The Bedtime Tales of Be287m

Friends and Benefits, Chapter Fifteen

“Get up!”

I groggily became conscious. Someone was shaking me.

“Get up, Joe! Tina!” Sharon’s voice.

I open my eyes. Sharon stood next to the bed in boxers and a t-shirt, looking alarmed. Tina stirred next to me, shifting so she could see Sharon.

“My mom’s coming back in a couple of minutes. You need to get in the shower, Tina!”

“Huh? Oh!” Tina bounded out of bed, looking around wildly.

“I told my mom you were already in the bathroom getting ready for your shower—so you need to go!”

Tina nodded and then turned and looked at me. I nodded. Sharon had already cracked the door to the hallway and was peering out. She motioned with her hand.

“Coast is clear!”

The two women disappeared through the door. I slowly sat up. A few minutes later, sounds of a running shower filtered into the room. I figured I’d better get up as well.

While Tina had gotten at least partially dressed the night before, I was still naked. That meant my first order of business was finding clothes. I got out of bed and crouched over my suitcase, deciding what I wanted to wear. The door suddenly opened behind me. Startled, I turned. It was Sharon.

“Don’t you knock?” I asked, grabbing the nearest fabric, which was a shirt, and whipping it in front of my crotch.

“Sorry!” Sharon said. “I didn’t want Mom to see me standing in the hall.”

“Um, okay,” I said, glancing around for my other clothes.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sharon turned around. “I won’t look.”

I snagged some underwear out of my suitcase and grabbed my jeans.

“After last night, I don’t think it matters if you look or not,” I said as I pulled on my pants.

“I’m sorry about that too,” Sharon said.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, more annoyed at the current intrusion than anything. “Tina got to see you, so it’s all even.”

Sharon groaned.

“So that’s why she didn’t come back,” she said.

“Yep,” I answered. I’d gotten my pants on and decided the shirt I was holding was good enough to wear, at least until I got my own shower. “Mind you, I would have pulled up a chair and watched, but Tina’s got more decency than me. Okay, you can turn around.”

“I know she’s got more decency than you,” Sharon said as she turned, “but that doesn’t mean much. How would you like it if a woman walked in while you were . . . busy?”

“I’d probably like it,” I said, frankly. Sharon rolled her eyes.

“You probably would,” she muttered.

“So what exactly is going on?” I asked.

“My mom knocked on my door this morning to let us know that breakfast was going to be ready soon,” Sharon explained. “When I didn’t immediately answer, she opened the door, saw me by myself, and asked where Tina was. Fortunately, I was awake enough to say that Tina must be in the bathroom. Mom made a comment about there being enough time for one of us to shower and I told her that Tina would probably take hers and I’d discuss it with her when she got back. Then she asked me to wake you up.”

“Which you did.”

“Yeah. And since Tina’s in the shower and you’re awake, we may have gotten away with it.”

“Hmmm,” I replied. Could Sharon have successfully lied to her mother, or was Mrs. Meyers just not calling her on it?

“I’m going to go get dressed,” Sharon said, before heading toward the door. I waved as she slipped out and then grabbed my shoes before heading out for breakfast.

“Good morning, Joe!” Mrs. Meyers called when I entered the kitchen. “Sleep well?”

“I sure did,” I answered, sinking into a chair at the table.

“I believe that,” she said. I looked over, but her back was turned so I couldn’t read her facial expression. When she turned back around, she was smiling, holding a plate heaped with French toast, scrambled eggs, and sausage.

“I hope you’re hungry,” she said, setting the food down with a flourish.

“Oh, Mom, you really didn’t have to,” Sharon said as she walked in.

“You young people need to keep your strength up,” Mrs. Meyers protested. “Besides, I like doing things for you and your friends.”

“You still don’t have to,” Sharon muttered as she settled into her own chair. Mrs. Meyers immediately put a huge stack of French toast in front of her daughter. Sharon dutifully dug in. A few minutes later, Tina walked in, smiling, her hair still damp.

“My, you look radiant this morning!” Mrs. Meyers declared upon seeing Tina, who blushed.

“Thanks,” she said, “I slept well.”

“Good!” Mrs. Meyers replied. She quickly inundated Tina with food too.

