A quiet breakfast with the grandchildren wasn’t quite what Marlena had in mind when she invited the twins, Allie and Johnny for Sunday brunch. She’d expected a bunch of cross talk and banter, but to her dismay, she got the complete opposite. They seemed to be more engrossed in social media than their present company.
John gave Marlena a look from across the table. His eyes expressing that she had his proxy to change the energy. Without speaking, Marlena got up from the finely catered meal and made herself scarce a few moments, unbeknownst to her distracted brood.
John continued to eat his eggs without taking his eyes off the twins. He was completely shocked at how disengaged they were and found it quite disturbing. In hopes of garnering their attention, he proceeded to sprinkle black pepper in his coffee and got no reaction. He then added tabasco to his croissant. There was still no reaction. He threw his hands up in the air and conceded that this was a new generation and they would have to find a more modern Rosetta stone to understand them.
Marlena returned to the table and took her seat. The moment she placed her napkin across her lap, Allie and Johnny’s phones chimed simultaneously. A smirk graced Marlena’s face as she cut her eyes to John.
Allie and Johnny looked up from their phones and put them face down on the table.
“Sorry grandma,” said Allie.
“My bad,” said Johnny. “It’s this stupid game on Facebook.”
“It’s only stupid because you suck,” quipped Allie.
“Where was all this bravado when I spanked you in Words with Friends?” ask Johnny defending his gaming reputation. Putting his hand to his ear, he leaned over to Allie and said, “Wait, what’s that now? Huh?”
“Oh please, you cheated, and you know it! Chanel told me about the app you use. The word caplets for 149 points? So not the guy who copied my term papers in high school,” snapped Allie.
Johnny looked at his grandparents red-faced and shook his head with incredulity. “Lies. All lies,” said Johnny.
This was the energy that Marlena yearned for. If she wanted a quiet breakfast and the sounds of forks scraping the plate, she could have had breakfast alone with John while reading the morning paper.
“That’s what I want to see! I want to see your faces. Your eyes. Hear your voices! I refuse to compete with cell phones after I slaved over this meal,” said Marlena trying to suppress a look of guilt.
“Hey, if grandma made breakfast, I earned those points on Words with Friends. Just saying,” added Johnny.
John grabbed Marlena’s hand and kissed it. “Which includes dialing Bristol Farms for catered delivery,” he added. “We just wanted to engage with you guys as much as possible, so thanks for giving your old grandparents a bit of your time. You keep us young.”
“It’s more like you show us how to grow up,” said Allie as she looked to her twin for validation.
John and Marlena couldn’t be prouder of their growth. Allie had a thriving bakery and Johnny was on his way to becoming a BPIH, as he liked to call himself; Biggest Producer in Hollywood. They were so full of life and wonderment and Marlena thrived on seeing the world through their young and ambitious eyes.
“Speaking of gaming, you know Johnny, I don’t think I’m going to be able to figure out that Madden on the P5 thing,” said John. “I’m more into the real thing and baseball.”
“Grandpa trust me. It’s super easy. And it’s called PS5- for Playstation 5. I’m going to leave it here so that you can check it out. If you don’t like it, no biggie, but just give it a try,” suggested Johnny as he gulped his orange juice.
“I think it’s a great idea to find new ways to connect,” said Marlena with her brilliant hazel eyes sparkling behind her frameless glasses. “It’s ok to try something new.”
“Like the new glasses?” asked Allie. “You are looking kinda hot over there grandma.”
John grabbed Marlena’s hand from across the table and kissed it while gazing into her eyes. “Your grandmother has always been hot. Boy let me tell you…,” began John.
Feeling slightly grossed out by the faintest notion that his grandparents were still getting it in, Johnny tried to segue. “Please. Not while I’m eating. Grandparent’s don’t flirt and kiss and stuff,” said Johnny trying to hold down his breakfast.
If he only knew what happened on that very table last night, he’d be a patient of Marlena’s for the rest of his life. Despite what much of the youth thought, people over 70 still had very active and satisfying sex lives, at least Marlena and John did.
“Speaking of new things, have you two ever considered living without your cell phones? Just for a day?” asked Marlena.
Allie and Johnny looked at each other as if their grandmother had asked them about a concept that was out of this world. They both chuckled and answered simultaneously, “Um no!”
“I had my cell phone in my hand when I had my wisdom teeth extracted,” said Allie very matter of fact. “It’s an extension of me. It’s like an arm or a leg.”
John wrinkled his nose and tried to let this new-age way of thinking sink in. “It’s a convenience for sure. But you are also missing a lot looking down at that thing. I bet you $100 that you can’t go without those things for one day,” said John.
“Grandpa, no shade but $100 would only cover, like an hour,” said Allie apologetically.
