Anna's touching and revealing toast inspired Vince to kiss her, then seal the toast by turning and shattering the fragile glass on the inside bricks of the fireplace, releasing a shower of blazing sparks spewing up the chimney. The sudden, unexpected action of the custom startled Moon, causing an instinctive dash for the relative safety of the bedroom. His leg brace clipped the edge of the milk bowl, sending it down to shatter on the kitchen floor! Anna stated matter-of-factly, "Excellent choice, Moon, in lieu of throwing it into the fireplace!" She and Vince burst out laughing when he cautiously peeked around the safety of the doorframe at the mention of his name. He watched Anna with understanding as she pointed first to her glass, then to the fireplace. He stood his ground when she kissed Vince and sent it crashing to the same fate.

Vince volunteered to clean up the broken bowl while Anna cut up a quick salad to complement the meal. As a final touch, she poured new glasses of the bubbly champagne and lit the Christmas candle, placing it in the center of the table. Moon was nowhere in sight when they sat down to eat. Anna noticed his absence first and, slightly worried, asked Vince if this was part of his normal behavior. He assured her of the unnecessary need to worry about Moon 'cause he could smell supper a mile away! Anna said she hated to start without him since she had cooked for him as well. Vince politely informed her that he had probably slipped out through his bedroom door to relieve himself after the bowl of milk since neither of them believed in the need for a litter box. Moon would have no part in it when he had tried one, so he had installed the pet door above the bed to allow him to come and go as he chose.

Anna admiringly stated, "That was very thoughtful. I can feel how appreciative he is of your respect for his freedom. He loves you very much." Vince told her, "Well, in case you haven't noticed, he's extremely fond of you, too." "Fond enough to come if I called him?" Anna asked.

Vince reached into his shirt pocket and produced the special, silent whistle. He winked and told her, "He'll follow you anywhere with this, up to about a mile, anyway. I've never tested it further." Anna examined it carefully but never blew on it. She handed it back, saying, "I should have expected this from you. I'm positive he will come to yours, but will he come to mine?" Vince's eyebrows raised with the question, "You have one, too?" "Of sorts." She replied, "Mine is sort of built in." Vince displayed a look of total bewilderment.

Anna winked, holding up both of her pinky fingers, wriggling them. Vince said, "I only whistle with my fingers when he's in sight. That's gonna be rather loud inside the house." "Oh, no, this is almost as silent as yours!" She replied. Vince stated, "Instinct informs me that I'm about to be amazed."

Anna overlapped the long nails of her pinkies pointing directly at one another. Bracing each thumb of her clenched fists on each of her cheeks, she pursed her lips, blowing air between the nails as she slowly changed the angle by rocking the pinkies back and forth. Within seconds, Vince heard the squeaky hinge of Moon's access door only a moment prior to him sliding the last four feet into the wall, flipping himself over on his backside when he applied his brakes to the slick floor with clinging snow still on the pads of his feet!

Moon immediately jumped to his feet and twisted to bite at the steel brace as if to punish it for causing the accident. Vince started laughing, Anna did not. Moon kicked each foot clean in counterclockwise rotation while Vince said between chuckles, "Not one of your most graceful entrances, Moon. I'd believe that roll was caused from excess speed and snow on the brakes before I would the brace, but I need to check your leg anyway.

Vince reached for Moon, but he side-stepped, jumping instead into Anna's lap, purring loudly. Puzzled, Vince commented with the unmistakable hurt of Moon's rejection in his voice, "Well Babe, looks like he definitely prefers your whistle." Anna's voice changed abruptly to the scientifically clinical tone of Dr. Fontain with her reply of "Mr. Casey, my whistle has nothing to do with Moon's actions. You have only yourself to blame for this outburst of feline emotion!"

Clearly on the defensive, Vince countered, "Since I don't seem to fully understand the situation here, Dr. Fontain, would you be so kind as to enlighten me with your professional opinion, as this is your field of expertise, I believe. Up to this point, I can't recall Moon ever evading me in any form or fashion."

