Chapter 38: Follow the Leader

January 1, 1993, Chicago, Illinois

“Wow!” Ellie said. “That’s almost unbelievable!”

“It’s all true,” Samantha said.

I’d learned a few things about Samantha from the story, but nothing earth-shattering, and nothing compared to the things I knew about her dad which she didn’t reveal, though she did complain about him hitting on all her friends. Ellie’s reaction to that had been interesting, and had confirmed that she was, indeed, the instigator of what might happen later that evening. The exchange had been very interesting.

“The first thing he’s EVER said to me that was anything like that was when he said I looked sexy in my bikini!”

“He promised not to say or do anything with any of my friends.”

“But you told me it was OK!” Ellie protested.

“It is!” Samantha said with a smile. “Because you told me you thought he was hot. But that was before you found out about us.”

“He’s never kissed you or anything in front of us.”

“Because he didn’t want to hurt me, or give anyone the wrong impression. And what I told you last week and again today was true. He never hit on me. I hit on him and asked him for what I wanted. And he’s never, ever, asked me to do anything.”

“All the boys push us to do stuff! I mean, you know, Mary told us about her boyfriend. And so did Liz. It’s why my dad won’t let me date!”

“Not Steve. If you want to do anything with him later, you have to tell him. He’ll never ask.”

“Weird,” Ellie said.

The conversation had gone back to Samantha’s story at that point. Ellie had mostly listened, often shaking her head in disbelief.

“And that stuff about Steve having two wives?” she asked when Samantha finished the story. “And the kids by different girls?”

“All true,” I said. “You’ve met all of them. We were just careful about what we said and did when you and the rest of Samantha’s friends were here. And remember, you can’t repeat any of that to anyone.”

“I won’t,” Ellie promised.

“We’ve been in here about twenty-five minutes. If you aren’t used to it, that’s probably about the limit. We should shower and get dressed. Then we can hang out with the rest of the family or spend some time together. It’s up to you girls. I plan to make dinner around 5:30pm. I’m making Chinese.”

“I love Chinese!” Ellie said.

I turned off the sauna and turned on the exhaust fan, and we went upstairs. I went to my room and the girls went to Samantha’s room. Twenty minutes later, we were in the ‘Indian’ room with music playing and incense burning.

“What’s with the different stuff in that cabinet?” Ellie asked.

I walked over to the cabinet and pointed to each item.

“This is an Orthodox diptych icon of Jesus and Mary. This is Loki, a Norse god. This is Shiva, a Hindu god. This is Shakti, another Hindu god. Krishna, a third Hindu god, is over there on the table with the incense bowl. I think the best thing to say is that I’m spiritual, not religious.”

“So, like you believe but don’t go to church?”

“I go to a Russian Orthodox church occasionally,” I said. “But I don’t know for sure what I believe. It’s really complicated.”

“Do you pray?”

“Every morning, though it’s mostly for a girl I know who’s becoming a nun.”

“No way!” Ellie laughed. “I want to be able to be with boys!”

I laughed, “More or less why I wasn’t interested in being a priest. I was raised Roman Catholic but decided I liked girls FAR too much to ever be a priest!”

“I think my dad wishes I would be a nun! Or that I could somehow have babies without ever having sex with my husband!”

I laughed, “I’ve heard that story before! It’s seems to be a pretty common opinion amongst dads!”

“You have daughters. What about them?”

“They can make their own decisions when they’re old enough. And that means around fourteen or fifteen, not eighteen or twenty-one.”

“So you don’t care if they have sex?”

“I think it’s up to them,” I said. “Just as I think it’s up to Samantha to decide. Or you. Nobody can decide for you.”

“So you think it’s OK for girls to have sex before they get married?”

Samantha laughed, “Duh! Obviously! I’m not married to him and he took me to bed when I asked.”

“Technically, it was a hayloft,” I chuckled.

“And you would do that stuff with me?” she asked.

“That’s not the question,” I said. “The real question is if you want to do that stuff with me.”

“You don’t care?” she asked, sounding sad.

“I do care,” I said. “But what I want doesn’t matter unless it’s what you want.”

“He said the same thing to me,” Samantha said. “I told you he won’t push you to do anything. Ever. But I think he’ll do what you want. I mean, if you still want to.”

