Heart of Stone

by Arwen Jayne

  Simon came over and stood behind her, reaching around to cup her breasts and stroke them. “That’s the point. You are embarrassed by your naked body, you just said so. From now on your first training task each day is to stand at this mirror and say three times ‘I love you, I accept you’ to that reflection and mean it.”

  Tyra wasn’t too sure about that. “Um...why?”

  “Two very important reasons. Firstly, if you are going to complete a true union with Thex, in the full tradition of the Malakim, then you will need to love him as part of yourself and you can’t very well do it if you don’t love yourself. So get over the fact that your culture discourages it and just do it. Start with accepting your body and then we’ll get you working on accepting your mind and soul as well. The second reason is that nudity breaks a key taboo and helps to break your conditioned identification with clothes and all the other attributes you humans dress yourselves in. Nakedness is symbolic of your true identity so by getting used to being naked, at least when you first get out of bed for the morning, you’ll subconsciously be letting go and getting closer to liberating yourself.” Simon smiled mischievously. “Oh, and I’ll know if you skip the practice. There’ll be punishment. Now get dressed, it's a nice morning outside.”

  Tyra was still reeling at the union in the full tradition of the Malakim bit. That sounded awfully like Simon was expecting her to perform some kind of marriage ritual with a person who, there was no nice way of putting this, was a rock. All of which was complicated by the fact that she had to admit she had the hots for another as well, someone who was both some kind of supernatural being and a prostitute who specialised in bondage and domination. A voice in the back of her head reminded her that her original post retirement plan had been to become a full time scholar. That now sounded dull and lonely compared with the possible alternative. She hurriedly dressed and followed after Simon.

  Boswell’s park was really quite small really, a few overly pruned shrubs, a big old oak which currently had no leaves and a flowering gum which was just at the moment providing a pair of noisy green rosella parrots with a feed from its gum nuts.

  The park itself was just across the road from Simon’s large two story georgian sandstone house. Tyra hadn’t really had a proper chance to look at it yesterday. The land it stood on seemed to cover two or three house blocks. There was a thick pine hedge that marked its boundary and separated it from the rest of the street’s residences. The gardens looked extensive and she thought she could make out a greenhouse down the back. A drive at the side of the house led down to some old brick stables which had been fitted out with modern roller doors. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of lawn but if you had a park like this one across the road why would you need one?

  Tyra stood a little to the side of Simon trying to copy as he showed her a few basic Tai Chi moves. She liked the bit where he showed her how to move an imaginary ball around and to use her breath with the moves, she got that bit at least.

  They were just walking back to the house when they heard a faint plaintive cry coming from one of the park’s garbage bins. Simon frowned and sifted through the bin. He peered into one bag. “Don’t look Tyra”.

  “What is it?”

  “A litter of kittens, about three weeks old by the looks of them. They must have been thrown out last night.” He glared murderously in the direction of a house down the street. “Most of them are dead from last night’s cold. I’ll bury them back in my gardens while...” He pulled out a small handful by the scruff, it was barely moving. “You go and make this little one warm. The shop should be open now too so I’ll go and buy some milk for him. We should be able to feed him with an eyedropper.”

  Before he handed the little grey tabby kitten to Tyra, Simon placed it in his left hand and hovered his right hand over it. Tyra thought she imagined a small beam of light pass out of his palm into the cat.

  “He’ll live now. I gave him a tiny bit of my essence so he’s part of me now but we’ll still get the Vet to check him over when she opens up for the day.”

  Tyra took, Oscar she decided because of his timely rescue from the rubbish bin, back to the house while Simon hurried down the street.

  Whatever Simon had done to the kitten it had certainly come to and was yelling loudly for some milk by the time Tyra found a sunny patch for it in the glassed-in verandah that was attached to the side of the house. Some minutes later she heard the ding of a microwave in the kitchen and Simon appeared with a small glass bowl of milk and an eye dropper. Oscar looked up expectantly with very intelligent eyes and started purring, for all the world like he had a little motor going inside him.

