The pool water was clear so that when Joe looked inside it he could see his own reflection. He looked up when he heard her voice. His beautiful Susan Claire Parrish, Bill Parish's only daughter whom Joe Black fell head over heels in love with after he was struck down by a moving car and then lightning struck Joe when he least expected it.
Susan was talking about the grandfather clock in her father's library. He could smell sweet cinnamon and he inhaled through his nose smelling her shoulder when she turned to look at the clock.
" My mother set her heart by that clock. I can't believe it still works that good after all these years."
" Could you do that too? Set your heart by the clock?"
" I never tried." She turns around to look at him. He held his breath and waited as she slowly asked " Can I kiss you Joe?"
Kiss? What is that? He thought to himself not familar with the concepts of this world yet. Ecspecailly those ones. Kiss, sex, marriage, love. It was all confusing to him but then when she put her mouth to his own, Joe became comfortable with it. He was after all, the man who was at the coffee shop and all became fuzzy. All Joe could feel was the kiss Susuan was giving him.
Her lips on his, her tounge gently moving over his bottom lip and into his mouth, touching his own. He closed his eyes and breathed as best as he could.
She let go.
" Mmmmm."
" Hmmm."
" Susan, the feel of kissing you... the feel of your lips... and the touch of your tounge... that was wonderful."
"Do you want me to go?"
No. He thought. Don't you ever go away from me ever again. Not after this. Today was his favorite day.
Later, Joe stood up and she came to him again.
" Are you hungry? I was just getting lunch."
" No. But you can eat. You must be hungry then..."
she asked him again. " Joe, are you hungry?"
He kissed her mouth and felt her tongue come back into his own mouth. His eyes fluttered and she was undoing his suit. He stopped her nervously when she undid a few of the buttons on it and they just stared at each other a while until he saw the beautiful eyes urge him to finish what she had started.
He took his suit jacket off and heard the fabric fall to the floor.
His white shirt was a little hard to remove though and she laughed when he showed her that it was in fact stuck on his right hand.
Joe smiled and stared at Susan as she removed more and more clothes until they were both completely without any and he wondered what they were supposed to do now with all of this.
She coached him as best she could holding out her hand to him, guiding Joe Black to the pool bench. It felt soft underneath his hands as she reached for him and he settled in place ontop of Susan's body. The feel of her skin was almost intoxicating to him and Joe worried about how it should feel. Going inside her body, the way he was undoubtedly supposed to being the larger and stronger of the two. She touched his shoulder and the muslces shivered and rippled underneath his skin.
She was turned on. He knew but he was stuck.
Susan breathed her words, yearning and eagerness in her eyes now as he reminded himself over and over.
Be gentle Joe. Gentle. Easy. Slow. Just like she wants.
Her heartbeat sped up as he tried to be as gentle with her as possible. His body seemed to swallow hers broad shoulders, tanned skin and eyes the color of deep ocean blue water. He hears Susan moaning his name in his bright red ears himself blushing at the way they are currently entangled with each other in this brand new way, which he was loving even though he had no idea what he was doing. She kept it up so he figured that it was alright.
" Susan."
She answered with a moan and kissed his neck, mouth small and wet with saliva she traded with his tounge as they rolled over and he moved over her body going in and out of it like he knew he was supposed to.
Judging by the way Susuan was acting he knew he had done good. was doing well with this new experience.
Joe, virgin Joe Black and Susan who had a father who talked about lighting striking during the most random times and places.
" Is this okay with you?" he asked her and she blessed him with a moaning" Yes Joe. Yes. Yes"
So he kept going and then lightning struck him down. Joe bit his lip hard to keep himself from ejecting into Susan which he was urged to do by her small body writhing underneath him.
" Do you love me Joe? Tell me you love me. Now."
He did.
" I love you. So much. Susan I love you now. Always. Always. Always."
" Stay! Stay! Joe don't leave me! "
" I won't." he promised her. " I love you Susan."
He moved over her and she slipped underneath him until she reached upright and asked him " How long? For how long?"
" Forever."
" Forever." she repeated promise laced in her voice. " Joe... Oh Joe..."
He heard her climax but he sucked in his red bottom lip to stop himself from doing the same.
He couldn't hurt her. Ever. He would never hurt her. Ever.
" Ever." he said realizing that he had spoken his fears out loud.
" Joe don't stop." she wrapped her legs around him and he rolled himself over again. Her tounge soaked the inside of his mouth and he felt it leave as he rolled back over riding this out as best he could.
" Don't wreck this Joe." he said to himself in his mind. Racing mind, pounding heart. He wanted her too but he didn;t know what he was supposed to do.
Joe Black was scared.
" Susan. Susan."
She moans and he hears his heart beating in his ears. " You love me?"
" I love you Joe." she says and he likes the sound of the words.
I love you.
He understands those best of all. Those are Joe's favorite words ever in the English language.
Joe knows he loves her. Susan. His Susan Parrish.
Bill's daughter.
He settled down into her and collapses against the chair with her body underneath his. Joe watches her eyes roll back in her head enjoying an oragasm.
He doesn't know that word, but he knows that it makes Susan very happy. He wants her to be happy.
He smiles and kisses her head.
" What do I do now?" he asked.
" Come."
" I can't."
She sits up. " Why not?"
