woman is beautiful, Dirk thought. Wally is one lucky son of a bitch. I wonder if he knows just who he’s married to.“I don’t know about you, but I sure could use a beer,” Stephanie said, bringing him out of his reverie.“That makes two of us,” Dirk replied.Stephanie walked out of the bedroom and Dirk followed her as she walked down the hall into the kitchen. She wasn’t having any trouble in those boots now, it was like she was an entirely different person. Once in the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and retrieved two bottles of beer, then turned and handed one to Dirk.They both twisted the lids off of their beers, and Stephanie held hers up at Dirk.“Here’s to good friends and great sex,” she said, grinning at him.“Here, here!” Dirk said, clinking his bottle against hers.They both took a long pull of the ice-cold beer, and then Stephanie leaned back against the kitchen counter. Dirk leaned back against the bar that was on the other side of the kitchen and directly behind him, and they looked at each other for a moment before Stephanie spoke, pointing at the patches on the front of his vest.“What does that patch mean? The one that says, high side?” she asked, referring to the patch on the left side of his vest at chest height.“That’s my road name,” Dirk replied. “All bikers have road names, and that’s mine.”“How did you settle on high side?” she asked, taking a sip of her beer.“Because when I was prospecting my club, I went down on my bike on my very first club ride, and that’s the kind of accident it was. I hit the back brakes to avoid a dog that ran out in front of me. The bike skidded, I tried to lay down on one side, then the tires grabbed and the bike stood up, flipping me off of the other side, the high side.” he explained. “From that day on, I’d been known as high side.”“I bet that was embarrassing,” she said, suppressing a chuckle.“You have no idea.” Dirk replied, smiling at the memory. “I thought for sure my prospecting days were over, but the patch members decided to let me continue, and a year later I got my patches,” he said.“Prospecting?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.“That’s the time. that you have to prove yourself to the members of the club, prove to them that you’re worthy enough to wear their patches,” Dirk explained. “Most clubs make you prospect for at least a year, and during that time. you are at the beck and call of any patch member, full member, that is of the club, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When that phone rings and it’s the club on the other end, whatever you’re doing stops and you have to go take care of club business, or whatever the patch member wants you to do. Fail to do this just once and you’re out,” he said.“And I see you made it,” Stephanie said, looking his vest over. “How long did you have to prospect?”“My club makes you prospect for a year,” he replied. “And it was a long, tough year, let me tell you.”“I bet it was.” Stephanie said. “Wally tells me that tonight was your idea?” Dirk said, changing the subject and the mood. “Is that true?” he asked.Stephanie dropped her eyes and looked down at the beer in her hands for a moment, before looking back up at him.“Yes, it’s true,” she replied quietly. She took

Dirk provides sex therapy insights.By Original Aramis. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.(be sure to catch part 1, before continuing this episode)The look in her eyes had changed from timid to tigress, and Dirk was now her prey.She rose up on her knees and lunged at him, grabbing his cock and shoving her mouth down on it. Then she grabbed him by the hips and pushed her head forward, shoving his entire cock as deep into her mouth as she could. She held it there for just a moment, then started sliding her mouth up and down his shaft like a woman possessed, twisting his jeans in her fists as she tightened her grip on them for support. She sucked him hard, fast and deep, her hair and the spit flying. Dirk looked down in amazement, his body rocking back and forth from the effort she was putting into sucking his cock. He watched her go at him for a full minute before she finally slid her mouth from his cock, looking up at him with shiny, watery eyes and a big smile on her face as she spoke.“God, I love sucking your cock!” she exclaimed, panting for breath. She looked at him for just a moment more, then slid her mouth back onto his shaft and went back to work. She grabbed Dirk's hands and put them on the sides of her head, and Dirk got the message. He grabbed her by the hair and face-fucked her again, harder and faster this time, and her muffled cries of passion told him that he was doing exactly what she wanted. She braced herself with her hands on the front of his thighs as he shoved her mouth up and down on his cock, then reached down with one hand and started fingering her pussy. She moaned and cried out as she touched herself, and it was only a matter of moments before she came.She came hard, her body shivering as her orgasm exploded inside her, a muffled cry, coming from her mouth full of Dirk's cock, and she squeezed her eyes closed in reaction to the intensity of her orgasm. She gripped his jeans hard in one hand as she furiously worked her pussy with the other, keeping Dirk's cock in her mouth as she rode out the waves of her orgasm.It was over as fast as it had started, and Dirk released her hair from his hands as she fell back onto her haunches. The scent of her musk filled the room, and Dirk could see that her pink panties were absolutely soaked with her juices. She looked up at him, gasping and panting for breath, her mouth hanging open, saliva dripping from her chin onto her cleavage. She was giving him the same look as before, telling him that she wasn't done with him just yet.“I want that cock inside me!” she panted, looking up at him from beneath her brows once more. The look of pure lust was burning brightly in her eyes with an intensity that Dirk had never seen before in any woman. I need that cock inside me!“ she said, lunging up and grabbing Dirk's jeans with both hands. She yanked them down around his knees, then grabbed his boxers by the sides of the fly and ripped them wide open, literally tearing them from his hips."Holy shit!” Dirk thought as she looked up at him, a lustful smile on her face. She jumped to her feet and immediately wrapped her arms around Dirk's neck and kissed him, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth and grinding her entire body against his. Dirk could feel the heat of her pussy against him, and his cock throbbed as it was trapped between them. He put his arms around her and held her tight, kissing her back. She moved as they kissed, turning him so his back was to the bed and then stepping towards the bed until the back of his knees were touching the mattress. With his jeans and ripped boxers around his lower legs Dirk had to shuffle, but he managed to move without falling over.Stephanie broke off the kiss, and then put her hands on Dirk's chest and shoved him backwards. He fell back onto the bed, his lower legs hanging off the side, and watched in amazement as Stephanie ripped her panties from her hips and tossed them aside. She climbed onto the bed on top of him, pushing his legs together as she straddled him, her knees on either side of his hips. Without a word she got into position above him and immediately reached down and grabbed his cock, pointing it straight up at her pussy. She rubbed the head between her slippery outer lips a few times and then sank down on it, moaning loudly as she impaled herself onto his cock.