  Simon fed Oscar from the dropper while Tyra rustled up some breakfast for them.

  At 9am Simon and Tyra had Oscar at the vet for a check-up.

  Simon just about stomped into the surgery room. “That bastard Thomas is dumping his cat’s litters again”

  Sally Wilson, the local vet, shook her head in dismay. “I’ve told him time and time again that I’d fix that cat for nothing but he won’t bring it in.”

  Simon considered this for a moment while Sally carefully examined Oscar. “If the cat were to suddenly appear on your operating table you’d fix it then? I’d pay.”

  Sally smirked. “Why Simon, what are you thinking, a little cat napping? And no you won’t pay.”

  Simon shrugged his shoulders, “I’m game if you’re willing. We can’t exactly let this keep happening. There were five stone cold dead kittens along with Oscar in a shopping bag in the park this morning.”

  Sally mused on this. “Alright if I give my brother Michael at the station a head’s up? He might be the one after all who has to deal with an irate Thomas”.

  Simon nodded his assent. Sally picked up her mobile and made the call. There followed a lot of “yes Michael, …no Michael, ...we won’t get caught Michael” and then she hung up.

  “He said we’re not to break the 11th commandment or he’ll have our guts for garters. He also says that our cover story is that the cat was found by the side of road injured, I operated to save her.”

  Simon curled his lips in a smile. “Sounds fair by me. Go and make yourself a cup of tea in half an hour’s time. The cat will be on your table when you come back in, if that suits?”

  “Yes that’ll be fine, I’ll have the table all ready. I’ll keep her in the hospital here for a few days to make sure she recovers well before I let Thomas take her back. Oh by the way. Michael also said Thomas had already been on to him this morning, something about all four tires on his ute being flat when he went to drive off to work this morning.”

  Tyra whispered to Simon on the way out. “What’s the 11th commandment”.

  “Don’t get caught!”

  10

  By the time Simon had finished his mid-morning exploits at the vet’s it was getting on to lunch. Simon made Tyra and him some vegetarian sushi in his surprisingly modern stainless steel and white laminex kitchen. It didn’t go with the rest of the house but it was a chef’s paradise, functional and spotless. Oscar got his next dose of milk with the eyedropper until his little round tum was full and then he promptly went back to sleep when he was put back on his cushion in the sun.

  After lunch Tyra enrolled at the youth club. Tyra was somewhat bemused that a fifty year old could go to a youth club but the town was so small that she guessed they couldn’t be fussy if they wanted enough members to keep going. She’d met with I-Wayan Agung, an expat Balinese guy who the locals just called Yan for short. He wouldn’t even let his silat students call him ‘guru’ as he considered it unaustralian and most of his students were his patients anyway. A few years back Yan had gotten into trouble in his old country for his pro-hindu ethnic community political views and had received serious death threats. Thanks to an immigration program that placed overseas doctors in Australian country towns he had become Boswell’s doctor. He was a small but wiry muscled man who radiated warmth. Yan said he’d be honoured to take Tyra on as a
student in Pencak Silat, initially with private lessons three times a week until she got fit enough to join his group class. Tyra tried to persuade Simon that between the morning Tai Chi and Yan’s classes that was enough of the fitness stuff for now. Simon wasn’t convinced. In the end it was the Aikido master and local teacher of Japanese, respectfully known only as Suzukisan, a white haired gentleman with a wispy beard and indeterminate age, who came to her rescue. He said it was not a good idea for a martial arts beginner to mix styles, that it was better to gain depth of practice by learning a few basic things well. After a quick call to consult with Yan they both agreed and suggested that since Tyra was into books that maybe she could spend a few weeks studying the Aikido founder’s philosophical teachings and that she come along to Suzukisan’s informal Saturday morning class on the mental and spiritual aspects of Aikido, Zen and something called Budo. Apparently it was a fun hands on class and she would get a chance to learn things like zen meditation, Japanese calligraphy and the tea ceremony which she’d always been fascinated in.

