Chapter 35

Life quickly settled into a different routine and Toby revelled in the warmth and closeness of his dearest friends. Although he continued to look at each and every female employee of the National Marbaloyd Bank who came across his path with a keen and careful eye, he was content to make notes in his little pocket book for possible future reference. By mid-November, Andrew was beginning to worry about him.

‘Toby, you haven’t been out with anybody since we got back at the beginning of term.’

‘Yes I have. I go out with you and Emma and Tasha all the time.’

‘That’s not what I mean. You haven’t been out with a girl.’

‘I shouldn’t let Emma and Tasha hear you say that,’ chuckled Toby.

‘You’re playing silly buggers,’ said Andrew sharply, ‘You know exactly what I mean. Look, I hope we aren’t cramping your style.’

‘Not at all,’ replied Toby contentedly, ‘I haven’t told you before, but while you were all on holiday I had no less than five different girls in your bed.’

‘Five!’ Andrew was impressed.

Toby nodded.

‘It was quite fun while it lasted, but it isn’t what I’m looking for. I’ve realised that since. I’m quite happy with my oil bottle for the moment and Wednesday bath-nights are the high point of my week.’

‘Oh, you and your Wednesday bath nights,’ chuckled Andrew good-naturedly.

Shortly after they got back in, the girls had demanded the installation of a heater in the bathroom. Andrew was apparently too lazy to do anything about it, so Toby went out and bought not only a two-bar infra-red wall-heater but also an electrically heated towel rail. He spent two evenings installing them and the girls were ecstatic.

‘Does this mean that I get to scrub your backs now?’ he had asked hopefully and the girls had gravely agreed that indeed it did.

On Wednesday nights there was a program on the television that Andrew particularly wanted to watch, but which didn’t interest any of his flat-mates. He was therefore left in peace while the rest of them went off to get ready for bed. Having turned the heater on in the bathroom well in advance, they retired to bathe and luxuriate in the warmth. It became a weekly ritual. Toby was allowed to soap Natasha’s back when she had first bath while Emma took her eye make-up off. He then got to soap Emma’s back while Natasha got dry. He also got to soap Emma’s front. For the last three Wednesdays running, soaping Emma’s front had extended well below the level of the bath water and Toby was determined to make her come before the end of term. On the last occasion, had he only but known it, he almost succeeded.

‘As long as you don’t mind,’ said Toby.

‘Of course I don’t mind. Emma’s so randy when I get into bed that I almost get raped. It’s wonderful. I still can’t understand why you won’t come to bed with us. You know you’re really very welcome.’

‘I know that you’re both really very lovely people,’ responded Toby gratefully, ‘But it’s no good. If we did that regularly then I’d fall for Emma even more than I have already and where would that get us all?’

Andrew laughed easily.

‘I suppose that the three of us could live together for the rest of our days.’

‘An interesting idea, but I would imagine that even your parents might have something to say about that. Whose babies would she have?’

‘Well she says that she wants a large family, so we could take it in turns.’

‘Sometimes I’m not quite sure when you’re joking and when you’re being serious,’ sighed Toby.

‘Poor old Toby,’ chuckled Andrew, ‘Hey, by the way, did you know that you almost brought Emma off last Wednesday? She said that she was ready to scream when you left her on the brink.’

‘Oh, that’s awful!’ exclaimed Toby, ‘I thought she might have been getting close, but I didn’t dare go on too long, because I thought Tasha might catch on as to what I was doing.’

‘Tasha was standing watching you with a big grin on her face,’ laughed Andrew.

‘Heavens,’ chuckled Toby, ‘She’s behind me when she’s over by the mirror, so I can’t tell what she’s doing. I suppose that in that case it won’t matter if I take Emma the whole way next time.’

‘I’m sure it won’t. You never know your luck, Tasha might start asking for the same treatment.’

‘Oh God,’ sighed Toby longingly, ‘If only she would. I’d be in seventh heaven.’

‘I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you then.’

The next Wednesday bath-night, Toby managed to make Emma come with little difficulty and she gave a little cry as she clutched his arm convulsively. Lying back in the water to wash the soap off her body, she blew him a little kiss. As he turned to fetch her a warm towel from the rail he caught sight of Natasha’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. He knew that she must have a clear view of his erection and he dropped her a wink. She grinned at him before she realised what she was doing and he gave a little chuckle.

