Boston Uncommon, Part 3

From: an284773@anon.penet.fi

Here's Part 3. 

**

Over the next few weeks she tried her best to keep her vow to herself. She
would have 2 or 3 cigarettes while with Edith each day, plus one in the
morning before she left for work and 2 or 3 more if she was at home alone in
the evening. But she and Greg were going out together more and more
frequently, and when they did, his smoking was a cue for her to smoke much
more than she would otherwise, sometimes as many as 8 or 10 in an evening.
The same held true when she and Becky were together, and after a stretch
where she was with either Greg or Becky for four consecutive nights one
week, she awoke one Sunday morning and lit up with her morning coffee as she
usually did. She decided to have a second cigarette with her second cup of
coffee, and throughout the day she found herself smoking at a rate just as
if she was with her friends. At midday when she went out to buy a fresh
supply she decided to purchase her first carton. By the end of the day she
had smoked a full package of cigarettes.

The next week Alison found herself continuing to smoke much more heavily
than she had earlier. She asked Edith for permission to smoke during the day
while on duty, which was naturally granted, and that let her habit become
more fully developed. She was smoking 2 or 3 each morning before leaving for
work, and would always smoke while waiting for the bus afterwards. As time
went on over the next few weeks, Alison's desire to smoke continued to grow
steadily. She would have a cigarette on average every 30 to 45 minutes, and
her puffs were consistently much longer than before, her filters well-used
from the amount of smoke she was taking from each cigarette, and her inhales
full and deep. Alison's cigarette consumption was now a minimum of a pack a
day, and that would go even higher if she was out in the evening with Greg
or Becky. She realized the changes that were going on in her body and was
somewhat disturbed by her heavier smoking habit, but being able to indulge
whenever she wanted to she seldom felt any strong cravings.

Alison's smoking habit held steady throughout the winter. She still hadn't
told her parents, and during Christmas she was able to hide her habit during
her visits home. It was a little difficult at times during this period but
she still hadn't become totally sure how to break the news to her folks and
decided to not even try. She still felt her smoking was more of a habit than
a need, but this belief was finally shattered.

In February Edith left for her annual trip to Florida. She would be gone for
2 months and while there was some talk that perhaps Alison would accompany
her, there had been a regular nurse employed for her in Florida over the
past few years and her services were once again secured. The agency Alison
worked for found her a job as a relief nurse in a large hospital in Boston,
and Alison looked forward to practicing her skills in such an environment
once more. 

Once she began her new duties she quickly realized that she had forgotten
how hectic it was to work in such a high-pressure place. Every hour seemed
to have a new series of crises, and the contrast between her duties with
Edith and this could not have been more stark. Alison did her best to cope
with the strain, but she was concerned about making a mistake in such an
environment and found the stress higher than anything she had ever
experienced. She had been on the job for about 2 hours when she realized she
badly wanted a cigarette. She fought the urge as best as she could, but
finally she saw that Carol, one of her new co-workers, had a pack of
cigarettes visible in the side pocket of her lab coat. "Carol... Hi, I'm
Alison," she introduced herself. "Where can I go to smoke around here?," she
asked.

"Yeah, come with me. I'll show you. I need one too, it's been a shitty
morning, hasn't it? Par for the course around here," the veteran nurse
responded, leading Alison down the corridor as she stopped for a second to
let her grab her purse. They went through one room, then another, before
getting to a small sealed room with a handwritten sign on the door marked
"Staff Smoking Lounge". As they entered, Alison was struck by the stench of
stale smoke and the general neglect of the place. "Welcome to the home of
the damned," Carol said jokingly. "They sure don't give this place much in
the way of maintenance, do they? Trying to make it as miserable as possible
for us to smoke, I think. What the hell, at least we don't have to go
outside in the cold -- yet," she said, reaching into her pocket for her
pack. Alison had already pulled her B&Hs from her purse and lit up while
Carol spoke. She smoked quickly, puffing almost constantly, and quickly
finished the cigarette. Carol had done the same, and as she finished she
immediately lit up another. Alison figured this meant she could extend her
break too, so she did the same and smoked this one almost as quickly. Having
smoked two cigarettes in less than 10 minutes, Alison put her cigarettes and
lighter in her lab coat also, as Carol advised her on their way back to the
station, so they would always be at hand if she had an opportunity for a few
quick puffs.

