Chapter 57: Research and Analysis

December 20, 1987, McKinley, Ohio

When we finished dinner, Lara and I cleaned up the kitchen, then went upstairs. She went to the guest room and got her overnight bag and brought it into my room. She unzipped it and took out two books.

“Research,” she said with an impish smile. “The Joy of Sex and The Illustrated Kama Sutra!”

“I am totally not surprised you would do research!”

“That first evening was about losing my virginity. Now it’s about pleasure!”

“And that first evening wasn’t?”

“Of course it was you doofus, but I didn’t know more than the basic mechanics and the point was to do it, even if it didn’t turn out to be mind-blowingly pleasurable, which, of course, it did!”

“What’s your plan?” I asked.

Lara looked at her watch.

“I figure we have about forty minutes before Her Highness demands attention. Get undressed, lie down on the bed on your back, and let me see if my research was any good!”

I dutifully undressed and got into bed and Lara’s research proved to have been very good.

“OK to kiss you?” she asked after swallowing and licking me clean.

“Of course.”

She moved up, and we exchanged a soft French kiss.

“So?” she asked when she broke the kiss after about a minute.

“I’d call that a success!” I declared.

Lara moved next to me to cuddle, though she was fully clothed, and I was naked.

“I can’t imagine there’s a guy who wouldn’t cum from a blowjob! But was it good?”

“I think I might need a much larger sample size!” I teased.

Lara laughed, “Your Princess will need attention soon, but once you put her down, lick me to a few orgasms, then stuff my pussy and after that I’ll practice blowjobs all night if you want! Neither of us has anywhere to go tomorrow!”

“Grocery shopping, but we can sleep in for sure, well, I have to get up with Rachel, but she’ll go back to sleep and I can come back to bed. I was teasing, by the way.”

“I liked doing it, and it felt really sexy when you came in my mouth. I was surprised by how much it turned me on. You won’t have to beg!”

“Good to know!”

“I have to ask a question,” she said, looking down at my groin. “Has anyone managed to get all seven inches into their mouths?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then, now I have a REAL challenge!”

I chuckled, “I am more than happy to be a guinea pig! What’s your plan with the textbooks?”

“I figure we’d work through them over the next few months.”

I chuckled, “Tasha read the book, too, and I asked her if she planned to do everything in the book. She said, and I quote ‘Michael Peter Loucks, if you think I’m going to invite another girl into bed with us, you’re out of your mind!’. She wasn’t outraged and was laughing when she said it. When I let on that I’d engaged in a threesome, she said ‘I should have known’ then suggested she tie me up!”

Lara laughed, “Tasha? Who knew?”

“Clarissa knew, that’s for sure! Trust me, the prim, proper act is just that — an act!”

“Now I have to ask — do we skip the threesome?”

“That one I have to leave to you,” I said, “along with a few other things.”

Lara smirked, “And you’ve done those other things?”

“Not bondage or S&M.”

“Interesting. I should ask who, but you shouldn’t answer, so I won’t ask.”

“I won’t object to whatever you want to do during playtime,” I declared.

Rachel stirred, and I got out of bed and went to change her diaper, then Lara and I went downstairs.

“Now there’s something I would never have expected! Mike Loucks walking around naked carrying a baby!”

“Actually, it’ll be a bit chilly in the study. Would you get my robe? The Tsarina will want to be rocked.”

“She does love that rocking chair, doesn’t she?”

“She does.”

“So you’ve given in to the fact that she’s in control of your life?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Not really!”

Lara left and was back shortly with my robe, and she was dressed only in a robe as well. We went to sit in the study while I fed Rachel, and after she had eaten, I rocked with her until she fell asleep. I took her upstairs, put her in her crib, and then Lara and I got into my bed. I fulfilled her request to lick her, then enjoyed her very tight pussy. As she’d offered, Lara practiced blowjobs, including experimenting with how far she could take me into her mouth. We finally fell asleep cuddled together around 3:30am, with Lara not quite achieving her goal of getting me completely into her mouth.

