Safe Haven

Safe Haven

Lynne sat safe and warm and dry in her little cabin now as she kneeled on the decorative area rug she had found on one of her trips to Asia years ago. She found herself here often these days just staring out the window in hopes that Henry would appear again. It had been months since she had first met him, but each day she still went and sat naked on her rug and gazed with hunger and longing out the large window in her bedroom that overlooked the road that led to her place. Lynne sat here in the daylight of her weekend hours on end praying to some god or another to let Henry make his way to her from whatever part of the planet he might be on now. During the week, she came home after work and lit a candle and place it in the window and often stood naked behind the flame wondering if she could use the desire in her heart and the heat of the flame to work in concert to summon him back to her.

But each day, Henry never came and she grew more and more depressed wondering if it had all been a dream or some sort of a hallucination. He had, once upon a time saved her life. That in and of itself would have been enough for most people she knew. And she certainly was not discounting its importance. After all, without that, she would not even be here on her desperate vigil. But as part of Henry’s plucking her from near death just a few months ago, this mystery man had touched her in a way she thought was impossible before he came along. Despite her amazingly stunning looks and a figure most women would have killed for, Lynne had been cold and frigid, unable to achieve an orgasm, and thus possessed zero interest in sex. She had no idea why, but that was how she was as she grew from adolescence to a young woman. She just wanted one more night with Henry to relive those few days when they had been thrown together…

************

Lynne Martin grew up in a little town in Oregon that was so small it did not even warrant recognition on google maps. Wetherby was an old holdover from some migration from the east back in the late 1800s and it had not grown much in the days since. While it might have been boring and stifling to most people her age, Lynne could not have been happier living there. The weather that made many run from the Pacific Northwest made her smile and thankful since it limited very much relocation from Californians and Texans and what she saw as other unwanted interlopers that might change her little piece of heaven forever.

After a childhood in the suburbs of Seattle, Lynne had had her fill of city life. It was too busy and polluted and overpriced for her even as a child and she took to escaping to the backcountry as often as possible and before she was in high school she had become an accomplished backcountry skier, rock climber, and backpacker. More often than not she was off on her own with her best friend, Minton, her golden retriever, exploring new trails, finding new climbing routes, and thrashing fresh powder on steep pitches in the nearby mountains. She had some friends, but none were really close and even those had no interest in heading out with her into the wilderness when Seattle had all the things a kid might want right there.

Lynne went off to school but got bored with it after two years and was at loose ends as to what she would do with her life when she was contacted by this lawyer one day informing her that she had been named the beneficiary of a trust. It was a mystery to her at first until she recalled some work she had done when younger at this assisted living facility near her home. Apparently, Mr. Hardwick, with who she had developed this unique friendship with as he had no family to speak of had left her an inheritance. She had felt spry for the gentle, kind man when she did volunteer work there and had gone out of her way to always visit him each day she was there.

At the time she had no idea just how wealthy Hardwick was nor would she have cared had she known. The letter informed her she was the sole beneficiary of his estate based on a will he had rewritten just before she had gone off to college when his last living heir passed away. Lynne was shocked to her core when she saw the amount but being the simple girl she was she donated the bulk of this trust to causes she thought Hardwick would have approved of and hung onto enough that she figured would let her live the simple, unassuming life she dreamed of. Thus her landing in Wetherby. She bought a small cabin just outside town that had magnificent views of mountains on both sides as well as a beautiful little creek that bubbled and trickled just behind the cabin.

Lynne took the remainder and invested it as she sat down to figure out what she wanted. Travel was much on her mind—had been since she was a little girl—so she set off on an extended tour of places she had always read about but never seen. Her beloved Minton had passed away years earlier so nothing was holding her back. But this trip in addition to fulfilling her intrinsic interest in the world was a time of meditation and intro section as Lynne tried to come to terms with her sexual dysfunction as she saw it. She had been a late bloomer so her high school days were unremarkable in her interaction with boys. But as she arrived at college and her body began to finally blossom and mature she soon found herself the object of much attraction from her male classmates.

A real tomboy at one time, Lynne shucked off that façade quickly in college as she suddenly went through a late growth spurt. Her already long and lean frame gained a few inches making her taller than many women, but at 5′10" certainly not a giant. Her naturally creamy complexion enhanced the long mane of brown hair that flowed down her back. She maintained her 20" waist from her adolescence but her breasts filled out nicely during this period making her have this stunning figure that no one could miss. Her hips were curvy but not wide and when she finally stopped growing, Lynne was easily one of the most desirable and sought-after coeds on campus.

