Chapter 71: Wuv, Tru Wuv

August 13, 2001, Saint Martin, Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles

🎤 Steve

“And when, pray tell, were you going to let us know?” I asked after the girls all squealed the way girls always did for wedding announcements, pregnancy announcements, and babies.

“We were going to ask you to marry us on Friday. Here.”

“I’m pretty sure the wedding has to take place in Illinois,” I said.

“I’m not going to tell if you aren’t! We’ll date the form for Saturday and you can do a thirty-second ceremony when the plane lands to keep it kosher, but we’ll consider Friday our wedding day. Will you?”

“I think I’d be hard-pressed to say ‘no’!” I replied. “What was your plan?”

“Just a simple ceremony, possibly on that beach you mentioned.”

“It’s not completely isolated and other people might be there.”

“But not throngs like on a normal beach, right?”

“Right. Have you told anyone at all?”

“No. We’re planning to surprise everyone at the next Philosophy Club meeting.”

“Parents?”

“Nobody!”

“Why the cloak and dagger?”

“No particular reason. Neither of us wanted a big wedding, and when we started talking about it, Holly just cut right to the chase.”

“You’re both Juniors. What about living arrangements?”

“Married dorms at IIT. I already spoke to the housing office. It’ll cost less than our combined individual dorm rooms. And in a year, I think we both have good job prospects.”

I nodded, “A mechanical engineering degree with a business minor, focusing on operations gives you lots of options. I’ll put you in touch with friends who work for engineering and research firms early next year. And Holly has been talking to Samantha about working for Spurgeon as an analyst.”

“If that happens, I can be a kept man!” Jackson said with a smirk.

“What kind of ceremony do you want?” Suzanne asked.

“We wrote vows, so just a simple service similar to what Steve did for his karate friend.”

“What are we wearing?” Natalie asked.

“Well, we could always do what Jennifer and Josie did,” I smirked.

“Why do I think I should be worried?” Jackson asked.

“Sky clad. Them AND all the guests!”

“You were that free fifteen years ago?” Leigh asked.

I chuckled, “I was getting naked in the sauna with mixed sexes before you were born, young lady! That said, that wedding is the source of one of my major regrets.”

“Why?” Natalie asked.

“Because I allowed one person’s discomfort to cause me to exclude Jorge from the ceremony. It was cruel and heartless.”

“Wow!” Suzanne gasped. “Who would do that?”

“It’s not important who it was,” I replied. “It was my response that was regrettable. I know it hurt Jorge, especially given how close he became with Jennifer and Josie after the fact. That exclusion was simply unconscionable. And in hindsight, I think it did long-term damage because it caused him to crawl back inside his shell, something I was trying to help him escape. It’s something I’m truly sorry to have done, and hope, somehow, he knows and accepts my «mea maxima culpa».”

“I’ve never heard you criticize yourself that way,” Leigh said. “Critical, yes, but this is beyond that.”

“You haven’t been in my counseling sessions with my former therapist in Milford, Ohio! Or read my journals.”

“Now THERE is something I’d give an arm and a leg to do!” Jackson declared. “I can’t imagine the untold wealth of philosophy and life advice that could be gleaned from those pages!”

“Digital bits,” I replied. “Unfortunately, there is far too much in them which would violate the privacy of people close, and not so close, to me, that I couldn’t allow it.”

“You really think that situation with your friend Jorge is your most grievous fault?” Jackson asked.

In terms of things I could reveal, even to my Inner Circle, it was. The one I couldn’t reveal topped it, but Stephanie had a chance to fully recover; Jorge never did.

“I’d say that except for one thing which I can’t reveal, even to the four of you, yes.”

“I didn’t know you harbored that kind of regret,” Natalie observed.

“Well, if I was going to say the «Confiteor» again, after more than twenty years, it would be in response to what I just revealed.”

“The «Confiteor»?” Leigh asked.

“I was raised Roman Catholic, and it’s part of the Latin Rite Mass. I think I still remember it, if you want to hear it.”

“Sure,” she replied.

