Chapter 51: Sorting Things Out, Part I

March/April, 1982, Chicago, Illinois

When I arrived home on Sunday night, Elyse was sitting on the couch reading a book and listening to music. I dropped my bag just inside the door and took off my shoes.

“Hi, Honey!” she exclaimed. “There’s tea if you want it. No Georgia Peach?”

I poured myself a mug of tea and then went to sit on the couch.

“I wasn’t sure what time I’d get in tonight, so I just let her know I’d see her in the morning. She won’t stay the night until Tuesday.”

“Would it be OK if I sleep with you?” she asked.

“I’m pretty sure Warren would object to that,” I said.

“I’m not steady with him yet. He hasn’t asked.”

“A technical point at best,” I replied, using the exact same words I’d used with her Aunt years ago.

“But an important one. I want to spend an entire day playing just once more before Kara comes here, because at that point, you’ll be off limits.”

“That’s true. Let me ask a different way. Does Warren think you’re steady with him? You seemed to imply that you guys were before. I know you’re working on a relationship with him, but given that he’s not as, well, experienced as we are, he might well think having sex makes you steady. And like I said, you implied to me that you were.”

“We haven’t talked about being exclusive, so I don’t think so. I know I kind of gave that impression, but I promise you that we aren’t exclusive.”

“Why not just slowly work your way up to things with him?”

She sighed, “I’m not sure he’ll ever be ready to let me do to him what you let me do to you.”

“But you want to eventually go steady with him, anyway?”

“I think so, yes. Other than being a bit prudish, he’s pretty much what I’m looking for — calm, no drama, smart, friendly, and quiet. He’s a reasonably good fuck, but I don’t have a lot to compare to. Sean was just using me, and you, well, I’m jealous of whoever gets to fuck you for the rest of their lives. Of course, I’m more than willing to sacrifice and be that person.”

“Some days, when things are a bit crazy, that’s damned tempting,” I said. “And our sex life would be out of this world. But you know I want to be with Kara.”

“I know that, though I wonder if you might not be better off with Stephie.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked.

“Common interests, common background, similar personalities, and, without question, sexual compatibility. Honestly, are you going to be able to make things work with an evangelical Christian?”

“Yes, I think so. Kara is hardly a typical evangelical at this point.”

“True, but I suspect that she’s going to want to go to church and I just can’t see you going to that kind of church.”

“We’ll have to find some kind of compromise, I guess.”

“Sort that out before you marry her, Steve. If you don’t, you’re just asking for trouble.”

“That’s good advice, Elyse,” I said, sincerely. “Thanks.”

“I want to ask you perhaps a more difficult question,” Elyse said.

“Why Kara?” I asked.

“Yes. I would have thought you and Jennifer might reconcile, but if you didn’t, then either Bethany or Karin would be the most likely. And like I said, I think you and Stephie are more compatible.”

“I don’t think I’ve told you the whole story about how Kara and I got together, have I?”

“No. If you feel like telling me now, let’s relax in a hot, soapy bath and you can tell me.”

“And THAT would be OK with Warren?” I asked.

Elyse sighed, “Will you forget Warren for a moment? Were you and I steady after we fucked three times at Aunt Jennie’s wedding? Were you and Aunt Jennie steady because she took your virginity?”

“No,” I said. “But I think those were different. I just have a feeling that Warren would not accept this, given that he didn’t even want us living in the same apartment.”

“Steve, let me worry about Warren. We aren’t steady. You aren’t breaking your rule. Are you steady with Kara or Stephie?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then let’s go. Grab the teapot.”

I gave in to Elyse, grabbed the teapot and my mug, then walked down the hall to the bathroom. I started the water in the tub and added bubbles. I stepped across the hall to my room, stripped off my clothes and went back to the bathroom, and got into the tub. Elyse came in to the bathroom naked and stepped into the tub. She sat down and leaned back against me. I put my arms around her and she sighed, then took one of my hands and moved it to cup her breast and the other one she moved to her mons.

“Elyse?”

“Just gently, while we talk,” she said.

I did as she asked and started telling her the story about Kara and me.