Anna looked Vince directly in the eyes and stated her opinion, "That's because you've never called him a liar! You actually humiliated him after he had already been embarrassed by the unavoidable tumble caused by the brace. Moon is like you and I. We're all perfectionists. None of us are in a habit of screwing up, but when we do, the reason is obvious to the victim. Moon was simply telling you that the brace was the culprit, and he didn't need it anymore. We can all laugh at our own mistakes, but there is a point when harmless laughter turns into humiliation after the victim has been cleared of fault." Anna continued, "Cats can be vastly more sensitive than humans in many areas. In short, you insulted his intelligence when he knew he was right, and you exhibited a complete lack of faith in his judgment. Cats do not lie, not even to each other. His feelings have been hurt by the one human he respects the most."

Anna summed up the defense with, "Moon jumped into my lap because he sensed I understood, whereas you did not. He was also sympathizing with me because he could feel that for a brief moment, you wrongly became defensive by thinking I had somehow been responsible for his abnormal behavior. His motives are as pure and simple as mine. He knows I'm not a threat to you or him and accepts me only because he senses pleasure in you whenever I'm around. He wants you to be happy and content as I do, but not by compromising his own self respect or sacrificing his pride. Cats and women are exactly alike in many ways. Stroke us in the right direction with love and respect, and we will purr in contented happiness or fiercely fight to protect our loved ones!"

Vince sat silent for several minutes, digesting a rather large dose of his own misunderstanding. Anna got up silently and walked to his side of the table, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Moon jumped into his lap, kicking his purr mode into high gear. Anna returned the entire platter back to the grill to reheat it. Upon her return, Vince finally spoke, "Seems as though I need to apologize to both of you." Before he could continue, Anna put a slender finger over his lips and said, "You already have." She kissed him on the forehead continuing, "Up here. Words aren't necessary."

Vince took a sip of the champagne, then slid all of the plates and utensils to the far end of the table. Digging in his pocket for his knife, he instructed, "Jump up here, Moon, and let's remove that stupid brace." He complied eagerly and stood patiently while Vince carefully cut the bindings. Anna supervised from behind. Kneading the rippling muscles of his broad shoulders caused a drastic release of hormones throughout her entire body, returning the mischievous smile to her lips and the daring sparkle to her eyes.

No man had ever had the slightest effect on her before, but the mere touch of Vince's lean body stirred innate carnal desires of which she had almost no control! She was glad the awkward storm of misguided emotions had passed.

Once freed from the worrisome brace, Moon responded in a rather peculiar manner. Testing his leg's range of motion through a series of slow stretches in various directions, he quickly determined his level of fitness as compared to his normal status. Satisfied, he picked up the brace in his mouth and jumped to the floor, carefully positioning it on the hearth near the fire. Neither Vince nor Anna was prepared for the display that followed.

Moon backed up to the brace placing his rear feet next to the arched middle. He looked over his shoulder to verify his position before kicking hard to send the cruel metal bouncing off the back bricks into the fire!

Anna's astonished look complemented her exclamation of, "That's absolutely amazing! We have just been witness to the learning and retention, not to mention the practical application of, the concept symbolism concerning the finality of fire!"

Not quite realizing the full impact of Anna's obviously scientific analysis, Vince timidly asked, "You mind explaining that in a layman's terms?" She apologized, "Sorry. Moon understood that breaking our glasses in the fire meant that the words of the toast could never be altered. They were absolute and final. What he did with the brace meant the same. He just told us, in the only way possible, that he would never wear it again! Had he witnessed a funeral, he probably would have buried it. I'm strongly inclined to think his IQ relative to the animal world may well be unsurpassed if tested. He could possibly be the most intelligent non-human creature on Earth!"

Anna's amazement changed to concern when she told Vince, "We might be wise to keep this incident to ourselves." She told Vince she would explain later. Right now, she was about to go for the reheated dinner outside.