“So, what are you kids planning today?” Mrs. Meyers asked where there was no more food to shovel in front of us. I bristled a little. I didn’t like being called a kid at twenty-three.

“Well, we both have to get on the road after lunch,” Sharon answered, “so I thought I’d take them up the tramway this morning.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” Mrs. Meyers gushed. “It’s a really nice view. A nice ride.” Tina and I looked at each other and then turned and nodded. Why not? It was one of the nicer sights around.

We managed to get Sharon and me rolled through the shower fairly quickly and on the tram by ten. Then we found out Mrs. Meyers was right. The view ended up being spectacular.

“So, do you think your mom figured things out?” Tina asked as we glided up the mountain.

“Mmmm, I don’t think so,” Sharon mused. “She would have said something if she had.”

“Well, at least she didn’t try to wake Joe up first,” Tina said.

“She wouldn’t have done that,” Sharon stated. “She would have been worried about catching Joe naked.”

“Something that obviously her daughter doesn’t worry about,” I said, looking pointedly at Sharon.

“I said I was sorry,” she replied with a shrug.

“Well, I saw you,” Tina said to Sharon, “so we’re all even.” Well, not quite, since I hadn’t seen Sharon naked, but now was not the time to point that out.

“Joe said you had. So I guess that does make us even.”

“Unless you count walking in on me this morning,” I interjected. Tina’s gaze bounced from Sharon to me. “I was getting dressed and hadn’t quite gotten my clothes on.”

“Ah,” Tina replied.

“It’s not a problem with me,” I said, “other than the surprise.”

“Nor me,” Sharon said. “Though I will remember to knock next time. Sorry.”

“Well,” Tina rationalized, “so we’ve all seen each other. It is just skin, after all. It’s not like there was any touching.”

“There was touching,” I said to Tina, smirking. “You and I touched quite a bit.” She gave a mock scowl.

“No inappropriate touching,” she said. I nodded in agreement to that.

“Well,” Sharon said, “I just didn’t want any of us to get in trouble.” Tina and I both nodded in agreement before we all fell silent.

“That actually reminds me of one time I did get in trouble,” Sharon said, “not over sex or boys, but over borrowing the car.” Sharon proceeded to spin a story about borrowing the car when she was fifteen and not legal to drive and then heading up to Los Alamos to visit a friend. That led to Tina and me telling our own “naughty teenager” stories, though Tina’s were mild in comparison.

After a while the conversation drifted to the tramway and other sights we’d seen. We spent the remainder of the morning joking and laughing and gently teasing each other. When we returned to the Meyers’ house, Mrs. Meyers had lunch waiting, which was again more food than any of us could handle.

“This is too much,” I said, seeing the table laden with sandwiches, soup, fruit, cheeses, and a few pastry things I couldn’t immediately identify. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat again for a week!” Mrs. Meyers glowed at the compliment.

“I thought you might need your energy for the road,” she said. “Besides, I’ll wrap up the leftovers and send them with you.

“Will they keep?” Tina asked. “It’s going to be almost midnight be the time we’re home.”

“Midnight?” Sharon asked. “I thought Tucson was only seven hours.”

“We’re going to stop in Las Cruces and see Allen,” I explained. “That tacks on a couple of hours of driving plus the stop.”

“Oh.”

“I can send you with a small cooler,” Mrs. Meyers said. “You can return it to Sharon later. I’ll go get it.” I started to protest, but it was too late—she was already down the hall. Instead, with a sigh, I settled into a chair at the table for lunch.

After the meal, we began packing our suitcases. Mr. Meyers materialized from wherever he’d been hiding to help load both my and Sharon’s cars. We exchanged a round of hugs in the driveway.

“Call me when you get in,” Sharon said into my ear during our farewell hug.

“It’s going to be late,” I said. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” Sharon nodded as she pulled away.

“It was really good to meet you!” Tina said as she and Sharon hugged goodbye.

“I agree!” Sharon replied. “We’re going to have to get together again.”

“I’d like that!” Tina said. They smiled at each other for a moment before Tina pulled away and joined me at the car. With a final round of goodbyes, we were all on the road, Sharon north and Tina and I south.

“So what do you think?” I asked, once we’d cleared the Albuquerque city limits and the traffic had died down.