“Oh!” she moaned, throwing her head back with her eyes closed, biting on her lower lips as she sat up straight on Dirk's hips, pushing her pussy down onto his cock as far as she could. She leaned back and put her hands on Dirk's thighs, pushing her hips down and slowly rotating them around and around on the shaft buried inside her. She lowered her head and opened her eyes, looking directly at Dirk as she moved on top of him, still biting her lower lip. Her pussy was very tight and very wet, and was gripping his shaft like a hot, wet, velvet glove. Staring right into his eyes she sat straight up and then reached for the clasp at the front of her bra, unhooked it, and pulled the bra from her body, setting her big tits free. She tossed it in the same general direction as her panties, then reached up and grabbed her big tits with both hands. She continued looking Dirk in the eyes as she squeezed them hard, pulling and tugging on the nipples as she slowly rotated her hips around and around.Without a word, Stephanie released her tits from her grasp and reached down to grab Dirk's hands, placing them on her tits and squeezing. Dirk took the hint and squeezed her big, firm tits hard in his hands, eliciting another moan from her as he did so. Stephanie reached behind her and grabbed his balls with one hand, massaging and kneading them in her hand as he did the same to her tits. Then she released his balls from her hand and dropped forward, placing one hand on either side of Dirk's head. Dirk released her boobs from his grasp as she fell forward, and they hung over his chest with the hard nipples barely brushing against his skin. She looked deep into his eyes as she began to move, sliding her pussy up and down the length of Dirk's hard cock. She fucked him hard and fast, slamming her hips down and shoving her pussy down onto his cock in hard, fast movements, her heavy tits swaying and bobbing with her movements.Dirk reached up and grabbed her swaying tits with his hands, squeezing them hard and eliciting a loud moan from Stephanie. She threw her head back and squeezed her eyes shut as Dirk squeezed her tits harder, and the motions of her hips increased. She lowered her head and opened her eyes to look directly into his, her mouth hanging open as she panted for breath, never slowing the motions of her hips as she rode his cock hard. A fine layer of sweat was now covering her body, glistening in the light of the bedroom, and Dirk thought that only made her look sexier and hotter; if that was possible.Stephanie sat straight up on Dirk's shaft, pulling her tits out of his reach, then braced herself with her hands on his stomach. She closed her eyes and bit her lips, turning her head to the side as she rocked her hips from front to back in rapid movements. The upper part of her body was motionless but her hips were a blur as she fucked Dirk's cock hard and fast. Her big tits bobbed on her chest, the nipples hard as rocks, and she began to moan as she rocked her hips on his cock.“I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum!” she moaned, gritting her teeth as she continued riding his cock. A few seconds later her second orgasm hit, and she cried out as her orgasm exploded inside her. She squeezed her eyes closed and gritted her teeth, throwing her head around as the waves of pleasure rocketed through her body, and her hips moved even faster. The bed was shaking and bucking with the force of her movements, and Dirk wouldn't have been surprised if the neighbors had heard them. Dirk could feel her pussy flooding as she came, drenching his cock in her slippery juices, and it was all he could do to hang on to the bed as she rode her orgasm out.After several long moments Stephanie's orgasm began to subside, and the motions of her hips slowed until she was sitting still, Dirk's throbbing cock still buried inside her. She was gasping and panting for breath, her body glistening with sweat as she looked down at him, her mouth hanging open. She smiled a crooked smile at him, slowly rotating her hips around in circles.“Now it's my turn!” Dirk said as he reached up and grabbed Stephanie by the upper arms, throwing her from on top of him and onto the bed beside him. Before she could react he jumped up from the bed, spun around, and flipped her over onto her stomach. Then he grabbed her by the hips and yanked her up onto all fours, pulling her back towards him until her knees were on the edge of the bed.“Oh my God, yes! Yes, Dirk, yes!” she cried as she realized what he had in mind.“Fuck me doggy style, Dirk! Fuck me doggie style, Dirk Fuck me doggie style, like you fuck your biker bitches Fuck me, Dirk, fuck me hard,” she cried, looking over her shoulder at him.Dirk grabbed her hips with one hand and his cock with the other, pressing the head of his cock against her tunnel and holding it there while he moved his hand to her other hip. Grasping her hips in both hands he yanked her back as he thrust forward, impaling her with his cock and driving it into her as deeply as he could. He felt his balls slap against her clit as he hit bottom, and Stephanie screamed in ecstasy. Gripping her hips tightly with both hands he began fucking her, thrusting his hard cock in and out of her sopping wet pussy in hard, deep, long strokes.Stephanie moaned in time with his thrusts, the moans being of the high-pitched type a woman makes when she’s more overpowered than aroused.Dirk reached forward with one hand and grabbed her by the hair, twisting it in his hand and yanking back, forcing her head up as he continued to thrust in and out of her. As soon as he did this the pitch of Stephanie’s moans changed from a high-pitched moan to a lower, more guttural pitch moan of a woman who is truly enjoying what is happening.Dirk felt her being to thrust back against him, matching him stroke for stroke, and the harder he pulled on her hand and the further he pulled her head back the more she seemed to enjoy it.She twisted the bed spread in her fists as he fucked her hard and fast, moaning, continually at the pounding he was giving her. He was fucking her hard and fast now, his balls slapping against her clit with every forward thrust, the globes of her ass rippling as his abdomen banged against her ass. Dirk could feel the faint beginnings of his own orgasm building in his balls, and he felt his cock thicken along with it. He didn’t know how, but Stephanie must have felt it as well.