The Bedtime Tales of Be287m

Friends and Benefits, Chapter Twenty-two

“Did you have any idea it was a bad mistake at the time?” Sherri asked.

I grimaced.  “Not consciously.  In retrospect, though, I spent a lot of time talking myself into it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I spent a lot of time justifying it, and basically coming up with reasons why Sharon and Tina would enjoy posing together.  Why we’d all have fun, even if there was no touching between Sharon and me.  I told myself that I was just planning out the conversations with them and making sure I could cope with any concerns they brought up.”

I sighed.  “In hindsight, though, I think those arguments were really to cope with my own concerns.”

“Which were?”

“That I was doing the right thing.  Though at the time, I think I was most worried that one of them would say ‘no.’”  I rolled my eyes.  “I guess that should have been a clue.  If I had to pick my words that carefully, maybe my underlying request wasn’t a good thing.”

“Well, that’s a good warning sign, but it’s not always true.  She paused, and then chuckled.  “I can think of some cases where I spent a while picking my words, but in general, you’re right.  If you’re spending a lot of time choosing your words carefully, you probably should consider why.”

“I certainly didn’t when I was trying to set up the photo session….”

* * *

I knew my biggest problem was going to be logistics: we were in three different cities.  I doubted either of them would travel just for a photo session.  Of course, they’d be traveling for more than that, wouldn’t they?  It’d also be for the social aspects and whatever else we did while we were together.  We’d had fun wandering Santa Fe and I was sure I could think of things that were equally enjoyable.

Though probably not in Tucson.  Okay, maybe Sharon would enjoy the Sonora Desert Museum and driving over to Tombstone, but I certainly didn’t feel any desire to go play tourist in a town I’d fled from.  Besides, we didn’t have a good place to stay or do the photo shoot, since Tina still lived in the dorms with Marcy.

Colorado probably wouldn’t work either.  My parents would insist on my staying with them and on meeting Tina.  That probably wasn’t too bad, I realized.  I didn’t mind their meeting her.  But it would cut down the time we could spend with Sharon.  Unlike her parents, mine would insist on doing something all together instead of just feeding us breakfast and sending us on our way.

No, D.C. made the most sense.  There were enough attractions to keep us busy during the day and my apartment would work fine for the photo shoot.  It was bare enough that we’d have no trouble coming up with a suitable backdrop.

Except I’d still need to get the women here.  I’d have to pay for Tina’s plane ticket, and maybe Sharon’s too, since she made a lot less money than I now did.  And I’d need a place for everyone to sleep.  The air mattress was on its last legs and I really needed to upgrade to something better.  And I’d have to feed everyone, and… the logistics were going to require some careful thought.

Of course, they’d be moot if the women didn’t agree to it.  I decided to float the idea by Sharon first.  I waited until about halfway through our next weekly phone call, when she’d already caught me up on her trials and tribulations at work.

“Hey,” I said, “I was thinking, how would you like to come to D.C.?”

“I’d love it,” she said, “but I’m broke.”

“You’re not completely broke.”

“But plane tickets are expensive.”

“True,” I said, “but I’m sure we can figure something out.  I’m just tired of seeing the city by myself.  Besides, there are some nice restaurants I want to go to, and I don’t want to go alone.”

Sharon laughed.  “You’re offering to take me out fancy?  I accept!”

“Great!”

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask Tina, though,” Sharon said, her voice more calm.

“Actually,” I said, “I was thinking about asking you both.  We had such a good time in Santa Fe.  I thought we could have a lot of fun together, exploring the city.”

Sharon chuckled.  “I’ll bet.  But at some point, I’m just a third wheel.”

“Nah, that won’t happen.”

She snorted.  “Yeah, right.  I’m sure you’d have a much more romantic dinner with Tina alone than with me around.”

“Well, probably.  But I wasn’t thinking of a romantic dinner anyway.  More sexy and playful.”

“Which would be….”

I took a deep breath.  “I was hoping you’d bring your garter belt.  I love the idea of sitting at a table in a fancy restaurant with two gorgeous women, knowing they’re both wearing garter belts.”

“Hmm….”

“I’ll pay for the plane ticket,” I said.  “And besides, you said you’d do almost anything if I mailed that letter to Allen.”

“And this is what you want?”

“Well, mostly.  There is one other thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Nothing you haven’t done before,” I said, trying to sound reassuring.  “I want to take some pictures while you’re here.”

