Chapter 3: First Date with Joy

The next couple of months were a blur. I’d really fallen for Mel. I pledged my love several more times, and she reiterated that she loved me, but wasn’t the kind of girl to go steady – at least right now, if ever. If I brought up the subject she’d reaffirm her independent status and even go so far as to encourage me to date other girls.

Several times Mel made it clear than she was going on or had gone on other dates, but that she still wanted the ‘deep relationship’ we were developing as her ‘primary’ one. I accepted her vocabulary and wishes, and for some reason didn’t react too badly with jealousy about her other dates.

I also was sure that Mel was testing my resolve to accept her as a ‘primary’ partner that also had other dates. I shrugged and continued to get used to the idea. I had the feeling that this would go on for a long time.

I did go on a date with a co-ed in my accounting class. Her name was Patti Jaye. I thought she’d be very conservative, but after we were in my car after our dinner, she jumped my bones. She tried to touch my dick with her tongue as we French kissed, blew me for a bit, took her top off so I could suck on her breasts, and then mounted me for a long fuck. Fortunately, I had a rubber in my pocket.

I distinguished myself with Patti as a knowledgeable and attentive lover that could deliver multiple orgasms to her in multiple ways. I think I rose to the top of her list of ‘great dates’ on just that one date.

Patti was an interesting contrast to Mel. I figured out that life with her would be highly traditional, and with Mel not so much. Patti and I remained friends and did have other dates. I think she wanted to be fuck buddies, which worked out fine with me.

Most of the time when Mel and I got together we were sexually active. Sometimes that just meant that we petted like crazy in the car in the city park and brought each other off; other times we spent the night together somewhere and screwed until we ran out of energy.

Over the Christmas break I drove from my home in Ohio to Mel’s home in Massachusetts to be with her and meet her parents. We spent New Year’s Eve in Boston at their First Night celebration. Planned or not, we somehow found ‘alone time’ every day I was at her house and were able to fuck our brains out for at least a short time each day. Two days after New Year’s, we drove back to the Ohio State campus together, spending an overnight at a beautiful hotel just outside of Pittsburgh.

While Mel had encouraged me to date other people, since I’d met her I’d only gone on two dates and had not felt any romantic hormones raging in my loins except for Mel. I did continue to hone the skills I’d learned from the Joy of Sex, the other books, and our ‘practice’ sessions. Mel knew this and with great intent changed that about a week after classes restarted.

“I want you to take my roommate out,” Mel told me one Sunday as we were walking along snow-dusted sidewalks back to her dorm from the campus library.

“But I like taking you out,” I told her.

“And, she needs to go on a date with you – to get to know the ‘real you’ she’s heard so much about.”

“You mean you kiss and tell,” I asked jovially. We’d never broached the subject of what we told other people about our relationship or activities. I found myself surprised that she talked about the two of us then realized that was probably pretty normal for two women. Personally, I’d said little about the Pixie to any of my friends or fraternity brothers. I had sought some advice a couple of times from my sister but she was then a thousand miles away at a college in a warmer clime, and of little help at this stage in our friendship.

“Yes,” she replied with a smirk.

“What’s that mean?” I inquired.

“It means that she’d have expectations on a date about you showing her some of the finer points about The Joy of Sex. The poor girl only went on one coffee date all of last semester and she’s nice. She’s pretty, has a nice personality, a great body – which you’ll really enjoy, but she’s terminally shy. She might even be a virgin.”

“Are you pimping me out?” I asked in jest as I tried to duck the question and think up some way to avoid where Mel was leading me.

“Yes, and you’ll like it. How about next Saturday? I’ll even pay for the Holiday Inn; just don’t tell her I paid. She needs to get laid. It’ll change her whole outlook on life, and believe me I know.”

“Your offer to pay insults my sense of chivalry. Besides, I’d rather be with you next Saturday.”

Mel said, “You can’t. I already have a date – so there. Bill Seaborn is driving me to Indianapolis on Saturday so we can watch the Pacers play. We’re staying over.”

I felt like a small truck had just hit me in the chest. My whole face and body probably faded to nearly pure white in shock. I tried to macho my way through the next couple of minutes before we parted company for the day. I immediately acted pensive, as though I was thinking about whether to take her roommate out. Mel studied me as we walked.

I’d met Joy, Mel’s roommate, many times over the past four months. She occasionally joined us for lunch or coffee at the Union. Mel was right, she did indeed please the eye but seemed intensely shy and for the first few months I’d known her, when I’d started dating Mel, she’d barely said two words to me except about school stuff. More recently, she’d opened up a little and once or twice got quite chatty over our lunches. I liked her but had never thought of her in a sexual way or even as a date. I felt no chemistry.

As we neared her dorm, Mel pushed me harder in a direction my thinking had never been in. She seemed to have insight into what I was thinking and the hurt I felt about her going out with someone else.

“Doug, I know you think you want exclusivity in our relationship, and I also know you know I don’t – at least not now, if ever. To me, that kind of commitment and exclusivity imply ownership and I don’t want to be a chattel.