“I want, I want you to, come on, my face. Come on, my face, Dirk,” she moaned through clenched teeth in time with his thrusting, her head still pulled up and back by his grip on her hair.“Then turn around and get on your knees, because here it comes.” Dirk replied. He released her hair from his grasp and pulled out of her pussy, and she quickly got up, spun around, and dropped to her knees in front of him. She grabbed his cock with both hands and clamped her mouth around the head of his cock, sucking hard as she pumped the shaft quickly. She felt his cock thicken and widen in her hands and knew he was about to come. She released his cock from her mouth and held her mouth open, pumping his cock in her hand.“Give it to me, Dirk. Come for me, come all over my face, give it to me,” she whispered, and Dirk did just that.He groaned as his orgasm hit and the first blast of cum exploded from the head of his cock, landing right in the middle of her forehead at the hairline and falling down her face, between her eyes and down her nose to her lips. Stephanie cried out in joy and smiled, turning her head from side to side as Dirk’s cock pumped stream after stream of hot, sticky cum onto her turned face and into her mouth.After letting three or four streams of cum land on her face, she clamped her lips around the head of his cock and sucked hard, keeping his cock in her mouth as it continued to pump out more cum. She gripped his shaft in her hand hard, pumping it with one hand and squeezing his balls with the other. She wanted to get every last drop out of him and into her mouth, and she wasn’t going to stop until she had done just that. The force of Dirk’s orgasm took him by surprise, it had been a while since he’d been with a woman, and the intensity of this woman had made him cum harder and longer than he could remember.He was cumming so hard and so long that he thought his brains would surely come out of the end of his dick, especially with Stephanie’s mouth locked onto his cock and sucking the way she was. Nearing the end of his orgasm he grabbed Stephanie’s head once more and forced her mouth down onto his cock, burying it in the back of her throat as the last spasms went through him, pumping the very last of his cum out. She cried out around his cock, but didn’t pull away, staying there until his orgasm was spent and he released her head from his hands.She sat back on her haunches, her mouth open as she gasped for breath, and Dirk could see a large amount of his cum on her tongue and in her mouth. She looked up at him and smiled with her mouth open, then rolled his cum around in her mouth and on her tongue for him to see. She did this for several moments, savoring the feel and the taste on her tongue before closing her mouth and swallowing it down.Then she used her fingers to scoop up the strands of cum from her face, sticking her fingers into her mouth and sucking the cum from them. She did this until her face was clean of his cum, looking him in the eyes the entire time.“Very tasty,” she said, smiling up at him. “I just love the taste of cum, especially yours.”“Damn, girl!” was all Dirk could say.This made Stephanie laugh, and she was still laughing as she stood up. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him gently on the lips, her lips barely parted. He put his hands on her hips as they kissed, and he thought it was one of the softest, most sincere kisses he’d ever had.“Thank you, Dirk, she said softly, looking into his eyes.”“You’re welcome, Stephanie,” he said. Yeah, he knew it was kind of lame after the fucking he’d just given her, but it was all he could think of at the moment.She smiled at him and then took her arms from around his neck, reaching down to pick up the discarded dress from the floor next to the bed. She stepped into it and pulled it up as Dirk reached down to pull up his jeans from around his ankles. As she tied the ends of the top behind her neck, Dirk reached into his back pocket and pulled out a fairly large knife, flicking the blade open. He cut the remains of his boxers from his legs and tossed them onto the bed, then closed the knife and put it back into his pocket before standing up and pulling his jeans up.“I guess I owe you a pair of boxers, huh, Dirk?” she said, smiling at him.Dirk turned to look at her and thought that she looked better in that dress without a bra than she did with one.“Sorry about that, I kind of got carried away.”“Don’t worry about it, Stephanie,” Dirk replied, fastening his belt and zipping up his jeans. “I usually go commando anyway, so it’s no big deal. I only wore them tonight because, well, I didn’t want to surprise you with a naked cock just inside the zipper of my jeans, you know?”Stephanie laughed at this, as she replied. “That’s very kind of you. I appreciate the thought,” she said, smiling broadly. Damn, but this woman is beautiful, Dirk thought. Wally is one lucky son of a bitch. I wonder if he knows just who he’s married to.“I don’t know about you, but I sure could use a beer,” Stephanie said, bringing him out of his reverie.“That makes two of us,” Dirk replied.Stephanie walked out of the bedroom and Dirk followed her as she walked down the hall into the kitchen. She wasn’t having any trouble in those boots now, it was like she was an entirely different person. Once in the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and retrieved two bottles of beer, then turned and handed one to Dirk.They both twisted the lids off of their beers, and Stephanie held hers up at Dirk.“Here’s to good friends and great sex,” she said, grinning at him.“Here, here!” Dirk said, clinking his bottle against hers.They both took a long pull of the ice-cold beer, and then Stephanie leaned back against the kitchen counter. Dirk leaned back against the bar that was on the other side of the kitchen and directly behind him, and they looked at each other for a moment before Stephanie spoke, pointing at the patches on the front of his vest.“What does that patch mean? The one that says, high side?” she asked, referring to the patch on the left side of his vest at chest height.“That’s my road name,” Dirk replied. “All bikers have road names, and that’s mine.”“How did you settle on high side?” she asked, taking a sip of her beer.“Because when I was prospecting my club, I went down on my bike on my very first club ride, and that’s the kind of accident it was. I hit the back brakes to avoid a dog that ran out in front of me. The bike skidded, I tried to lay down on one side, then the tires grabbed and the bike stood up, flipping me off of the other side, the high side.” he explained. “From that day on, I’d been known as high side.”“I bet that was embarrassing,” she said, suppressing a chuckle.“You have no idea.” Dirk replied, smiling at the memory. “I thought for sure my prospecting days were over, but the patch members decided to let me continue, and a year later I got my patches,” he said.“Prospecting?