The following Wednesday Andrew and Emma decided to go to the cinema. As Toby had already seen the film that was showing he declined their invitation. Natasha, when asked, said that she had some studying to do. Toby was in the lounge watching television when he heard her run the bath at about the normal time. After a little while she popped her head round the lounge door.

‘It is Wednesday bath-night,’ she giggled, ‘Aren’t you coming to scrub my back?’

‘Oh yes, OK,’ he agreed and followed her through to the bathroom.

As usual he shrugged off his clothes and knelt down on the bath mat.

Natasha immersed herself in the water and then offered him her back to soap. He lathered her up lavishly.

‘Tell me,’ she said evenly when he stopped, ‘How come I don’t get the same treatment as Emma?’

‘You never said I could,’ replied an astonished Toby.

Without a word Natasha turned slightly and wriggled her body. Toby’s hands were shaking a little as he lathered them up. Slowly he began at her shoulders and when she held up her arms, as Emma always did, he soaped underneath them. He reached her breasts and paused imperceptibly before running his hands over them. Natasha shut her eyes and gave a little sigh. Her nipples hardened beneath his palms. He spent a long time on them, almost holding his breath while he caressed them softly. His penis grew to an aching erection as the tactile sensations flooded through his body. He didn’t care, for he was simply beyond himself with delight.

Slowly, reluctantly, he moved on downwards. The water did not seem deep as Natasha was sitting on her feet and he was able to do almost to the top of her pubic triangle before he reached it and stopped.

‘Oh, that was gorgeous,’ whispered Natasha, opening her eyes and smiling at him, ‘Why have you stopped?’

Toby’s heart began to thump uncomfortably and he was sure that she must have been able to hear it.

‘What, you mean...?’

‘You do it for Emma,’ she said, almost reproachfully.

Toby’s hand descended beneath the water and he sought out her sex. When his middle finger parted her tiny inner lips he realised at once that the slipperiness that he encountered was not from the soap. Natasha threw back her head and groaned with pleasure.

‘It’s been so very long since you’ve touched me there,’ she murmured.

‘I ... oh, Natasha.’

Toby’s excitement was so extraordinarily intense that he suddenly began to climax, without even laying a finger on himself. It had never happened before in his life. The girl opened her eyes and watched the streams and droplets of fluid as they flew from him and landed, some on the side of the bath and some on the mat beneath him.

‘Was that because of me?’ she asked wonderingly.

Toby nodded mutely, totally unable to find his voice.

‘What a compliment,’ she whispered and there was awe in her voice.

‘I just can’t stop loving you Natasha,’ he said miserably, ‘I’ve tried so hard, but whichever way I turn, the road leads me right back to where I started in the first place.’

He looked down at the ground and began to cry silently. She could see the tears falling into his lap. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

‘I’m so very sorry,’ she said, ‘Oh Toby, I’m so cruel to you and I really don’t mean to be.’

He shook his head.

‘No, don’t be silly, if anyone is cruel, then it’s me. For years I’ve hung around like a millstone, trying to force you to love me, almost trying to blackmail you into it. Oh Natasha, it’s dreadful, I simply don’t know what to do.’

He got blindly to his feet and rushed from the room. She heard his steps on the stairs and then the sound of his bedroom door slamming.

For the longest time she sat in the bath quite motionless. She was absolutely stunned, for she had had no idea of the true intensity of the feelings he had for her. She realised how much more serious it was than it had been when they had both only been young teenagers. Gradually she was brought to her senses by the fact that the water was getting rather cold. She leaned back and rinsed the soap from her body before jumping out and towelling herself dry briskly. After attending to her face, combing her hair and brushing her teeth, she went and cleaned up the side of the bath and the mat with a tissue. Then, picking up Toby’s clothes from the floor, she turned off the heater and went slowly upstairs to get into her dressing-gown.

Timidly she tapped on Toby’s bedroom door and receiving no answer she opened it quietly. The room was in darkness. Crossing on tiptoe she laid the clothes down carefully on the chair in the corner.

‘I’ve made the most awful fool of myself,’ came Toby’s voice from the bed.

‘No you haven’t, of course you haven’t, she said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and reaching out in the darkness. She found his hand and squeezed it. ‘It’s me who has been making a fool of myself. I’ve been behaving like the worst kind of adolescent prick-teaser. I’m supposed to be a grown woman and I’m absolutely ashamed of myself.’

‘That’s nonsense!’ exclaimed Toby hotly,’I adore all the laughter and the fun and the flirting. I’ve never been as happy as I have been during these few weeks that the four of us have had together. But now I’ve messed it up and I shall have to go.’