Ellie’s face showed a mix of confusion, desire, and timidness. The problem was, I couldn’t, based on everything that had been said, take any overt action, either by word or deed.

“I, uh, think so,” she said.

I had an idea and shifted slightly on the floor pillows and kissed Samantha lightly on the lips, then moved back to my original position. Ellie’s look changed to one of pure desire, but I waited to see what would happen. It took about a minute, but she shifted close to me, and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, turning bright red as she did so. That was the invitation I needed, and I turned and planted a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled but moved back to her original spot.

We sat quietly for about ten minutes with soft music playing in the background, before Samantha decided to kiss me again, this time a bit longer, though still with our mouths closed. I wasn’t surprised when Ellie followed suit a minute later. What Samantha had said to me earlier came back to me - that Ellie was interested in a demonstration. I still wasn’t sure about that idea, but I was going to let the girls decide how this went.

A few minutes later, Samantha kissed me again, this time a soft, French kiss that lasted a minute or so. When she released me, Ellie moved close and pressed her lips to mine. I let her lead, and she explored my tongue with hers. I was reasonably sure she had never French kissed before, or at least hadn’t done so very often. When she broke the kiss, she smiled and moved away.

That was the pattern for nearly an hour, with Samantha kissing me every few minutes, and Ellie doing the same once Samantha broke the kiss. It never went beyond soft French kisses, and I wondered if that was Samantha’s plan, or if she was waiting for me to escalate. There really wasn’t a way to ask, and I didn’t want to move things faster than Ellie was comfortable. I knew it was possible this wouldn’t progress past kissing, and that was fine with me if that’s what she wanted.

“It’s time to start dinner,” I said. “We’ll have to continue the ‘Follow the Leader’ game after dinner!”

Both girls laughed and we went to the kitchen where I put rice on to boil, then began cutting up the ingredients for beef and broccoli. Thirty minutes later, we carried everything into the ‘Indian’ room to eat.

“This is really, really good!” Ellie said.

“Thanks!”

“You aren’t eating rice?”

“No. I’m on a low-carb diet because of a very minor health issue. It keeps things completely under control.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I have a propensity to faint under severe stress, have low blood pressure, and suffer from mood swings. A low carbohydrate diet helps keep all of that under control.”

When we finished the meal, we took all the dishes to the kitchen to wash, and Ellie excused herself to use the bathroom.

“What you said about ‘Follow the Leader’?” Samantha asked. “Does that mean you’re OK with that?”

“I think what really matters is if you and Ellie are OK with it.”

“I wasn’t sure what you thought. That’s why I didn’t do anything more than kiss you. I don’t think she’s done anything more than kiss a bit. That might have been her first French kiss.”

“That’s what I thought,” I said. “You’re sure this is what she wants to do?”

“That’s what she told me.”

Ellie came back and we finished the dishes and I waited to see what the girls wanted to do. It was too cold to go for a walk, with the temperature being 18°F and a breeze blowing that made it feel even colder. There was a fire burning in the fireplace, but with the family in the great room, we couldn’t really go there. It came down to the ‘Indian’ room or Samantha’s room.

“So, now what?” I asked after a minute or so of complete silence.

“What do you want to do?” Ellie asked.

That was the real question, wasn’t it? What DID I want to do? The whole thing with John Lentz was bothering me, and I was concerned about Ellie. I was also concerned about Samantha, both because of John Lentz, and because of Ellie. It was complicated by the ‘Follow the Leader’ idea that they had. A LONG time ago, Trish Kelly and Shelly Gardner had lost their virginities not only in front of each other, but in front of my sister. And Becka Jordon had lost her virginity WITH Abbie and me.

All three of them had seemed to do OK with what happened, and while Trish had fallen in love with me, that wasn’t directly related to losing her virginity in front of my sister and her friend Shelly. A few girls, presented with the possibility, had declined and asked to do it in private. In the end, it was up to Ellie, but I had to make sure that she wasn’t being pressured. I didn’t think Samantha was pressuring her, but I wasn’t completely sure.

“I’ll do anything you want,” I said. “But we should talk first. Just you and me.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll go hang out with the kids,” Samantha said.

Ellie and I went to the ‘Indian’ room. I took her hands in mine.