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.“That’s the time. that you have to prove yourself to the members of the club, prove to them that you’re worthy enough to wear their patches,” Dirk explained. “Most clubs make you prospect for at least a year, and during that time. you are at the beck and call of any patch member, full member, that is of the club, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When that phone rings and it’s the club on the other end, whatever you’re doing stops and you have to go take care of club business, or whatever the patch member wants you to do. Fail to do this just once and you’re out,” he said.“And I see you made it,” Stephanie said, looking his vest over. “How long did you have to prospect?”“My club makes you prospect for a year,” he replied. “And it was a long, tough year, let me tell you.”“I bet it was.” Stephanie said. “Wally tells me that tonight was your idea?” Dirk said, changing the subject and the mood. “Is that true?” he asked.Stephanie dropped her eyes and looked down at the beer in her hands for a moment, before looking back up at him.“Yes, it’s true,” she replied quietly. She took

The way organizations think about artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace has shifted dramatically over the past few years. While early conversations centered on isolated experiments and technological hype, organizations now face the much harder task of integrating AI into the fabric of how work gets done. We welcome Melissa Reeve, author of “Hyper Adaptive: Rewiring the Enterprise to Become AI Native,” to discuss what AI adoption really means for people, processes, and culture.Melissa tackles some tough questions about organizational complexity, shifting operating models, and the critical role of culture and systems thinking in successful AI integration. Listeners will get candid advice on starting small, experimenting with purpose, and preparing for the rewiring ahead. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...03:38 Integrating AI into organizations12:47 AI Native enterprise structure15:51 Dynamic AI governance framework18:58 AI implementation foundations23:56 Process mapping for AI integration29:44 Balancing efficiency and leadership focus37:02 Start small with value streams40:59 Innovative organizational funding models42:14 Starting a skills-focused organization47:03 Digital Twins in Product TestingNavigating the AI Revolution at WorkMelissa Reeve's journey began on the factory floors of Toyota, learning firsthand how small process shifts can drive system-wide change. Building on years of research and influence from Lean, Agile, and DevOps practitioners, Reeve authored a five-stage maturity model she calls hyperadaptive, designed to guide organizations through the incremental steps needed to become truly AI-native.The five stages of Melissa's model:Foundation – Build organizational understanding of AI; create dynamic governance structures and clarify guardrails. Optimization – Identify and optimize business processes for AI interactions; move beyond basic experimentation. Agents & Automation – Develop and manage AI agents that execute tasks and processes autonomously. Rewiring – Shift organizational architecture from rigid hierarchies to flexible, value-stream teams funded and incentivized differently. Hyperadaptive – Fully sense-and-respond organizations capable of real-time adaptation.Melissa splits these into two main categories: Basecamp (the first three stages, where most companies currently operate) and the Emerging Frontier (rewiring and hyper adaptivity).Why Organizations Struggle with AI IntegrationAccording to Melissa, most organizations are stuck because they underestimate the support structures required for successful AI adoption. It's not just about updating technology, in fact, 70-80% of AI success depends on people, culture, and processes, not algorithms. Companies often rush to deploy AI agents or experiment without a clear North Star, leading to pilot fatigue and an 80% failure rate. Many organizations haven't even finished laying the foundational groundwork, such as establishing unified governance or mapping work processes.Another common pitfall is the tendency to try everything at once. Pressure for fast results drives teams to bite off too much, resulting in burnout and costly errors.Moving from Experimentation to Purposeful TransformationPlaying with AI is not a strategy. While experimentation is necessary, organizations must put bounds on these efforts, know why they're experimenting, what hypothesis they're testing, and what success will look like.One necessary precursor is getting to grips with how your organization actually works. Many leaders lack visibility into workflows, decisions, and skillsets, making process optimization difficult. Reeve suggests collaborative process mapping—sometimes supported by AI tools—to unlock tacit knowledge and identify where AI can augment or reinvent workflows.Organizing Around Value StreamsOne of the most transformative elements is the shift from function-based silos to cross-functional value stream teams. Melissa draws on examples from Toyota, Zappos, and Unilever—organizations that reimagine workflows, funding mechanisms, and team incentives to deliver value rather than preserve hierarchy. Dynamic budgeting, focused experimentation, and flexible team structures help organizations scale AI success without tearing up everything at once.Culture, Upskilling, and Durable SuccessAI's impact will be decided by how well organizations invest in people. Unilever's Future Fit program exemplifies this approach, aligning reskilling efforts to individual purpose and business needs. It's not algorithms that set successful organizations apart, but their ability to create cultures and support systems that empower people to adapt, reinvent themselves, and thrive amidst change.Start small, experiment with purpose, invest in support structures, and prepare to rewire not just technology, but how your organization thinks about work itself. AI may be the catalyst, but people, empowered and organized around value, are the key to lasting transformation. Resources & People MentionedHyperadaptive: Rewiring the Enterprise to Become AI-Native Connect with Melissa ReeveMelissa M. Reeve on LinkedIn Connect With Red Thread ResearchWebsite: Red Thread ResearchOn LinkedInOn FacebookOn TwitterSubscribe to WORKPLACE STORIES

Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code and adviser to organizations ranging from Navy SEALs to global technology companies, joins the Strategy Skills Podcast to explore what truly drives leadership, performance, and flourishing. Drawing on decades of research into elite performers and high-functioning cultures, Coyle explains why performance alone is not enough, and why many highly successful people still experience emptiness and burnout. He shares pivotal moments from his work observing leaders, including a defining insight from a Navy SEAL commander who described the four most important words a leader can say: "I screwed that up." The conversation challenges conventional thinking about leadership, power, and problem-solving. Coyle distinguishes between complicated problems that can be solved with instructions and complex problems that require experimentation, learning, and trust. Through examples ranging from kindergarten classrooms to professional sports teams and Pixar's creative process, he shows how psychological safety, vulnerability, and group flow enable people to add up to more than the sum of their parts. The episode also moves beyond the workplace to examine what it means to flourish in a world that is accelerating, fragmenting, and increasingly uncertain. Coyle discusses attention, meaning, community, and the small practices that help individuals and groups create energy, connection, and resilience over time. Key Insights 1. Leadership begins with vulnerability "The four most important words a leader can say… 'I screwed that up.'" Coyle explains that the best leaders are not those who appear flawless, but those who openly acknowledge mistakes. This signal of vulnerability creates trust and invites others to contribute honestly, allowing groups to solve problems together rather than hiding behind certainty. 2. Psychological safety outperforms raw intelligence "The kindergartners outperform the CEOs… not because they're smarter, but because they're safer." In group problem-solving tasks, children succeed because they are unafraid to try, fail, and adjust. Adults, constrained by status and fear of judgment, slow themselves down. Safety enables experimentation and learning. 3. Most leadership failures confuse complex with complicated "Complex problems are alive. They change when you do something to them." Coyle draws a sharp distinction between problems that follow instructions and those that evolve as you interact with them. Treating living systems like mechanical ones leads to brittle strategies and disappointment. 4. Experimentation beats planning in complex systems "Try something, observe what happens, learn from that, and then try something else." For complex challenges, progress comes from testing, learning, and adjusting rather than executing a fixed plan. This mindset mirrors how high-performing teams actually work. 5. Leadership is about creating energy, not pushing information "A lot of times we think of business problems as knowledge problems, when in fact they're energy problems." Coyle emphasizes that change fails when leaders try to impose best practices. Momentum emerges when people are invited into shared questions and feel ownership of the work. 6. Group flow requires clear goals and freedom "You have to have a shared horizon… autonomy… and ownership." High-performing teams operate like a pickup basketball game: everyone knows the goal, operates within guardrails, and has freedom to act. These conditions allow flow to emerge naturally. 7. Meaning is created through connection, not information "Meaning is not about delivering information. It's about resonance and connection." Coyle shows that meaning arises when people share stories, vulnerability, and purpose—often through simple but deep questions—rather than through data or instructions. 8. Attention determines whether life feels alive or hollow "If you're all in the narrow, life gets really thin." Flourishing individuals and cultures balance focused, controlling attention with open, connective attention. Too much of either leads to stagnation or chaos. 9. Community is something you practice, not consume "Community isn't a noun. It's a verb." Whether in organizations or neighborhoods, community forms through shared projects, constraints, and contribution—not passive belonging. Get Daniel's book, Flourish, here: https://shorturl.at/oICpY Claim your free gift: Free gift #1 McKinsey & BCG winning resume www.FIRMSconsulting.com/resumePDF Free gift #2 Breakthrough Decisions Guide with 25 AI Prompts www.FIRMSconsulting.com/decisions Free gift #3 Five Reasons Why People Ignore Somebody www.FIRMSconsulting.com/owntheroom Free gift #4 Access episode 1 from Build a Consulting Firm, Level 1 www.FIRMSconsulting.com/build Free gift #5 The Overall Approach used in well-managed strategy studies www.FIRMSconsulting.com/OverallApproach Free gift #6 Get a copy of Nine Leaders in Action, a book we co-authored with some of our clients: www.FIRMSconsulting.com/gift

In this episode of the AI Agent & Copilot Podcast, John Siefert, CEO of Dynamic Communities and Cloud Wars, sits down with Dona Sarkar, Chief Troublemaker, Enterprise AI Advocacy at Microsoft, to explore what it really takes to move AI agents and copilots from experimentation into production. Their conversation previews Sarkar's keynote at the 2026 AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA and dives into practical adoption, human-centered AI, and lessons learned from real-world enterprise deployments.Key TakeawaysEnterprise advocacy bridges the gap: Sarkar explains that enterprise cloud advocacy exists to translate Microsoft product capabilities into practical, real-world business solutions. Rather than selling tools, her team focuses on enablement — creating demos, workshops, and labs that show how AI agents, Copilot Studio, Azure, and Power Platform can actually be deployed inside organizations.Production is harder than experimentation: Building an AI agent is easy; deploying it responsibly is not. Enterprises struggle with permissions, ownership, data readiness, and governance once agents move into production. These challenges reveal why successful AI adoption requires cross-functional collaboration between IT, business units, and governance teams.Not all work should be automated: Sarkar cautions against replacing meaningful human interactions with automation simply because it's possible. Instead, organizations should focus AI on prioritization, analysis, and repetitive tasks — freeing humans to spend more time on creativity, judgment, and relationship-building. “We really need to go draw a big old line in the sand and say, these should be uniquely human to human activities," she says. "These should be uniquely AI to human activities. These should be uniquely AI to AI activities.”Human connection matters more than ever: Despite fears that AI would reduce in-person interaction, both speakers observe the opposite trend. Conferences and professional gatherings are thriving because people crave perspective, not just information. While AI can surface data instantly, point of view comes from lived experience.Failure is part of responsible AI adoption: Sarkar openly shares that "The number of agents I've had to take down is probably like 50% of the agents I built.” These failures weren't wasted effort; they informed better tooling, clearer governance, and improved workflows. Microsoft's rapid release of new AI tools reflects lessons learned internally before being shared with customers. Visit Cloud Wars for more.