“I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

“Your memory is unbelievable!” Suzanne declared. “You really haven’t said that since you were fourteen? That’s when you quit going to church, if I recall correctly.”

“You do. And no, I haven’t said it since then. The Latin version was longer, but the church switched from Latin to English when I was little. We also said a shortened version during our daily prayers when I went to Catholic school for sixth grade.”

“That must have been interesting!” Leigh observed.

“I managed to get myself kicked out so I could go to public school, so it all worked out in the end. And I was excommunicated for engaging in pre-marital sex when I was fourteen.”

“Excommunicated? As in kicked out?”

“Yes. I don’t talk much about it, really. The short version is that my mom discovered I was sexually active and made me go to the priest, who wanted me to admit that sleeping with Birgit Andersson, a Swedish exchange student, was wrong. There was no possible way that was going to happen, on earth OR in heaven. It was no sin, no matter how you measure. I basically told the priest that, and he said I should no longer receive communion.”

“Is that the source of your skepticism about religion?” Natalie asked.

“No. I was already skeptical. That just convinced me it was time to quit. I’ve been trying to find a solution ever since, but the one thing I’m convinced of is that the Roman Catholic Church does not have the answers to the questions I have.”

“Does anyone?” Leigh asked.

“You should know the answer to THAT question!” Jackson challenged.

“Whatever was I thinking?” Leigh asked with a wry smile.

Jackson smiled, “One important lesson we’ve learned from Steve is that anyone who says they have ‘all the answers’ or that they ‘know the truth’ is dangerous. That goes double for politicians and religious leaders!”

“There are some spiritual guides who are valuable,” I replied. “They’re the ones who ask questions; not the ones who provide answers.”

“You’re talking about the Buddhist monks?”

“Kaito and Yoshiro.”

“You know, it might not be a bad idea to sit down with Kaito,” Suzanne suggested.

“I’m open to that,” I replied. “So, back to the wedding. How about Thursday evening at the secluded beach? We’re already going to be there.”

“That’ll be perfect,” Jackson confirmed.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out and talking, then the entire group had dinner together. Elsa and Tessa encouraged us to join them at a club, and after a bit of discussion, we all agreed, heading to the club after dinner. We had a blast, and Jackson and I danced with all the girls, though he danced more with Holly than any of the other girls. That didn’t create any issues because the girls had no trouble at all attracting male attention.

Around 1:00am, just before it was time to go home, Tessa grabbed my hand for a slow dance, stepping close and putting her hands on my butt and pressing her breasts against my chest.

“Nice bum,” she whispered in my ear.

“Yours is very nice, too,” I replied, squeezing gently.

Tessa pulled me closer, and every movement created delicious sensations. The invitation was clear, and I was certainly interested in accepting it. I’d put off other girls, such as Audrey, but being in Saint Martin triggered fond memories of the ‘Saint Martin Six’, especially Liz. I didn’t expect to replicate my experience with her, and I certainly wasn’t going to fall in love with Tessa, but I could certainly have a very enjoyable time with her, and, I suspected, with the others. When the song ended, Tessa squeezed me tightly, then released me.

As we made our way back to where the group was gathered when they weren’t dancing, Nickie grabbed my hand. The song was faster and with a nice beat, so we danced close, but without our arms around each other. That didn’t prevent Nickie from rubbing against me at every opportunity, but I’d seen her do that with most of the guys she’d danced with, and it didn’t seem to have the same implication that Tessa’s dancing had. In fact, I didn’t recall Tessa dancing that way with anyone, though I hadn’t been paying close attention.

When we arrived back at the house, I wondered about the logistics, but it was immediately obvious that Tessa and Suzanne had spoken when Suzanne gathered a few things, kissed me, and left the master bedroom. Tessa came in a minute later and shut the door. She handed me a sheet of paper which showed she’d had an STI test, and I reciprocated by showing my card. I didn’t think I needed to raise the issue of birth control, as my vasectomy had been revealed at a Philosophy Club meeting which Tessa had attended, so with the ‘formalities’ out of the way, I held out my arms. Tessa stepped into them and pressed her body firmly against mine as we exchanged a searing French kiss.