A couple of days later all hell broke loose on the ward one morning. An
accident on the expressway had meant a sudden influx of new patients that
had overwhelmed the staff for several hours. Alison had worked constantly
without a break all morning, and finally around 11:30 she was told she could
take a half-hour break for lunch, along with a few of the other nurses in
the unit. Like most of the nurses there, all of these were smokers, and one
of them turned to Alison and said, "Thank God! I thought I'd never get a
chance to smoke this morning."

Alison had been so busy that she hadn't really thought about smoking until
now. But now suddenly thrust into her consciousness, the urge instantly
overwhelmed her as she felt a sudden tingle run through her. She felt the
inside of her mouth begin to respond to the anticipation, and it even seemed
for an instant that she felt her lungs sending her a message that they too
wanted some smoke. She had to have one, now. Almost without thinking, Alison
responded, "Lord, me too. I really need one. Let's go before they change
their mind." They almost ran down the corridor as they quickly made their
way to the smoking lounge. Lighting up, Alison took as long a drag as she
possibly could and inhaled deeply, then for the first time, still not
feeling satisfied enough, immediately began another long puff. Smoke began
to exit her nostrils as she completed her first double-pump, and finally she
began to feel some relief. The room quickly filled with smoke as three of
them puffed constantly, and instead of being disgusted by it, Alison
welcomed the feeling of being permeated with smoke. All of them smoked
several cigarettes in a row before finally satisfying their cravings.
Reflecting on it afterwards, she realized that she was now just like Becky,
and just like the nurses at whom she had looked down during her time at college.

That night, Alison and Greg had plans to go out once again. After he picked
her up at her apartment and as they sat in the restaurant, Greg noticed that
Alison wasn't smoking but thought nothing of it. While they sat sipping
their wine, Ali told her boyfriend about her hectic day, about how much she
missed working for Edith, and finally, about how she had realized how deeply
her smoking habit had become ingrained. She wasn't proud of it, and he
sensed she was bothered by the fact that she had let herself become hooked.
That's probably why she wasn't smoking tonight, he reasoned.

"Well, honey, that's what happens. You shouldn't be surprised. It just
proves that you're a smoker now, that's all. Nothing to be ashamed of."

"But Greg, I am ashamed! I'm a health professional! I can't go around
smoking like a frigging chimney all the time! It's just so hypocritical!,"
she responded emotionally.

"No, it's not hypocritical, it's called being human," he countered. "No one
is perfect, honey, not even you," he said with a smile. "So, you've
discovered you need to smoke. So what? Other people do things that aren't
good for them, and yet they get away with it just fine. Why should this be
any different? Obviously, it doesn't bother me very much. I still feel the
same way about you as I always did."

"Oh, Greg, that's sweet, but I'm just so confused about it all," she
replied. "I never thought this would happen, ever. I think I should just
quit right now before it's too late."

"Well, if you think you want to quit, you should. But you should know, I'm
not going to. At least not right now. Someday we'll probably both quit, and
that's great. But I like to smoke, honey, and I'm going to keep on smoking
for now. I'll support you in whatever you decide, but please, just don't
expect me to give it up along with you. I hope that doesn't disturb you." As
if to prove his point, Greg lit up another B&H.

Alison watched him intently as he took a puff and inhaled. She began to feel
the cravings stir inside her once again. She loved him, even though she had
never told him that in so many words, and she knew she wanted to spend as
much time as possible with him. How could she possibly quit smoking if he
was still smoking himself? And, truthfully, did she really want to quit
anyway? She thought for several seconds as the urge to smoke began to build
inside of her. It seemed as though her lungs were actually aching in
anticipation of her inhaling a puff of smoke once more. She thought about
the conversations she had over the last few months with Edith, and realized
that smoking really did make her feel elegant now too, regardless of her
physical need. Finally, she reached a conclusion as she reached into her
purse for her pack. Greg was right. She was a smoker now. There was nothing
for her to do about it except to accept that fact, and enjoy her newfound
pleasure.

"Sweets, I hate to say this, but you're right," Alison said with a mock
frown while pretending to punch him with a playful love tap on the shoulder
before breaking into a shy smile. She withdrew her pack from her purse,
extracting one of her long white cigarettes and positioning it between her
fingertips. "Some people bungee-jump, or skydive, or eat junk food all day
long. I don't do any of those things, and this is the only chink in my
armor, I guess.  I might want to quit if I ever get pregnant or whatever,
but not right now. Your grandmother was right. I love to smoke now, and damn
it all, I'm going to continue to smoke too. Light me?"

