Chapter 26: The Russians are Coming!, Part I

April, 1984, Chicago, Illinois

On Monday afternoon I received a call from Ivan Voronin's secretary letting me know the details of the trip. Minister Voronin and his daughter would arrive on Sunday afternoon, and a limo would bring them to my house. The limo would pick up Minister Voronin at midnight, to take him to his hotel, and Tatyana would stay at my house. A limo would pick her up on Tuesday morning to take her to meet her father. I asked about Colonel Anisimova and was told that she was accompanying the Minister.

After I hung up, I called the travel agent and made the changes to my travel plans for Sweden. Fortunately, there was no fee to make the change. They asked me to bring the tickets back, and they'd issue me new ones. I thanked them, hung up, and walked to the travel agency and handed in the tickets. I waited for them to reprint the tickets and then headed back home.

Tuesday was crazy as always, with me leaving the house at 6:30am and not arriving home until 10:30pm because of work and class. Both were going well, but I was looking forward to the end of this semester. Scott Bannerman had asked if I was willing to work after school was out, and I had told him that I could do three days a week during May, but June and most of July were out. He'd said that was OK, because they hadn't planned on me being available. Dave had family plans in June, but he'd come back to Chicago in July to work.

There was a message from Joyce on my machine saying that the procedure had gone well and she was fine. She said not to call if I arrived home after 8:00pm my time because she was going to bed early. I made a note to myself to call her on Wednesday after class.

Wednesday at school went along as usual and I called Joyce as soon as I arrived home. We talked for about ten minutes and she explained that once again we were in a wait-and-see situation. If there was no recurrence, then she'd have a regular annual Pap smear for the rest of her life. If there was a recurrence, then she and her doctor would talk about options. I reminded her that I loved her and told her to keep in touch.

I did homework, ate dinner, and then did homework again until 7:00pm when a very agitated Penny O'Neil arrived. I started to head-to-head upstairs to my room, but she grabbed my arm and shook her head. I remembered the evil look she'd given me and realized what the problem was. I took her to the kitchen, grabbed a couple of Cokes, and then we went into my study. I shut the door and motioned for her to sit down.

"You lied to me!" she said nastily.

"How so? Because I kissed my friend goodbye?"

"I saw that kiss! That's how you kiss me!"

"Penny, she's a friend. And I thought you understood the situation."

"You lied!" she huffed.

"I don't think so. Joyce is not my girlfriend. I kissed her because she's a close friend. I kiss Jackie like that, too. And Elyse."

"Why? Only boyfriends and girlfriends kiss like that!"

"That's not true. I kiss lots of my female friends like that. And that includes my friend Melanie, who you haven't met. She's engaged to be married to a close friend of mine."

"He lets you do that?"

"I'd say he tolerates it," I replied. "It's Melanie who wants to kiss like that. But forget that. I'm not happy with the way you reacted. Do you think I won't kiss anyone else or have sex with anyone else because I'm going to do it with you?"

Penny glared at me and I realized that I might have made a major miscalculation. She wasn't even fifteen, and the nuances of relationships and language were lost on her. Now was the time to be blunt with her and make sure that she understood everything. I took a deep breath and let it out.

"Penny, we aren't going steady. I kiss other girls. Every Friday, Anala spends the night and we sleep in the same bed. And yes, we make love. Sometimes some of the other girls in the house spend the night with me. And yes, that means that we have sex. If you can't deal with that, then I can't have sex with you, no matter how much you want to do it."

A tear ran down her cheek. I wasn't exactly sure why, because I didn't know what she was thinking.

"Please don't say that!" she sobbed. "You promised me!"

"Penny, take a minute and get yourself under control, and we can talk about this."

She nodded and took some tissues from the box on my desk. She dabbed her eyes and blew her nose, and a few minutes later she had stopped crying.

"I want to do it with you," she said. "But I'm afraid all those older girls are so much better than I am that you won't like it with me! That I won't know what to do!"

"Penny, are you scared?" I asked gently.

"Yes," she sighed. "What if I'm no good? You have all those older girls who know how to do it! And they're so pretty!"

"You're pretty, Penny. I mean that. And you've been great at everything we've done. Why do you think making love is any different from what we already do?"