Vince had rearranged the table before she returned with the food, placing Moon's plate beside his. Anna served, placing a bacon-wrapped steak, baked potato, and a red, steaming lobster on every plate. Anna sheepishly asked, "Does Moon eat on the table?" Half laughing, Vince informed her as he returned Moon's potato to the platter, "No, I just load it up and put it on the floor. He usually holds the plate with one paw to keep it from sliding around. He won't eat vegetables unless they're cooked in with the meat, like with a roast." Anna acknowledged with, "Sorry 'bout that, Moon. I didn't know." Moon emitted a soft meow to the apology. She noticed that Vince didn't remove the wire pin securing the bacon to the steak. Slightly worried, she looked under the table in time to see Moon deftly remove it with his teeth and trot over to the trash can and drop it in!

Noticing Anna's engrossment with Moon's eating habits, Vince casually stated, "Babe, I know its a natural part of your scientific nature to observe, but if you keep watching him, you're gonna starve." Anna confided, "I can't help it. Every time I look, he's doing something completely out of the norm for his species. The same holds true for you, Sir Vince." He washed down the bite of lobster with champagne before saying, "You should be included in that category as well." With beaming eyes, he added, "You are a remarkable woman possessing a high degree of beauty and brains to boot!" Anna blushed slightly at the compliment.

Moon finished the exquisite meal first, silently expression-begging until Vince offered him one of his lobster claws, which he graciously accepted. Anna mumbled something about Moon having Vince trained, and he had informed her that she was probably destined to be the next victim.

While Vince and Anna finished their champagne, Moon stretched out in front of the fireplace, content to meticulously clean his fur. With a sigh of satisfaction, Vince spoke, "That dinner was none short of superb. I'm surprised you didn't have dessert figured in as well." Anna answered with, "Oh, but I did, Sir Vince." She got up to clear the table while his vision scanned the kitchen in search of something sweet. Failing in his quest, he questioned her, "If it isn't in the icebox, just where is it?" She struck a provocative pose and giggled before informing him, "You're lookin' at it!" Vince fell silent as he blushed deeply. Quickly regaining his composure, he took a deep breath and said, "Looks tantalizingly delicious. Beauty such as yours should be blessed with a touch of nature's own compliments."

Anna watched curiously as he got up and disappeared through the door leading to the garage. Vince wanted to hide the box of roses behind him but could not manage the feat with the crutches. Finally he called for Anna's assistance, removing the top from the box before she appeared in the doorway.

Anna's unquestionable surprise at the sight of the fragrant, delicate flowers was genuine. Her soft green eyes misted over uncontrollably as she kissed Vince passionately. Extremely proud of himself, Vince announced, "Beauty begets beauty." Tears streamed over her cheekbones and into the corners of her mouth as she stammered with a cracking voice, "I-I-I don't know what to say. They're beautiful. I've never had anyone give me flowers that were really sincere, much less long-stemmed roses, except my Dad on my birthday! Vince stated, "I find that extremely hard to believe." She replied, "Maybe so, but it is true." Thinking out loud, he said in a sympathetic tone, "How sad." In her defense, Anna told him, "Not really. I more or less arranged it that way for reasons that seemed essential to my personal safety at the time."

Anna changed the subject with, "May I have that hot bath now? You must be tired. You can relax while I'm in the bathroom. I won't be long. We can talk later." Vince told her, "Sure. Take your time. Enjoy it." After arranging the roses in a vase full of water, she made a quick trip out to his truck, returning with the sack containing the articles she had purchased at the department store. Winking at Vince, she disappeared down the hall, taking a single rose with her from the dozen.

Vince turned on the television, clicking through the stations until he found the news. He poured himself a brandy and pitched another split log onto the pile of brightly glowing coals in the fireplace before propping his cast on the end of the coffee table and settling into the pillows at one end of the sofa. Thoughts of Anna's mysterious past made it difficult to concentrate on the newscast. He was anxious to hear her explanation of the previous conversation.

The weather report informed Vince that the snow and icy conditions would stay with them through the next week. Record amounts of new snow were expected, and the county officials were warning residents to stock up on necessities to insure their safety. Several more roads had been closed after sunset, and more yet were predicted to follow. New snow would arrive by the next evening, increasing the need for supplies. Vince decided to go into town the next day after a quick inventory to determine their need for extra supplies. He would take care of his Christmas shopping while he was there.