He quickly brought the flame of his lighter to the tip of her cigarette and
lit it. She took a deep drag, inhaled a tight ball of smoke with great
pleasure, and slowly exhaled with a satisfied sigh. Yes, she needed this
now, she thought to herself. And it was wonderful, she decided.

They sat and smoked until their cigarettes were finished, and Alison noticed
that Greg's conversation, usually so thoughtful and smooth, was somewhat
disjointed tonight. It seemed as though he was preoccupied by something and
she was about to raise it with him before he beat her to the punch. "Honey,
don't get me wrong over what I'm about to say," Greg began as Alison
wondered what was to come. "I was worried for a second that you were going
to force me to make a tough decision, and I've already made one of those
today. I didn't want to have to do it a second time."

"Greg, honey, what the hell are you talking about?," Alison asked jokingly,
slightly bewildered at this meandering discussion.

"Well, ummm... it's just that... oh, shit, I had a whole speech made up for
this, but I'll just say it." He reached for her hand and placed it between
his. "Alison, I love you. I've thought about this an awful lot and... well,
honey... will you marry me?"

Alison was dumbfounded for a moment. It must have showed on her face, for
Greg, though already sporting a smile, began to grin even more broadly as he
looked at her. Finally, she composed herself as all of the thoughts she had
been feeling towards him suddenly came together. There was no real decision
to be made here as far as she was concerned, and it just seemed the most
natural thing in the world when she uttered, "Oh, yes, Greg! Yes!", and
reached across the table to kiss him. They were locked together for what
seemed like an eternity, before he separated himself from her and reached
into his pocket for a small box. Opening it, she gasped as she saw what was
the most beautiful diamond she had ever laid eyes upon.

He reached for her hand and began to place the ring on her finger. She felt
her eyes suddenly becoming damp and she began to cry tears of sheer joy as
the spectacular ring was slipped onto her finger. By now many of the
onlookers in the restaurant had noticed the scene, and spontaneously the
place burst into applause. Every eye in the place was on them, and Alison
blushed uncontrollably as she wiped tears from her eyes, unable to stop
staring at the ring on her left hand. Greg held her other hand and enjoyed
her reaction. A bottle of champagne appeared tableside, and they drank a
toast to each other, and their future together, as they looked at each other
absolutely starry-eyed. 

Finally, a sense of reality slowly began to come back, and as they sipped
their champagne and talked about their future, soon both Alison and Greg
felt like having a cigarette together. After he lit her up, he looked at the
beautiful dark-eyed brunette he had fallen in love with as she continued to
gaze at the diamond on her left hand, her long white B&H smoldering away
between the very tips of her fingers immediately next to it. Eventually she
raised the cigarette to her lips. To Greg, every time she smoked she was the
most erotic creature on the face of the earth. She sexily took a long,
elegant puff, separating her fingers as she drew on it, the cigarette
angling upwards, her cheeks caving in and her cheekbones becoming prominent
as she did, then inhaling gracefully with a quick, audible breath, showing
him her smoke for a brief moment before drawing it quickly into her lungs,
holding it inside her beautiful body for several seconds, before slowly
releasing the smoke through her mouth and nose. He was a very wealthy man,
he realized, and that had nothing to do with his family's fortune. He had
instead just found the most priceless treasure in the world.  

