© Copywrite 2003 by Girl Friday, all rights reserved.

Prologue

"There she is! That's her, the General!"

"Who's the General?"

"There - the tall one, long brown hair, perfect breasts. Oh man what I wouldn't give..."

I smiled to myself when I heard this whispered exchange on my way out of the dining hall. Two guys, sophomores maybe, were following me with their eyes as I walked by them.

"Why is she called the General?"

I chuckled quietly and thought, if you only knew...

Chapter 1

It was a sunny Friday in late August as I pulled into a parking space and sat for a minute watching the confusion going on around me. It was move-in day for the upperclassmen at the large university where I had decided to finish my education. Everywhere I looked there were students, arms full, scurrying towards the dorms. I flicked a glance to my own pile of belongings waiting to be unloaded from the back of my Expedition and sighed; better get started. I grabbed a bag of clothes and my computer case and headed towards my dorm.

Robinson Hall was located near the edge of campus, far from the classrooms but nearest the bustling town that had sprung up around the college. It wasn't a long walk from the lot where I had parked my SUV and the day was so beautiful that I didn't mind carrying my load. I found the building I was looking for and thought: Well, this is it. For the next 9 months, this is home. It was a large brick building, six stories tall; pretty much standard college issue. Inside was a line of students all waiting to be checked in. I joined the line and looked at some of the people I was going to be living with and smiled. No really young kids horsing around, thank god. Robinson Hall was a co-ed dorm for people 24 years or older, mostly graduate students. Some, like me, were ANTS - Adult Non-Traditional Students; students that for various reasons were starting or finishing undergraduate degrees well past the age of most college students.

Me? I'm probably one of the oldest. 30 years old and moving into a dorm for the first time in my life. Am I crazy? More than likely, but I always wondered what it would be like to experience college as a resident and since the house I was building wouldn't be finished for several more weeks, living in the dorm was the logical choice.

"Next!"

Startled out of my reverie, I realized I was the one holding the line up. I shouldered my bag and stepped up to the table, where I locked gazes with the most beautiful pair of blue eyes I had ever seen. Not your standard blue, oh no. These were the color of my favorite pair of faded jeans, a blue so light that they were almost clear and made all the more startling by the rest of his face. Skin tanned a golden honey color from long hours in the sun; short black hair, slightly tousled; square jaw with just a hint of black stubble; and a generous mouth with lips that made me shiver to think of how they would feel on my skin. (Stop it, you're here to learn, not get laid)

"And your name is... ?" Oh god, his voice was the icing on the cake, tenor with a hint of baritone and smoother than a gentle breeze on a spring day.

"Samantha Wilson, call me Sam."

"Hi Sam, I'm Jake. Just bear with me a minute while I get your keys and packet."

He turned to a table behind him filled with boxes and sorted through one marked U-Z. He stood well over six feet tall and was built like a swimmer. His tee shirt stretched across broad, powerful shoulders that tapered to a trim waist. His long lean legs were encased in jeans that did nothing to hide the muscles of his thighs or his world-class butt. He pulled a large brown envelope out of the box he was sorting through and turned back to me.

"Let's see what you got. Okay, you're in suite 618, top floor. Turn left out of the elevator and go to the end of the hall. It'll be the last door on the right before the TV lounge. I met a couple of your roommates earlier; you'll like them. Here are your keys, your student ID, and orientation packet. It's got your schedule, campus map, events calendar, that type of stuff. Let me know if anything is missing or if you have any questions." He smiled as he said it, handed me the packet, and pointed me towards the elevators.

"Thanks." I headed to the elevators and managed to catch a ride on the next one going up. As I stepped off the elevator a couple of guys standing in a doorway let out with whistles and offered to show me to my room. I smiled and told them I thought I could find it on my own. I've never understood why men whistle at me. I'm okay in the looks department, but I'm no Pamela Anderson. I'm 5'10" with dark brown hair that's slightly curly and falls to just below my shoulder blades and hazel eyes under dark curving eyebrows. I'm fit and trim; okay, my breasts are nice and my legs are long, but I still don't understand why men whistle.