Even as she did her best to conceal her breathtaking figure, it was impossible. Boys came sniffing around and she finally gave in though her experience in such matters was limited. When she did finally have sex for the first time, she found it more painful and uncomfortable than pleasurable as she had been told. But as time went by and she tried several more times with other boys, it was not so bad but she never had any kind of release…an orgasm…that she had read of that was normal at the end of a sexual coupling. Lynne thought maybe she just needed to do it more until she had it happen, but no matter how many times she had sex, she never ever experienced an orgasm. But seeing as she knew her partners expected some reaction from her she became quite good at faking them.

But over time she just grew bored and frustrated with it all and by the time she bailed from college, Lynne had no more interest. Even her own efforts to bring herself to orgasm fell short.

So with this mental weight hanging on her, she set off on her trip hoping maybe somewhere along the way some magical answer would come to her. She had a great time on her trip seeing more countries than she had planned on, but when she arrived back at her little cabin in Wetherby, she was still clueless as to why she could not orgasm. Eventually, she just said the hell with it and assumed it was just in the cards for her.

Even though she had plenty of money to live on, Lynne was not content to just sit around and do nothing. She found a little book store in Wetherby that needed some part-time help and she signed on finding it to be a delightful addition to her life. She met some wonderful locals as well as tourists that were passing through and got exposed to a lot of books she otherwise would never have heard of. With her cabin in the woods, her job at the bookstore, and all the free time she could want, Lynne figured she had a pretty good life and never concerned herself again with her sexual block.

When the first significant snowfall came that year, Lynne cleaned up her backcountry gear and with the morning sun warm on her shoulders she set off on a familiar trail she knew about 10 miles or so up the valley from her cabin. The roads were still hardpacked as she drove, but she had enough experience with the conditions that she made it with no issues. She strapped on her skis, slung her pack over her shoulders, and slid along breaking the trail with what looked like at least a foot or more of fresh powder. After an hour or two of climbing, Lynne stopped to get some water and rest and the sweat poured from her brow.

Before getting too chilled she pushed on and soon topped out on the crest that led to the exhilarating runout on the other side of the ridge that she skied often. With no more hesitation, she tightened the straps on her pack and began her descent making textbook S-turns in the untouched powder of the pitch. She was about halfway down when she heard a rumbling sound behind her. She stopped briefly and looked up. Thunder was no an unheard-of thing this time of year but rare enough to make her pause and take a gander. The sky itself was beginning to cloud over but from her experience, she knew it was not the beginning of a thunder bumper.

Then she heard the rumble again and looked up the pitch. It was a slide and it was heading her way! She launched herself forward as she knew a mad dash for some trees was her only safety net. She had seen her avalanche beacon in the storage room earlier and now cursed herself for having left it behind…though being out here alone it did not make much difference. She set her ski tips straight ahead and tucked as she could feel the wind from the advancing snow pushing into her back. The trees were just off to the left but Lynne knew there was no way she was going to get there before the slide caught up with her. She dove forward trying to emulate all that she had heard about how to survive an avalanche.

But as she lay out flat and swam with the flowing snow she felt her body get tumbled around and around like she was in a dryer as her poles went flying. Then it all just went dark and silent.

************

When Lynne opened her eyes she was lying in a cave. The sky outside was black and the wind was howling. She tried to sit up but her body did not want to cooperate. As she fell back she saw the weak flickering of a fire near the entrance and the form of a man bent over it bringing it to a fuller blaze. She tried to speak but she had no voice. Just then he looked over and saw that she was awake and moving and came closer.

“Try not to move around too much, Miss,” he said in a soft and gentle voice. You took quite a tumble in that slide. I do not think you broke anything but you got pretty banged up.”

Lynne felt her head where a bandage was now surrounding the top of her head, wrapped expertly around her forehead and temples. In addition, she felt sore and battered and achy like she had never been before. She lay back and closed her eyes.

“Found your sis sticking out of the snow when I came down and pulled you out and got you in here before this next storm wave set in.”

Lynne looked up and indeed the entrance to the cave was obscured by snow blowing nearly sideways. She wanted to ask him his name and where he had come from but for some reason, her voice was gone.

“Just sit tight and relax, Miss. I’ve got some soup and hot tea going. We’ll get that into you and then make you as comfortable as possible until morning. Hopefully, this thing will blow through and I can get you out of here and back home. You live in Wetherby?”