December 21, 1987, McKinley, Ohio

Rachel woke up a little later than her usual time, and after I changed and fed her, I put her back down in her crib, then got back into bed with Lara. As I snuggled close, it dawned on me that Kari hadn’t called the previous evening, so I figured that was that. Lara stirred a bit, but she didn’t wake, so I snuggled close and went back to sleep.

Rachel woke up at her usual late morning time, and this time Lara got out of bed with me. We put on robes, and Lara went to make us a late breakfast while I changed Rachel’s diaper. I then went down to the kitchen to make her bottle.

“Test drive of what marriage will be like?” I asked.

“Complete with modern role reversal! You’re caring for the baby and getting up with her in the night!”

“Elizaveta would have objected, but her objections would have been based in part on the practical reality that my medical training meant she had to take on basically all the parenting and housekeeping. I think the struggles I had the first month after her repose show she was correct on that account, at least. I’m curious about your timing for a baby or two.”

“For teachers, it really is simple. If I’m hired at Hayes County High, and there’s a high probability that will happen, they hire a substitute for whatever maternity leave I would have. I’d have to ask the union rep how soon I’d qualify for maternity benefits because your pay in your first year sucks, right?”

“Actually not as bad as I had thought it would, as the surgical pay scale is higher, and I’ll be on it from the start because I’ll officially be a surgical Resident even though I’ll be working in the Emergency Department.”

“How much, just out of curiosity?”

“Around $23,000 for the first year. By the third year, it’s over $40,000, and goes up from there. A surgical attending makes around $90,000, which is a princely salary here in Hayes County.”

“I’ll say! My starting pay is around $14,000 and tops out around $38,000, with a Master’s degree and ten years’ experience. Of course, in Hayes County, you can live on that. Pay would be higher in Cleveland, Toledo, or Cincinnati, though not by a lot.”

“There is a practical problem if you aren’t hired by Hayes County High.”

“I know. I’ll apply to Harding County High as well, which would just mean living twenty minutes west to be halfway between our jobs. That’s reasonable, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t have a problem with a nanny?”

“Do I have a problem with you?” I asked.

“You won’t be allowed to bang the nanny!” Lara teased.

“Oh, darn!” I chuckled.

“If I can’t keep you happy in bed, that’s a serious problem, don’t you think?”

“Yes, and I can’t imagine that being a problem given how open-minded you are and your willingness to explore and experiment.”

“Yes, but how open are YOU?” she asked with a smirk.

“I’ve never refused anything a girl has asked for.”

“So, anything in The Joy of Sex or the Kama Sutra is OK?”

“Why do I feel as if I should be worried?”

Lara laughed, “I suspect you didn’t read in detail.”

“No, I didn’t. Jocelyn read it, as did Tasha. I paged through it once. What did I miss?”

“Pegging,” Lara smirked.

“OK, I missed that one! Jocelyn had zero interest in anal sex, and I was way too prudish and conservative to even consider it. She never mentioned pegging. And the only reason I know about it is because of something that came up in a conversation Clarissa and I had with Robby and Lee about homosexual sex.

“What brought that about?”

“Our college and medical school training was, in some ways, just as bad as eighth grade health class. Discussions of homosexual sexuality were totally taboo, even more than female sexuality.”

“Medicine needs to,” Lara smirked, “get its head out of its butt on that topic!”

I laughed, “Nice one! And I agree. I had that discussion with Doctor Kelly at Good Samaritan on several occasions, as well as with Clarissa. Anyway, we both felt we needed more information given our intended roles, so we went to talk with Robby and Lee and they provided us with quite a bit of missing information. Of course, Lee used it as an opportunity to try to entice me into experimentation!”

Lara laughed, “I heard him flirt with you on occasion, and you handled it really well. I’m curious about that; was he serious?”

“I think so, but that’s not something I’d do because I’m straight, and there was no overriding spiritual connection that might have made it possible.”

“You have to be referring to Clarissa and her experiment with you, right?”

“Yes. I was also hit on by a guy at one of Milena’s parties. I didn’t take offense, I just politely declined, though I did say I was flattered.”