Vince got up and poked the fire, adding another log to the licking flames before turning off the TV. Mesmerized by the flickering firelight, his thoughts focused on the future and Anna. He could not imagine ever being without her now. They had mutually stolen each others hearts in the face of disaster. Vince felt as if his life was just beginning.

Anna's thoughts followed similar patterns while she dried the beads of water from her virgin body. She scrutinized herself in the mirror as she shaved her legs, glad that she had set aside time from her busy work schedule to maintain the fitness of her lithe body. She dried her long, flowing hair, justly proud of its natural sheen as she swung it briskly from side to side. Anna applied her usual make-up sparingly, not wishing to smother her natural beauty, only to enhance and highlight the features of her face. For once in her life, Anna wanted to be as lovely and alluring as she could possibly be in the presence of a man. Her female intuition told her that this special night would change her lonely life forever. Love had finally replaced her fears regarding men and sparked new confidence in herself as a woman.

The sheer anticipation of surrendering herself to Vince excited Anna greatly. She prepared herself mentally to subdue the doubts of her sexuality spawned by inexperience with men. Anna held up the apricot gown to her body. She turned to the mirror to check its overall appearance before putting it on. The soft satin silhouetted the outline of her breasts, effectively doing for her figure what the light dusting of cosmetics had done for her face. Satisfied, she slipped the gown over her head, the lacy hem stopping halfway down her thighs.

Anna picked up the matching French-cut panties but returned them to the sack. Smiling to herself, she donned the silky robe instead, electing to leave the front untied to provocatively expose the cleavage between her firm, ample breasts.

Anna took a final, convincing look at herself in the mirror. She talked to her reflection, fortifying her confidence, "Anna, you can do this." She checked her profile from both sides and struck a sexy, defiant pose prior to taking a deep breath and announcing, "Eat your heart out, Playboy, 'cause this centerfold flower is about to bloom!"

As a final touch, Anna opened the new perfume and applied a spot behind each ear. She spotted some between her breasts and traced a line horizontally across her naval. She cut the stem close on the single rose, pinning it in her hair to the left of the loose curl dangling slightly above her left eyebrow. Her pulse accelerated with each step from the bathroom to the dancing flickers of firelight in the den.

Anna's entrance to the room left Vince momentarily speechless. She spoke first, "May I have my massage now?" Vince swallowed hard, astounded at the stark beauty before him. Anna broke the spell with, "Well?" Nervously, Vince grabbed a pillow and laid it across the top of his cast and the armrest of the sofa. He took a reassuring sip of his brandy and said, "I'm not sure I'm worthy. You are the most beautiful creature I've ever had the privilege of gazing upon." Anna timidly said, "Thank you. I was hoping you would be pleased. I want you to know that everything I do with the rest of my life will be in the interest of us all, . . Moon included." Shaking his head, Vince muttered, "How lucky could a mortal man get? Please, lay that exquisite body down."

Anna poured herself a brandy and moved the candle from the dining table to the coffee table along with the brandy decanter. Vince's eyes followed her every move, marveling at the flowing grace with which she moved and the gentle curves of her figure accented by the shimmering satin robe. She kissed him tenderly, the tantalizing smell of her perfume intoxicating his senses and priming his masculine desires. Anna then positioned herself across his thighs with her backside facing up, turning her head on the pillow sideways so she could watch the fire.

Vince's skilled hands gently kneaded the firm flesh of her back through the thin satin, tracing the delicate contours of each individual muscle while Anna willingly revealed the secrets of her life.

Unashamed now, Anna revealed to Vince how she had been forced to witness the brutal rape and murder of her best friend during their senior year in high school. Had it not been for a passing motorist, her fate would probably have been the same. The two demented men involved were apprehended shortly thereafter and convicted by her testimony. As far as she knew, they were still in prison.