“What type?”

“Nudes and lingerie,” I said.  “Like before.  To get me a little more practice.”

“I’ll consider it,” she said.  “When were you thinking?”

“Early January, before Tina’s spring semester starts up.”

“And her dad won’t be a problem?”

“I don’t think so,” I said.  “Remember the Grand Canyon trip I told you about?”

“Yeah, but the fact that he agreed to it then doesn’t mean he’ll agree to it this time.”

“I’m not worried,” I said.  “Worst case, Tina doesn’t come and it’s just you and me going out on the town.”

Sharon chuckled.  “Like I said, I’ll think about it.”

I sensed that there was nothing more to say for the moment, so I changed the subject and asked her about her dating life.  She had nothing really new to report other than she’d gotten a letter from Justin.  This was the third in the past year and none of them had said much.  As a result, she wasn’t sure how to interpret his interest in her, and we spent a while guessing and conjecturing before we wound down the call.

My gut fluttered constantly for the next week.  I didn’t want to talk to Tina until I knew Sharon’s answer, and I knew I couldn’t push Sharon by calling her early.  I worked out some of my nerves by tackling the sleeping arrangements problem.  I poked my head in the Jennifer’s Convertibles store across the street from the Goddard main entrance and got lucky.  They were having a sale and, after only a little agony, I bought the sleeper sofa.  They promised to deliver it before Thanksgiving, which gave me plenty of time.

When Sharon called the next Wednesday, though, I couldn’t help myself.

“So,” I asked, “did you decide about the trip?”

“Yeah,” she said.  “If you’re buying the plane ticket, I’ll come.  And I’ll bring my garter belt and pose for you on one condition.”

“Which is?”

“You don’t push for anything more.”

“I don’t think anything more is likely to happen,” I said, frowning to myself.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, “after that misunderstanding on New Year’s, I don’t want you to get the idea that this is anything more than me helping you.  As friends.”

I almost started sputtering about New Year’s, which had not been my fault,  but caught myself before any words came out.  She was saying yes, which was what mattered.  And, come to think of it, I hadn’t pushed in the past.  Each time things had escalated, it had been Sharon’s doing.  Sharon, and the alcohol we’d drunk.

“Sure,” I said.  “I won’t push.”

“Good.”

“However, I should be clear about one thing.  I was thinking about having you and Tina pose together.”

“I’m okay with that if she’s okay with it.”

“Thanks,” I said.  “This definitely pays back the letter.”

“So what dates were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about the weekend of January 7^th and 8^th, but I’ll check with Tina and get back to you.”

“Sounds good.”

With that, our conversation once again slid to other topics.  Sharon told me about the reply she’d sent to Justin, and how she’d kept the tone neutral and matter-of-fact.  Since he’d written so infrequently, she didn’t want to come across as too enthusiastic.  On the other hand, he had written.  She just wasn’t sure what to make of him, but decided to wait and see.  We talked about him for quite a while, once again with no resolution, before hanging up and calling it a night.

The next day I could barely concentrate on my work.  I had to make the tougher phone call that evening.

“Hi, is Tina there?  This is Joe,” I asked, recognizing Marcy’s voice when she answered the phone.

“Joe!  How are you doing?”

“Fine,” I said.  “The job’s going well.  D.C.’s okay.”

“I was wondering.  You haven’t called very often.”

“Well, I wanted to give Tina a chance to, you know, go out with other guys.”

Marcy snorted.  “Yeah, like that’s worked.”

“What?”

“Not my place to tell you, Joe, but let’s just say she’s gonna be glad you called.”

“So she’s not there?”

“No, but she’ll be back in an hour, if you want to call back.”

“I’ll do that.”

I spent the next hour keeping busy in the kitchen, doing dishes and making grocery lists.  My mind kept drifting back to Marcy’s comment, but I didn’t know enough to really speculate.  Tina’s letters hadn’t said anything about going out with other guys these past couple of months.  Maybe persuading her to come to D.C. wouldn’t be that hard.

Apparently not, as I could hear the excitement in Tina’s voice when I called back.  We said our hellos and caught up a little on how each other was doing, before I took a deep breath.

“So,” I said, “one of the reasons I called is that I wanted to see if you wanted to come out to D.C. in early January.  My treat.”

“Is this a romantic visit?”

“Well, parts of it will be.”

“Well then I’d love to!”

“That’s great,” I said, “but let me give you the full scoop.  You see, Sharon’s coming out, and I got to thinking, ‘Why shouldn’t Tina come visit too?’”

“Oh, okay….”

“So I thought if you came out for a few days beforehand, we could spend some time just the two of us.  Then when Sharon got here, we’d all have fun like we did in Santa Fe.”

“Well, okay….”

“I want to show you the Smithsonian and the Memorials at night,” I continued, not breaking my patter, “and show you DuPont Circle and Georgetown.  I want to take you out for some fine dining and I even want to cook for you.  I’ve got a couple of new recipes I’ve been trying.”

Tina chuckled.  “You’re flying me across the country to cook for me?”

“You bet,” I said.  “Breakfast of course.”  The leer in my voice wasn’t too strong.

“So when is this?”

“I was thinking you’d fly in on Wednesday the fifth of January.  Sharon would arrive Friday afternoon the seventh and you’d both stay through the weekend.”

“I want to come, but I’m going to have to talk to my dad.”

“You do that,” I said.  “And let me know.”

“Can you call me after Thanksgiving?” she asked.  “I think I want to talk to him in person.”

“No problem.”

“Thanks.”

“So, is it going to be a big Thanksgiving again this year?”

“The usual, about forty people.”

The conversation turned to family and then school and then the minutiae of my job.  I took the opportunity to tell her about some of the sights I’d seen in D.C. but hadn’t previously mentioned and about some of my small adventures in learning my way around.  After an hour, we said good night and gently hung up the phone.

I tried to focus on other things the next several weeks, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the possible visit.  I found myself exploring D.C. more heavily on weekends, trying to identify places to take the ladies.  My kitchen exploded with new cookbooks and new recipes, some of which required my tracking down ethnic grocery stores scattered around the city.  The sleeper sofa arrived and I spent one night sleeping on it to make sure it was comfortable enough.  For Thanksgiving, I joined some coworkers who were having a small celebration.  With only eight of us, it was a far cry from Tina’s mob.  Finally, the following Monday, I called Tina back.

“Hey,” I said after Marcy’d handed the phone to Tina.  “How was Thanksgiving?”

“Good,” she said, “and my dad said I can go.”

“That’s great,” I said.  “I’m surprised he didn’t have a problem with it.”

“Well… he did.  But he knew he couldn’t stop me, so he gave in.”

“Ah, I see.  I’m still the guy who’s corrupted his daughter.”

“That’s not quite right.  Though, he did do the ‘protective father’ thing again, saying that you’d better not hurt me.”

I chuckled.  “Not likely.”

“That’s what I told him.”

I paused.  “So, you’ll be able to come?”

“Yes!  What do I need to do and what do I need to bring?”

“Well,” I said, “I’ll make the flight arrangements and have them send you the tickets.  I think you don’t have to do anything else for that.  As for what to bring… good walking shoes and clothes for going around town.  It shouldn’t be too cold, but you never know.  And some nice clothes to go out fancy.”

“Okay.”

I took a deep breath.  “I do have one special request, too.”

“What?”

“Bring your garter belt and stockings.”

Tina chuckled.  “I’d love to.”

I couldn’t stop grinning ear to ear.

We chatted a little longer and agreed to talk again around Christmas.  I hung up the phone and then the first thing the next morning I called a travel agent and made the airplane reservations.  I checked the flight times with Sharon that night and she didn’t have a problem with them, so on Wednesday I called the travel agent back and gave her my credit card to pay for the tickets.  I was now committed.

* * *

“You didn’t ask Tina about taking pictures,” Sherri said.

I nodded, not meeting her eyes.  “Not then, at least.  I’d decided that was something to talk about in person, which is part of why I wanted her to come out early, before Sharon.”

“Part of it?”

“Yeah, well, I also wanted to spend some time with just her, so I wasn’t exactly lying when I told her that.”

Sherri’s eyes were cold, and she didn’t speak.

“I really can’t excuse what I did,” I said.  “I’m just trying to explain.  To tell my story.”

“Well, go on then.”

I nodded, and took another deep breath before continuing.

* * *

December dragged.  Each night, I lay in bed planning and scheming about the upcoming visit.  Often, I jerked off to my fantasies.  More than once, I dreamed about the weekend progressing beyond pictures.