“What made a guy think you were gay?”

I chuckled, “Resisting a pair of gorgeous girls who were trying to entice me into a threesome by dirty dancing with me. The guy assumed that any guy who would turn them down HAD to be gay!”

Lara laughed, “I can see that. Is that something you would consider?”

“Before I answer that question, I’m curious about what you think about those ‘alternate’ activities?”

Lara turned to face me, “I’m game if you are. But that means all of them.”

“Including a threesome?” I asked with an arched eyebrow.

Lara smirked, “I think I can deal with that if you can deal with me buying the right kind of toys!”

“Full disclosure,” I said. “I’ve had a threesome and tried anal sex.”

“And flogging!” Lara smirked.

“Elizaveta was NOT shy about letting her friends know about that! What I wonder is if Serafima bought one!”

“Are you kidding?” Lara asked mirthfully. “She’s every bit as Russian as Elizaveta was, and if she knew about it, which she did, I guarantee Elias has had welts on his butt!”

“My wife seems to have suggested to her friends that sex was very enjoyable.”

“Does that surprise you?” Lara asked.

“Not in the least. She was anything but ‘prim and proper’ once we had our brief honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls.”

“So, we agree we’ll try everything in the book at some point before August?”

“I’m game if you are.”

“Good.”

“Think we can squeeze in a long, slow screw sometime today?”

“I like being squeezed by you!” I grinned.

I finished feeding Rachel, then put her in her carrier while Lara and I ate our meal. Once we finished, we cleaned up the kitchen, showered, dressed, and headed to Kroger to do the grocery shopping. When we arrived home, I saw the light blinking on the answering machine and after we put away the groceries, I played the three messages.

“Mike, it’s Kari. I’m sorry for not calling yesterday as we agreed. Call me back, please.”

A beep sounded.

“Mike, it’s Fran Mercer. Would you please call me? Thanks.”

Another beep sounded.

“Mishka! It’s Tasha! I just want to confirm dinner tomorrow! I’ll bring everything I need to cook for us! Call me, please.”

A double beep signified the end of the messages.

“Are you going to call Doctor Mercer?” Lara asked.

“Not until after the New Year. If it’s something urgent with Angie, her mom or Father Stephen will call.”

“And Kari? Not over?”

“You heard her say she didn’t call yesterday as promised, so I suspect that we’re done. I’ll return her call. On the off chance she wants to have our usual date tonight, is that OK with you?”

“I’m not in control of your life,” Lara said, then winked, “At least, not yet!”

“What I meant was not staying for dinner and spending the night, which I assumed you were going to do.”

“I would have, if you had invited me. You hadn’t, so I didn’t make any assumptions. Remember what I said about one or two nights a week until you’re ready to discuss the future? I think if I basically move in, you’ll simply accept that and we’ll be on autopilot. I believe that’s a recipe for disaster because, in effect, you’ll commit without being ready. That said, I’ll stay over whenever you ask, and I’ll ask if I want to, but it has to be a conscious decision on both our parts, except for Sunday nights, as we agreed.”

“Always practical.”

“That’s the only way to be. Make your call, then I need to be stuffed for an hour or so!”

I laughed, “I have decent stamina, but it’s nowhere near that good!”

“I want you to go as slow as necessary to make it last as long as possible.”

“There will likely be a lubrication issue at some point.”

“Have I ever been anything but dripping wet?”

“No, but physiology is physiology. We haven’t reached that point, but once you go past about twenty minutes, you have to worry about that. You might be OK, but you can’t count on it.”

“Then make your calls to Tasha and Kari, and I’ll run over to Emmerson’s and get some ‘personal lubricant’! We’re going to need it, eventually!”

“You know, I have no idea where to buy the toys you’ll need.”

“Probably a trip to Kentucky,” she said. “Cincinnati is the most prudish city I’ve ever encountered! Or maybe there’s a store in Columbus. I’ll find one. May I ask a potentially touchy question?”

“Sure.”

“Should I buy a new flogger?”

“Probably,” I replied.