“Of Sharon? I like her.”

“Good! I hoped you would.”

“She’s fun! She’s also easy to talk to. I was a little worried about that before we came.”

“Well, you guys certainly found plenty to talk about,” I said. “Even if it was mostly at my expense.”

“Oh, you loved it!”

“True,” I admitted. “Though I must admit, I was nervous about what the two of you might come up with. To torture me, that is.”

Tina chuckled.

“Somehow I think you would like that too,” she said. “While Sharon may tease you, she really does care for you. She’s rather fierce in your defense.”

“Really?” I asked. “I don’t see that very often.”

“Huh. I don’t think she tries to hide it from you.”

I thought about that for a while. Tina was right—Sharon had expressed outrage at the wrongs done to me. Even when she thought I was the one doing them to myself.

We talked a little more about the visit with Sharon. Despite repeated hints from me, Tina refused to tell me what they’d discussed the first night. Eventually we just settled back, listening to the radio, until we arrived in Las Cruces in the late afternoon.

Allen and Jenna lived in a small adobe and brick house north of the University. Flowers filled a small garden near the door. I noticed a fair number of cacti in and among them while we waited for Allen to answer the door.

“Hey, bud! C’mon in!” Allen said, opening the door. Tina and I entered to find a striking blonde standing in the living room.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Jenna.”

“I’m Joe,” I said, “and this is Tina.”

“Good to meet you again,” Allen said to Tina. She looked confused. “I was there, at the poster shop, when you met Joe.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Tina said, nodding. “You came in with him.”

“Yeah,” Allen said. “Anyway, welcome to Las Cruces.”

“Nice house,” I commented. Jenna grinned and nodded her head.

“Thanks,” she said. “Do you want the nickel tour?” I looked at Tina, who shrugged.

“This is the living room,” she said, gesturing to where we were. It was furnished in a southwest style, but felt comfortable rather that artsy. The kiva fireplace in the corner helped. Jenna led us through the room to the other side.

“The kitchen, where Allen does the cooking,” Jenna said.

“Cooking?” I asked. “When did you start cooking?”

“Hey!” Allen said, “just because there was no chance to show off my skills in the dorm doesn’t mean I don’t know how to cook.”

“He’s very good,” Jenna gushed.

“I may not be able to do much,” Allen said, “but there are three things I’m very good at. Cooking is one of them.”

“Joe’s just learning,” Tina announced. “It’s one of the things we do together.”

“Oh, we don’t cook together,” Jenna said. “Allen insists on having complete control. Not that I mind! It’s really nice to come home to dinner already prepared.”

“I can see that,” Tina replied, nodding. I paused. I’d always waited for Tina to show up before I got beyond the initial cooking prep.

“Allen takes good care of me,” Jenna said.

“Have to earn my keep,” Allen joked.

“You’re not working?” I asked.

“Oh, I’ve got a few shifts tending bar. I can’t start school until the fall,” Allen answered.

We fell to talking about his academic plans, which mostly consisted of getting some biology classes under his belt so he could apply to a program in criminal forensics. Tina asked Jenna about her classes and Jenna proceeded to tell us about sports medicine. I didn’t follow half of it, but it didn’t seem to matter. Tina caught enough of it for the two women to get deep into the conversation while Allen and I stood and watched.

“So how’s life otherwise?” I asked him, as an aside.

“Great,” he said. “I’m very happy.”

“So am I,” Jenna chimed in. “Much to my surprise.”

Tina looked quizzically at her.

“Given the distance, Allen and I had originally planned to just be ‘friends with benefits,’” Jenna said with a sly smile. “So I was surprised when it turned into more.” She looked at Allen, who just shrugged.

“What can I say?” he said. “When you actually gave me a massage, I was putty in your hands.” Jenna laughed.

“Just like I only want you for your cooking,” she joked back.

“Well, speaking of which,” Allen said, “I should get started. How about if you show them your studio?”

Jenna let out a happy sigh and turned to us.

“Allen’s been encouraging me to paint, so we converted the second bedroom into an art studio. It’s not much.”

“It is,” Allen said. “Besides, if you show it to them, it will get you out of my kitchen!”

We laughed and let him shoo us out of the room. I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t used to seeing Allen so loose and playful. Not with Sharon. Not on his own.

Jenna led us down a short hall to a room with an easel and a makeshift stand holding oil paints. Multiple partially-finished canvases sat along the foot of one wall, crowned by two hanging above them. Both were landscapes of desert scenes, one with the sun setting and one in a brighter but bleaker daylight. They reminded me a little of Georgia O’Keefe’s work, but not quite. While the colors were equally vibrant, the lines were more fuzzed and soft.

“I used to dabble in high school,” Jenna said as Tina and I inspected her work more closely. “Allen persuaded me to get them back out.”

“These are pretty good,” Tina said.

“I agree,” I added.

“Thanks,” Jenna said. “I wasn’t so sure, but Allen found a gallery owner who wants to hang some of them.”

“These?” I asked, pointing to the landscapes.

“Like those,” Jenna said. “We’ve already delivered them to the gallery.”

“What’s this?” Tina asked. She had been thumbing through the canvases on the floor against the wall and pulled out one of the ones in back.

“Oh, ahem,” Jenna said. “Allen also suggested I try some subjects besides landscapes.”

Tina turned the picture so I could see. It was a male nude, turned away. The pose emphasized the muscles in his back.

“Allen?” I asked. Jenna nodded.

“I told him that if I was going to paint, he was going to have to pose. He agreed.”

“That’s not a bad trade,” Tina mused, still looking over the painting.

“Allen is so supportive of me,” Jenna said. “I really lucked out.”

“Maybe you both got lucky,” I said. Jenna smiled in response but didn’t say anything.

We looked around a little more and then headed back to the kitchen. I brought up the rear and stole a few peeks at Jenna. Her body was toned and sleek. I had no trouble imagining her keeping up with Allen on mountain bikes. In the living room, Jenna asked Tina about what we’d done in Albuquerque. Allen poked his head out of the kitchen and gestured to me.

“You’re the wine snob,” he said. “You open this.” He handed me the bottle.

“Chianti Classico,” I said. “Not bad. What are we having?”

“Italian,” he said. “Pasta in a salmon and dill sauce, grilled asparagus, and a salad. With bruschetta as an appetizer.”

“Wow,” I said. “I’m impressed.”

“Good.” Allen disappeared back into the kitchen. I followed him in.

“So where’s the corkscrew?” I asked. Allen gestured toward a drawer and then turned back to the stove.

“I’m also impressed with Jenna,” I said. “Massage, painting. She seems athletic.”

“She’s pretty incredible,” Allen acknowledged.

“So what’s she doing with you?” I teased. Allen turned to face me and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m one of the few guys she’s dated that isn’t intimidated by her,” he said.

“What?”

“Most guys she’s known get nervous around her or keep deferring to her. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the wrong thing to do. Despite the fact that she’s really independent, she likes it when a guy takes charge.”

“She’s submissive?” I asked, surprised.

“No,” he said. “It’s more like dancing. She doesn’t want to be the one that has to lead all the time.”

“Ah,” I said, not quite getting it.

“It’s like the painting,” Allen explained. “She wants to be encouraged and supported when she takes risks.”

“That doesn’t sound tough,” I said.

“You’d be surprised,” Allen said. “Anyway, we’re about ready. Help me carry food to the table?”

“Sure.”

The women stopped their conversation as we brought the food out. We all moved to the table, set off to one side in what would have been a dining room if it had been a big enough nook. It was homey nonetheless.

Allen’s cooking was indeed superb. Jenna complimented the choice of wine and Tina just smiled as she sipped from her glass. Jenna asked me to tell stories about living with Allen and I was happy to oblige. Of course, he had to retaliate and told Tina some of my moderately embarrassing moments. After dinner, we moved to the living room where we sipped coffee and continued to talk and laugh. We almost lost track of time, but not quite.

“We really should be going,” I said, checking my watch.

“You’re welcome to spend the night,” Allen offered. “The couch is a sleeper sofa.” I looked at Tina, who frowned back.

“As much as I like that idea, I think we better not,” I said. Allen nodded and we stood to say our goodbyes. Soon Tina and I were on the road.

“I like Allen and Jenna,” Tina said as we pulled out of town. “You’ve got good friends.”

“Thanks,” I said. “It was a little strange to see Allen in a new relationship, though.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m just used to seeing him with Sharon,” I said. “Or him out on the prowl, if you know what I mean.”

“So is he any different with Jenna than he was with Sharon?”

“Well, he’s more relaxed,” I answered. “Past that, I’ll have to think about it.”

“Okay.”

We didn’t talk much after that. Tina turned on the radio and we listened to it until we were too far between towns to get more than a couple of stations. Eventually we turned it off and just drove in silence.

There’s something beautiful about the desert at night, I mused. There was enough light to see, with the sky lit up more than I would expected, but the distant mountains were pure black. We got gas just before we crossed into Arizona and then continued down I-10 as it wound north.

While there were other cars on the highway, traffic was light. It only got annoying when a guy came up behind me with his high beams on. I managed to avoid my mirrors until he figured out that switching lanes was really in his best interest. I muttered some obscenities under my breath as he pulled away after passing me.

Then I yawned.

“I’m getting tired,” I said to Tina. “Maybe we should have taken Allen and Jenna up on their offer to spend the night.”

“No,” Tina replied. “My father knows we’re due back tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if he calls in the morning to see how the trip went. I need to back at the dorm in case he does.”

I nodded in agreement. I did not want her father mad at me.

“Maybe I should have gotten some coffee at the last gas stop,” I said.

“You could pull over at the next exit,” Tina suggested. “We passed a sign indicating that we only had a couple of miles until the exit to Tombstone.”

“Sure,” I said.

Unfortunately, the exit was just a highway exit. No services. Tombstone was several miles south of I-10. More than I expected.

“I think we should just push on,” I said. “It’s not worth a big detour.”

“Okay,” Tina said. “So then what?”

“You could talk to me?” I said. “That might keep me alert.”

“Talk about what?”

“Whatever.”

“Okay . . .” Tina paused, staring out the window for a moment. Then she turned back. “We just passed Tombstone. What do you want on your tombstone?”

I laughed.

“Something like ‘Here lies a modern day Casanova.’ I always liked the idea of dying of a heart attack in my nineties after an orgy of incredible sex.”

Tina laughed. “That probably wouldn’t be very enjoyable for the woman,” she said.

“Well, I figured it was better than the way Allen tells it. He says he wants to die in his nineties because a jealous husband shoots him as he’s escaping out the bedroom window.”

Tina laughed again and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m not sure that’s much better,” she said. “Instead of just a dead guy, she’s got to deal with a dead guy and an angry husband.”

“Well, what do you want on your tombstone?” I asked.

“‘She was well loved and will be missed.’”

“Hmmm,” I said. “Somehow I suspect that’s more likely than mine.” Tina laughed.

“Do you really want to die during sex?” she asked.

“No,” I admitted. “But it is the ‘little death’ after all.”

“That’s an orgasm,” Tina shot back.

“True,” I admitted. “But they do have a way of tiring one out.”

“Maybe for you guys,” she said. “They energize me!” This time it was my turn to laugh. Orgasms certainly did seem to energize Tina.

“Well, watching you have an orgasm energizes me too,” I teased. “I definitely rise to the occasion.”

“I’ll bet.”

The conversation trailed off. A few cars passed us, but after their taillights faded, we once again had the highway to ourselves.

“So . . .” Tina began, her voice laden with innuendo, “would watching me help keep you awake?”

“Uh . . .” I glanced over at Tina, who grinned back.

“I’m not sure I could do all that much watching,” I said. “I have to keep my eyes on the road.”

“Well, then you’ll just have to imagine what I’m doing,” Tina answered. “I’m sure that will keep you awake as much as watching.”

I swallowed hard. Before I could think of a reply, Tina began shifting around in her seat. After a moment, she undid her seatbelt, raised her hips, and slid her jeans off. After re-hooking her seatbelt, she leaned the seat back and kicked her feet up on the dashboard. I started to swerve onto the shoulder while trying to look over.

“Keep your eyes on the road, Joe,” Tina said, teasing.

In the darkened car, I couldn’t see exactly what she was doing. One hand trailed up her inner thigh and back down into the shadows around her waist.

“So what were we talking about?” Tina asked, her voice playful. I gulped.