After a wonderful evening they decided it was time to head home. As they sat
close to each other in the back of the cab, Alison whispered in Greg's ear,
"Let's go to my place... it's closer," squeezing his hand. Soon after they
entered they immediately began to kiss each other, first romantically, then
passionately, and headed to the bedroom. They had made love in the past, but
to Alison it almost always seemed that Greg was too much of a gentleman, not
wanting to be too aggressive. Tonight's developments had changed all of that
it seemed, and they both enjoyed an uninhibited bout of sex that left them
totally satisfied. As they laid side by side afterwards, recovering, Alison
felt like having a cigarette and got up to retrieve them from her purse. She
returned to her bed and rejoined Greg. Lighting up, she offered him one but
instead, he just grinned at her and reached for her cigarette. Taking it
from her hand, he began to kiss her passionately once more and as she
responded, he grasped her and turned her onto her stomach. Still covering
her with kisses, he whispered into her ear, "Trust me, love... I promise I
won't make you do anything you don't want to do... but I've always dreamed
of doing this," as he positioned himself over her. Reaching under her body,
one hand began to manipulate her and she moaned in response, spreading her
thighs. He kissed the back of her neck and positioned himself to enter her
moist vagina once again. As he began to slide inside her, he moved the
cigarette to her lips. Between moans, she recognized what he was asking her
to do and she began to draw on the cigarette. She inhaled with a gasp, and
her exhales were a series of short breaths punctuated by her groans. He
started to thrust in and out and she began to moan more huskily. Again he
fed her more smoke and she greedily accepted, almost mindless now, knowing
that she was close to coming once more. Finally she felt herself on the edge
of the precipice and somehow she knew what it would take to force her over.
She turned her head slightly to put the cigarette he held within reach of
her lips and took one more drag on the cigarette. She drew and drew, and
finally when she could take no more she gasped as she drew it into her empty
lungs. She seemed to inhale forever, and the sensation between her thighs
combined with the pleasure of the smoke coursing into her lungs was enough
to send her over the edge. She came with an uninhibited wail of joy, smoke
escaping from her nose and mouth, and her response was enough to bring Greg
to a climax as well as he buried himself in her to the hilt and shot stream
after stream into her, experiencing pure pleasure. Whenever he came, he had
always subconsciously sensed that he was impregnating his partner, a thought
that somehow seemed to heighten the experience for him. But as that thought
struck him this time, he suddenly found himself hoping that it would be some
time yet before that happened to Alison. If she was, he knew she would give
up smoking. He didn't want her to do that for a long time, not if it meant
sheer pleasure like this.

They enjoyed the glow for several minutes before separating. They each had a
cigarette in bed together afterwards, before finally settling into each
other's arms and falling into a deep, restful sleep. The next morning, they
made love once more upon awakening and enjoyed their first cigarettes of the
day while recovering afterwards once more. After they got up and went out
for a light breakfast, they returned to her apartment and called her
parents. They invited them to join them at a restaurant for lunch, with
Alison hinting that she had some big news for them. They then called Greg's
folks and made similar plans for later that day.

Alison decided that there was no better time than this to break her smoking
news to her parents. Greg couldn't quite understand her nervousness about
it, telling her she was nearly 24 years of age, after all, and that she had
no need to fear them any longer. But as she explained to him, even though
they had met him many times and had confided that they liked him very much,
they were unhappy that he was a smoker and had hinted they would be happier
if he wasn't. But she was determined to tell them today, one way or the
other, and hoped that the circumstances would moderate what she was sure
would be a negative reaction to that part of her news.

Soon after they were seated at their table in the restaurant, Alison and
Greg revealed the news of their engagement to Mike and Jeanne Kelly. Mike, a
beefy Boston policeman, broke into a broad smile and clapped Greg on the
back while pumping his hand in congratulations, while Jeanne broke into
tears and embraced her daughter. Greg ordered champagne once more - he could
get used to this, he thought - and they all drank a toast to the new couple.
After a minute or two, things settled down a bit, and as Jeanne wiped her
eyes once more and Mike refilled his glass, Ali glanced at Greg and reached
into her purse. Taking the cue, he withdrew a cigarette from his pack and
picked up his lighter. "Here, honey, let me light it for you," he said, and
Alison revealed the cigarette between her fingertips to her parents. The
look on their faces was one of surprise and disbelief, and as Alison puffed
out smoke she said, "Mom... Dad... I wanted you to know that I've started to
smoke a little. I hope you don't mind too much. It's just that I really like
it."

Jeanne started to say something in response, but her husband cut her off.
"You're obviously aware of what you're doing, baby, and you know how we feel
about it. I had hoped neither you or Amy would ever smoke, and your mom did
too. But you're an adult, and there's nothing we can say or do now even if
we wanted to, which we don't. You've made your own decisions and given that
I think you've made one pretty good one already, we're not going to say
anything about this one. If you want to smoke because Greg does, I say go
ahead. Just promise me you won't influence your sister too." Mike believed
this was just a temporary affectation brought on by his daughter's falling
in love, and that it would quickly pass as soon as she got her feet back on
the ground. Unaware of how deeply her habit had become rooted, and not
familiar with the style clues of a truly dedicated smoker, neither of them
posed any criticism of her habit as they watched her take a series of long
puffs and deep, soulful inhales. For her part, her discomfort with smoking
in front of them quickly dissipated and Alison finally felt like an
independent person in their company.