“OK. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

She gave me a quick kiss, and after she’d left, I picked up the phone and dialed Tasha’s number.

“Mishka!” she squealed. “I’m looking forward to getting Larisa and Rachel together for their sleepover!”

“Uh-huh,” I replied flatly, teasing her.

“Oh, stop! Anyway, is it OK for me to bring the ingredients I need? And is it still OK to arrive at 5:30pm?”

“Yes. I do have plans for Wednesday afternoon, but I think you work, right?”

“Yes. I start work at noon, so I’ll need to leave no later than 10:00am so I can get home, get Larisa settled, and then get to work.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

“See you then, Mishka!”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up, then dialed the Rickenbacker dorm and asked for Kari’s room. Fortunately, I caught her before she went to her afternoon class.

“I’m sorry about not calling yesterday,” she said as soon as I greeted her. “I hadn’t decided what to do, but I think not calling was a mistake.”

“It did send a fairly clear message,” I replied.

“Would you be willing to get together to talk?” Kari asked. “I’ll understand if you say ‘no’.”

I thought about it, and considered, given recent developments and discoveries, if there was any real possibility of a future with Kari. I had a suspicion there wasn’t, but I also felt that I at least owed her a conversation. And beyond Kari, I felt I owed it to Anicka to make the effort, even if it looked to be a lost cause.

“Normally I’d say there is no possible harm which can come from talking, but I think I proved that not to be the case the last time we were together.”

“Will you answer something for me, honestly?” Kari asked.

“I’ll try.”

“Did me walking out cause an irreparable rift?”

“To say ‘yes’ to that, I’d have to deny everything I believe about repentance and salvation. There is no unforgivable sin, where sin is defined as falling short of perfection. So, no, it’s not irreparable, but that doesn’t imply any specific future.”

“I guess I was wondering if I was wasting my time.”

“It’s never a waste of time to talk,” I replied. “Though I suspect you’ll agree that there are times when I should probably just shut up.”

Kari laughed, “I love how you can be self-deprecating and make it both true and funny.”

“Confession is good for the soul,” I replied. “Why don’t you come over tonight?”

“How about I pick up Chinese food and bring it with me?”

“That’ll work. What time?”

“5:30pm?”

“See you then,” I replied.

We said ‘goodbye’ and after I hung up the phone, I put on the kettle for tea. Lara returned as she’d planned and joined me in the kitchen for my grandfather’s special blend of tea.

“What’s the scoop?” she asked.

“Kari is going to come by around 5:30pm with Chinese food so we can talk. I get the distinct impression she thinks it’s over, and I strongly suspect Anicka encouraged Kari to at least talk it through with me. And Anicka’s involvement is one reason I think I need to talk it through.”

“You don’t want to disappoint her?”

“No. But I won’t disappoint her if I talk it through with Kari and reach a decision. Anicka would be disappointed if I didn’t discuss it. But she’d be equally disappointed if I hadn’t had the conversation you and I had, or I hadn’t had the conversation I had with Tasha. Yes, Anicka thinks Kari needs me, but she has not said she thinks I need Kari. Does that make sense?”

“It does,” Lara replied. “I plan to go home to Pittsburgh on Thursday morning, as we discussed. Alyssa will come by at 7:00am, so I can leave. I’ll be back on Saturday around 6:00pm, so I’ll cover Saturday night as usual, and then stay Sunday night, if you want.”

“Let’s just assume that you’ll stay Sunday night unless we say otherwise.”

“Cool. Shall we finish our tea and experiment how long you can go?”

“That sounds like an outstanding idea!” I declared.

It turned out, through regulating my breathing and movements, to be thirty-seven minutes, though I did need to add a bit of lubricant as I’d suggested would be necessary.

“That was different,” Lara said. “I had a series of really small orgasms and then one big one.”

“What do you prefer?”

“Ask me in six months when we’re done with our experiments!”

We kissed, got out of bed, showered together, then dressed. We put fresh sheets on the bed, burned some incense in the censor, and then spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling in front of the fire, with Rachel on a blanket on the floor.