The hall was littered with duffle bags, pillows, furniture, and people as everyone tried to move in at the same time. I carefully negotiated my way down to the end. There, just as Jake had said it would be, was suite 618. I opened the door and took a look at my new home. A decent sized living room, the far wall mostly windows. A couple of chairs and a couch, all of them well used, were scattered around the room. On either side were two doors that led into the small private bedrooms. They were all standing open so a quick glance into each told me three of the four bedrooms were already claimed. I was the last one here, but no one else seemed to be home. I wandered into the empty bedroom and surveyed my private room.

It was a cramped rectangle of space with a large closet on the short wall to my left. The twin bed was shoved along the wall directly opposite me, with a tall chest of drawers near the foot of the bed. To my right was a small table I think was supposed to be my desk (what a joke) with a set of long shelves mounted on the wall. No window. Well, that's what I get for being late. A door on the right end on the room led to the bathroom I would be sharing with the occupant of the other bedroom. A small room with a pedestal sink, large mirror, toilet, and a shower comfortable enough for one, but any sharing in there would take some creativity. Hmm. I hoped my roommate wasn't one of those girls who primps for hours or the situation could get ugly. The door on the other side of the bathroom opened into a bedroom identical to mine except that it had a window on the far wall. (Shit. A window would have been nice.) I turned back to my room and was startled to see someone standing in it.

"Hi, I'm Traci, one of your roommates. Pretty depressing isn't it?"

She was lovely. Chin length, blonde hair, cut in a bob; sea green eyes perfectly spaced in an oval face, with a beautiful smile. Traci appeared to be in her mid-twenties, around 5'6" with a slender figure. She grinned at me and I liked her instantly.

"Traci, I'm Sam. Nice to meet you and yes this is pretty depressing. I'm beginning to wonder what possessed me to live on campus." Her light musical laugh signaled her agreement. "Is that you over there?" I pointed to the room on the other side of my bathroom.

"Nope. I'm on the other side of the living room, in the room with a window. That's Jake's room."

"Excuse me? Jake from downstairs, Jake?"

"Yep. That's the one."

My head was spinning. There was no way I could share a bathroom with that gorgeous man and still make decent grades. No way. He could have at least warned me that he was one of my roommates. (The rat)

It must have showed on my face. She giggled and explained that Jake and our other roommate, Matt, had arrived shortly after she did. Matt decided he would rather share a bathroom with her, as opposed to Jake, and quickly claimed what was supposed to have been my room. Wonderful.

Traci asked if I needed any help bringing my stuff up. I assured her the help would be nice and together we headed back to my Expedition. We chatted companionably, getting to know one another. She was a 24 year old junior, pre-law, paying her own way through school. Financial aid and scholarships went towards a large chunk of her tuition, but she worked several jobs after high school to be able to make up the difference. Traci had started college late, hence her ANTS- status. It didn't take us long to get back to the parking lot and the rest of my stuff.

"Geez, Sam, there's not a lot here. Where's your fridge?"

"Not a lot here? Traci, it's going to take both of us to carry this junk back to the dorm!"

"Yeah, but it's only one trip. Most of us brought twice this amount."

Traci grabbed the laundry sack full of clothes and the shower pail of toiletries. I gathered up the heavy box that contained books, binders and miscellaneous school supplies. After locking up the SUV, we headed back to our room.

"So, what's the deal? How come you didn't bring anything to school?"

"I've never lived on campus before, Traci. I didn't know I needed a fridge. I've been going to school part-time for a few years now but I commuted from home. I moved out of my apartment yesterday and had the movers put most of my stuff in storage until the house I'm having built is done."

"You're building a house? Sam, that's really cool, but how can you afford it?"

I gritted my teeth. It was going to come out sooner or later, might as well be now. "I was in a bad car accident about ten years ago. I filed suit against the jerk that caused it and won. The settlement was enough that I can finish my degree and build a house." It was not the complete truth but it was all she needed to know. It was time for me to change the subject.

"So, experienced dorm resident that you are, would you go shopping with me tomorrow? It seems I need a fridge!" The change of subject didn't fool Traci, but she kindly didn't pursue the matter and agreed to go shopping with me. We arrived at our room to find both of our new roommates home.