That hurdle past them, they met Greg's parents for drinks later that day to
tell them the news as well. Alison had always found Drake and Margaret
Gordon slightly intimidating, but Greg had reassured her that they liked her
very much and she had nothing to fear being around them. This time, she had
at least no need to fret about smoking, and when they arrived at the lounge
of the hotel where they agreed to meet, she lit up along with Greg while
they waited for his parents to arrive as a bottle of champagne chilled in an
ice bucket next to the table. Soon the Gordons entered, Margaret looking
elegant as always, Drake looking every bit of the investment banker he was.
"Well, well, what have we here? Champagne? Must be some big news, son?,"
Drake joshed, while Margaret settled into her chair and began to chat with
Alison.

"I think I know what it is," Margaret suddenly said as she noticed the
glistening diamond on Alison's left hand. "Are you..."

"Yes, mother, dad... Alison and I are engaged. It happened last night," Greg
said proudly.

"Well, I'll be damned... Greg, that's tremendous. Tremendous! Damn, I think
you've done a very smart thing. Alison, welcome to the family! Good lord,
this calls for a celebration!," Drake exulted, bursting with pride. "Let's
pour some of that champagne, son. Here, let me offer you a cigar," he said,
reaching for his case and opening it to reveal a supply of Montecristos. He
gave one to Greg, took one for himself, and then looked impishly at Alison.
"Would you like a cigar, my dear?," he asked. 

With all she had been through already, she wasn't quite ready for this just
yet. "No thanks, Drake," she said, laughing. "I'll stick to my cigarettes.
Margaret, do you smoke cigars too?"

"Not often, dear," Margaret laughed, reaching into her handbag and
retrieving a pack of Virginia Slims 120s. "I'll take the odd puff from
Drake's when I feel in the mood, but I prefer these," She offered one to
Alison before noticing that Ali already had a B&H between her fingertips,
then took one for herself. She offered Alison a light, then lit up herself
as Drake lit his son's cigar, then his own. The four of them raised their
glasses in a toast, and drank to the young people's future. As they sat and
chatted after she finished her cigarette, Alison found herself enjoying the
scent of the men's cigars, and wondered what it tasted like. Finally her
curiosity got the better of her and she asked Greg if she could try a puff.
Grinning, he handed it to her. He glanced knowingly at his parents as she
accepted the large cigar and examined it.

Alison was slightly awed by the size of the cigar compared to the cigarettes
she was now accustomed to, but naively thought it would be similar to the
Mores that she had smoked with Edith. She brought it to her lips and drew on
it. The rich taste flooded into her mouth, and she withdrew the cigar. Then
unknowingly, she inhaled. The dense smoke nearly made her gag, but she was
able to maintain her composure as she felt the smoke working inside her
lungs. She slowly began to exhale in an attempt to keep from coughing. It
worked, and she was able to expel all of the smoke without incident. "Wow,"
she said, flushing slightly, catching her breath, "those are strong. How do
you guys smoke them?"

Drake answered her first. "Well, Alison, unlike cigarette smokers, most
cigar smokers don't inhale like you just did. You can inhale it if you
practice - Greg, you do, don't you? - but most of us don't. We just like to
enjoy the taste in our mouths. You really don't need to inhale a good cigar
to enjoy it. You savor it, like a fine wine. Try it again," he suggested.

Alison was a little hesitant of embarrassing herself, but decided that it
was worth another attempt. Slowly, she took another puff of cigar smoke into
her mouth, let herself savor the flavor of the smoke, then blew it out.
While she found that she liked the taste of cigar smoke much more than she
thought she would, not inhaling somehow left her feeling unsatisfied. After
30 seconds or so, she decided to try one last puff on the cigar before
giving it back to Greg. This time she held the smoke in her mouth for
several seconds, then tried inhaling it once more. This time it was more
manageable, and as she handed it back to Greg after exhaling a thick stream
of smoke she thought that it was something she could learn to like. 


End of Part 3 

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