Chapter 11

Doris turned her chair so she could face him directly. Then ignoring the others at the table and the people all around them, she used both hands to span his large biceps, and then ran them across his chest and shoulders. Finally she said, “I noticed. I also felt the equipment you carry poking into me when we kissed. So what?”

“So women hate football and think all football players are idiots. At least all the women with any brains do,” he replied.

Before Ken could say anything more, Bill interjected, “What you don’t know, Ken, is that Doris made about $10,000 last season betting on pro football.” He chuckled and added, “Earlier you spoke of Doris’s sister, Carol, and the fact that you didn’t think any of the New York papers picked up the story. You were right: none did. But it got a pretty heavy play in the media that specialize in pro football. If there’s such a publication that Doris doesn’t subscribe to — and memorize — it can’t be worth much.

“In fact, I’ll make a wager with you: $100. The bet is that she can tell you something right now with respect to how you could improve your performance as a wide receiver. And I mean right now! I don’t mean tomorrow morning. Furthermore, it should be obvious that she had no idea you would be her date tonight, and I can assure you I said nothing at all to her about either you or my bet that she could give you a tip. Finally, you will be the sole judge of whether whatever she might tell you is of any value. No questions asked. Agreed?”

Ken immediately agreed and he and Bill shook on the bet. “I’m on the spot now, Doris,” Bill said. “Can you suggest something?”

“Sure,” she replied. “Ken, whenever you go out for a pass you always glance in the direction you’re going to go and the direction you expect the pass to come from — inside or outside. Don’t look! Just run your route and then look. Okay?”

“What about it?” Bill asked. “Was that helpful?”

“Hell, no!” Ken complained while taking out his wallet and counting out $100. “It was nothing a good receivers coach wouldn’t have spotted in two or three years. But anyway...” With that he handed over the money and looked at Doris with new respect.

Then he said, “You’ve been feeling the merchandise, Doris. What about me? Or are you a sexist?”

Doris just looked at him. Her chair was still faced around toward him so all she did was to straighten her back even more than it was and look at him impassively. Ken moved his chair to shield them from the other tables, then put his hand on her left breast and gently squeezed. He could feel her firm nipple harden even more the instant he did. All Doris did was to try to muffle a moan of ecstacy.

Then he ran his fingers over her shoulders and upper arms. His eyes widened when he realized that she was as muscular as he was although her muscles were concealed under the softest, smoothest skin imaginable. Finally, he moved his hand down and caressed her upper thigh through the thin material of her dress. He realized that the shape of her leg was perfect.

Finally he said in an utterly flat tone of voice, “Okay, Doris. I will marry you.”

“Thank you, Kenneth,” Doris said haughtily. “That’s the nicest proposal of marriage I’ve received all day ... No! I’m sorry. I stand corrected. It is the nicest proposal since luncheon.” She paused while Caitie and Sandy tried to control their giggles in order to hear the exchange. “But I suppose we’ve gone far enough for our attorneys to meet and discuss our prenuptial agreement...”

“I beg your pardon?” Ken asked, barely able to control a grin.

“A prenuptial agreement, silly!” Doris insisted. “You know ... It has all the important stuff, like visitation rights...”

“Visitation rights?” Ken repeated with a question in his voice.

“How many times a year you may visit my bedroom for...” now her voice dropped as she almost whispered, “conjugal affairs...”

“Do you mean...” Ken looked around to be sure he was not overheard, then dropped his voice and whispered, “You mean ... s-e-x?”

“Kenneth!” Doris almost screamed. “Don’t you dare ever use that word in my presence. Even if you spell it rather than speak it. The idea! What do you take me for, anyway?”

Then she continued in a more normal but still very quiet voice, “I was thinking about ... twice a year? How does that sound to you? I mean ... I know little of men, but it is my understanding that after such a visit there is a period required for recovery...” She paused, cocked her head, thought for a moment and then shook it vigorously. “No, I’m being much too demanding. Once a year should be adequate to ... slake our passions. Don’t you agree, Kenneth?”

“Let me come back to that in a moment, Doris. There are other more important questions still to be answered. For example, you appear to be sound of wind and limb, But ... Aren’t you ... just a bit ... scrawny? I mean ... A woman who pulls a plow all day needs to have some real meat on her bones.

“And then there are your breasts. Are they adequate? I mean ... On the farm, after giving birth and all, we’ll need all the money we can get. And breast milk is going for a pretty penny these days, but from your size I doubt if we could get even a gallon a day...”

“Pulling the plow? Kenneth, surely you jest. I shall be guiding the plow — cutting the furrow, if you will — while you pull it...”

“I beg your pardon, Mistress! I am the expert at skilled jobs, and guiding the plow calls for great skill. Strong legs and shoulders are all that are required to pull it, and yours appear ... adequate.”

With that the two lost control and broke down in laughter. When she finally regained control, Doris daintily stuck out her tongue in Ken’s direction. Then she said, “Another thing: personal modesty. On the one day a year when you may visit, I expect the lights to be off and the room darkened. You may use a candle to find your way to the bed, provided it is promptly extinguished before pulling back the covers. For my part, I shall pull up the hem of my nightgown sufficiently for you to ... to ... to do whatever you do. I should expect that no more than five minutes should be required for the whole event. Do you agree?”

“You mean ... I won’t get to see your body ... bare? Ever?”

“I beg your pardon!” Doris exclaimed. “My ... body... ? bare... ? Do you mean... naked? Yuck!” When she said the word, naked, it was as if she had encountered something vile in her bed. The expression on her face was priceless. “I mean ... My dear man! No one sees me bare. Why ... Dr. Corcoran is my personal physician, and he never has, have you, Dr. Corcoran?”

Bill’s eyes were wide with sincerity as he said, “Of course not!”

Then to Ken he said, “Mr. Jackson, you can’t imagine the difficulties I’ve encountered with Dr. Jefferson. I can’t tell you how difficult it is to thoroughly examine a patient behind a screen! But...” Bill just slowly shook his head and concluded, “But that’s the way it must be with Dr. Jefferson. One might almost say that she’s modest to a fault.”

Of course, the previous day he and Caitie had been out to the nude beach with her, and now Doris regularly came over to Caitie’s to work out. Since they usually had the ultra-violet lights on at the same time, they were always bare. In fact, just the previous week his aid had been enlisted to critique Caitie’s work in plucking Doris’s pubic hair to match her own. Now, like Caitie, Doris was bare except for a small, dense patch of silken hair right above her slit.

Hearing Bill’s talk, Ken’s face fell. Then after thinking for a moment, he brightened and said, “I suppose it’s just as well. Thank you, dear Doris, for being so foresighted. I agree to your terms. One night each year should be plenty ... Wait! That’s not enough. Doris, I insist on modifying the agreement: I shall have two visits each leap year.”

He paused, appeared to be deep in thought, and then added, “I don’t believe that twice in a single year will destroy my masculinity, provided, of course, that it’s only one year in four.” Again Ken paused and then continued, “There’s one other point, though. I believe you said that my ... conjugal visits ... should be restricted to five minutes. Dear heart, I believe that to be an excessive amount of time. I can complete my ... business ... in three minutes or less...”