I moved one hand to the zipper of her sexy black cocktail dress and slowly dragged it down. Tessa broke our kiss, stepped back, and wriggled out of the dress, allowing it to fall to her feet. She stepped out of it, then unbuttoned my polo and pulled it over my head. We kissed again, and then I unhooked Tessa’s bra. She dropped her arms and allowed it to fall to the floor, then pressed her firm breasts against my chest. After another kiss, she unbuckled my belt, unbuttoned the waist button on my slacks, and then drew down the zipper. She broke the kiss, leaned down, and pulled down my slacks and briefs. I sat down on the edge of the bed to make it easy for her to take them off, and when she stood, I hooked my fingers in her silk panties and drew them down, revealing a thin ‘landing strip’ of pubic hair. She kicked them off, then knelt down in front of me.

Tessa grasped my quickly hardening shaft, lowered her mouth, and took my glans in. She swirled her tongue and stroked me to full erection, then released me, climbed into my lap and wrapped her legs around me, and slung one arm around my neck. I put my hands under her butt and lifted her up. She grasped my shaft and rubbed it along her slick labia, then positioned it and sank slowly down until I was fully embedded in her tight, warm tunnel. Tessa began grinding against me, rubbing her clit and nipples on my body, and we began kissing fiercely.

It didn’t take long before Tessa shuddered and moaned softly into my mouth, and I felt ripples along my shaft. She continued to ride me through a series of small orgasms, then broke the kiss, lifted off, and moved to the center of the king-size bed. I moved between her legs, positioned myself, and slowly entered her. I lowered my body onto Tessa’s, she wrapped her legs around my butt, and we quickly worked our way to a driving, headboard-banging fuck. Tessa had two strong orgasms before I pushed as deeply into her as I could and came hard, firing jet after jet of cum into her spasming tunnel.

When my orgasm passed, I gently pulled out, slid down, and pleasured Tessa to two orgasms with my mouth before turning so we could sixty-nine. Once we brought each other off, with her swallowing my cum before we exchanged a French kiss, I pleasured her with my tongue until I was ready for a second hard-driving, headboard-banging fuck. We finished our night with a long, slow screw, then fell asleep in each other’s arms.

August 14, 2001, Saint Martin, Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles

On Tuesday morning, Tessa and I woke and got into the shower together.

“That has to be the best one-night stand I’ve ever had!” she declared as we soaped each other’s bodies.

“It was pretty damn good,” I agreed. “And I don’t think I’ve ever been with someone with green eyes and black hair!”

Tessa laughed, “I haven’t been a ‘first’ for anyone since I was sixteen with my best friend’s brother! That was my second!”

“Virgins aren’t your thing?”

“Virgins aren’t likely to expertly shag me for three or four hours! I prefer fit, experienced guys. Though you’re probably the oldest guy I’ve been with!”

“Gee, thanks,” I chuckled.

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-eight.”

“Then older than the oldest guy by ten years!” she said with a soft laugh.

“I’m not THAT old!” I protested.

“Compared to me? I’m twenty! You were in college when I was born.”

“Go on, rub it in!” I groused.

She smirked, dropped to her knees, gave me a wonderful blowjob, then stood up. We kissed deeply.

“Did that soothe your hurt feelings?” she asked with a smirk when we broke the kiss.

“Very much so!”

We finished our shower, dried off, dressed, and then went downstairs so I could make breakfast. After breakfast, Natalie asked to cuddle so we went out to the deck and got into a chaise, while the others spread out around the house or went to the beach.

“I asked Suzanne if it was OK to sleep with you tonight,” she said.

“Suzanne isn’t the gatekeeper,” I replied. “If you’re in the Inner Circle, you have the same rights as anyone.”

“Including Jackson?” she teased.

“He has the right to drink bourbon and spend time in the sauna, but I draw the line at mutual blowjobs!”

Natalie giggled, “I bet! It’s interesting that the idea doesn’t gross you out.”