Christmas itself was just a brief interruption.  Since I was short on vacation time, I only went back for a couple of days.  Sharon was in Albuquerque while I was in Colorado, so we didn’t get together.  Instead, I spent the time with my family, hanging around the house and sleeping in a lot.

I did call Tina on Christmas Day.  We talked for over an hour and she mentioned that she’d gotten me a Christmas present.  Something sexy she said.  That sent me into a small panic, trying to think of something for her.  I didn’t want to get her another necklace, and I wasn’t sure I could find earrings to match the one I’d gotten her last year.  After some furious shopping, I settled on a gold chain bracelet.  It was elegant enough for a night out, but casual enough that she could wear it on more informal evenings.  I only hoped it was close to what she’d gotten me.

It turned out it didn’t matter.  When January finally rolled around, Tina was just glad to see me.  She came off the jetway at BWI and threw her arms around me as soon as she saw me, almost crushing the flowers I held. A big passionate kiss followed the hug, before she pulled back enough for us to speak.

“I guess you’re happy to see me,” I joked.

“Mmm, for me?” she replied, taking the flowers from my hands.

“You bet.”

Her returned smile melted any remaining reservations about her visit.  I pulled her close and kissed her again.  When I pulled back, we were both grinning like idiots.  Reluctantly, we turned and started walking toward baggage claim.  Tina shifted her carry-on and the flowers so she could hold my hand.

“So what’s the plan?” she asked as we walked.

“Well, tonight we just go back to my place, where I fix you dinner.  Then we plan where we want to go tomorrow and Friday.  Friday night, Sharon’s plane is unfortunately late enough that we probably won’t do much.”

“That’s not very long for her to be here,” she said.

“Well, she couldn’t get off from work.”

“Huh.  Seems like a lot of travel for just a weekend.”

I shrugged, but didn’t want to explain, so I moved on.  “So, Saturday we spend more time in the city and Saturday night the three of us go out to a restaurant I’ve been reading great reviews about—The Old Angler’s Inn.”  I didn’t mention Sunday, since both women flew out that day, late in the afternoon.  It really wasn’t long enough, but it’d have to do.

“Sounds fun.  Can we see the Air and Space Museum?”

“No problem,” I said.  “We can do that tomorrow.  Are you hungry?”

She made a face.  “I had airplane food.”

“We can stop and get something if you’d like.”

“No,” she said, “I’d rather wait until... after.”

I grinned ear to ear.

Tina was true to her hint.  The moment we’d stepped inside my apartment, she threw her arms around me and kissed me again.  I returned her passion until I was almost gasping for breath.

“Want the nickel tour?” I asked, pulling back for a moment.

Tina grinned and nodded. I took her by the hand and showed her the kitchen, living room, and bedroom.  She frowned when we entered the latter.

“You still have the single bed?” she asked.

“Yeah.  It fits better in this room.  But the couch folds out.”

She raised her eyebrows and leered.  “Show me.”

We unfolded the bed and straightened the sheets I’d already put on it.  Then Tina put her arms around me again and started kissing me.  We tumbled to the bed, caressing and tugging at each others’ clothes.  Her hand slid down to stroke my cock while I trailed kisses down her throat and across her breasts.

“I’ve missed you,” she murmured into my ear as I left wet trails across her flesh on my way to her nipples.

I pulled up and grinned at her before sinking my mouth onto one breast and flicking her erect nipple with my tongue.  She moaned, and then moaned again when I shifted over and did the same to her other breast.  After teasing her for a few more minutes, I started kissing my way down her stomach.

Tina placed her hand on my shoulder.  “I want you inside me.”

I smiled and slid on top of her.  I thought about going for the condoms in the bedroom, but Tina was definitely ready for me, and she hadn’t minded skipping them before.  I held still, while she aligned the head of my cock with her opening.  She was wet enough that I didn’t miss the lubrication from the condom as I slowly sank into her heat.

“I’m missed you,” Tina said, wrapping her arms around me.

I kissed her.  “I’ve missed you too.”

I started thrusting and she quickly started pushing back.  I speeded up and started to panic—I wasn’t going to last long.  But it didn’t matter, Tina wasn’t going to last long either.  Gasping and panting, her eyes grew wide.  Then, with a shriek she bucked against me and her pussy clamped down on my cock. That was enough to send me over the edge.  With a moan, I shot my load deep inside her.  I collapsed then, careful to not put my weight on Tina.  We lay there, both of us gasping.

“God, that was good,” I said when I’d recovered my breath.