“I’m my own person, with unconventional standards about relationships. I want to be accepted and valued that way. I think I’ll be a better person if I’m open to see other people – on any basis. That’s why I accepted this date with Bill and why I’m telling you. I want you to know about it, not to hurt you but to get you to date too – to experience other people, to reach out, to like – even love - others. I know you had fun with Patti; do more of that. I also want you to date Joy. I’m not a ‘pin-me-down’ kind of girl, so no guilt trips on me, okay? I’m the way I am.”

I nodded stoically as we started walking again. My brain raced but it seemed like the wheels were spinning but there was no traction. Mel’s logic seemed obvious to me for some reason, yet I couldn’t seem to get used to her idea on a permanent basis.

As an imp on one shoulder told me that, the imp on the other shoulder was yelling at me to run for the hills and telling me that I would always suffer unwanted shocks and trouble with Mel if I stayed in the relationship.

Mel continued as though she heard those voices, “I don’t want us to break-up; far from it. I’ve already got a lot invested in you as you do in me. Why don’t you try to adopt the same philosophy and I’ll try to meet you halfway. The past few months we’ve been each other’s primary relationship – a home base, so to speak – even though I never phrased it that way. Let’s continue this way, to date and learn about each other and advance whatever it is we have for each other to new levels. In the meantime, let’s both be completely open and free with other people.”

I asked in a slightly glum voice, “Is this the beginning of an ‘open marriage’? I heard a few other people refer to their relationships this way.” The one imp was telling me what a bad idea that was.

“Exactly,” Mel responded, ignoring my grumpy tone of voice. “I want you to go out with others. I want you to explore other people – see how they think, how they tick, and even how they make love. Bring that back to our relationship and share it. We’ll both be richer for it.

“And you’ll do the same?” I asked with some angst in my voice. I paused as we walked and looked at her.

“Yes, I will,” Mel said softly but firmly; she reached up and stroked my cheek with her warm hand. “As little or as much as you want to know, but I won’t malevolently hold back anything from you – even if I think it would hurt you. I’ll offer it all to you. I do love you.”

There was the ‘L’ word again and my heart went flippity-flop again. She loved me but wanted this unique brand of boy-girl relationship, something I’d never encountered before. She loved me but would see other people. She loved me and wanted me to see other people. Her philosophy was still all so new to me and didn’t follow any model that I’d learned about mating.

“Would you share all the details about your trip with Bill?” I asked in a taunting voice, emphasizing the word ‘all’ and not expecting the response I got.

Mel got very quiet for a moment then said, “Yes, with you, I will.” She came around in front of me and leaned up and kissed me. Then she said, “You don’t understand yet, do you?” She looked into my eyes in the dim light and said, “Go on the date with Joy and then let’s talk. I think you’ll start to get the feeling of why I am the way I am. And even why I love you.”

I thought for a long moment as we stood and hugged then I told her in a slightly more upbeat voice, “Okay. I’ll take Joy out and try to be the perfect date – sex and all. That’s what you want?”

Mel nodded and hugged me with gratitude.

The imp that had been warning me was jumping around happily. ‘Good, you’re on your way out from all the trouble that girl would have caused you.’

I felt awkward and clearly moving in a direction for which there was no map. In one way, I didn’t like the idea of Mel going off with someone else, yet in another sense I did. I wanted to be with her, and yet the idea of taking Joy on the kind of date Mel described was tantalizing, particularly when the instigator of the date was my girlfriend.

“Should I call her or are you the intermediary?” I asked in a neutral voice.

“You call her when you get back home. That’ll give me just enough time to talk to her briefly.” She paused and added, “And trust me, you’ll have a great time and I want you to bring all your raging hormones to her doorstep – and beyond. Oh, and I want to hear all the details – from both of you.” She grinned lecherously at me.

I gave her a funny look and frowned, somewhat uncertain as to what she meant by her comment about my raging hormones.

Mel looked at me with a grin and said, “Fuck her brains out, stupid!”

About an hour later I called Joy’s cellphone. Mel had been sure I had the number. Joy answered the phone and I pretended that I was pleased. We both knew my call was a bit of charade and we both knew we were being aimed at a weekend fuck fest at the Holiday Inn starring just the two of us with my girlfriend playing matchmaker.

Nonetheless, I politely asked for a date for Saturday night, suggesting in an oblique aside that perhaps we’d stay overnight somewhere and that it’d be great if she could bring an overnight kit and her swim suit as I planned to find a place to stay that had an indoor pool.

Joy accepted in a low key, tentative, and very shy voice. I detected a shudder in her voice that indicated a rather nervous acceptance. I ignored the tremor and told her I looked forward to our date and that we’d see each other before then and plan the details and my time to pick her up on Saturday.

Strangely enough, Mel and I went out every night the rest of the week and Friday when we went out we managed to even fuck in the backseat of my car while parked in a remote section of city park. Mel still didn’t want to see my apartment. That week we never mentioned our respective dates until I was dropping Mel off after our passionate interlude.