“It’s like lots of other things - just because I wouldn’t do it, doesn’t mean it’s gross or disgusting.”

“Do you remember the conversation we had with my sister?”

“Sure. Which part?”

“Guess!”

I chuckled, “I wondered if you would ever bring that up.”

“As in you were interested?”

“More out of curiosity about your thinking than anything else.”

“But you would?” Natalie asked.

“I have, so there’s a strong indication I would, though you know there are no guarantees in that regard.”

“But you don’t like it?”

“Is that the determining factor for me?” I queried.

“No; it’s whether or not the girl wants to do it. Is there anything you wouldn’t do with a girl?”

“Short of anything which caused physical injury or involved water sports or scat, I can’t think of anything.”

“I’d say I can’t believe people like being peed on, but having you open my eyes by opening my thighs, not much surprises me!”

I chuckled, “I think it was the other way around - eyes first!”

“Only because I was afraid to say anything that first night.”

“But that was a good thing,” I replied.

“Oh, I agree!” Natalie replied. “Saint Petersburg was the right time, right place, right circumstances. Interestingly, I didn’t fall as deeply in love with you as Liz did.”

“You are two very different people,” I replied. “With two very different approaches to relationships.”

“I’m curious - would it have to be a trade?”

I chuckled, “I won’t hold it hostage to that demand the way I did for Mary Harrison.”

Natalie laughed, “I heard about that from Melanie!”

“Don’t believe a word Melanie says!” I declared. “If you want the truth about High School, ask Jennifer or Bethany.”

“I haven’t spoken with Jennifer very much, and Bethany was reticent to talk because you guys were basically on the outs. I take it her going to Sweden for a year was your doing?”

“Part of trying to get her to remove her blinders and see that there is a different way. I’m not sure how successful it will be, but I hope that the woman who wrote Smart Teens; Smart Choices is the one who returns from Sweden. She can do a lot of good if that’s the case, and a lot of harm if it isn’t.”

“She used to think the same as you, didn’t she?”

“Close, though her view was filtered through her rape and her counseling of victims of sexual abuse. Unfortunately, her concern for abuse colored her view of healthy relationships. She’d argue that my relationship with you was abusive.”

“She’d be wrong. And she’d be wrong about Nicole, too.”

“The three of us know that, as do my wives. The tipping point for me was when Bethany effectively accused Jesse of abusing Francesca, despite every person on the planet, including Carol, knowing exactly where those two were heading for thirteen years! Carol did her best to ward it off, but she was no match for hormones and the close relationship they’d had since they were babies.”

“I think my dad would agree with Carol on the topic.”

“I know many parents who would agree with her, but that doesn’t make them right. Your mom certainly doesn’t agree with Carol.”

“No. She was just concerned about the fact I was fifteen. But once you talked to her and basically uncovered her reasons, she and I could talk, and she could accept Nicole’s decision. And be jealous!”

I chuckled, “You and Nicole are both entertained by the fact that your mom is interested in me.”

“And that WE can have you and SHE can’t! Did I tell you that Jack called last week?”

“No.”

“He wants to go out again, but honestly I can’t see him changing who he is at his core, and even if he could, he’d never have accepted me going to graduate school in Russia. It’s basically the same problem Liz had with her ex-boyfriend and law school.”

“He was a first-class idiot,” I replied. “Julius is perfect for her.”

“How much of your time can I monopolize today?” Natalie asked.

“I think as much as you’d like. I’m here for pure relaxation. As I mentioned, the only real plans are lunch with Jeannette on Thursday and then the beach that night. Suzanne and Leigh are happy to hang out with Suzanne’s friends, which is something Leigh can’t really do at home because of her parents. Once she starts school, that’ll change. And Holly and Jackson are certainly finding things to do as well, considering he told me they’re treating this week as a honeymoon.”

“Which explains why they went back to bed after breakfast!”

I chuckled, “Perhaps.”

“We could go up to your room if you wanted.”

“We could go up to my room if YOU wanted,” I replied.

“I do!”

“Then let’s go!”

August 15, 2001, Saint Martin, Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles