Chapter 18: Kathryn Ryanne O’Connor

January-February, 1985, Chicago, Illinois

After Alice left, I went back to work on my homework. I guessed I'd be up until around 1:00am to finish everything, given how much I'd put off until tonight. I got to work, and around 9:00pm Joyce called to update me on her grandfather. He'd had a catheterization and wouldn't need surgery. He'd now be on blood thinners, and had been given a diet and exercise plan, which mostly involved walking. I wondered how he'd do on a diet, especially given his wife's cooking. He was going to be home on Saturday, so Joyce suggested I visit him there around 2:00pm.

It was actually 1:20am before I finished my homework. The house was quiet, though I saw a light in the study room as I went up the stairs. I brushed my teeth, undressed, and quickly climbed into bed. Just as I'd pulled the covers over me, I heard the door open and wondered if it was Elyse, Sofia, or Kara. I heard the rustle of clothes, and then felt the duvet move and a warm, naked body slid into bed next to me.

I reached out and put my arm around the girl and pulled it back like I'd been bitten by a cobra. I was sure it wasn't Sofia, Kara, or Elyse. The girl giggled, and I knew immediately who it was.

"Katy O'Connor, what the heck are you doing in my bed?!" I asked, alarmed.

"Elyse said you needed to talk to me. So I came to talk."

"Naked?" I asked.

"I hear you talk better after you make love," she giggled.

"You are off-limits! You know that!" I said.

"Pish-posh. You and your rules!" she giggled.

"Katy, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," she paused. "Yet!"

More giggles. I wasn't sure if she was teasing or serious. I was concerned, but I felt I knew Katy well enough.

"You are teasing me, aren't you?" I said.

She stopped giggling, "Yes. Though if you want to, I'd like to!"

"You know better. As much as I would love to make love to you right now, it's not right."

"Screw or talk. It's up to you, Steve."

"Talk," I said.

"Spoilsport!" she giggled, but then got serious. "What's bugging you?"

"Besides having a smoking hot Irish girl in my bed, naked, who I can't do anything with?" I chuckled.

"Can. But won't. A big difference. Yes, besides that."

"Am I an insensitive, self-centered asshole?"

She laughed, "Sometimes you certainly are. Usually not, but that stunt you almost pulled with Anala sure showed it. And ignoring Sofia didn't win you any brownie points with the girls here, either."

She snuggled close, her small, firm breast pressing into my side. I reluctantly put my arm around her and she purred!

"Yeah, those were pretty bad," I agreed. "But otherwise?"

"It's not wrong to think about yourself, but you have to make sure you realize how others perceive you. Taking care of Bethany is super important, but you can't neglect everyone else. Even just a hug to let them know that you're thinking about them. Or a card. Or flowers. Or a note. That's really all it takes."

She threw one leg over me and I felt soft pubic hair on my hip. She was really pushing the edge of the envelope.

"I've never done much of that, really. It's good advice."

"You also need to just go with the flow more. You try too hard to plan things out. Sometimes, being spontaneous and doing something random is the best thing to do," she said, tracing a line down my chest and stomach with her finger.

"You're playing with fire, Katy," I warned, feeling my own resistance start to melt away.

She quickly moved on top of me and kissed me.

"I want to get burned!" she hissed.

She kissed me, and my remaining resistance quickly melted away. But I had to make sure.

"Katy, this isn't you!" I protested weakly.

"Just shut up!"

My protest was muffled by a fierce kiss from Katy. My body reacted as the body of any red-blooded male would. I felt Katy reach down and grasp my rapidly hardening dick and shift so that she could envelop me with her hot, silky pussy. Katy continued to kiss me and flexed her hips to grind against me. I gave in and put my hands on Katy's tight butt cheeks and squeezed. She broke the kiss and rose up a bit, offering a nipple to suckle. I greedily took it into my mouth and sucked hard and lashed it with my tongue.

Katy groaned, and I felt her pussy spasm around my shaft. She began humping harder, trying to prolong her pleasure. She rode me to a second orgasm, then lifted off. She leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"Take me from behind!"

We moved, so that she was on all fours and I got behind her. I pressed into her depths and put my hands on her hips. I began thrusting in and out of her steaming tunnel.

"Harder," she whispered.

I thrust harder.

"Harder!" she demanded.

I increased the speed and power of my thrusts.

"Harder, damn it!" she hissed.

I pounded hard and fast into her tight tunnel.

"Cum in me!" she demanded.

I allowed my pleasure to build and as I felt the cum rise in my shaft, I slammed hard into her and when the first spurt of cum left my dick, I leaned forward and cupped her small breasts, running my fingers over her nipples. Katy pressed her face into the pillow and groaned deeply as her pussy spasmed hard, milking my dick as it spewed cum into her. When Katy's orgasm finally passed, I pulled out of her and we collapsed on the bed. She snuggled close, and I put my arm around her.

"What was that about?" I gasped.

"You needed it. I wanted it."

"What about Kenneth?"

"He's going to ask me to marry him. This was the last chance and after I talked to Elyse, I decided to take it."

I sighed, "But my rule forbids it."

"Your rule," she said. "Not mine."

"What about your rule about only with a guy who'll commit to you?"

She giggled, "That went away two Christmases ago when we fucked like bunnies!"

"Still, you should ask. Not assume."

"Oh stow it! You enjoyed it. And you're going to enjoy it again. And again!" she giggled. "Shall we talk while you recover?"

"Sure."

"Elyse told me what was bothering you. I have some ideas if you want to hear them."

"I do," I said.

We spent about forty-five minutes with Katy, analyzing everything that had happened since she met me. It was fascinating hearing how everything looked to an outsider who, despite being a friend, was not one of my intimate circle, so to speak. She knew a lot because of the interview that she'd done with me not long after we'd first met. What I found most interesting was that she agreed with me that I should have fought for Stephie.

"You don't think I was just borrowing her?" I asked.

"No," Katy said. "She was yours. She only went with Red because you told her to. She was ready to tell him to take a hike if you had asked her to stay. She was waiting for you to do that, but you never did."

"But would that have been the right thing to do for her? And for me?"

"There's no way to know. You always take a risk when you create a relationship that's supposed to be permanent. It's why we all get nervous when it comes time to commit. I WANT Kenneth to ask me to marry him, but it scares the hell out of me. Ask Cindi about that."

I chuckled, "She talked to me about it right after Chris popped the question. I suspect I'll be the same way."

"You'd be crazy if you weren't. It's a hell of a decision. Of course, you could just skip it if you wanted to, given how things are shaping up."

"I don't want to. It's really only a matter of what things look like. Got any suggestions?"

Katy laughed, "Yes. Sixty-nine. Then I'll ride you. Then for the last time, slow, sweet love making."

I chuckled, "That wasn't quite what I was talking about, but sure, I'd love to get my tongue on that pussy!"

We did as she asked, talking between each round, with Katy echoing some of Elyse's advice, but providing some different perspectives as well. She wholeheartedly agreed that I needed to quit obsessing and reduce my stress level. Her solution to that was sixty-nine, followed by a rest, her riding me, and then after another rest, my making slow, passionate love to her.

"It's almost 5:00am. Should we even sleep?" I asked.

"A two-hour nap would help," she suggested.

I set the alarm, and we snuggled into bed, staying close to one side to avoid the wet spots. The alarm jolted me awake at 7:00am and I wondered if I'd survive the day. Katy and I got into the shower together and washed the stickiness and sweat from our bodies.

"So that's what Cindi's going to get?" she asked as we dried off.

"Oh no," I chuckled. "Cindi is going to get something so over the top she'll never forget it!"

"What the hell could be more over the top than what we just did?" she asked.

I laughed, "You interviewed me, you figure it out!"

She laughed with me, "Ah, yeah. No thanks. But she said no limits, so go for it!"

"Oh, not only that, but she gave me another idea, too. Those huge breasts of hers!"

Katy laughed even harder, "Nice. How many times do you think you can cum in 24 hours?"

"Six or seven, at least, if it's a full wall-clock 24."

"I bet you could sell THAT videotape!" she said as I dressed.

"No thanks!" I said.

Katy put on her robe and gave me a quick kiss before heading to her room to dress. I had just enough time for a quick breakfast — cereal and toast — before Kara and I headed to campus for class.

"Have fun last night?" Kara asked, as she had on Wednesday morning.

"Did you know she was going to do that?" I asked.

"She talked to me to find out if you'd be angry or not. I told her I didn't think you would, but she was asking you to violate an important rule."