The guys quickly relieved us of our burdens and dropped them on my bed.

"Hi, you must be Samantha. I'm Matt." A grinning, sandy-haired blonde was holding out his hand.

"Matt, call me Sam." I clasped his hand and started to shake. I found myself roughly jerked against him and bent backwards over his arm as he proceeded to drop a dramatic, rather chaste kiss on my lips.

"Let go of her, you big goof." Jake lightly punched Matt in the arm. "Let her up."

Matt did not let go. His green eyes sparkled with mischief. "The grouch over there is Jake, our other roommate. Ignore him and runaway with me. We can live in Paris, where I will paint portraits for tourists and you can wash my socks."

I looked at Jake, who was glowering at Matt, and decided a little payback was in order. He really should have told me he was my roommate when I checked in. "I've already met Jake. Let me grab my passport and we can be on our way!"

"Matt." Jake's quiet firm tone brooked no argument this time. I giggled as Matt set me on my feet and shot a "stick in the mud" look back at Jake.

"Does he do this with all the girls or am I just the lucky one?" I looked to Traci for a response.

Traci laughed. "Nope, he did that to me too, but we're going to live in Fiji where he's going to paint coconuts and I'm supposed to weave grass skirts. I think my kiss had a little more tongue than yours, though."

I looked at Matt and raised an eyebrow. He waggled both of his back at me and leered at Traci, "Well everyone knows that gentlemen prefer blondes!"

"You're no gentleman." Jake's comment brought a laugh from all of us-- and a "Too right!" agreement from Matt.

"Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving. We can all get to know each other over pizza, please?" Traci had a pleading look on her face and was rubbing her stomach. We all quickly agreed and went in search of dinner.

Chapter 2

I lay in my bed, eyes closed, resisting the morning. Just a few more minutes, I thought. I always have trouble sleeping in a strange bed and I really wanted just a little more sleep. It was warm in the room and I had opened my door in the middle of the night, hoping for some air circulation. As I tried in vain to get back to sleep, I sifted through my memories of last night.

Dinner had been fun and relaxing. Matt really was the goofball that Jake accused him of being and it made the evening go quickly. Where Matt was outgoing and exuberant, Jake was more subdued and serious, though quick to laugh at Matt's antics. Jake was 27, a senior like me, and a computer science major. He had spent six years in the Army before coming to college. Matt was here on the G.I. bill too, a 25 year old junior studying mechanical engineering. They had roomed together the year before and appeared to be very good friends.

After dinner we had walked around the campus a little bit, the rest of them showing me around. Traci told them about our shopping adventure for tomorrow and asked them if they wanted to join us. To my surprise, they had both quickly agreed, Jake commenting on his addiction to gummy bears and current lack thereof. Once back at the room, we all started unpacking rather halfheartedly and took frequent breaks to visit with people stopping by to say hi to the guys.

Around 11:00 p.m. I decided it had been a long day and made my excuses for bed. The other three agreed and we all headed to our rooms. I pulled on my usual sleeping gear: a close-fitting short sleeve tee shirt that ended just above my navel and whatever underwear I had worn that day, and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I actually had my hand on the doorknob before I realized that maybe I should put my robe on or Jake was going to get an eyeful. After donning my robe I went into the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. I glanced at the door to Jake's room, which was standing open. Beyond it, Jake was standing there with his shirt off and fly undone, getting ready to shuck off his jeans. I must have squeaked because he looked up at me, his expression unreadable.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to peek. I was just going to brush my teeth and your door was open and..." I was babbling and we both knew it.

Jake came to the door I was looking through. "Sam look, let's get this straight right now. We have to share this bathroom for the rest of the year. We are going to see each other naked, there's no way to avoid it. Nudity doesn't bother me much. Boot camp doesn't allow anyone any privacy, and modesty was a waste of time. Let's just be adults about it. As long as we can agree on that, there's no need to be embarrassed."

"Uh, okay. If that's the way you feel, it's fine by me. Tomorrow, no robe!"