Dirk does a favor for a friend with unexpected results.By Original Aramis. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.Dirk & WallyYou want me to do what?“ Dirk asked, one eyebrow cocked up, a quizzical look on his face. He was raising his beer to his lips when Wally, one of his best friends from high school, had said something that made his hand stop halfway up to his face, the beer suspended in mid-air. Dirk was so surprised that he half expected the bar to go quiet at this revelation, but of course it didn t. They were sitting at a small round table in the center of the dark biker bar, and no one paid any attention to them except the waitress whenever they needed a refill. She had already been there twice, and Dirk was now sure she would be coming back again very soon.I want you to have sex with my wife, he repeated simply. He said this as matter-of-factly as if he had been stating a well-known and obvious fact, but to Dirk it was anything but. I want you to come over to my house tomorrow night at seven o'clock and have sex with my wife.You want me to fuck your wife, Dirk repeated, making Wally grimace slightly at his use of the common terminology for having sex. Wally sighed before replying.Yes, Dirk, I want you to fuck my wife, he said, pushing his black horn-rimmed glasses up onto his nose.Why, Wally?” Dirk asked, sitting forward and putting the now-empty beer on the table. He leaned over and crossed his forearms on the table, hands resting on his biceps, looking his friend in the eyes as he spoke. Why would you want me to do this? I mean, after all, she's your fuckin wife, for crying out loud, not some bimbo hanging around the clubhouse looking for stray cock!“It's a long story, Dirk, and to be honest it's not something I want to go into right now, Wally replied, toying with his own beer sitting on the table in front of him. Let's just say that Stephanie and I are both looking for something to make our sex life more; well, exciting, I guess; and we both think that this will do it.Uh huh, Dirk said, reaching inside his leather club vest for his cigarettes and lighter. He shook one out of the pack and put it in his mouth, then thumbed open his Zippo lighter and spun the wheel, tossing the pack of cigarettes onto the table. After lighting his cigarette the lighter followed. Dirk took a deep drag on his cigarette and then sat back, crossing his arms over his chest and blowing out the smoke as he looked at his friend.Dirk and Wally were the exact opposites from each other in just about every way, yet they were best friends. They'd been that way ever since high school when Dirk saved Wally from getting the shit kicked out of him by a couple of punks at school one day. Dirk had always hated bullies, so when he saw what was going on with Wally in the locker room one afternoon, he stepped in and took care of things. Two of the punks ended up going to the hospital and Dirk was suspended for a week, but that paved the way for he and Wally to become fast friends. Wally was the quintessential nerd, a true geek in every sense of the word, but he had a heart of gold and his loyalty could only be compared to that of a Golden Retriever. His common sense had kept Dirk out of trouble several times for the rest of their time in high school, and Dirk never forgot that. He loved Wally just as much as he loved his brothers in his motorcycle club, and he knew that Wally felt the same way.After high school Wally had gone to the local junior college and come out with a degree in accounting, and now worked for the local bank as the manager of accounts. Dirk's life had taken a completely different course. He held down several small jobs for a couple of years, then joined a motorcycle club in the next town over and immersed himself in the biker culture. That lifestyle fit Dirk like a glove, although at times he found it hard to balance it with the responsibilities that came with having to hold down a job. But that all ended when, at 24 years of age, Dirk's parents had been killed in a car crash and he had inherited enough money and stock holdings to keep him comfortable for the rest of his life. He wasn't rich by any means, but he didn't have to work anymore, either, and that was just fine with him. So he had spent the last couple of years roaming around the country on his motorcycle, living the nomad life, taking life as it came and just enjoying it. He'd had his fair share of one-night stands along the way, the most recent being a very pleasant encounter with a plump lady farmer out in the Midwest, and had experienced plenty of wild and unusual things along the way, but this one sitting in front of him right now took the cake. After looking at Wally for several long moments, he finally spoke.And Stephanie's okay with this?” he asked. Stephanie was Wally's female counterpart in that she was just as big a nerd as he was, right up to the black glasses. Even though she never dressed up or wore makeup, Dirk could see that she was an attractive brunette with what he suspected was a simply killer body that she always hid beneath loose or baggy clothing, so he could only guess at what she really looked like. The most serious thing he'd ever seen her in was a gray lady's business suit, and while it wasn't exactly form-fitting it at least gave him a general idea of what her figure looked like. And from what Dirk could see, she didn't have anything to be ashamed of. He was a boob man, as most bikers are, and he guessed that Stephanie was sporting at least a pair of C cups beneath her frumpy clothing. Now it looked like he was going to find out for himself; if he agreed, that is.It was her idea, Wally replied, making Dirk's eyebrows go up in surprise, although I will admit that I kind of steered her into it, he said, looking down at the table for a moment before looking back up at Dirk.So you're okay with it as well, then?“ Dirk said, taking a drag from his cigarette and then blowing the smoke out as he continued. You have no problem with me playing hide the salami with your wife, no problem at all? Is that right?”Yes, Dirk, I’m okay with it, he replied. Really, it's fine. Perfectly fine!“ Dirk leaned forward onto the table again and then spoke.Why me, Wally?” Dirk asked.Because we trust you; because I trust you, my old friend, Wally said, leaning forward and putting his own elbows on the table as he spoke, his voice lowered. You're the only man I know that I trust enough to do this for us. Because I trust you enough to know that you won't hurt her or take advantage of her, and because I know you will keep this between just the three of us. And I know that Stephanie feels the same way.Stephanie hardly knows me, Wally, Dirk said. I mean, I think I’ve only seen her four or five times in the five years that the two of you have been married.But I know you, Dirk, and that's good enough for her, Wally replied.Fair enough, Dirk said, nodding his head and snuffing out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table.So will you do it, Dirk?