“It started my Senior year, in chemistry class,” I said. “Chemistry was usually a class for Juniors, but because I went to Sweden, I had to take it as a Senior. Kara and I were assigned as lab partners, and Kara didn’t like it one bit. She had heard about my, well, escapades, and didn’t want to be my partner. She asked to be reassigned, but our chemistry teacher refused. Kara told me I was going to hell and wrote out a Bible quote. I decided to mess with her and wrote out a quote from Song of Songs that talks about a dripping pussy.”

“No way!”

“Yeah, actually, it does,” I said with a grin Elyse couldn’t see. “Anyway, that started a back and forth of quoting Bible verses and eventually I told her I wanted to taste her mixed wine. Anyway, eventually I switched tactics and started being nice to her and flirting with her, instead of trying to upset her. When I ran the computer dating thing at Milford, she thought it was disgusting, so I bet her I’d match at least half the questions with her. She disagreed. I won a bet and so she had to go out for ice cream with me. We made another bet later on about the Bible, and I won again. This time, she had to go on a real date with me. And give me a goodnight kiss. That one kiss pretty much sealed the deal.”

“One kiss from you and she was ready to fuck you? I’m not surprised. Even for her,” Elyse giggled, and then moaned slightly.

“Did you like that?” I chuckled.

“If I don’t cum three times before we get out of the tub, I’m going to castrate you!” she threatened mirthfully.

“ANYWAY,” I huffed, “she wanted another kiss. I made her wait a few months because I knew if we kissed again that we’d end up in bed. I was right, of course. The problem was that by the time we made love the first time, I’d fallen for her. She was in love with me, too. She was willing just to fuck a few times and move on, but that didn’t happen. We were in love and I asked her to go steady, which really shocked some of my friends and my sister.”

“But you were still planning on being with Jennifer in Chicago at that point, weren’t you?”

“Yes. Kara knew that, and was hoping against hope that Jennifer and I would have a falling out, which, in the end, we did. But that’s skipping ahead. Not long after Kara and I agreed to be steady, I went to a conference in downtown Cincinnati and ran into Becky, an old flame. To make a long story short, I cheated on Kara with Becky.”

“One!” Elyse whispered as she shuddered. “Wait! You what?!”

“I cheated. But Kara, bless her heart, forgave me immediately. I was shocked, but basically she said she knew my history and more or less expected it to happen. From that point until Prom, I was completely faithful to her. She decided that because I was going to be with Jennifer in Chicago that Bethany should have her Prom to remember, so Kara broke up with me. Well, we’d still see each other, but not sex. Then, when everything went to hell with Jennifer, Kara decided she wanted to sleep with me again, but without requiring me to be steady. She knew Karin was coming to see me and knew I’d be sleeping with Karin when she did. And the rest is, as they say, history.”

“OK, you fell in love with her. But so what? You’re in love with Stephie. Bethany said that you’re in love with Tatyana, and I know you were in love with Bethany. You were in love with Karin. And you love me and Kathy too. In fact, you love quite a few young women. And what’s interesting is that you can love all of them without taking anything away from your love for any of the others. So I ask again, why Kara?”

“Because she’s the one who helped me be the man I wanted to be,” I said.

“Two,” Elyse hissed, her body shuddering again. “So? She’s helped you, but does that mean you should marry her?”

“Honestly? Yes, I think so. I have a penchant for getting into trouble. She’s the one who can help me stay out of it for life. Add in the fact that she’s loving, kind, drop-dead gorgeous, and the sex is fantastic, so yeah, I think I should.”

“The sex is really fantastic?” Elyse asked. “I don’t believe it.”

“Other than toys, we’ve done everything you and I have. And she asked me to get a toy.”

“Whoa! But I still think you might want to consider a different option.”

“Which is?”

“A group marriage,” she said, “A clan, a tribe. Like what Heinlein mentioned in his books.”

“Being with more than one person? Kara would never, ever accept that.”

“No, But Jennifer would. I think Bethany might as well. Kathy might, given the right arrangement. I might.”

“What? You would be willing to be in a group relationship? Without being my legal wife?”

“Yeah, actually, I might. Why not live your life like you are now? Marry Jennifer or Bethany and have me, Stephie, and whoever else you want to live with us as well.”

“Stephie?” I asked.

“She’s already accepted that kind of relationship. She might just accept it on a more permanent basis.”

“So I’d be some kind of Arab sheikh with a bunch of wives? I just don’t see it.”