"Now that I look forward to! Mind if I share the sink?" Jake retrieved his own toothbrush and we brushed our teeth together, before heading off to bed.

I groaned softly in my bed, thinking about that little conversation last night and wondered how I was going to keep my hands off a naked Jake all year. Impossible. I turned on my side towards the wall and once again tried to go back to sleep. Someone started rummaging around in the living room. I was doomed; no more sleep today. I tried to decide who was making all the noise when I heard Jake's voice.

"Matt try to keep it down, the girls are still sleeping."

"Yeah, I know but I can't find my sneakers. Hey how about Sam? She's pretty hot."

"Keep it down, would ya? Besides, I thought you liked Traci."

"I do! Traci's awesome and we have great chemistry. But Sam, WOW! Did you notice her eyes, how they change color?"

"What are you talking about?"

"There they are! As I was saying, Sam's eyes, they change colors. Normally, they seem to be hazel, but when she was laughing last night, they looked really green. I wonder what they look like when she's getting screwed?"

"Matt! I'm warning you. Stop talking about her like that."

"You like her don't you? Don't worry, man. You're secret's safe with me. Let's go, I need some food."

Their voices trailed off as they left the room and I lay there stunned. Matt must have been teasing Jake. That's the only explanation. I decided to ignore it, after all I had been eavesdropping.

The shopping trip later that day was fun and no mention was made of the early morning conversation. Traci and Matt spent a lot of time flirting, but the day was generally uneventful. Classes started on Monday and life settled into the routine of all college students: go to class, study, goof off, and sleep. I enjoyed living in the dorm. It was nice that there was always someone around to talk to or help you out when needed.

My only problem was my growing attraction to Jake. Despite our conversation about nudity in the bathroom, I still tried not to walk in on him. One day I wasn't so lucky. I came back from class with a really full bladder. I had to go NOW. I walked into our bathroom and Jake was in the shower.

"Jake, I'm sorry but I gotta go."

"Go ahead, just don't flush."

I quickly went about my business. I went to wash my hands and realized I shouldn't run the water with Jake still in the shower.

"It's okay, I'm done now."

I turned and there he was. The water streamed from his hair and ran down his skin in rivulets as he reached for his towel. Oh my god, he was beautiful. The lean muscles of his chest danced as he roughly toweled his hair. My gaze traveled lower. His cock was seven limp inches hanging between well-defined thigh muscles. As I stared at it, my breasts began to ache.

"If you don't stop staring, it's going to get bigger." Jake's low throaty comment jerked me out of my perusal and I felt my face start to burn.

"Sorry." I flushed the toilet and washed my hands quickly, making a dash into my room. Late that night after everyone had gone to sleep, I masturbated furiously, picturing Jake's lips on my breasts and imagining his fingers on my clit.

About three weeks into the semester, the four of us were sitting in the living room, working on homework. Matt threw his pencil down. "You know what we need? We need a little study break." Jake groaned and covered his face with his hands. "Matt, we do not need a study break."

"Yes, we do! You explain it to the girls and I'll go knock on the doors."

Traci and I both looked at Jake as Matt went out into the hall and starting knocking on the other suites and shouting, "Study break!"

"What's a study break?" Traci looked just as confused as I was.

"Matt likes to play stupid games, kid games. You know: Truth or Dare, Strip Poker, 7 Minutes in Heaven, and Spin the Bottle. He calls it a study break. He's famous for it. Everyone who's interested will gather in the TV lounge to hear what the game is and what the rules are. The ones who don't want to play leave."

Traci grinned at me. "Sounds like fun. Let's go."

The three of us went to the TV lounge and watched as about 13 people joined us. Soon Matt came in holding a white PVC tube that was painted red on one end.

"Okay everyone, today's game is easy since we've got some newbies here. The game is Spin the Bottle. Anyone who wants to play sits in the circle boy girl boy girl. This is the bottle." He held up the PVC tube. "One of us spins the bottle. It must make a complete spin to count. The red end will point to the person the spinner kisses. If it's pointing to someone of the same sex, you kiss the person on their right. Once you've spun, the person on your left will spin. We take turns spinning until everyone has spun at least once. Those of you who don't want to play can go back to your rooms or stick around and watch. Anyone who's playing needs to sit on the floor in a circle."