Joe sits up realizing that tears form in his eyes Susan looked on wiping them away.
" Joe why are you crying? What's wrong Joe?"
He looks at her and a few tears fall down his cheeks. " I- don't want to- hurt you. Susan I can't hurt you. I can't."
" I'm not hurt Joe. Are you?"
He wipes at the tears as Susan leans to him and kisses them away with her lips and tounge. That tounge again. He likes her tounge and he likes peanut butter too. Which he has a craving for as he waits with her in the pool room and they drink in the silence.
" Did I scare you Joe? I didn't mean to. I-"
" No. Not at all. Goodness no." he says smiling at her with teeth to show that he is happy.
She smiles back. All is good in Joe's little world right now.
" Why are you crying then?"
He was so sensitive to her needs and her feelings. He loved her and he wanted to take care of her the best he could.
" I want to take care of you. I want you to be happy with me. Let's take care of each other the best we can okay? Remember what I told you in the coffee shop?"
" That was the place. That's my favorite place in the whole world Joe. Do you know why?"
" No."
" You were the guy. You are mine. Forever Joe. Forever."
" I promise you." He finished the sentence for her. He said the same thing now.
" Susan, I love you today. I love you always. I love you tomorrow. I love you always. I love you now. I love you always."
Just so he can feel her in his arms again, he reaches over and gives her a hug. Holds on tight and she feels warm and soft against his chest.
She is the first one to suggest this to Joe. Though he had thought about it more and more every time he saw her. Every moment they spent together over the past few days.
He didn't understand marriage.
" Marry me Joe. I'm in love with a man who knows so little about me. Is that okay?"
" Yes it is. But we got time for all that stuff. Learning about each other and growing in our love."
" I am in love with you Joe. I want to be with you Joe."
He understood the way she felt." I am in love with a women who I don't ever want to leave. I will never leave you Susan. Ever. I promise you that."
She hugs him. " That's okay. You'll get better and things we don't know will come to us."
Joe smiles hpoing she understands his logic about this.
" Is that a yes Joe?"
" Yes." he says and it makes her so happy. " Can I kiss you?"
She says yes and he does it until he breaks off and asks if there is any peanut butter around.
She laughs and goes to get him some from the kitchen.
" Do you like making love to me?" she asks curiously and he laughs a little.
" Yes. I do. Very much so."
" More than you like peanut butter?"
" Yes Susan. Much more."
He follows her to the kitchen and puts a spoon of peanut butter in his mouth eats it until it's gone and he is sad when there is no more on the silver spoon he's been using to eat off of.
" Susan it's gone now."
She laughs and gets him some more but he doesn;t eat it yet.
" Joe where are you going?"
" Nowhere baby. I'm here. I'm still here."
She has to check even though she can see him standing there.
" For how long Joe?"
He doesn't have to heitate any becuase he knows the answer already.
He asks for a kiss again and she responds with her mouth to his. He wants it to be a frequent thing between them and he thinks it might.
" I love you Susan. Thank you for loving me."
She smiles and he lets her go.
" How long before you go Joe?"
" Never. I'm here."
" For how long?"
" I hope for a long long time."
She goes to him again and kisses his mouth as he completes the process of putting his clothes back on.
" Me too."
" Me too."
They part for a while before she turns around and says. " What way do you want it Joe? Aren't you going to answer my question about what I asked you before?"
" What it is again?"
She tells him, asks for his hand in marriage becuase she knows Joe needs a little help sometimes. He's slow sometimes but she still loves him like crazy ecspecailly after what they expereinced together today.
" Will you marry me Joe?"
He smiles at her and goes up real close before answering her question.
" Marriage. Hmmm. What a cool idea."
She bites her lip excitedly waiting for his answer and he brings her close to him and kisses her again, complete with tounge.
He smiles and they knock foreheads together as he stares deep into her eyes for a while just in silence.
" Well?"
" Hmmm."
" Cat got your tounge?"
He laughs and gives her a kiss. " Susan does. She's the only cat with permission to have my tounge."
She laughs. " Do you want to marry me Joe? Do you understand what I'm asking? Is it too much for you?"
" Goodness no. Nothing with you is too much. I can handel the question."
" Okay so answer it. Do you want to sleep on it and answer me tomorrow?"
" No."
" Are you afriad of it?"
" No I'm not."
" So?"
" Susan. What I want is Susan. And I will have her and she will have me and that's the way it's going to be."
" So is that a yes Joe?"
" Listen carefully. Prepare yourself for this alright?"
He takes hold of her face and looks deep into her eyes.
" Joe?"
" Susan?"
" Which is it? Yes or no? Or-"
" Yes."
She smiles so big that her mouth hurts.
" Joe..."
" Ohhhh... I want to tell you that I will always love you. I love you now Susan and I will love you always."
" Forever." she says and he gives her a hug.
" Forever. It'll come to us. We got time love."
Forever Susan realizes is a very, very, very long time.
Today is her favorite day. Or would it be the day at the coffee shop on Corinth Street where she met Joe Black. The lighting strike she was looking for. Joe was her lighting. And now would become her husband.
She smiled. That day was her favorite day but today had to be a close second.
Joe took her hand and lead her down the isle and back home to where he stayed. For a long, long time.
Just like he promised he would.