“It always is, between us.”

I turned my head and grinned at her.  “True.  And I suppose you’re going to want more soon.”

Her smile grew wide and she nodded.  Then a mischievous look appeared in her eye.  “But first, I want to give you your present.”

“By all means.”

Tina rolled out of bed and went rummaging through her suitcase.  I slipped away to the bedroom and grabbed the package I’d tucked into a desk drawer.  When I returned, she was sitting in the middle of the bed, holding a small box.  Her eyes danced at the sight of my own present.

“I found something for you,” I said.

“Aww, you didn’t have to.  This is for me as much as it’s for you.”  She held out the box.

I took it and quickly pulled off the paper.  Inside sat a small swath of fabric.  I pulled it out and realized I was holding a black thong.  The extra space in front showed it was clearly men’s underwear.

“Marcy said that if I was going to wear sexy underwear for you, you should wear sexy underwear for me.”

I raised my eyebrows, but Tina just grinned back.

“I did bring my garter belt,” she said.

“Good.  And I’d like you to wear it Saturday, when we go out for dinner.”

“With Sharon?”

I nodded.  “I’ll wear this,” I said, twirling the thong in my hand.

Tina grinned.  “Okay.”

“Here,” I said, handing her my present.

Tina pulled the paper off, her eyes darting to meet mine as she did so.  She trembled a little when she saw the jewelry box, but was able to open it on the second try.

“Oh, it’s pretty,” she said as she pulled the bracelet out.

“I’m glad you like it.”

She smiled at me, before fumbling with the clasp.

“Here, let me help.”

Tina held out her wrist.  I managed to pry open the little loop and slide it around her wrist.  Once I’d hooked it in place, I pulled her wrist up to my lips and lightly kissed it.  She beamed at me when I let go of her arm, before admiring the bracelet.  Then she grinned.

“Your turn,” she said, her eyes darting to the thong.

“You want me to wear it now?”

“Of course!” she said with a laugh.  I raised my eyebrows.  She lowered hers, meeting my stare.  “How can I take it off of you if you don’t put it on?”

I laughed and nodded my head.  Getting off the bed, I stepped into the thong.  I turned, striking muscleman poses, which left Tina laughing.  She slid so she was sitting on the edge of the bed, just a foot away, as I turned and shimmied.  I stopped when I felt her hand on my ass.  I turned, and her fingers trailed across my hip and then over the fabric covering my cock.

“What’s this?” she said with a grin, cupping my growing erection in her palm.

“I don’t know,” I teased back.  “I guess you’ll just have to find out.”

Tina rolled the thong down, letting my cock spring out.  She let out a small laugh when it bounced, but then took it between her fingers and caressed it again.  She looked up and our eyes met.  Then, never breaking eye contact, she moved her head down and kissed the tip of my penis.  Then she parted her lips and slid my cock into her mouth.

I gasped.  Despite the fact that I’d just come a little while ago, I rapidly hardened under her ministrations.  She bobbed her head back and forth, using one hand to cup and caress my balls as she did so.  I closed my eyes, concentrating on the sensations.  Her mouth felt good, really good, but it still felt like a massage and not something that was going to get me off.  Tina stopped sucking to lick for a while, running her tongue up and down my shaft, which also felt good.  But not good enough.

After several minutes, I lightly touched Tina’s shoulders.  She pulled back and then frowned when she caught the expression in my eyes.

“I thought I’d be doing better,” she said as she lay back.

“You are,” I said.  “It’s just… it’s just that I don’t come easily this way.”

“I wish I knew what to do.”

“Well, I’d give you tips if I could.  But since I’ve never actually given a blowjob, I’m not sure how to explain what you should be doing.”

“I did ask Marcy once, but she laughed.  She’s never given one either.”

“Well,” I said, “you could ask Sharon when she gets here if she has any tips.”

Tina paused and then nodded.

I lay on the bed next to her and lightly stroked her stomach and breasts.  “Besides,” I said, kissing her, “even if I don’t come that way, we always have fun.”  I emphasized my point by quickly peppering kisses across her nipples, so fast that the smacking sound inspired giggles in Tina.  I stopped and we grinned at each other.  Her eyes flicked down to my erection and she waggled her eyebrows.

“Ready for round two?” I asked.

“Uh huh!”