“Doug,” Mel whispered to me as we sat in the car just before she went into the dorm, “Please have fun with Joy. Don’t think about what Bill and I are doing. Do your own thing and be good – be very good ... and be patient with her. I love her, and I know that you are what she needs. You’ll see; and when you allow yourself to get closer to her you’ll love her too.” She smiled warmly at me, kissed me and disappeared into the dorm.

I nodded, reluctantly resigned to perform the role she’d assigned to me.

I picked up Joy about two o’clock on Saturday afternoon. She had a very large duffle bag with her and I had my usual small overnight bag. As I did with the Pixie, I’d driven out to the motel in the morning, pre-registered and gotten our room keys. I’d even left flowers and a different book of poetry on the pillow for her.

When we got to the room, Joy had a combination of embarrassment and shyness over the flowers and book of poems. She was very grateful. She actually blushed so much that her whole face looked flushed. She allowed me to come and hug her yet we didn’t kiss. We’d never kissed – yet.

I’d worked myself up to a state of excitement about our overnight. Yet, in those brief moments as I watched her blush, I wondered if this was the right thing to be doing with someone so shy. Mel had been so convincing that all her roommate needed was a serious date, yet now I wondered whether this might be a bad idea in terms of Joy’s psyche and self-esteem. Mel was probably forcing her to go on this date, probably with more effort that she spent talking me into taking her.

I’d lured Joy out to the motel ostensibly on the excuse that they had a winterized pool. In fact, it was a low budget operation. The pool was heated but the motel had erected a large inflatable dome over the outdoor pool. The dome was not attached to the motel so to get to the pool you had to go in the outside air and then through a sort of air lock in the side of the bubble dome. Once inside, the whole place was warmer but smelled like chlorine and I expected to be a blond by the time we finished our swim. In any case, we decided to start our time together with a swim.

After we dropped our bags in the room, we did a quick change of clothes. Joy used the bathroom to change into her suit and came out in a demure one-piece suit that clung rather nicely to her curves yet didn’t reveal very much. She had nice looking legs and curves in all the right spots. For a moment I tried to decide whether the term ‘busty’ could be used to describe her. She was on the edge of that term.

Joy stood about five foot six inches tall and had luxurious long dark brunette hair that hung down her back past her shoulders. She also wore glasses with pointy frames – not the best shape for her pretty face and a throwback to pictures of girls I’d seen from the 1950s. Overall, she had the appearance of a nerd, except at the moment she was wearing this hot bathing suit on her equally hot body.

We took some towels and opened the exterior door to go across the patio to the door to the pool. The outside air temperature was about ten degrees and I’m sure my body temperature dropped to that temp in the thirty feet we sprinted to the door into the tented pool. Screaming about the cold, we burst into the pool’s bubble dome to find we were alone in the pool area. At least we were both laughing at the chilly situation we’d put ourselves in.

I shed my shoes and dipped a toe in the pool. Although heavy with the smell of chlorine the pool did have the perfect temperature. I could actually dive in and neither feel it was an overheated bathtub, nor an ice bath.

“The temp is perfect,” I told Joy. She smiled at me and took off her Nikes, and headed for the stairs into the pool.

I took a shallow dive from the deep end of the pool staying underwater and enjoying the drifting sensation as I slowly glided towards the shallow end and Joy.

I surfaced about ten feet in front of her just as she took the last step in the pool. She was still dry from the waist up but dipped down in slow increments until she’d submerged up to her neck, most of her hair still dry.

I walked over to her, helped her stand and turned her to me. I whispered to her, “Joy, we’ve never kissed and I think it’s time.”

She nodded shyly and allowed me to kiss her lips a couple of times. She didn’t kiss back and was stiff as a board. After the fourth kiss I verified that she was just presenting her lips to me but was not participating. She had her eyes clenched closed.

“I think you’re supposed to kiss me back,” I told her in a soft voice. With this pretty friend I could have infinite patience.

“I’m sort of scared,” came the timid reply as she opened her eyes and looked down into the water between us.

I thought for a moment then said, “Try this. Kiss me.”

I stood motionless and locked my jaw and pursed my lips into a frozen state. Joy kissed me and it wasn’t half bad except I didn’t respond. We pulled apart and she gave me a funny look.

“You didn’t do anything,” she observed.

I said, “Right. When two people kiss they’re supposed to get into the act together, otherwise there’s no feedback, no feeling of affection, emotion, or passion, and no appreciation that you’re glad we’re together, no hint that it could go further. I feel all these things for you, by the way.”

“I’m so nervous,” Joy said flatly.

“Come here,” I said and pulled her into my arms in a loose embrace. She was about as stiff as a plank of wood. I kissed her forehead and said, “You will be the only person putting pressure on yourself on this date. I’m at your service. We don’t have to kiss or go any further than have a nice swim and maybe have some dinner together, if you’re willing. If the thought of our date horrifies you, I can take you back to the dorm whenever you want – right now even.” I gestured back at our room.