"And you thought it was a good idea?"

"I wasn't sure. But I know that in the end, you would decide yes or no and stick to it. May I ask why you did it?"

I chuckled, "She insisted. I guess it was her last fling, because she expects Kenneth to propose. If she was going to do it, it had to be last night, and she wanted another night with me. In the end, I let her have her way."

She cocked her head and smirked. "She insisted? I wonder how she convinced you."

I chuckled. "A naked girl rubbing herself against me is hard for even me to resist!"

Kara nodded with a smile, "And do you feel bad?"

"No. Tired. But not bad. In the end, Katy has to decide for herself what's right for her. But if she'd waited until she got engaged, I'd have said 'no' for sure. It was a close thing last night."

"But Cindi's engaged," Kara objected.

"True. And I've had second thoughts about the promise that I made to her years ago. It'd be easier if it wasn't Chris. That's given me real pause. I'm probably going to take a shot at talking Cindi out of it before it happens. She doesn't have to keep her deal with her friends."

"And if you can't talk her out of it?"

"Then I have a tough decision to make."

"Do you know for sure what you'll do?"

"No. Though Katy suggested I videotape it!" I chuckled as we pulled into the lot at IIT.

"I don't know that I'd want to see THAT tape, but I might want to see one of you and me!"

"Back on that topic?" I asked with a smirk.

Kara laughed softly, "Don't you think it would be exciting?"

"And dangerous!" I declared. "What if that tape got out?"

"Have you ever seen a pornographic movie?"

"No. Jennifer and I joked about it three or four years ago when we were at the video store. The only person I know for sure that's seen one is Julia."

"Interesting. I think it might be interesting to see one. Just for, you know, educational purposes!" she giggled.

I kissed her and headed off to class. I got through the day by getting a cup of coffee before each morning class and a Mountain Dew before each afternoon class. I was nearly dead on my feet by the time I arrived home, but I'd turned in all my assignments and made it through my classes without falling asleep. The highlight of the day was that The Bog had reopened for lunch after widespread complaints from students.

At home, I was glad to see that Elyse and Julia had already started dinner. I went to my study and Elyse stuck her head through the open door.

"I told you it would make you feel better!" she smirked.

"That was risky, Elyse."

"No, it wasn't. I knew you would say 'no' if it really bothered you. But you've wanted to get back into Katy's panties for a year! And she wanted you one last time. Well, four, I guess, according to her!"

"You are something else!" I chuckled.

"And you are in a much better mood. I'm guessing things went OK with Alice last night as well."

"They did. She didn't give me permission, but she acknowledged that she couldn't prevent Penny from doing it if Penny was determined. So long as I treat Penny OK, Alice isn't going to try to put a stop to it."

"Then I'd say that's a cause for celebration! Next Thursday?"

I chuckled, "Yes. Now, I need to get some homework done and I'm going to bed right after dinner. And yes, I'm taking Sofia with me!"

"Good. Who are you sleeping with tomorrow night?"

"Bethany. When I talked to her on Wednesday, she said she was cleared for stairs as of tomorrow, assuming no trouble with her rehab."

"Good. Just go easy on her."

"No sex for a few more months, most likely. She needs her doctor's clearance. Now, please let me work on my homework until dinner!"

Elyse smiled and went back to the kitchen. I worked on a history paper that was due in a week until she called me to eat, and when I finished eating, I took Sofia's hand and led her up to my room.

"An early bedtime?" she asked.

"Unless you want to stay up. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Then let's get you to bed. Got enough energy to make love, or do you need to sleep right away?"

"I have enough energy," I grinned.

We made love, and I fell asleep almost the instant my head hit the pillow afterwards.

I slept soundly and woke before my alarm went off. Sofia stayed in bed while I showered and dressed. She sat up for a kiss, then lay back down when I went downstairs to eat breakfast. While I ate, I read an article in the newspaper about three firefighters who had been killed in an extra-alarm fire in Logan Square. The police suspected arson-for-hire, and were questioning suspects.

When I finished, I put a card with a short love note in Sofia's slot in the mail tray. I had just enough time to call Karin and have a brief conversation, and let her know that I wanted to have a longer one very soon. She told me to call anytime, and I hung up, and then headed to Meigs Field.

February, 1985, Greater Cincinnati, Ohio