“ Wally asked, his voice hopeful. Will you do this for us? Will you do it for me?” Dirk looked at him a moment before giving his reply.Sure thing, Wally, I'll do it, Dirk said, holding his hand out to shake with his friend. Wally took his hand and shook it briefly, smiling at Dirk as he did so. I'll come fuck your wife for you. After all, what are friends for?“ he said, grinning.Thank you, Dirk, thank you so much!” Wally said, grinning back at him. I can't wait to tell Stephanie!“ he said, standing up from the table and then abruptly heading for the door. Dirk turned in his chair and watched him go, then turned back around again.What kind of weird shit have I gotten myself into this time?” Dirk muttered to himself, reaching for another cigarette.Dirk & StephanieThe next night at a few minutes before seven PM Dirk rode down Wally's street on his bike, his loud pipes bouncing off the houses and reverberating around the neighborhood. Dirk loved his bike, a silver and black 2003 Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Edition Heritage Softail Classic, and he took very good care of it. He and that bike had seen a lot of countryside, travelled a lot of roads, and lived a whole lot of life over the past few years, and every time Dirk threw his leg over the bike to ride it he was filled with excitement at what was waiting for him just down the road.And tonight, his best friend's wife was waiting for him just down the road. A part of him was still trying to figure out just what the fuck was going on with all this; he knew that some couples enjoyed sharing their mates with other people and that some men liked being ‘cuckolded, but he never thought for a moment that Wally and Stephanie would be included in that group. Apparently he was wrong, or he wouldn't be riding down the street to Wally's house now to fuck his wife. Wally was no cuckold, that's for sure, because his wife was just as timid as he was and didn't have a dominant gene in her whole body. At least he didn't think she did, anyway.The other part of him was excited about what the night would bring. Dirk had been with a lot of women and had done a lot of things some might call kinky, but this was a first for him. He was also very curious to see just what kind of body Stephanie had been hiding beneath her from Be Close all this time, and he had a feeling that he was in for a pleasant surprise. When Dirk got to Wally’s house, he noticed that Wally’s car wasn’t in the driveway. He had an attached garage, so maybe it was in there, but somehow Dirk didn’t think so. He pulled into the driveway and stopped his bike, putting the kickstand down and shutting off the engine. He was wearing his usual outfit, boots, jeans, a Harley t-shirt, a bandana around his head, and his colors, the black leather motorcycle vest that was adorned with his club’s patches. He never went anywhere without wearing his colors, and tonight was no exception. He walked up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the bell, and when a minute or so went by without an answer from inside he rang it again.Coming. I’m coming, he heard Stephanie call from inside the house. A few seconds later he heard the lock turning on the door, and then the door opened. Come in, Dirk, Stephanie said from behind the door, out of sight. Dirk thought he detected a bit of a tremble in her voice as she spoke, but he guessed that was to be expected. He walked into the house and Stephanie closed the door behind him, turning the lock again. He turned to look at her and was absolutely stunned at what he saw. Stephanie was wearing makeup for the first time that he could remember, and instead of being put up in a tight bun her hair was loose and falling around her shoulders. She wasn’t wearing her glasses, and this let Dirk see just how incredibly beautiful and sexy her eyes truly were. She was wearing a black halter top style lace trimmed dress with what had to be a push-up bra beneath it, because he could see about a mile of cleavage. Dirk immediately knew that he had vastly underestimated the size of Stephanie’s tits, she was a D-cup at least. The dress was form-fitting down to her hips, where it flared out into a ruffled skirt that stopped at the middle of her thighs. She was wearing a pair of black leather knee-high boots with heels that were at least four inches tall, and around her neck was a black cloth choker.Dirk had always loved chokers on women, he always thought they were incredibly sexy, and tonight was no different. Stephanie was simply gorgeous, one of the hottest, sexiest, and most desirable women Dirk had ever seen, and he could feel it right down to the bottom of his balls.:Hi, Dirk,“ she said, her voice trembling more noticeably this time. She was standing with her feet together, hands clasped down low in front of her crotch, and she was obviously very self-conscious about the outfit she was wearing. Her eyes were downcast, and she looked up at him just long enough to speak again.Long time no see, huh,: she said, smiling a nervous smile at him. Poor girl is way the fuck out of her element, Dirk thought to himself. But damn, is she hot."Hi, Stephanie,” Dirk replied, smiling at her in an attempt to put her at ease. Yeah, it’s been a while, I guess, he replied. He couldn’t get over how incredibly different she looked, and how incredibly sexy she was. She was absolutely gorgeous.Can I, can I get you something to drink?“ she asked nervously, looking up at him, her hands still clasped down in front of her crotch."No, I’m good, thanks,” Dirk replied. “Besides, we both know that I didn’t come here to drink.” She looked up at him, her eyes wide, and her voice trembled as she spoke.“No, I guess, I guess you didn’t, huh,” she said, trying hard to get over her nervousness and failing miserably.“So, I guess we should, I mean, maybe we should, go, go into the, uh, the bedroom, then?” She smiled nervously at him, her eyes wide, but there was something in her eyes, way in the back of her eyes, that Dirk caught, and he had a feeling he knew what it was.“I think we should, yes,” he replied, “unless you prefer the couch, that is?”