Ever since that traumatic night, Anna had vowed to never let a man get near her. Only since she had met Vince, had her fears of men subsided, allowing her to revert back to her true personality. Because of her fear, she had projected a false image of being a total bitch throughout her adult life. She had withdrawn from normal society and immersed herself in education and work. The wedding ring from her late mother had helped to keep men away from her. She had never told anyone her reasons until now. As a result, she had by choice condemned herself to a life of loneliness and rejection by her peers. Aside from the Keslers, she had no friends whatsoever, and most people simply made it a point to stay out of her way. For some strange reason, they accepted her just as she was without ever questioning her reasons. She had always respected them highly for their consideration regarding her privacy. Anna ended the story with a final explanatory statement, "Everybody needs someone or something to love in order to maintain a healthy mental attitude, so I turned my affections to the animals I work with."

Moon came over to the sofa, standing on his hind legs to gently lick the tear that was about to drip off of the tip of Anna's nose. Reaching out to scratch his ear, she acknowledged his effort to comfort her, "Thanks Moon. I know you understand." He then jumped up on Vince's cast and laid down facing them, etching the story in his feline memory.

Vince silently recounted the events and conversations of the long day in his mind before he spoke in a soft, sympathetic tone of voice, "Everything about you is crystal clear now, what you said about repaying you for saving my life, about having never made love anywhere, actions of a deprived woman, the ring, never receiving flowers, everything. I thought you must have been joking, but all of it was true!" He fell silent for a moment before repeating the simple statement he made earlier in the garage, "How sad. I'm sorry, Babe."

Anna broke in before Vince could continue, "I don't want you to feel sorry for me. I just need to know that you understand the reasoning behind the choices I made. There is a positive side to this that I'm sure you can relate to. Avoiding society taught me to rely on myself regardless of what others thought. It made me strong. I know I can trust my own judgment as well as my instincts. I have confidence in my abilities and I've proven to myself that I have the strength and courage to persevere and win where others have failed. Indirectly, social isolation was responsible for all of the same qualities in me which I know you to possess as well. In the professional world, it enabled me to rise to the top and gain worldwide respect from my colleagues because I'm the best there is in my field. In short, it has made me who I am, but one thing stands above everything. It is very precious to me.

Anna thought silently for a minute as if debating on whether further explanation was necessary. She stroked Moon a couple of times, smiled and then continued, "By limiting my human contact and concentrating my feelings towards animals, I discovered my empathic "gift" in relation to cats. I'm actually able to "feel" as they do."

Anna continued, "Cats are finely tuned to others within their species and to humans, too. They possess an innate understanding of seemingly the human equivalent of emotion. By some quirk of fate, I have been privileged to share this unique ability. It has enabled me to solve many complex problems where cats have interacted adversely with humans."

Adding a bit of concern to her voice, Anna confided, "I have always kept my gift a secret, for there are those who would try to exploit it and me as well. Through a cat's senses and instincts, I can tell when people are lying, if their intent is to hurt or kill, if they are jealous, happy, angry or sincere. Cats have the uncanny ability to sense only the true source of a given action and filter out the surface inconsistencies, something like a window to the inner self. They are rarely ever fooled by people; consequently, when a cat is present, neither am I. It is the basic reason behind their unprecedented success as the dominate predatory species on this planet. It is an integral part of their survival mechanism. It has become part of mine, too." Vince added, "All good power comes from above. Control is mandatory. You must never abuse it. Control is necessary in your life much as it is with mine." Anna asked him to explain.

Vince proceeded to relate his life story. After hearing about his martial arts prowess and the incident of his sister's death, Anna profoundly understood the statement about control. He went on to tell her of Moon's unknown origin and the cruel death of his mother. Anna interrupted to ask if the small grave in the family plot belonged to Moon's mother. The rest of Vince's story concerning his life mirrored a remarkable parallel of her own. Self ordained isolation had become a way of life for both of them, spawned by fear, only in opposite directions.