Lynne just nodded silently and fell back again as he went off to attend to the fire again. Her mind was racing. How could she have been so stupid? She had enough experience out here to know better. And what were this man’s intentions? Was he really this good Samaritan or was she in store for more of an adventure once time went by? But as he brought her a small bowl of soup and a tin of herbal tea, Lynne pushed her worries away and let him take care of her. Later after she had eaten she felt her eyes grow heavy as she saw the flames of the fire silhouette the man’s figure.

He came back to her and wrapped her in a soft goose down bag as she laid next to her and pulled her into a tight ball. The last thing Lynne saw that night was the flames of the fire and the snow pelting outside as she fell asleep. She woke briefly in the night to find she was next to him as they both huddled in the delicious warmth of the bags he had arranged under and across them. She was briefly panicked but then saw that the fire had gone out and knew that he was just trying to keep her body temperature up. She closed her eyes and it all went away.

Lynne next woke alone as the night had been replaced by a weak daylight, but the snow was still coming down hard and she looked over to see her rescuer struggling to get the fire going again. He saw that she had finally woken up.

“Mornin’, Miss. We lost the fire last night and this storm has made everything pretty wet out there. I will get this thing going again eventually but it may take a while.”

Lynne nodded but noticed she still had no voice. The other thing she noticed was that she was shaking. Her aches and pains seemed improved considerably, but she was trembling hard. From the cold night and dampness, she knew the onset of hypothermia when she saw it and she motioned for him to come quickly. He jogged over and saw how badly she was trembling.

“Hypothermia….damn!” he said. “Not to worry, Hang on”

With no more hesitation, he pulled Lynne from the bag and began to strip her damp and sweaty clothes off and toss them away to the side. He saw the look of terror in her eyes and calmed her.

“It’s OK, Miss. I’m no pervert. But if I don’t get you dry and warm soon we are in deep shit.”

Lynne nodded knowing what he meant and put up no fight as he undressed as well and then joined her under the pile of bags. He pulled her tight to him and Lynne gasped at the initial feeling of his ice-cold skin.

“Sorry about that. Hang in there we’ll be fine in just a few minutes.”

Lynne nodded and clasped tight to him as their bodies began to work together and soon her shaking wet away and she exhaled in relief. She smiled up at him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She tried one more time to speak but all she got out was a few scratchy syllables before she lost her voice again.

“Don’t know how to thank…”

He pulled the top of the bag over them.

“It’s OK, Miss…we’ll be out soon.”

But as Lynne looked at the raging storm outside she had serious doubts. The day went on and the storm showed no signs of letting up but the fore was once again back to a full blaze and her rescuer was approaching her with more soup and tea.

“I know it’s not much but any port in a storm right?”

Lynne smiled and took the offered food and drink finding it to be the most wonderful meal she had ever had. Later on, she watched as he tended the fire. The snow had finally stopped but the wind was still at near gale force, a few wisps racing into the cave now and then. Lynne banged a cup on a nearby rock to get his attention.

“You OK, Miss?”

Lynne motioned for him to come closer and then pointed to her chest as she croaked out her name.

“Lynne….”

“Your name is Lynne?”

She nodded. She pointed to him.

“You?”

“Henry. Nice to meet you, Lynne.”

Lynne tried to speak more but it was no use. She sighed in frustration.

“It’s OK, Lynne. Your voice will come back in time I am sure. Just relax and get some rest. You still need to rebuild your energy reserves.”

Lynne smiled and nodded at him but he lifted the edge of the bag and patted the place next to her.”

“You getting cold again?”

Lynne nodded, but that was not why she had done that. During Henry’s altruistic efforts that morning to ward off her hypothermia, Lynne had felt something stir in her body. She was not sure what it was exactly, but she did remember how safe and protected she had felt when he had laid here with her. His hot skin next to hers and his steady comforting breathing while the strong thump of his heart vibrated against her chest. The mere thought of his naked body next to her now made her feel excited and aroused. What was happening?

Henry once again stripped down and joined Lynne under their pile of bags and she put her arms around him and sighed. The longer they lay there the more Lynne could sense something going on in her body that was new territory. Her heart beat faster and she felt sweat breaking out on her brow. She did not know why or what possessed her to do this but she reached up and kissed Henry passionately. If he was confused or caught off-guard he did not show it and kissed her back with equal fervor. He jumped slightly as she began to stroke his penis but he then settled in and took her nipples between his lips and gently suckled at them before running the tip of his tongue in circles around them bringing them erect almost immediately.

She moved down and took him in her mouth moving up and down his shaft until it was fully erect and then kissed him again on the mouth.