“I believe we were talking about tombstones,” I said.

“Ah, yes,” she replied. “And your desire to die in your nineties during an orgy.”

“I believe so.”

“So why an orgy, Joe?”

“Mmm, I think it’s tied to my threesome fantasies.”

“Oh, so you’re going to have two women there, to give you the heart attack.”

“Or more,” I replied.

“Any men?”

“Well, not in my fantasies,” I said. “Not that I think I’d care, mind you. As long as they were only having sex with the women.”

“No bisexual fantasies?” Tina asked.

“Nope. I’m hopelessly heterosexual.” I replied. I glanced over at Tina and saw her fingers still tracing patterns on her skin.

“What about you?” I asked.

“Not really,” Tina answered. “Most of my fantasies are about guys. Recently, they’ve mostly been about you and me.”

“Really?” I asked grinning.

“Mmm hmm.”

“So what’s one of them?” I asked.

“Oh, most recently I’ve been fantasizing about us making love in the back of a pickup truck while watching the sunset.”

I chuckled.

“You’d like that?” I asked.

“Mmm. I think it would be fun.”

“Maybe doggie style so we could both watch the sunset?”

“Either that or having you go down on me,” Tina replied.

“We’d have to find somewhere that we wouldn’t get caught.”

“True, but the risk might make it more exciting,” Tina said. I glanced over and saw that one hand was indeed buried in the shadows. “I think that’s part of what made it so good at Sharon’s parents’ house.”

“We did not want to get caught,” I said.

“Agreed. But the risk made it more intense,” Tina replied. I nodded.

“It got the adrenaline going,” I said. “Particularly after Sharon poked her head in.”

“Yes, it did,” Tina agreed.

“So . . . the risk might make the back of the pickup more exciting,” I said, raising my eyebrows.

“Oh, yes,” Tina said. “I’d be lying on my back, jeans off. Kind of like they are now, come to think of it.”

I quickly looked over. The shadows hid both of Tina’s hands. She leered back at me.

“Want me to go on?” she asked.

“Sure!” I was no fool.

“Well, we’d start with you going down on me, of course. I always like it when you do that.”

“So do I,” I said. I couldn’t help cracking a smile.

“And then . . . I imagine we could turn so you took me from behind. Letting us both watch the sunset, of course.”

“Of course.”

“After that . . . oh, I don’t know. Whatever we were in the mood for in the moment.”

“Mmm,” I said, “I certainly hope you’d been in a good mood.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could be,” Tina teased.

“Like you are now,” I shot back.

“Like I am now,” Tina said.

“So . . . are you going to . . . go all the way?”

“And have an orgasm?”

“Yes, and have an orgasm.”

“I might,” Tina teased. “Of course, I probably won’t be able to talk to you while I’m . . . concentrating on other things. And we wouldn’t want you falling asleep.”

“Oh, I’m awake!” I said. “No worries there. I don’t think I could fall asleep if I wanted to!” At least not with my erection straining against my jeans.

Tina fell silent. I glanced over, but she’d shifted her legs, so I couldn’t tell what she was doing with her hands. At least not without a longer look, which I was loathe to do, even if the highway was mostly deserted. I glanced back at Tina’s face and saw that she’d closed her eyes. She turned her head sideways against the seat headrest and her breathing became deeper and more regular.

I tried to keep my eyes on the road. I mostly succeeded because I started listening more intently. I’m not sure it was good for my concentration, but the road was flat and fairly straight.

Tina’s breathing slowly became louder and more gasping. She took a few deep breaths and then gave a strangled cry. When I glanced over, her face was scrunched up and she was shuddering. I returned to focusing on the road.

“Whew!” Tina proclaimed.

“Did you come?” I asked.

“Of course I did.”

“It wasn’t as loud as you normally are,” I said.

“It was just a small orgasm.”

I nodded. Tina reached down, grabbed her jeans, and started working them back on. She had to wriggle a little more than she’d had to in getting them off.

“We’re almost there,” I said a little while later, indicating the lights we could see in the distance.

“What time is it?” Tina asked.

“One in the morning, according to my watch. We should be home by two.”

“Oh gawd,” Tina said. “I hope my father doesn’t call too early.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I really wish you were calling him, though. Then you could spend the night, since he wouldn’t know where you were calling from.”