“I want to make sure you’re doing what you want to do. Not what you think I want, or what you think Samantha wants. She hasn’t pressured you at all, has she?”

“Oh no! I told her how handsome I thought you were the first time I met you. All the girls think that! This was my idea, and I didn’t even know you and Samantha had been together. She told us about her first time, and how amazing it was, but she never told who it was. She said it was an older guy and it was perfect because he really knew what to do.

“About two weeks ago, I asked if Samantha thought you would do it with me if I asked. That’s when she told me about the two of you. And she told me about needing the test. We went to the clinic and I got the test and we arranged the sleepover, but she wasn’t sure if you would do it or not.”

“She’s not pressuring you in any way? Or pushing you?”

“No, she isn’t! I promise!”

“And ‘Follow the Leader’?” I asked.

“My idea. Other than a few kisses, I haven’t done anything. I have no idea what to do! Samantha told me she found out by watching dirty movies. But I asked if she’d show me what to do.”

“And you’re OK with that? Doing things with her in the room?”

Ellie giggled, “I want to see it! And I think Samantha does, too!”

“I can teach you,” I said. “If you just want to be with me.”

Ellie smiled, “I’m curious to see it! I really am!”

“If that’s what you want.”

“And I can sleep in the same bed with you tonight?”

“If you want, yes. I usually spend Friday night with Samantha.”

“Samantha said I had to ask you.”

I nodded, “That’s right.”

Ellie smiled, looked me directly in the eyes, and said, “I want to go to bed with you.”

I pulled her into my arms and hugged her.

“I’d like that,” I said.

I released her and asked her to wait. I went out and motioned for Samantha to come to the ‘Indian’ room.

“I told him,” Ellie said.

“Then let’s go up to my room!” Samantha said happily.

The three of us went upstairs and into Samantha’s room. She closed and locked the door behind us. She went over to the small stereo and turned it on, turning up the volume to a moderate level. She walked over to the floor lamp and turned it on, and adjusted the dimmer, then turned off the overhead light. She took my hand and led me to the loveseat and we sat down. Ellie hadn’t moved since we came into the room, and stood by the door.

“Are you OK?” I asked Ellie.

“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do.”

“There’s enough room on the loveseat if we sit close,” I said.

I scooted over a bit and Ellie set on my left. I kissed Samantha and then Ellie, then put my arms around both of them and pulled them close. We sat for a minute and then Samantha put her hand on my chest, and unbuttoned the buttons on my rugby shirt. She smiled and pulled it over my head. I smiled, then pulled her sweater up and over her head. I turned and looked at Ellie and she nodded. I pulled her McCauley sweatshirt over her head.

Samantha touched my cheek and I turned my head. We exchanged a soft French kiss and she lifted my hand to cup her firm breast over her black sports bra. After a minute she broke the kiss and I turned to Ellie and lowered my lips to hers. We exchanged a similar French kiss and I put my hand over her small breast which was encased in a white lace bra. When I broke the kiss, I looked into her eyes and she smiled.

Samantha moved to the next stage by pulling my t-shirt over my head, and running her hands over my bare chest. I took the hint and removed her sports bra, and cupped her breasts and squeezed gently, strumming her nipples with my fingers. We exchanged another soft French kiss, I turned to Ellie.

“Run your hands over his chest,” Samantha instructed.

I felt the soft touch of Ellie’s hands as they explored my chest, her fingers tracing circles around each nipple. I reached around her back and unclasped her bra, and then pulled the straps forward, revealing small round breasts with tiny nipples. I knew I could almost fit her entire breast in my mouth and longed to do so, but we weren’t to that point yet. I cupped her breasts in my hands and teased her nipples with my fingers. She sighed deeply and we exchanged a soft kiss.

Ellie seemed OK so far, so when Samantha urged me to stand up I did so. She gently tugged on my sweatpants and pulled them down, then had me step out of them. I sat down and she removed my socks, leaving me with only my dark-blue briefs. Samantha smiled and stood up, and I did the same for her, removing sweatpants and socks. I turned to Ellie, who, after what appeared to be a few seconds of internal debate, stood up. I unbuttoned her tight jeans, and carefully removed them. She stepped out and sat down, and I removed her socks.