  Tyra still didn’t know exactly what Simon’s plans were, if she was expected to stay with him or go back to the cabin, for how long, absolutely nothing but life was starting to acquire the flavour of an adventure. She decided to just go with the flow and take each day as it came.

  Stopping at the local farmers co-op for some supplies Tyra picked up a bag of chickpeas she was thinking to sprout but Simon took them out of her basket and put them back. “Sorry but no onions, garlic or beans for you, except maybe for some mung beans, lentils or tofu. No mushrooms either”.

  Tyra pulled a face. “What the hell! You afraid I might fart and smell of onions or something?”

  Simon laughed heartily. “Yep, that pretty much covers it but it's also an important dietary restriction that prepares you for some of the mediation I want to teach you.”

  “And the mushrooms?”

  “There’s an ancient science which says there are three types of foods. Heavy foods such as meat, eggs, cheese, potatoes, wheat, brown rice and mushrooms are considered to be grounding and do have their use at times but mostly they just bog down your digestion, sedate you and dull the mind. Hot, spicy, salty and pickled foods, as well as fish, chicken and vegetables of the nightshade family (tomatoes and eggplants and such like) are considered to be stimulating, which again has its place in moderation but can agitate the mind making it more inclined to anger and hate. The foods that it would be better for you to eat, for our purposes, are light and easy to digest.”

  “So what can I eat?”

  “Pretty much the standard new-ager’s diet of high antioxidant fruits and berries, plenty of nuts, seeds, coconut, blue corn, low-GI white rice, lots of organically grown fresh green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, squash and the milder spices. Only eat what’s been freshly prepared. The diet helps you achieve clarity, calm and balance”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad but if I get hungry on it I reserve the right to grumble”.

  “It will be my pleasure to keep you well fed Tyra Goodwin.”

  Simon made good on his promise that evening by dishing up a small banquet. A green salad garnished with a few marigolds and rose petals from the few off season blooms in his garden, some plain rice, a delicious gingery mungbean dhal and for dessert they shared a freshly sliced mango with a good dollop of easy to digest lactose free yogurt and a sprig of chocolate mint. They let all that settle while relaxing over a cup of hot ginseng tea.

  Simon said he had something to prepare so Tyra gathered up the plates, chucked the scraps in the bin he said was for the worm’s food and then put the plates in the dishwasher. By the time she came into the lounge room to find Simon she was met with a room transformed by candlelight and a large red silk covered mattress in front of the fire. Simon was seated naked on it waiting for her.

  “Come Tyra!”

  Tyra’s pulse sped up and she swallowed the moisture that gathered at the back of her throat. Maybe this meant that last night wasn’t a one-off.

  Simon lay down on his back and casually patted a spare space on the mattress. “Consider this a travel experience. You’ve never touched a man intimately have you?

  “Um...that would be a definite no.” Tyra paused a moment then grinned cheekily, “but I’d like to”.

  He smiled reassuringly “Then come and explore. Come and taste me, touch me and smell me. Look at me and listen to my heart beat. This doesn’t have to lead to anything, you can even keep your clothes on if you like. Just be in the moment and explore me with all your senses”.

  Tyra absent-mindedly rubbed her bottom jaw with her thumb. If she was a gambler they would have called it a tell. This would have to be the strangest come-on line of all-time but I’m damned if I’m going to refuse such an offer. Deciding to pretend that she was thirty again and go with the moment she found some long buried sexual courage and quickly dispensed with her clothes. She knelt down beside him. “What would you have me do?”

  Simon gently but firmly caressed her arm. “Start by touching me like this. Pretend that you want to be able to draw me so you’re going to study the lay of my muscles and bones, see what different skin and hair surfaces feel like.”