"Don't you, like, have to know how to move and stuff?"

I smiled, "I think it comes naturally, but if you have questions, I can answer them."

She nodded, biting her lip, "You really mean that? That you don't want those older girls instead of me."

"I do mean it. Now, what questions did you have?"

"How does it work? I mean, I know from sex ed that your penis goes into my vagina and it squirts out sperm. Does that happen right away?"

"No. Well, not for me, anyway. Come sit on my lap and we'll talk about it."

She got out of her chair and came and sat on my lap. She curled up much like Katt had in the past and I held her tightly to me.

"There are lots of ways to do it, but the basic one is the girl is on her back, and the guy gets between her legs and gently pushes his penis into her vagina. If the girl is a virgin, sometimes she'll have a hymen which he has to push through, but that's only the first time, and that's what can hurt or bleed a little.

"Once he gets all the way in, he starts moving so that his penis goes in and out of the girl's vagina, and he rubs against her body. They kiss a lot and the girl moves her hips so that it feels better for her. She can wrap her legs around the guy's thighs or butt or back, so that she can move her hips faster or harder.

"After a while, she'll feel really, really good and have an orgasm. Just like the ones you have from my tongue or finger, only they might be stronger and feel even better. After a few minutes, she might have another one or even two, before the guy has his and ejaculates into her."

"How long can it last?" she asked.

"It depends on a lot of things, but at least ten minutes, or longer. I might not last that long the first time because virgins are usually very tight and that feels very, very good. And you might get sore, too."

"How many times can you do it?" she giggled.

"Again, it depends. Four or five, for sure. But as I said, you might be sore or uncomfortable."

"And that's it? I don't have to do anything else? Or know anything else?"

"Nope. That's it. It really is that easy, Penny. Your body knows what to do. Are you OK now?"

"I guess. Do those older girls do anything special for you? I mean, like what we've been doing? Or other stuff I haven't learned about?"

"There are a lot of ways to do it. Let's stick to the simple ones for now. I promise, I will like it. In fact, I'll like it so much I'll want to do it again."

"Really? You can promise that?"

"Think about what we've done together. Do you think I like it?"

"Yes! You really like it when I swallow after I suck you. I can tell!"

I chuckled, "Then you know everything you need to know! Our birthday is going to be out of this world. I promise."

"And you promise, cross-your heart, hope to die, that you'll fuck me? And make me have lots of orgasms?"

"Penelope Margaret O'Neil, I promise I will fuck you until you can't stand it anymore!"

"Good! Now, can we go to your room and do that other stuff?"

"Yes, of course."

We went up to my room and I got one of the most enthusiastic blowjobs that I'd ever had. Penny even managed to get me completely in her mouth, though her gag reflex made her back off. I didn't complain, as she had most of me in once she backed off. I came explosively in her mouth and she swallowed every drop. We switched positions, and I pleasured her with my tongue until she was writhing in ecstasy. I cuddled her for a bit, and then we showered and she headed home.

On Thursday, Dave and I drove in our own cars, because I had something important to do. I only worked until 2:00pm, and then drove to a store in Wheaton where I'd placed an order, picked up what I'd ordered, and then got on IL-5 to head west. My destination was Madison, because today was Bethany's 21st birthday. She didn't know I was going to show up, but I'd checked with Pam to make sure that Bethany was going to be there.

The drive took just over two hours, and I arrived at Bethany's dorm building just before 5:00pm. I asked the student at the desk to call up for Pam, who came down three minutes later. She hugged me, and we rode up the elevator together. She handed me her key, kissed me on the cheek and went down the hallway to the guys' side of the dorm. I went towards the girls' side, found Bethany's room, and used my key to enter.

"Who was in the lobby, Pam?" Bethany said without looking up from her desk.

"Me, Sweetheart!" I said.

"Steve!" she squealed, jumping up from her desk.

She threw her arms around me and gave me a sloppy kiss.

"Happy twenty-first birthday, Sweetheart!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!"

"I wanted to surprise you. I did check with Pam to make sure you were going to be here."

Bethany laughed, "That's why she was so hyped for us to have dinner tonight to celebrate! She was covering for you!"

"Yes! Shall we go to dinner?"