“You sure, Lynne?”

She just nodded and laid on her back and spread her legs. Henry slipped inside her slowly and gently as Lynne gasped and dug her nails into his back. In all her previous attempts at sex, she had never felt such a sensation as she did now as Henry move in and out of her slowly and deliberately as she moved from side to side and pushed deep into her. Since she had never had much of a positive experience with intercourse, Lynne did not have much of a bar with which to judge this, but if this is what sex was supposed to feel like she could finally see what the big deal was. She could not speak but she was able to moan and groan and let Henry know what to do when he asked.

“Faster, Lynne?”

She nodded eagerly as she was oblivious to all around her save Henry’s penis in her now moving in and out with skill and perfection. Each thrust shot another tremor through her and for a moment Lynne thought something was wrong. But the sensations felt so wonderful and made him never want to stop that she knew these were the orgasms she had never been able to achieve her whole life. He moved deeper and much quicker now as Lynne shook all over and wrapped her legs tight around his waist as he teased her taut and hard nipples.

Finally, she arched her back and collapsed wanting to scream out in release but unable to since she had lost her voice. After his own climax, Henry slid from her and they lay next to each other and kissed over and over.

“Boy did you seem to enjoy that!” Henry said.

Lynne sighed and nodded. How was it she could never have experienced this until now? She had no idea, but this little taste of it just made her ache for more. She stroked his penis again and soon it began to rise.

“Ready to go again?” he asked.

She just smiled as she forced herself up and onto her elbows and knees and Henry slid back into her from behind. Lynne shuddered as he rubbed the hot, engorged head up and down her dripping vagina as hung her head and emitted the most primal howl she could manage at the time as Henry pushed into her and pressed his hips tight up against her ass. She whimpered and gasped for air as he moved around at will taking her higher and higher on waves of all the built-up orgasms she had apparently been storing away for years.

Henry had never seen anything like it but was thoroughly satisfied as he watched Lynne quake and tremble and then finally collapse in exhaustion. He removed himself from her and pulled her to him as he covered them both and they fell fast asleep as the wind continued to howl. Henry had only been asleep for what felt like a few hours when she felt Lynne up and alert as she had her mouth on his penis one more time pushing it in and out until he was erect again.

She climbed on top of him and guided him inside her as she moved up and down on him driving his penis deep into her with each movement down. Henry looked at her to see her arching her back and now crying out in utter pleasure as she neared another orgasm. She moved up and down and back and forth as she guided him into all parts of her and finally went into a movement so fast that Henry was sure he was seeing things. He exploded just seconds before Lynne uttered a final primal scream of her own and fell to the side the remnants of her orgasms still running through her.

Henry pulled her to him and kissed her and they settled down again to try and sleep for a few more hours before daylight.

“Nice to finally hear your sweet voice, Lynne.”

“Not sure how sweet that wild animal was you just heard bellow, but thanks anyway.”

They laughed and fell asleep right away. Lynne awoke as the sun broke through the opening of the cave and made her squint. Henry was gone, but she figured he was just collecting firewood again. For the first time since her accident, she felt semi-normal again and stood. She slipped on her ski boots and padded over to the cave entrance. The fire was cold and there was just a single set of footprints leading away but then they just stopped.

“Henry!” Lynne shouted.

All that came back was an echo up the canyon. She tried again from different spots around but the result was the same. Where the hell was he? She post-holed back to the cave and saw her skis set up and polished and ready to go. And inside her pack, sitting right on top was the old tin cup she had sipped tea from. It made no sense and suddenly Lynne had a sense of loss like none she had ever had before. With nothing else to try, she strapped on her skis, hefted her pack, and skied down the last mile or so to the canyon floor and then onto the flats that ran east and back to her Jeep.

The whole descent down from the cave and the shuffle over to the car had still given her no clues. No note or anything on the Jeep either. Fuck! Lynne said to herself. She laid the skis in the back, tossed her pack in the trunk and drove home.

************

And that was where Lynne found herself today as she spent one more hopeful vigil at her bedroom window. It was unlikely she knew, but no more unlikely than Henry finding her and pulling her out of that avalanche slide either. He had saved her life. But he had also shown her that she was not as frigid and sexually dysfunctional as she had always thought. They both would make her remember Henry forever. She was alive and now when she touched herself or when she used her vibrator, she was able to come quickly and intensely. Together those were things that would never make her abandon this lonely vigil. Henry had given her a safe haven when it was crucial and she wanted to offer the same if he somehow ever found his way to her door one day.