“Yeah, I hate to admit it, but Allie is finally right about something,” said Johnny speaking frankly while taking a jab at his sister.
“Gosh you are such a DiMera!” retorted Allie.
Just then, the twins got more texts and social media posts to catch up on. They had complied with their grandparents’ request to be present, even if it was for only 30 minutes.
“We gotta dip grandma. I love you so much. Thank you for always reminding us to slow down,” said Johnny as he stood up and put on his jacket.
Following suit, Allie grabbed her purse and went to kiss John lovingly on his cheek. “I love you! Thanks for brunch. Next time, it’s on us,” she said in a chipper voice.
“On Allie,” quipped Johnny.
Allie spun on her heels to face her opposing twin. “Must you be so…DiMera?”
Johnny stood there with an irrefutable abundance of smugness. All too familiar with sibling rivalry among twins, Marlena intervened.
“Ok you two. Hugs,” she demanded as she beckoned them to smother her with love.
Marlena held them tight and sniffed them like she did all those years ago; bringing them into the world during one of her lowest points. “I can’t believe my babies are all grown up. You know I…,” began Marlena.
“…Delivered us, right here in this very house,” finished Johnny. “I love you grandma.”
The twins left in a haste leaving John and Marlena to clear the table and settle into their day. With no concrete plans on the horizon, they opted for a day of leisure and relaxation. John sat at the table finishing today’s Wordle on his cell phone as Marlena loaded the dishwasher.
“Ha, you little hypocrite! You just told the kids to do away with cell phones and the moment they leave, you pull yours out!” Marlena teased. “Maybe I should offer you $100 to go without it for a day!”
“Easy money. I could not only take that bet, but win. That’s a fact,” said John feeling himself. “And I just got my Wordle score on the NYTimes. 3/6, let’s start with that.”
Marlena never was one to back down from a challenge. The more someone told her she couldn’t do something, the more she pushed to prove them wrong. Marlena sat on John’s lap and removed his readers so that she could look into his kind and piercing blue eyes.
“Are you challenging me? And if yes, what specifically are you challenging me to?” asked Marlena.
John moved in for a light peck. Rubbing his nose against hers, he brushed her soft and pouty lips with his. Planting small baby kisses on Marlena’s cheek, John gradually made his way to the right side of her neck. He was playing dirty and Marlena was here for it. Tilting her head to the side, she opened her neck inviting John to overdose on her essence, hypnotizing him with her aromatic pheromones.
Marlena closed her eyes and allowed John to explore her décolleté with his warm breath. Twirling her fingers through his silver hair, she felt her loins start to ignite. She loved John’s touch. For a man of such strength and stature, he was a very sensual lover. He had the ability to bring Marlena to the brink of ecstasy from a simple stroke down her arm with the pad of his fingers.
Pulling away solely to provide a glimpse of his bedroom eyes, John gazed at Marlena with such intensity, that he could see her soul. Marlena returned John’s gaze through eyes narrowed at half mast, slowly but surely becoming more docile with each kiss. With feathery strokes of her tongue, Marlena got a hint of his tangy taste and male scent. John met her parting lips with his, commanding his tongue to dip and swirl about. It was soft. It was wet. It was seductive.
Marlena shifted in John’s lap as she felt tingles ricochet off the warm, wet, recesses between her thighs; John’s clever hands tugging brazenly at her blouse, flicking open her buttons one by one. Cupping her laced covered breasts, John felt Marlena’s pert nipple beckon him, taking it into his mouth with ravenous aggression.
“I have a novel idea. You know that place I find you snoring, we can actually make love there too,” murmured Marlena with want and need.
“I hope you don’t think seducing me is going to get you out of our bet,” said John.
“We never made a bet. I asked what you were challenging me to. If memory serves, you challenged me to this,” she said as she forced her tongue down his throat.
John felt his nature start to rise as his erection bumped against her hip. “I only place bets that I can win,” said John in a husky whisper. “But, if you beat my Wordle score, I have to sleep with you and if you win, you have to sleep with me.”
John and Marlena relocated to the comforts of their marital boudoir leaving remnants of their removed clothing in a trail down the hall. Still locked in a tight embrace, they crashed onto the over-stuffed bed in a frenzied race to fulfillment.
Marlena unbuckled John’s belt tugging at his hard length with her hands. Coaxing John’s throbbing shaft from his trousers, Marlena led John’s center between her dampened thighs leaving him poised at her entrance. Dragging his mouth over hers, she melted in the anticipation of him entering her slowly.
John probed Marlena in a slow repetitive rhythm, stretching her softness so that it tightly closed around him. Digging her nails into his flesh, Marlena willed her breathing to slow down so that she could prolong the feel of him.