"Are you going to play?" I whispered to Traci.

"Yeah" she said, "Why not?"

"We're a little old for this, don't you think?"

"So? I think it might be fun."

We shoved the furniture out of the way and sat down in the circle between guys neither of us knew very well. There were ten of us in the circle. Two of the others sat in chairs to watch, while the third went back to her room. I could feel Jake's gaze on me and somehow I knew that it wouldn't be long before his lips were pressed to mine.

Matt started the game by spinning. The bottle stopped on the girl sitting right next to him. He leaned over and kissed her, then she spun the tube. It ended up pointing to the guy next to me. They crawled out into the center of the circle and kissed for much longer than she and Matt had. And so the game continued, some kissing briefly, while others really got into it. One couple had to be reminded to stop kissing.

Closer and closer the spinner came to Jake. The more I thought about it the more nervous I got. Jake spun the tube. I closed my eyes briefly while it spun, not really wanting to know who it was going to be. The spinner stopped, pointing once again to the girl on Matt's right. They crawled to the center and kissed briefly. I heaved a sigh of relief and began to enjoy the game. The next guy spun and it pointed to me. I crawled to the center of the circle for my kiss. He was nice about it and gave me a sweet kiss, but no sparks flew. We broke off quickly and went back to our seats.

I glanced over at Jake. He was staring at me with a heavy lidded gaze that seemed to look into my soul. I tried to ignore it and enjoy the game. And then suddenly it was my turn to spin. I set the tube on the floor and with a quick flick of my wrist set it spinning. (Please not Jake, Please not Jake) My internal mantra seemed to work as the spinner stopped on the girl sitting between Jake and a guy from across the hall, Steve. I couldn't remember the rule, which one was I supposed to kiss? Matt quickly solved my dilemma.

"Jake, that's your kiss. It goes to the guy on the right." (Holy shit!)

Jake crawled to the center of the circle as I sat there rooted in place. He smiled at me and crooked his finger. Slowly I got to my knees and crawled to him. He pulled me upright so that we were kneeling, facing each other. He slid one hand up my neck and under my hair to cup the back of my head. His other hand went to my hip and pulled me up against him. He lowered his head and gently nibbled my bottom lip, then settled his mouth firmly on mine, exploring, tasting, sending me into orbit. My hands fisted in his shirt as he plundered my mouth. His tongue brushed my lips and without hesitation I opened to him. His tongue stroked mine and they began a wild dance as my body began to throb with need. Jake groaned softly and started to pull away. Slowly he disengaged, leaving me aching. I opened my eyes to find Jake's face still just inches from my own as I heard Matt's voice.

"You guys done now?" The world started to come back into focus. I looked around at the people sitting in a circle, all of them avidly watching and clapping. I could feel my face burning as I let go of Jake and crawled back to my space in the circle.

The guy on my right leaned over as the next person spun. "Jake's a nice guy. You could do worse." I nodded mutely and tried to calm my raging hormones. Then it was Traci's turn. She spun and the red end of the tube pointed squarely at the guy who had just talked to me. They kissed briefly and the game continued until the spinner was back around to Matt.

"Okay everyone, study break is over. As you were."

I got to my feet and walked back to the room, still in a daze. Traci quickly caught up with me. "That was some kiss!" Like I didn't know that. I was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other. "So are you and Jake an item?" Traci was grinning at me and not about to be deterred.

"Not that I know of. I'm sure I would have noticed. We were just playing Matt's game." Even to my own ears the words sounded ludicrous.

"Yeah, right." Matt walked into the room. "You looked like you were enjoying my little game!" Unable to formulate a convincing response, I ignored Matt's teasing and curled up on the couch.

Traci plopped down next to me. "Well I, for one, am disappointed. I didn't get to kiss the guy I was hoping for. That game was the perfect excuse and now here I am with nothing to show for it."

Matt looked like someone had knocked the wind right out of him. "Then go kiss him for crying out loud! No one here is stopping you."