“I’d like to spend the night too,” Tina said. “But I think this is better. Besides, I’ll see you tomorrow after work.”

“I’m definitely looking forward to that,” I said. “Particularly after the way you’ve teased me tonight.” Tina giggled.

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, then. I promise.”

I let out an exaggerated sigh of pleasure, which triggered more giggles from Tina.

All too soon we were back at Tina’s dorm. It was a little before two, proving I’d either driven faster than I’d calculated or we’d been closer to town than I’d thought. We exchanged a hot, passionate kiss in the parking lot and than another in her dorm lobby before Tina said farewell and slipped up to her room.

I found my own pillow fairly quickly once I got home. After a quick orgasm myself, I was out cold.

* * *

“You know,” Sherri said, “you could have stopped by your apartment before taking Tina back to the dorm. You would have had time for sex.”

“Well, I did think of stopping,” I admitted. “I thought Tina wanted to get back.”

“But you didn’t ask her.”

“No. But how would I do that? Just come out and say, hey, I want to get laid?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Sherri replied. “More politely phrased, of course. In this case, you and Tina already were having sex, so she probably wouldn’t have minded the question.”

“Hmmm.” Sherri had a point.

“C’mon, Joe. She said yes when you suggested taking a shower together.”

“True,” I said. “I guess I hadn’t remembered that.”

“It shouldn’t be whether you remember or not,” Sherri said. “You want it to be habit.”

“Habit?”

“You don’t want to have to think too hard or you’ll miss the opportunity.”

A light dawned.

“The opportunities to be decisive. Like we were talking about before!”

“Right,” Sherri said, grinning. “You’ve got it!” I nodded in acknowledgement.

“Okay . . .” my mind trailed off for a bit, thinking about what it would have been like if I’d suggested stopping by my place. I shook myself to bring myself back to the present.

“Well, maybe I could have, but I didn’t,” I said. “What I did do was sleep in late . . .”

* * *

After awaking near noon, I decided there was no point in ruining a perfectly good lazy day after such an auspicious start. So I just did the minimal amount of housework, checked my email, and then spent the afternoon reading a novel. The phone rang shortly after five. It was Sharon.

“So, how was Las Cruces?” Sharon asked after we’d said our hellos.

“It was fine,” I said. “We had a good dinner that Allen cooked. His girlfriend’s really nice. We would have stayed longer, but Tina was sure that her dad was going to call this morning and she wanted to be home.”

“Did he?”

“I don’t know. I’ll find out when she gets here later tonight.”

“Any problems on the drive?”

“Not intentional ones,” I replied with a smirk.

“What?”

“Tina decided to tease me on the final stretch after we’d passed the exit for Tombstone. She slid her jeans off and kicked her feet up onto the dash. Then she proceeded to make suggestive comments while running her hands along her thighs.”

“I’ll bet that drove you crazy!” Sharon said, laughing.

“No kidding. I had to keep my eyes on the road when I really just wanted to watch her.”

“How far did she go?” Sharon asked.

“Far enough.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t explode,” Sharon teased.

“Well, she did get me pretty worked up,” I said. “I thought about pulling over and just taking her,” I said. “Move around to the side away from the road and lean Tina up against the car where no one could see.”

“You should have!” Sharon said. “I’m sure Tina would have enjoyed it!”

I chuckled. “I’m sure she would have. But the condoms were in my suitcase in the trunk and I figured we’d lose the mood by the time I got done digging around looking for them.”

“You and Tina are using condoms? I thought she was on the Pill.”

“She is, but we want to use two forms of birth control. We really can’t afford a pregnancy right now.”

“Okay,” Sharon replied. “Uh, so did you use a condom when you were at my parents’?”

“Of course. I threw it in the trash can in your bedroom when we were done.”

Sharon let out a long low groan.

“My mom empties my trash, Joe.”

My gut dropped instantly.

“She had to have found it,” Sharon continued. “Which means if she didn’t know Tina spent the night with you before, she does now.”

I let out a deep breath and sagged against the wall, letting the phone hang from my hand.

--Fin--

© 2006, all rights reserved.

Read the next chapter in this story: Chapter Sixteen

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