“No, no, the bedroom is fine,” she replied, still nervous. “The bedroom is just fine, just fine. ”This way,“ she said, walking past him towards the hallway that led to the back of the house and the bedroom. Dirk followed her, and he couldn’t help but notice that she was having a little bit of trouble walking in those boots, she had obviously never worn them before tonight. He also couldn’t help but notice how her tight, but notice how her tight, rounded ass swayed back and forth beneath the dress she was wearing. She walked to the end of the hallway and turned to the right, entering the master bedroom, and he followed her. She walked over to the side of the big, king-sized bed sitting in the middle of the big room, then stopped and turned to face him."Here we are,” she said, smiling nervously at him again.Dirk noticed that her breathing had quickened just a bit, and he would have bet that her heartbeat had increased as well. He just didn’t know if she was dreading what was about to happen or if she was excited about it, or if it was a mixture of the two. He decided to find out before things went any further.“Are you sure you want to go through with this, Stephanie,” he asked, his tone soft as he walked over to stand in front of her. He stopped when he was less than an arm’s length away. She looked up at him with nervous eyes as he continued.“You don’t have to, you know. Say the word and I’ll walk right out that door, get on my bike and ride away, no harm no foul. I’ll tell Wally that I changed my mind, and he’ll never know otherwise,” he said. Stephanie’s eyes widened a bit and she shook her head in short, rapid movements as she replied.“No. No, Dirk, really;” said, the nervousness vanishing for a moment. She reached out and placed her palms on his chest as she spoke.“Please, no, don’t go. This is very important to Wally, and I don’t want to let him down,” she explained.“Are you sure, Stephanie? Are you absolutely sure?” Dirk asked, giving her one last chance to change her mind and back out.She looked at him with those dole-like eyes for a moment before she replied. When she spoke, it was a whisper. Yes, I’m sure, she said, her breath quickening a bit, her hand still on his chest. Dirk reached up and gripped Stephanie’s upper arms firmly with both hands, taking her by surprise.“Oh. Umph,” she gasped as Dirk’s mouth found hers. She pushed against his chest with her hands for a few moments as he kissed her. Her lips were warm and soft, the softest lips he’d felt in quite a while, and after a moment or two she opened them to him. She whimpered as the kiss deepened, and when their tongues touched, she jumped away from him just a bit, breaking off the kiss. Oh.“Oh my!” she exclaimed, looking at Dirk with wide eyes. “That was umph,” she moaned as Dirk pulled her back to him and kissed her again, his tongue exploring her mouth and finding her own. He felt Stephanie push against his chest for a few moments, but then the pushing stopped. He put his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him, kissing her hard, with her forearms trapped between them. He could both hear and feel her breath quickening as the kiss continued, and he felt his cock beginning to stir when she started to kiss him back. He released her after a few minutes of the most intense, passionate kiss Stephanie had ever experienced, and it left her nearly breathless. She took a small step back, looking up at him, her mouth hanging open as she gasped slightly for breath, her big breasts heaving with the effort. She dropped her arms to her sides, and Dirk noticed that her nipples were hard, pressing against the fabric of her bra and dress. He looked her up and down slowly before speaking.“You look beautiful, Stephanie,” he said. “Very hot, very sexy.” A look of surprise came over her face at his words, and she brought her hand up to her throat as she spoke.“I do? Really?” she said softly.“Yes, really,” he replied, and she smiled in response.“Thank you,” she whispered. He reached out and took her by the upper arms again, pulling her to him and kissing her once more. This time when he released his grip on her arms to put his arms around her, she slid her arms around his neck and pressed her body up against him for the first time. He could feel the firm mounds of her big breasts pressing against his chest, even while wearing his leather club vest. They kissed for several minutes, before Dirk finally released her from his arms. Stephanie stepped back a half step, slightly gasping for breath again. She looked up at him as she stood there, her eyes fixed on his, but not as wide as they had been. There was also something else there, something that Dirk recognized, and he immediately acted on it.“Why am I here, Stephanie,” he asked, looking at her intently. A look of confusion crossed her face, and her brow furrowed.“I, I don’t understand.” She stammered, holding her hands to her chest in an instinctive self-protective gesture. “I thought…”“Tell me why I’m here,” he said firmly as she looked up at him, her eyes wide.“You, you’re here too, to make love to me,” she said softly. Dirk shook his head slowly back and forth as he replied.“No, that’s not why I’m here. Your husband makes love to you, not me,” he said. “Tell me why I’m here,” he said again.When she spoke her voice was still soft and unsure. “You’re here too, to have, you’re here to have sex with me,” she said, and once again, Dirk slowly shook his head. She gasped slightly as he spoke again.“Tell me why I’m here!” he demanded, his eyes and voice stern. Stephanie was visibly breathing hard as she looked at him for a second, and she swallowed once before replying, her hand coming back to her throat as she spoke. When she did, her voice w

Want the Full Episode? Upgrade to the Premium Podcast Experience - https://rachelhollis.supercast.comDive even Deeper in the Coaching Community - Rachel Hollis CoachingCheck out Upcoming Live Events!!In today's episode, Rachel addresses the common struggle of losing momentum with new goals shortly after setting them, especially at the start of a new year. Instead of focusing solely on the goal, she emphasize the importance of building sustainable systems that can support achieving these goals. Let's figure our your system!Get your copy of Rachel's New Book Here: Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Millon, Bookshop.org, or wherever books are sold!00:00 The Excitement and Disappointment of New Year Goals00:39 The Importance of Systems Over Goals01:57 Defining Your 2026 Vision03:32 Building Effective Systems for Success04:41 Recap and Setting Up for February08:52 Personal Health Journey and System Failures14:22 Experimentation and Perfectionism in Systems15:20 Creating Your Personalized System Framework21:18 Exclusive Content and CommunitySign up for Rachel's weekly email: https://msrachelhollis.com/insider/Call the podcast hotline and leave a voicemail! Call (737) 400-4626Watch the podcast on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@MsRachelHollisFollow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MsRachelHollisTo learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.