“I bet I can make your eyes roll into the back of your head,” whispered Marlena as she winced at the good pain John forced her to endure.
John immediately became more rigid and engorged at the sound of her sultry voice. Matching his tempo, Marlena clinched her vessel sending waves of euphoria through John’s body.
“Take the bet,” she commanded in a dominating tone. Had he taken the bet; she would have won.
John sat at the kitchen table reading the paper when Marlena turned the corner, happy to see his smiling face. It was drizzling in Salem, and John loved nothing more than to sit by the window and stimulate his senses with the smell of fresh rain.
“There you are. So, the rain put a kibosh on the outdoor concert. I was so looking forward to hearing Liz Chandler sing again,” said Marlena as she poured herself a hot cup of tea. She then turned to the window and bundled up in her fleece jacket. “I do love the rain though. So, we can postpone date night or we can figure out something to do indoors.”
“Great minds think alike. I am one step ahead of you,” said John as he turned to grab a game of old-fashioned scrabble sitting next to him. “It was brought to my attention that we are in need of a tie breaker. You somehow matched my Wordle score.”
“Hmm, I like the sound of making date night game night. Are we still betting?” asked Marlena taking a seat next to John and setting up the board. “I’m only asking because I am going to win.”
John rubbed his hands together in delight. “Oh you think so?” he asked. “Now I love you, but I am not going to let you win.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to. So what are we betting?” asked Marlena.
John rubbed his chin in deep contemplation. He wanted to be strategic.
“How about this. We trust each other, right?” asked Marlena.
John kissed the back of her hand and replied, “Without a question.”
“I’ll write what I want and you write what you want. Winner shows what they get. How does that sound?” asked Marlena.
“Sounds risky. Sounds damn risky,” said John full of excitement. “It’s a bet, but let’s spice this up a bit. Let’s play strip scrabble.”
Marlena doubled over with laughter. When she got the giggles, it took an act of congress to get her to stop. It was also one of John’s favorite sounds.
“What in the world is strip scrabble?” asked Marlena barely understandable because of her laughter.
“Anytime we score a word with more than 25 points, the other has to remove an article of clothing,” said John.
Marlena was all in. She was happy that she’d dressed in warm layers, but somewhat unsure how long she could stay clothed. John was pretty good at scrabble so this could go either way. They opened the game with Marlena playing first. It wasn’t long before the real game began. John was able to nab a double letter score giving him 26 points.
John tried to unzip her fleece jacket and she slapped his hand away. “You said we get to remove an article of clothing if the opponent scores more than 25 points! I’ll do it myself,” she said as she felt a small blow to her ego.
John was playing for keeps and Marlena knew she had to get her head in the game. She shifted her letters around and wrinkled her nose for a moment when she saw a good play and jumped in excitement.
“Ah, J-O-V-I-A-L. Jovial. With a double word score…um yeah. 36 points,” said Marlena smugly.
John clinched his fist and knocked it on the table and roared, “Bring it on baby!” He stood up and removed his polo showing off his firm chest and salt and peppered nature trail. Marlena lost her concentration for a moment, but snapped back to it.
John and Marlena sat at the table for 90 intense minutes battling for the lead. Word after word, play after play, they mirrored each other in scoring. This also left John sitting in his boxers while Marlena still had the privilege of wearing a long t-shirt.
The score was close and could be anyone’s game. They each had their last few tiles. Marlena had collected a formidable 402 points while John held the lead with 405.
“You know, if you want to renege on your bet, I’ll let you out of it for a kiss,” offered John.
“How magnanimous of you. But I think you are scared,” said Marlena calling John’s bluff. “I think you are looking at what you have in your hand and deducing that I am going to win which means you are going to lose.”
“I actually just wanted a kiss. All this competition has me kinda, I don’t know…missing you,” said John sounding a bit melancholy.
Marlena put her tiles down and faced him with love in her eyes. “That’s because we are always on the same side. We are usually cheering each other on.” She then leaned in and softly kissed John on the lips. “If you want to call it a tie, I’ll concede, but we both know it’s because I would have won,” said Marlena in a sexy yet confident tone.
John stared at his wife while licking his lips, discerning if he wanted to ravage her body or eviscerate her in this game. It was such a hard decision. “Passion or pride?” he asked himself. He leaned in for another kiss and found himself leaning closer to choosing passion.
Marlena accepted his olive branch, wary of how long it was going to last. “Are you trying to hustle me John Black?” she asked suspiciously. There was an aching tension building between them, and she loved the feel of it. She loved getting to the finish line and then stopping so that they could cross it together. For as long as she could remember, John’s win was her win and vice versa.