Traci sprung up off the couch, "Fine I'll just do that" and headed for the door Matt was standing near. As she moved to go by him, she quickly turned and pulled his head down to hers. Traci really laid one on him. Poor Matt never saw it coming. Finally they came up for air, Matt with a huge smile on his face. He scooped Traci into his arms, carried her into his room and kicked the door shut behind them. Well, I thought, at least someone's happy. I sighed and went to my own room. Maybe homework will help me settle down.

Two hours later, I gave up. Unable to accomplish a single thing, I closed my books and put them away. All I could do was sit on my bed and wonder what the hell I was going to do. My head kept telling me that Jake was my friend, nothing more. My libido was screaming, "Screw that! Paradise is at hand!" My heart was quietly trying to decide if it was worth the risk; after all, Jake was not Brian.

(Grrr) I decided to get ready for bed. I pulled off everything but my underwear and started hunting around for my sleep shirt. Just as I closed my fingers on it, my bathroom door opened and into my room walked Jake. I jumped and yelped, "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Er, sorry." Jake stood there sort of dazed, his mouth hanging somewhat open. He closed it with a visible grinding of his teeth.

"What's wrong?" He was really acting strange. I hoped he couldn't hear my heart thumping in my chest as I tried to recover.

Jake cleared his throat a couple of times, "I need to talk to you." He gestured to the shirt in my hand, "Would you mind putting that on before I embarrass myself?"

He had startled me so badly I had completely forgotten that I was standing there in just my bikini panties. I hastily shrugged my shirt on and sat down on the bed. Jake sat down beside me. "It sounds like Matt's entertaining. Anyone we know?"

I smiled at him. "Traci. She tackled him after the game. They've been going at it for a couple of hours now. Where did you disappear to?"

Jake shrugged and fiddled with a curl of my hair. "Just had something to take care of, nothing important. How do you feel about what happened during the study break?"

Just be cool, play it casual. "It was just a game, right? We did get a little carried away, but it served a purpose. Now Traci and Matt have something to tease us about; so all's well that ends well."

"And that's it?" Jake searched my face for clues. It's a common joke around the dorm that my face is easier to read than an open book. I was really trying hard to project casual disinterest.

"Yes. Why?"

Jake stood up and headed back to the bathroom door. "Just wondering. Well, have a good night. Sorry I startled you. Guess I should knock next time." His grin as he glanced down at my chest was anything but sorry.

"Get. Out." I threw my pillow at him to enforce my point. He laughed and shut the door behind him.

Chapter 3

One month later and only small things have changed. Traci was walking around on a cloud, while Matt couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face. They've started calling each other really stupid pet names like sugarbuger and sweetbuns. (Ick) Jake has made it a habit to play with one of my long brown curls whenever he sits next to me. It never fails to make my stomach flutter.

Midterms were finally over and I was looking forward to an extra day off, courtesy of Columbus Day. I walked into my room and dropped my book bag on the bed, kicked off my shoes, and headed back into the living room. I curled up on the couch and listened to the bustle in the hallway. Most students were going home for the weekend, but not the four of us. We were all staying. The others were too far from home to go for just three days. Me? I didn't have anywhere to go, but my house was making significant progress.

I managed to squeeze in a quick trip last weekend to check on it and the work was moving right along. The exterior was completely finished now and the interior was only in need of finish work: moldings, light fixtures, and such. My contractor assured me it would be finished in a little over ten days. The interior designer I was working with had ordered my furniture several weeks ago. Everything was ready to be delivered as soon as the contractor finished. The house is a little over two hours away, so I would still be living in the dorm, but I was looking forward to having my own place again.

Matt and Traci, wrapped around each other, wandered in followed by a tired looking Jake. This week had been hard on all of us. Jake dropped down on the sofa next to me and pulled me into his lap. "How about we just cuddle on the couch all weekend? I'm too tired to do anything else." It wasn't unusual for us to sit this way, so I murmured an agreement, as Traci and Matt took over my vacated spot. The four of us sat there, talking quietly and waiting for the general exodus to be over.