I rolled on top of her and once again she guided me inside her.  Since I’d already come, I knew I’d have good staying power and decided to see how many orgasms I could give her in the meantime.  We managed one with me on top, another doggie style, and her third while riding me, bouncing up and down on my cock while I caressed her breasts.  I could feel the pressure building for me then, so we rolled back over to missionary and, after a few strokes, I came.  Gasping for breath, I collapsed onto the bed next to her.

“Wow,” I said once I’d caught my breath.  “Once again, you’re insatiable.”

She cuddled into my side.  “You bring it out in me.”

I snickered.  “Good to know.”

She didn’t say anything, so we just lay entwined until my stomach gurgled.  She laughed, but a moment later, hers did.  I took that as a sign to start cooking dinner—despite how late it had gotten.

I threw on an apron while I prepared the pasta and salad.  Tina teased me, because I hadn’t put on any other clothes, and continually grabbed my ass when I was turned away from her.  Since she hadn’t gotten dressed either, I retaliated by pinching her ass when she was setting the table.  Her playful squawk drew just a lewd grin from me.

We ate nude, and then after dinner returned to the bed.  Our sex was slower and less frenzied.  Afterward, we cuddled and talked, her sharing how she felt about school, now that it was getting harder, and me telling her about my frustrations and triumphs in my new job.  Eventually, Tina yawned and then I did, and we pulled the blankets up and went to sleep.

The next morning, after a breakfast of omelets, fruit, and toast, we took the Metro down to the Mall.  We toured the Air and Space Museum and then the National Gallery of Art, where we had lunch.  In the afternoon, we wandered through the American History museum and then walked down to the Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials.  We didn’t stay long, since the wind had picked up and it was cold.  Afterward, we caught the Metro over to DuPont Circle and walked around, having dinner at an inexpensive but good Italian restaurant I’d found that fall, and then wandering in and out of the various shops.

“C’mon,” I said when we were outside the Lambda Rising bookstore.  I tugged her hand toward the entrance.

Tina blushed and pulled back.  “What if someone sees us?”

“No one who knows us will see us.  There’s no one even in the city who knows you.”

“We ran into your old girlfriend’s mother at the hotel.”

“That was a fluke,” I said, remembering the Valentine’s Day encounter nearly two years ago.  “It’s not going to happen again.  Besides, you said you wanted to be adventurous.”

Tina nodded and then took a deep breath before following me into the store.

We didn’t have a lot of room to walk between the tables of books, particularly since several of the other customers seemed more intent on finishing their reading in the store than buying a book.  We slid by them where we could and went around the long way when we couldn’t.

We both bypassed all the gay political theory and gay culture books.  Tina paused by the erotica section—bypassing the gay male section and largely thumbing through the general section.  I stopped in front of the lesbian and bisexual shelves and, when she came over, pointed to some titles that looked interesting.

After a while, we wandered over to the art book collection.  I pulled a Mapplethorpe book off the shelf and started thumbing through the photos.  Tina slid up next to me and I lowered the book so she could look too.

“Do you like this stuff?” she asked, looking at a picture of a black man with his penis all contorted and bound.

“Some of it,” I said.  “Not the stuff that’s designed to shock.  But his photos of Lisa Lyon are very good.”  I quickly thumbed through the book until I found one to show her.

Tina nodded her head in agreement.  Then she paused.  “Are we going to do any photography this weekend?”

My throat caught.  “Why do you ask?”

“I thought, with the thong… you might be willing to let me take the pictures.”

I put the book back on the shelf and smiled at Tina as I reached for another.

“We can do that,” I said.

“When?”

Again, my throat caught.  The back of my head began yammering, tell her, tell her, tell her!  I glanced around.  This isn’t the place, I told myself.

“We’ll find a time,” I said.

Tina nodded and bent in to look at the photos in the new book.  I thumbed through it slowly, but my mind wasn’t on it.

I was a coward for not telling her, I thought.  At some point, I had to ask her if she was willing to pose with Sharon, and once again, I was putting it off.

But I was afraid.  Not only that she’d say no, but that she’d be upset at me for asking.  Maybe Sharon can help, I thought.  She certainly wouldn’t get a case of the nerves like this.

Tina picked up a book of nudes and slowly flipped through it.  I put the Mapplethorpe book down and looked over her shoulder.  Most of the photos were of women in poses designed to highlight their curves and other womanly charms.  Simply by comparison to the last book, they were sexy in a very soft kind of way.  Tina carefully put the book down once we’d hit the last page.