“I couldn’t hustle you if I tried. We know who the muscle is around here,” said John offering a gentle persuasion of kisses. “I’ve accepted that many see me as Mr. Evans, and I dig it.”
Marlena took a deep breath and decided to entertain John’s advances while simultaneously reviewing her letters from the corner of her eye. “Um honey…,” she said succumbing to his touch.
“I also wanted to tell you that I have truly enjoyed our date nights. It gives me something to look forward to. We’ve seen and done it all kid. This here…,” started John as he began to kiss her wrist trailing up her forearm. “…Is a new adventure that I can honestly say that I look forward to. You are my very best friend Doc. And I mean that.”
It was Marlena’s turn to play and yet she found herself at an impasse. Before her was this half-naked pawn sent into her life decades ago to create havoc and confusion when all that she received was on the contrary.
“You know I already won right,” said Marlena as she pretended to shuffle her few remaining tiles. The tension between their bodies was almost too much to endure. She felt herself caving, the heat in her loins urging her on. “I won the day I met you.”
John kissed Marlena with breathless urgency, and she reciprocated. His hands slowly crept up her t-shirt and closed around her breasts. Her boneless limbs accidentally pushed the game board, splattering tiles across the table.
“Oops,” Marlena mumbled. “I guess fate made the decision for us. Tie?”
Before she could get her answer, John’s body surged with hers. She could feel her temperature start to rise as a faint trickle of anticipation began to coat her inner thighs. Sweeping the game onto the floor, John cleared a path to pluck Marlena’s already claimed virtue. Lovingly caressing her form, he slowly dipped her back onto the table in hopes to join their heated flesh. It was reminiscent of the infamous Titan table interlude all those years ago, only this time they were older, wiser and most importantly, free to explore each other without consequences.
Eager to sample her essence, John buried his face between her thighs savoring the sweet flavor of her nectar. His bold tongue darted at her swollen folds. Arching her back, Marlena caressed the back of John’s head while applying just enough force to encourage him to go deeper.
Just as Marlena was about to peak, John stopped and winced in acute pain. “Damn it! Cramp!” he exclaimed.
In a fever to get off, Marlena tried improvising by cleverly reaching for a banana in the bowl of fruit at the end of the table. “Please don’t stop. Potassium. Banana. Bite,” she said while peeling the banana and having John bite it.
As Marlena fed John, he used his hands wisely to stay on queue; guiding the tip of his growing erection to her entrance. Slipping a finger inside, he stirred her slick heat. Marlena found herself back on track as she felt the tension start to rebuild. Twisting her adulating hips to match John’s rhythm, Marlena’s body began to grow stiff. Was it her or was it unbearably hot all of a sudden?
“Oh shit. Hot flash! Hot flash!” cried Marlena.
Thinking on his feet literally, John saw a glass of melting ice that remained near the fruit bowl and poured it down Marlena’s bra. She flinched at the sensation. If nothing else, this was pure comedy. It was whimsical and fun. It was spontaneous and free. It was them and all of their splendor.
John gazed into Marlena’s eyes and then cracked up with laughter.
“Baby,” he said.
“Lover,” Marlena replied.
“I think we have to retire banging on the table,” suggested John.
“Me too,” chuckled Marlena as she draped her arms around John’s neck. “You are the peanut butter to my jelly.”
“You are the butter to my popcorn,” said John.
“Although I heard parmesan cheese was a thing? That Deidre Hall swears by it,” said Marlena.
“Who’s Deidre Hall?” asked John.
“The lady from Days of Our Lives. The one Kayla says I look like,” reminded Marlena.
“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,” said John giving it some thought. “I guess you guys favor each other a little. I can see it.”
In John’s eyes, Marlena was one of a kind and second to none. All the captivating women around the world paled in comparison.
“I bet I can beat you to the couch,” said John playfully.
“And I bet I can figure out how to play that PS5 game. Kick your ass in a game of Madden,” said Marlena.
John raised his eyebrow completely shocked with Marlena’s knowledge.
“We’ll play one game. Sudden death. I’ll take KC Chiefs. You can be All Madden,” she added full of confidence.
“Have you been playing video games behind my back?” asked John suspiciously.
“Perhaps. Winner controls the thermostat?” she asked playfully.
And just like that, it was deemed another successful date night. John helped his lover, partner and best friend up from the cold and stiff surface, chivalrously removing a displaced game tile from her hair. He loved her to the moon and back as she did him.
She walked out the kitchen and lingered at the doorway, beckoning him to follow with her brilliant hazel eyes. He couldn’t resist. He rubbed his hands together and was certain it was about to get interesting. He was willing to bet on it.
The Jarlena Journal 
Another winner! So entertaining and fun.
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