"Can I have my birthday present first?" she smirked.

"Of course!" I said, pulling the small box from my jacket pocket.

"You!" she huffed. "You KNOW that's not what I meant!"

"Oh, THAT present. And how do you know I intended to give you that for your birthday?"

"Steve Adams, if you came all this way and don't make love to me, I'll never let you touch me again!"

"Promise?" I chuckled.

"Asshole!" she giggled.

"Open your present first. Then we'll make love, and then we can go to dinner."

"Deal!" she said.

She ripped the paper off the box and her eyes grew wide when she saw that it was a jewelry box. Her hands were shaking as she opened it and when she saw what was in the box, she started sobbing and threw her arms around my neck, kissing me repeatedly on the neck and cheek.

"You like?" I grinned.

"Steve, are you sure about this?" she whispered.

"Of course, Sweetheart."

"Then put it on me!" she said, stifling a sob.

She removed the purple stone pendant that I'd given her years ago, and then I took the diamond pendant from the box and put it around her neck. It was very close to the one that I'd bought for Kara all those years ago, and given how the future looked to be shaping up, it made sense to give one to Bethany. Right now, at this moment, she appeared to be my future.

"I love you Bethany," I said.

"I love you too, Steve. Does this really mean what I think it means?"

"You know how crazy things are in my life. Anything could happen between now and when you graduate, but one thing will never, ever change. I'll never, ever stop loving you. That's what this diamond is about."

"OK," she said, slowly removing her clothes.

She stood naked before me, with only the diamond pendant gracing her wonderfully sexy body. She smiled at me and raised one eyebrow. I got the hint and got undressed. We got into her small dormitory bed and made love slowly and passionately, bringing not just our bodies, but also our souls, together. I felt the sharp edges of the pendant against my chest several times, a stark reminder of how important this young woman was to me, and would be in the future.

When we finished, Bethany hugged me tightly, refusing to let me get up for several minutes. Eventually she let me go, and I wrapped a towel around myself and went to the guys' showers, while she put on a robe and went to the girls'. When we'd showered and dressed, I took her to Red Lobster for dinner.

We both had platters of seafood, and Bethany made a joke saying that I should eat plenty of oysters. When we finished, I let the waitress know that it was Bethany's birthday, and they brought out chocolate cake and the waitstaff sang Happy Birthday to her. I had wanted to buy Bethany her first legal drink, but it was too late, because Wisconsin's drinking age was nineteen and she'd had plenty of legal drinks. We finished our meal with coffee and then headed back to the dorm.

"Have fun before dinner, you two?" Pam giggled when we walked into the dorm room.

"What makes you say that?" I smirked.

"Messed up sheets, a wet spot in the middle of the bed, and the distinct odor of fucking!" she giggled. "I burned an incense stick to solve that last one."

"Guilty as charged," I admitted. "How are things going?"

"Very good!" she said, holding out her hand.

"An engagement ring? Your guy back in Eau Claire?"

"Yes! I'm officially off the market as of last Valentine's Day!"

"When's the wedding?"

"Probably a couple of years. Wes has to graduate and get a job. And so do I. Once we get that sorted out, we'll set a date. How about you?"

"It's complicated, as always! Bethany can fill you in. Right now, I hope you have someplace you can go!" I grinned.

"Back to Jack's room to study. Is an hour enough?" she smirked.

"Unfortunately, it is; I have to get back to Chicago. Thanks, Pam, I appreciate it."

We hugged, and she left the room. Bethany and I got undressed and into her bed, and once again joined our bodies and souls in making love. I was beginning to see her as the most likely life partner and I was going to do everything in my power to ensure that we had a solid, intimate relationship. Even if Fate intervened, Bethany was still, and I hoped always would be, my best friend.

When we finished, we showered, dressed, and then she went down to the parking lot with me to say goodbye. I pulled her into a hug and held her tightly to me.

"What do we need to do to make this work?" she asked.

"The same thing we've been doing, Bethany. The biggest impediment is off the field, I guess, at this point."

"I feel bad for you, Steve. I know that you were looking for Jennifer to be your legal wife. But I can't say I'm unhappy given that it seriously improved my prospects. Have you fully come to terms with that? Be honest!"