She turned to me.  “I’m ready to go.”

I smiled and nodded.  We left the store and caught the Metro back out to Maryland and returned to my apartment.

We started kissing and fondling each other almost as soon as we got in the door.  We paused long enough to dim the lights and smooth the sheets before stretching out on the extended sleeper sofa once again.

This time, I went down on Tina.  She closed her eyes while I licked her, moaning and panting slightly.  Her brow furrowed, as if she was concentrating intently.  I reached up and caressed her breasts, and she responded by placing her hands on top of mine.  After caressing and squeezing her for a few moments, I slid my hands out and brought them back down to her hips.  She continued caressing her own breasts even after my hands had departed.  Then she trembled more when I slid a finger inside her.  After caressing her while I sucked her clit, she shuddered and arched her back with a squeal.

I realized I was already hard, and so when she’d caught her breath, I moved on top of her and lined my cock up against her opening.  Tina gasped when I settled fully inside her.  She didn’t open her eyes until I kissed her, at which point she just gave me a weak grin.  Then she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me tight and she clamped down around my cock with her pussy.  It only took a few strokes with the increased tightness for me to feel the pressure building in my balls.  After a few more thrusts, I gasped and came.

“So,” I said as I lay next to her, “why were you worried that someone would see you going into the bookstore?

“Because it was a gay bookstore, Joe.”

“So?  You have a gay roommate.”

I felt her tense next to me.

“It’s not because they’d think you were gay, would it?” I asked.  “After all, I could tell them you’re definitely not.”

Tina chucked.  “No, I’m definitely attracted to men.  Or at least one man.”  She emphasized her point my running her hand down my torso to my cock.

I laughed.  “And that’s what counts.”

“Uh huh.”

“But if you were attracted to women, it wouldn’t bother me,” I said.

Tina snorted softly but didn’t say anything.  Instead, she continued to play with my cock, until her touch and my private fantasies of watching her with another woman brought a stirring, and, eventually, another erection.  Once I was good and hard, Tina straddled me and rode me to another set of orgasms—two for her and one for me.  Finally satiated, we cuddled and then fell asleep.

Friday morning’s routine matched the day before’s.  We had a quick breakfast of French toast, followed by  a day down at the Mall.  We stood in the long line at the National Archives to see the original Constitution copy, which I found a disappointment for all the effort.  Near the end of the day, we caught the Metro back out to my place.  I fixed burritos and a side salad while Tina prepared spiced black beans and a chocolate tart for dessert.  After quickly washing the dishes, we headed out to BWI to pick up Sharon.

Sharon hugged both of us once she’d come down the jetway.  She and Tina talked all the way to baggage claim, catching each other up on their lives.  I trailed along in amused silence.  Guys were the ones that were supposed to be able to pick up their friendships at the same point the left off, after a long break.  Finally, while waiting for the carousel to discharge her suitcase, Sharon turned to me.

“So,” she said, “have you two had a good visit?”

I couldn’t keep the shit-eating grin off my face.  Sharon raised an eyebrow and turned to Tina, who also blushed.

“Looks like it,” Sharon said, her eyes dancing with mirth.

“It’s nothing you wouldn’t have done if you were in our shoes,” I said.

“True, but I wasn’t in your shoes.  Or out of them.”

“You’re just jealous,” I shot back.

“Should I be?” Sharon asked, looking at Tina.

“He’s very good,” Tina answered.

“Hmmm.”  Sharon made a show of looking me up and down, but her smirk made it obvious she was just teasing.

“You two can talk about it later,” I said, stepping forward to grab the bag that Sharon was pointing to.

They laughed and I didn’t make out the words that passed between them after that.

The chatter continued on the drive to my apartment.  I just settled into driving and listening.  Sharon told Tina about Justin, who had apparently come back to Colorado for New Year’s once again, and once again ended up in her bed.

“I’m not sure it’s going to turn into anything serious,” she said.  “The distance is a real problem.”

“I know,” Tina said.

Sharon nodded.  “You would.  So, I think it’s going to just be a ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement for a while.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Sure!  It beats celibacy.  Besides, if you can’t fool around with your friends, who can you fool around with?”

I realized she’d said “friends,” plural.  I swallowed hard.  I knew I might be reading too much into that, but I certainly hoped not.

--Fin--

© 2006, all rights reserved.

Read the next chapter in this story: Chapter Twenty-three

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