“Well, the law says you can only have one, but you could have as many girlfriends as you wanted.”

“That’s just crazy!” I said.

“Three!” Elyse groaned as her body shook again. “I think you should consider that solution.”

“I don’t think anyone except Jennifer would accept that. And I wouldn’t do that to her, and especially not to Bethany! Bethany is finally happy, and so is Kathy. I simply won’t do that to them. I just don’t see that working out well for anyone.”

“I think it could,” she said, groaning as I pressed my finger deeply into her pussy.

“And what would you tell your parents? And what would the other girls tell theirs?” I asked.

“Who knows? And who cares? I just sort of came to this possible solution today while I was driving back to Chicago.”

I slid my finger in and out of her pussy as quickly as I could, and a minute later, she groaned again.

“Bastard!” she hissed. “I need you to fuck me hard. And I need it right now!”

We stood up, went to her bed, and she got on all fours. I got behind her and slammed my dick deep into her. I grabbed her hips and fucked her as hard as I could. It only took about five minutes before we both came. We went back to the bathroom and showered while the tub drained. We dried off and put on robes and went to the kitchen to make a late dinner. After dinner, we went to my bed and spooned naked together.

“I really think you should think about it, Steve.”

“There isn’t really anything to think about, Elyse.”

“Just think about it.”

We made love slowly and when we finished, we snuggled and fell asleep.

When I awoke Monday morning, I slipped quietly out of bed, dressed, and went out to run. The weather was finally good enough that I could run regularly. As I ran, I thought more about what Elyse had said. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a very bad idea. Asking Bethany to do something like that would be downright abusive and would undermine everything I’d tried to do for her. I simply could not do that to her.

As for Jennifer, she would absolutely accept such a relationship if it were her and Stephanie. But I didn’t think I could do that to my sister. I felt that her best interests were in getting married and continuing a relationship with her after she was married violated one of my cardinal principles. That principle was important. Yes, I had set it aside willingly for Sofia, but that had to be a special exception. The other times I’d considered setting it aside had been when I’d been having one of my tantrums, and I certainly wasn’t going to base my life on THAT kind of behavior.

It hit me that I was falling back into the old pattern of having sex with just about anyone who asked, and THAT was most certainly not what Kara expected of me. I had failed her and really failed myself. Self-justification was a strong suit of mine and I had to find a way to overcome it and actually start acting like I kept promising to. I had, in effect, let Elyse bully me into having sex with her. And if I was totally honest with myself, I had let Tracey and Stephanie goad me into sex with Jessica. Then there was Dona — that was simply pure lust for a smoking hot body. And Jackie, well, that happened because I’d been with all the other girls and I’d simply decided that one more was no big deal.

In less than two weeks, I’d be going to DC to see Tanya. There was no doubt that I’d sleep in her bed with her. In about two months, I’d be going to Sweden and there was no doubt that Karin and I would be together, if only for a final week of passion, before putting an end to our relationship. Pia had a steady boyfriend, as of her last letter, and neither she nor I would violate that relationship. I couldn’t give Sofia what she was looking for, and that last lovemaking session had truly been a one-time thing in both our minds. As for other girls, there wasn’t anyone I was involved with, and no expectation that I would be.

I had to ask myself what it was I truly wanted. I kept saying I wanted to be with Kara permanently, and yet, I kept having sex with other girls. I kept promising myself that at a future date, I would stop, and that date was fast approaching. Was I, as some of the girls said, just getting it out of my system? That had been Birgit’s thinking, and, to a lesser extent, Kara’s; though Kara didn’t have quite the same mindset as Birgit had once had. Was it OK to continue as I was, right now, until the end of July?

If not, how would I deal with it? I wasn’t going to be in Milford again until the middle of May, so that removed the temptation to be with them, if only due to distance. When I was there, I’d be with Kara as much as possible and it was unlikely I’d see any of the girls, though I might see Anna. That was safe in my mind — twice I’d resisted her, not because I didn’t want her, but because, like Bethany, I didn’t want to hurt her. Jackie was a one-time thing, though I wasn’t completely sure that she wouldn’t ask again. Stephie and I knew the end date for our relationship, and that was basically the last day of school, or perhaps the following day, depending on our travel schedules. The same was true for Elyse.