Anna sympathized now, "Must have been awfully lonely for you." Vince replied, "It was, until Moon arrived on the scene. Much like your case, he taught me about solitude. You and I are very much alike. It strikes me as ironic that fate has brought us here together. We are a most unlikely pair." Anna questioned him, "In what way?" Vince explained his observation, "Fear. For most of your life, you feared men. My life has been just the opposite. Women feared me. It stands to reason that you should have been twice as scared of me versus any other man."

Anna thought for a brief moment, then said, "Had it not been for Moon, that would probably have been an accurate assumption. I'm glad that I had inside information. I will never be afraid of you, Sir Vince. On the contrary, I've never felt so safe, secure and protected in my life. You are the knight in shining armor that this maiden has always hoped for in her most intimate dreams. I love you."

Anna sat upright, downing the brandy in her glass to boost her courage. Leaning over to kiss Vince, she unbuttoned his shirt, dragging her nails through the hair on his chest. She could feel her pulse rising to the point where she could hear it in her ears. Taking a deep breath, Anna sat up straight, searching Vince's face for any sign of resistance. Finding none, she slowly pushed the satin robe over her shoulders. Vince watched in silence as the robe fell behind her. The dancing light of the fire showcased the full effect of her figure.

Anna lost her nerve for a few seconds and returned to her original position on Vince's lap, the smooth, unblemished skin of her back now bare before him. She longed for his touch. The intense need for physical contact was mutual.

Anna shivered involuntarily when the warm skin of Vince's rippled belly contacted her back as he reached over for his glass on the table.

Moon jumped down, heading outside to make his nightly security check around the perimeter of the immediate property, acutely aware of his friend's need for privacy. Moon generally extended his stay outside whenever a full moon was present, as on this night which he deemed "timely". The winter storm clouds had dissipated, and the temperature had dropped several degrees with the lack of atmospheric cover. Pale moonlight, amplified by its ornate reflection from the crystal groundcover, provided ideal hunting conditions for Moon.

Anna's body tingled deliciously when Vince's sweating hands returned to her back. She desperately wished him to explore her body further, but he seemed to be holding back his invited advances. Her mind raced, formulating a plan to destroy the final barrier between herself and the man she loved.

Marveling at the streamlined contours of Anna's anatomy, Vince's right hand unconsciously traced the full length of the smooth backside of her left leg down to her ankle. She sucked in her breath sharply, a hot rush of blood flushing her being with the essence of sexual anticipation. A rash of chill bumps popped up simultaneously on her thigh. She shivered involuntarily as Vince's wandering hand retraced the path to her back. Anna felt as if she were on fire. She knew her feelings and desires were shared by the profound change in Vince's rhythmic breathing.

Anna could squelch her sexual excitement no longer. Waiting breathlessly for the perfect moment of opportunity, she initiated a daring move to offer Vince sole ownership of the key to her guarded virginity. As his hands moved upward from the small of her back to her shoulder blades, she quickly rolled over to face him, sliding her breasts directly under his hands.

Vince and Anna both gasped, the bold move proving its effectiveness as their natural human needs and desires rose to domination in the following seconds. Their lips met in a frenzied torrent of suppressed passion while their hands roamed rampantly over the unexplored terrain of their bodies. Both mental and physical love forged their very existence into an inseparable bond which would last forever.

After retreating to the bedroom, and long before exhaustion halted the lovers in their exorbitant efforts to further extend their sexual pleasure, Vince decided in his mind that he would ask Anna to marry him. They fell asleep in each others' arms. Moon returned from his hunting foray sometime during the night and snuggled into the slight depression between them.

About The Author

This space RESERVED For LATER USE--LKH

Author's Note: Feel free to copy/paste the text contained herein to build your personal copy of "MOON Madness". As this is COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL by ME, the ORIGINAL AUTHOR, please DO NOT copy for UNAUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTION in any form or fashion. "ALL RIGHTS RETAINED & RESERVED" by Larry K. Hockman! Please don't hesitate to E-Mail me for permission to use my works in the classroom, etc. ThanX for Visitin'! I hope you enjoyed the story and pass it on to your friends. LKH

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