  Tyra, hesitantly at first, touched his ribs, stroking her finger along them. That seemed pretty safe but then Simon took hold of her wrist and moved her hand up to his left nipple. He moved her hand in a circular motion. She could feel the nipple hardening and rising slightly to meet her hand. Fascinated she did the same to the other nipple using her other hand. Simon let go of her wrist, his breathing seemed to be deepening and he moaned slightly. Feeling empowered by this effect that she was having she stroked gently down over his abdomen and then furtively ran her hand, as gentle as a feather, over his cock. In response it seemed to increase in size and blossom into sudden rigidity.

  Simon chuckled. “You’d best do that last or this is not going to take very long at all. Why don’t you try my feet instead”.

  Tyra had once seen an online video on foot massage so she tried to do some of that and started by rubbing the underside of his foot with her knuckles. Simon groaned in pleasure at that too.

  Feeling like she had been given license to play and experiment she wondered what would happen if she sucked his big toe.

  Simon responded by arching his back and nearly yelling. “Yes that‘s real good, more please.”

  Tyra giggled with pleasure and proceeded to give each of his toes a good sucking until Simon cried out “enough...you can work your way back up my legs now.”

  Tyra ran her hands along his prominent tibia bones then gently outlined his knees with her fingers. As she contemplated where to stroke his thigh she thought to herself what the hell, he did say taste too and proceed to lick him along each inside leg. That elicited more moans from Simon.

  Back to where she’d been warned off before she dared to play assertive and pushed his legs apart on the mattress. Kneeling between his legs she bent forward and took his now very erect cock in her mouth. She’d never done such a thing but had read a little. She used her tongue to work the moisture of her mouth over his long length and then let her lips slide with just the barest friction along his length.”

  “That is so... good” came the almost whispered whimper from Simon.

  Tyra thought it was more like beginner's luck but was enjoying his pleasure so much so that she was determined to keep at it.

  Suddenly a kind of vibration seemed to ripple through Simon. He thrust right into her mouth and cried out.

  Tyra was surprised by the warm cum that filled her mouth and the back of her throat but honoured him by drinking it down, that’s what bad girls did after all wasn’t it?

  Tyra gloried in the pleasure she had given Simon but she didn’t get long to bask in her success.

  “Your turn now”.

  Before she could get shy and run for it he suddenly somehow had her pinned underneath him on the mattress, faster than her brain could comprehend. He proceeded to lick he
r all over.

  Tyra’s brain went to mush and along with it her resistance. Her body purred and unwound knots she didn’t even know she had. Tears of pleasure streamed down her face, was this really happening? Part of her also felt a purr of pleasure through the deepening connection she had with Thex. She blushed a little at the voyeurism but kept the connection open, not wanting to shut him out.

  Simon stopped and braced himself either side of her body so he could look at her. “Say yes Tyra and I’ll take this all the way but speak now if you’re not ready and I’ll call this off for the night.”

  “Yes, please Simon”

  He nudged his cock against her opening just to make sure there was no confusion about what he meant to do. “You really want this?”

  “Yes, please, yes”.

  Simon grew thoughtful.

  Tyra was afraid he might be about to back down when he suddenly rolled onto his back.

  “I haven’t taken many virgins but I know enough to know that this may hurt you the first time so let’s do it this way. You come and straddle me.”

  Tyra, not about to give up her once in a lifetime chance to not only lose her virginity but lose it with a gorgeous young as well as sexually skilled male, did as he advised.

  He guided her so that his cock was once again at her entrance and pushed a little way into her. “The rest is up to you Tyra, take your time, give yourself time to accommodate to the size of me. When you think you’re ready let me know and I’ll give enough of a push to get past the barrier”.

  Tyra gently lowered herself further onto his cock. When she met the resistance she let herself adjust to the fullness of him. “Ready”.

  Tyra felt a moment’s pain and then all she felt was Simon’s length sliding right up inside her. She sighed a sigh of deep satisfied peace. “Oh yes.”

  Simon took that moment to roll her on her back and then began to slowly draw out.